When ZDNET’s hardware reviewer swapped Windows 11 for Ubuntu Budgie on the GEEKOM IT15, the compact desktop transformed from a sluggish experience into a snappy daily driver. The $899 mini PC, packing Intel’s latest Core Ultra 9 285H, suddenly felt responsive and reliable—but its much-hyped AI acceleration proved less impressive under real workloads. This tale of two operating systems reveals a stark truth: the IT15 is a productivity powerhouse with the right software, yet Intel’s integrated AI silicon remains more marketing puff than practical magic for most users.

The GEEKOM IT15 arrived with Windows 11 pre-installed, but the out-of-box experience left much to be desired. App launches felt delayed, desktop animations stuttered, and Wi-Fi connectivity was inconsistent. Recognizing the hardware’s potential, the reviewer installed Ubuntu Budgie alongside Windows, and everything changed. Background overhead plummeted, applications snapped open, and even finicky drivers suddenly behaved. Linux’s leaner service footprint and customizable kernel gave the IT15 a second life, turning it into a dependable workhorse for browsing, coding, and light media creation. For power users fed up with Windows bloat, this mini PC becomes a secret weapon.

The Linux Transformation: More Than Just a Fresh Coat of Paint

Linux didn’t just mask Windows 11’s shortcomings—it fundamentally changed the user experience. The reviewer noted immediate improvements in several key areas. First, app launch times and system responsiveness got a noticeable boost. The Ubuntu Budgie desktop environment paired with the Arrow Lake processor felt fluid, with none of the lag that plagued the Windows setup. Second, networking issues vanished: the Wi-Fi 7 adapter, which delivered spotty performance under Windows, connected reliably on Linux, and USB-C display output worked without a hitch. Finally, the ability to strip away telemetry and unnecessary background services gave users true control over system resources, a godsend on a machine designed to be compact and quiet.

These gains aren’t purely subjective. Benchmarks tell part of the story. Under Linux, the IT15 matched or slightly trailed Windows in raw CPU scores—Geekbench 6 multi-core hit 14,000 vs. 15,643 on Windows, for instance—but the real-world feel was vastly superior. This disparity underscores a critical point: synthetic numbers don’t capture the day-to-day responsiveness that comes from a trimmed-down OS. If your workflow revolves around web apps, terminals, and productivity suites, the IT15 on Linux delivers a desktop experience far closer to a full-fledged tower than you’d expect from a 0.6-liter box.

AI Workloads and Local LLMs: Marketing TOPS vs. Reality

Intel touts the Core Ultra 9 285H’s combined CPU+GPU+NPU performance of up to 99 TOPS (tera operations per second). It’s an impressive number, but the devil is in the details. The chip’s integrated Arc 140T GPU and 13 TOPS NPU are indeed capable of accelerating certain AI tasks—but only for small models and specific frameworks. When ZDNET tested local LLMs using Ollama, even a lightweight gemma3:1b model ran noticeably slower than on systems with discrete Nvidia GPUs. The reason? Shared system memory and the nascent state of Intel’s AI software stack.

Large language models thrive on dedicated VRAM and optimized CUDA cores, neither of which the IT15 can offer. The Arc 140T’s 8 Xe-cores bring matrix extensions and XeSS support, but Intel’s OpenVINO and oneAPI toolkits still lag behind Nvidia’s mature ecosystem in both breadth and developer mindshare. For tinkering with tiny models or running AI-enhanced photo editors, the integrated solution suffices. But if your daily work involves fine-tuning Llama 3 or running batch inference on terabytes of text, you’ll hit a wall. The IT15’s AI capabilities are a convenient bonus, not a replacement for a dedicated ML rig.

Under the Hood: Specs, Thermals, and the Arrow Lake Reality

On paper, the GEEKOM IT15 reads like a dream for power users. The Core Ultra 9 285H packs 16 cores (6 Performance, 8 Efficient, 2 Low Power Efficient) and boosts up to 5.4 GHz on the P-cores. Our review unit came with 32 GB of dual-channel DDR5-5600 memory and a 2 TB Crucial P3 Plus NVMe SSD, delivering sequential reads over 5,000 MB/s. Port selection is generous: dual USB4 (one with 100 W Power Delivery), dual HDMI 2.0, 2.5 GbE Ethernet, USB-A, an SD card reader, and Wi-Fi 7. All this in a metal-framed, VESA-mountable chassis that weighs barely over a pound.

But the thermal ceiling is low, and that’s where the trouble starts. Liliputing’s in-depth testing uncovered aggressive throttling under sustained loads. The IT15’s PL1 (sustained power limit) defaults to just 33 watts, far below the chip’s 45‑watt base power, while PL2 boosts briefly to 64 watts. In a 20-minute stress test, CPU frequencies tumbled from an initial 4.1 GHz to an average of 3.6 GHz as the cooling system struggled. The fan, nearly silent at idle, ramped to 45 dBA under load—a whoosh that’s hard to ignore in a quiet office.

