GMKtec Nucbox K8 PLUS

Updated on January 26, 2026

The GMKtec NucBox K8 Plus is a compact desktop built on AMD's Ryzen 7 8845HS, an 8-core, 16-thread chip with Radeon 780M graphics. It ships with 32GB of DDR5 and a PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD, and both the memory (dual SO-DIMM slots, up to 96GB) and storage (two M.2 2280 slots) are user-upgradeable through a removable top panel. For the size, what sets it apart is the connectivity.

Measuring 5.2 x 5 x 2.3 inches, the K8 Plus packs dual USB4 ports, dual 2.5GbE jacks, HDMI, DisplayPort, and an OCuLink port that can drive an external GPU. It runs a configurable TDP up to 70W with three BIOS power modes (Quiet, Balanced, Performance). That makes it a flexible pick for productivity, esports, and light creative work; the limits are at the gaming end, where the integrated GPU runs out of room in demanding titles at higher resolutions.

Pros and cons

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GMKtec Nucbox K8 PLUS Comparison Chart

	GMKtec Nucbox K8 PLUS	GMKtec Nucbox K8 PLUS	GMKtec Nucbox K8 PLUS
Price	List Price: $799.99 Amazon Prices: Check Price on Amazon	List Price: $749.99 Amazon Prices: Loading prices...	List Price: $829.99 Amazon Prices: Loading prices...
Version	32GB/2TB/Ryzen 7 8845HS	32GB/1TB/Ryzen 7 8845HS	64GB/1TB/Ryzen 7 8845HS
Performance Rating	9.0	9.0	9.3
Operating System	Windows 11 Pro	Windows 11 Pro	Windows 11 Pro
Processor	Octa-core 3.80 Ghz (max 5.10 Ghz) AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS	Octa-core 3.80 Ghz (max 5.10 Ghz) AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS	Octa-core 3.80 Ghz (max 5.10 Ghz) AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS
GPU	Integrated AMD Radeon 780M	Integrated AMD Radeon 780M	Integrated AMD Radeon 780M
RAM	32 GB	32 GB	64 GB
Internal Storage	2 TB	1 TB	1 TB
Dimensions width x length x thickness	5.2 x 5 x 2.3 inches (132.08 x 127 x 58.42 mm)	5.2 x 5 x 2.3 inches (132.08 x 127 x 58.42 mm)	5.2 x 5 x 2.3 inches (132.08 x 127 x 58.42 mm)
Weight	unknown	unknown	unknown
WiFi	Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)	Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)	Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.2	Bluetooth 5.2	Bluetooth 5.2
Ethernet	2 Ethernet ports at 2.5 Gbps	2 Ethernet ports at 2.5 Gbps	2 Ethernet ports at 2.5 Gbps
HDMI	1 Full-Size HDMI Port	1 Full-Size HDMI Port	1 Full-Size HDMI Port
DisplayPort	1 DisplayPort (DisplayPort 2.1 supports 8K@60Hz.)	1 DisplayPort (DisplayPort 2.1 supports 8K@60Hz.)	1 DisplayPort (DisplayPort 2.1 supports 8K@60Hz.)
VGA	No VGA Ports	No VGA Ports	No VGA Ports
USB Ports	2 USB 2.0, 2 USB 3, 2 USB 4, 2 USB-C USB4 ports support Power Delivery 3.0 and DP1.4; USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports support data transfer.	2 USB 2.0, 2 USB 3, 2 USB 4, 2 USB-C USB4 ports support Power Delivery 3.0 and DP1.4; USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports support data transfer.	2 USB 2.0, 2 USB 3, 2 USB 4, 2 USB-C USB4 ports support Power Delivery 3.0 and DP1.4; USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports support data transfer.
Thunderbolt Ports	No	No	No
OCuLink	PCIe 4.0 x4 for eGPU	PCIe 4.0 x4 for eGPU	PCIe 4.0 x4 for eGPU
Internal SATA Ports	No SATA ports	No SATA ports	No SATA ports
Card Reader	No Card Reader	No Card Reader	No Card Reader
Headphone Jack	combo	combo	combo
Fanless	No	No	No
VESA Mount	Yes	Yes	Yes
In the Box	Nucbox K8 Plus Mini PC, power supply & cable, user manual, HDMI cable, VESA mount with screws.	Nucbox K8 Plus Mini PC, power supply & cable, user manual, HDMI cable, VESA mount with screws.	Nucbox K8 Plus Mini PC, power supply & cable, user manual, HDMI cable, VESA mount with screws.
Expandability	Supports up to 96GB DDR5 RAM, 8TB PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSD, dual LAN, and multiple USB ports.	Supports up to 96GB DDR5 RAM, 8TB PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSD, dual LAN, and multiple USB ports.	Supports up to 96GB DDR5 RAM, 8TB PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSD, dual LAN, and multiple USB ports.

How the K8 Plus performs

The Ryzen 7 8845HS is an 8-core, 16-thread chip that boosts to 5.1 GHz, paired with RDNA 3 Radeon 780M graphics and dual-channel DDR5-5600. In benchmarks reviewers saw Geekbench 6 multi-core around 13,000 (ETA Prime: 13,048) and 3DMark Time Spy in the 3,200 to 3,350 range (Lon.TV 3,230, ETA Prime 3,348), which is normal for this widely-used chip and enough for productivity, photo work, and light video editing.