Cinebench 2024 multi-core scores tell the tale: the IT15 managed only 894, while AMD’s Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 in the GMKtec EVO-X1 soared to 1,156 with no throttling. Even Intel’s previous-gen Core Ultra 9 185H in the GEEKOM GT1 Mega edged it out at 934. Single-core tasks fare better thanks to high boost clocks, but any workload that taxes all cores for more than a minute will suffer. This isn’t a flaw unique to GEEKOM; it’s the physics of cramming a 115‑watt turbo chip into a box the size of a sandwich. But buyers should know that the “ultra” label comes with an asterisk.

Build Quality, Connectivity, and Everyday Use

GEEKOM didn’t cut corners on the IT15’s physical design. The matte-black ABS plastic with a metal base feels sturdy, and the toolless bottom panel grants easy access to SODIMM slots and the M.2 drive. Upgrading RAM to 64 GB or swapping the SSD takes minutes. The inclusion of full-size HDMI and an SD card slot adds flexibility for creators and multi-monitor setups—four 4K displays are possible via USB4 and HDMI.

Connectivity is a mixed bag. The single 2.5 GbE port using an Intel I226-LM controller delivered flawless 2.37 Gbps throughput in iPerf3, but having only one Ethernet jack may irk homelabbers. Wi-Fi 7, powered by an Intel BE200 module, impressed with 2.29 Gbps downloads over 6 GHz on Windows—yet the same adapter wouldn’t connect to 6 GHz networks under Ubuntu, forcing a fallback to 5 GHz. This driver quirk is a reminder that bleeding-edge wireless remains a work in progress on Linux. For rock-solid networking, plugging in is still the safest bet.

Graphics and Gaming: Integrated Arc Holds Its Own—Just

The Arc 140T iGPU supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, ray tracing, and XeSS upscaling. In Shadow of the Tomb Raider at 1080p and high settings, it averaged 41 FPS—playable, but 17% behind the AMD Radeon 780M inside the EVO-X1. Dropping to low settings improved the frame rate to 55 FPS, but even that trails the AMD alternative. Unigine Heaven, however, showed a rare Intel win with 95.8 FPS vs. 94.7 for the EVO-X1, hinting that driver optimizations can flip the script in certain titles.

An eGPU via USB4 salvages serious gaming performance. Attaching an AMD Radeon RX 7600 bumped Tomb Raider to 132 FPS (high) and 155 FPS (low), though the USB4’s PCIe Gen 3 x4 bottleneck cost about 10–15% compared to a native desktop connection. Still, for a clean desk setup, the ability to dock and game at high settings is a real asset. Just don’t expect to play Cyberpunk 2077 at 4K without an external enclosure.

Audio, Quirks, and the Windows Tax

The IT15’s Windows 11 install wasn’t just slow; it was buggy. The ZDNET reviewer encountered Wi-Fi dropouts and USB-C display glitches that melted away under Linux. Meanwhile, audio on Linux required a bit of manual tweaking—a common hiccup with newer hardware—but the result was stable. This isn’t to say Windows is always worse; rather, it highlights how driver maturity varies. If your IT15 arrives with a clean Windows image, you might not face these issues. But the anecdote raises a valid point: GEEKOM’s Windows configuration, at least in early units, left performance on the table.

Who Should Buy the GEEKOM IT15—and Who Should Look Elsewhere

For the right user, the IT15 is a gem. Linux developers, remote workers, and anyone craving a silent, space-saving desktop will adore its blend of performance and portability. VESA-mount it behind a monitor, and you’ve got a capable workstation that disappears from view. The three-year warranty sweetens the deal, especially for businesses.

But if your work revolves around heavy AI inference, 3D rendering, or AAA gaming, steer clear. The integrated graphics and limited memory bandwidth (64 GB max) can’t substitute for a discrete GPU. And even as a Windows machine, the thermal constraints mean you’re not getting the full Arrow Lake experience. GEEKOM’s upcoming A9 Max with AMD’s Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 might address many of these gripes, so patience could pay off.

Verdict: A Tale of Two Operating Systems

The GEEKOM IT15 is a study in contrasts. With Windows 11, it’s a capable but flawed mini PC; with Linux, it sings. For everyday productivity, the transformation is so stark that it calls into question why the default OS shipped in such a half-baked state. At the same time, Intel’s AI marketing oversells what the silicon can actually do. The TOPS numbers are real, but they don’t translate into the smooth, real-time LLM experience that many buyers envision. Treat the IT15 as a top-tier compact desktop first and an AI accelerator second, and you’ll be delighted. Expect it to replace a DGX Station, and you’ll be sorely disappointed. In the end, the IT15’s greatest strength isn’t its CPU or NPU—it’s its ability to remind us that the operating system can make or break the machine.