Gaming is solid at 1080p within the limits of integrated graphics. ETA Prime measured 93 FPS in Overwatch 2 and 72 FPS in Doom Eternal at medium, and reached 87 FPS in Cyberpunk 2077 on low with frame generation; the heaviest titles need help, so he ran Horizon Forbidden West at 900p low with frame gen to hold about 61 FPS. Lon.TV saw Red Dead Redemption 2 near 60 FPS at low. For more than that, the OCuLink port (PCIe 4.0 x4) can attach a desktop GPU, though reviewers describe that ecosystem as still rough.

The cooling handles the 70W performance ceiling without throttling, and the BIOS exposes three power modes. Idle draw is low (Lon.TV measured 13 to 15W, about 90W under load); the fans stay quiet in Balanced and Quiet modes but get audible in Performance mode. Memory uses two SO-DIMM slots (up to 96GB), and storage is two M.2 2280 slots reachable through the removable top panel.

What reviewers found

ETA Prime

ETA Prime ran it through his usual gaming suite and came away "really impressed by the performance this thing's putting out." He measured 93 FPS in Overwatch 2 and 72 in Doom Eternal at 1080p medium, and used frame generation to get the heavier titles moving (Cyberpunk 2077 at 87 FPS on low, Horizon Forbidden West at 900p low). He highlighted the OCuLink port for adding a GPU later and the 70W performance mode, which he said stays "pretty quiet" even at full tilt.

Lon.TV

Lon Seidman at Lon.TV framed it as a Mac Mini alternative and "a nice upgrade actually from a computer called the K8," pointing to the added OCuLink and dual USB4. He measured about 90W under load and 13 to 15W at idle, and verified the dual 2.5GbE ports near full speed. His take for buyers who will not add a GPU: "this will get the job done for you even without having to buy one of those external GPU contraptions," and "for the price point I think it delivers quite a bit," with the caveat that GMKtec's domestic support and warranty presence is thin.

Robtech

Robtech called it a clear step up from the earlier M7, saying "the design is much improved over the previous gen." He logged 16,296 in Cinebench R23 multi-core (performance mode) and strong esports numbers (144 FPS in Valorant, 97 in Dota 2 at 1080p high), while heavier games needed upscaling (Cyberpunk 2077 at 36 FPS with FSR Balanced). His two real criticisms: "the performance mode adds a lot of extra fan noise for not a whole lot of extra performance," and the wireless, which he flagged as the "biggest downside," failing to connect at 12 meters.

Team Pandory

Team Pandory leaned on value, concluding "GMKtec have finally come with a winning formula." They measured a fast bundled SSD (around 7,100 MB/s reads) and 1080p gaming like 100-plus FPS in Fortnite and roughly 74 to 90 FPS in Cyberpunk 2077 using FSR 3 with frame generation. They praised the OCuLink port as something that "future-proofs the design," and their main complaint matched the others: the Intel AX200 card is only Wi-Fi 6, where "they could have used a better adapter that supported Wi-Fi 6E."

Customer Reviews of the GMKtec Nucbox K8 PLUS

Across 40 ratings on Amazon, the GMKtec Nucbox K8 PLUS averages 4.2 stars, and the spread is wider than that number suggests: 69 percent of ratings are five stars, but 13 percent are one star. The five-star reviews land on the same handful of points repeatedly, namely quiet operation, cool running, strong everyday performance, and a small metal-cased footprint. A verified buyer named Chippy bought it to replace a nine-year-old Dell and wrote, "It's way faster and I'm very happy with the performance for general purpose tasks." A verified buyer named Jim, on his second unit, called it "tiny but solid, it is quite, cool running, and is a true speed demon!" (his spelling). Several reviewers also pushed it past general use: a verified buyer going by Q reported "running Cyberpunk 2077 at 1080p at over 50 FPS, not bad and playable, for not having a video card."

The complaints are worth naming. Documentation is the most common one: Q docked nothing in the end but noted "Zero instructions on how to use the BIOS," and Darren F, a verified buyer, said "there was no guidance or documentation that came with the K8 Plus" before crediting GMKtec's tech support for fixing his setup. Will Par wanted more USB-C ports and faster ethernet, recommending it overall "with a rating of 9/10." The sharpest dissent is the one-star review from verified buyer Ian Joyce, who bought three for workstations and concluded "They're all refurbs," citing constant WiFi drops and a driver download blocked by an "exceeded sharing quota error" on the vendor's Google Drive. If you buy one, plan to source drivers and BIOS guidance yourself.

Read more owner reviews on Amazon.

Who should consider the K8 Plus?

The K8 Plus is a strong value pick for a compact desktop: an 8-core Ryzen 7 8845HS, easy RAM and SSD upgrades through the removable top panel, dual USB4, dual 2.5GbE, and an OCuLink port for a future external GPU, usually under $800. It fits productivity, esports, light creative work, and home-lab or dual-network setups well.

Look elsewhere if you need Wi-Fi 6E (this uses Wi-Fi 6, and several reviewers found the range weak), near-silent operation under full load, or strong AAA gaming without adding an external GPU. To compare it against other models, see Starry Hope's Mini PC Comparison Tool.

Frequently Asked Questions