Aoostar's new mini-PC supports up to four 8K monitors, built-in display, and more

In brief: Mini PCs typically compromise on performance and connectivity to provide compact, affordable hardware. Aoostar's Gem12 series challenges that assumption with a wealth of ports even before users install an external GPU, and the latest model adds more flexibility.

Aoostar's Gem12 Pro Max is now available for purchase. The new model has more connectivity options than you can shake a stick at, even though it was already an unusually versatile mini PC.

The most striking feature of the Gem12 Pro, released earlier this year, is the built-in screen that can display hardware monitoring tools. Installed next to it is a fingerprint scanner that supports Windows Hello authentication.

Occupying the front panel are two USB 3.2 Type-A ports, a USB4 Type-C port, an audio jack, and an OcuLink port that supports external graphics cards for rendering or high-end gaming. The rear panel hosts two 2.5G ethernet jacks, an additional USB-C port, two more Type-A ports, HDMI 2.1, and a DisplayPort 1.4 output.

However, the Gem12 Pro Max adds a DC port, which means the rear USB-C port no longer has to serve as the de-facto power input. Furthermore, the new model upgrades the rear USB-C output to USB4, potentially offering another high-bandwidth video connection.

If you have the gear and money, the USB4, HDMI, and DP ports allow you to connect up to four 8K displays or four 4K monitors at 120Hz. Adding a dedicated GPU through OCuLink could allow even more.

The Gem12 Pro and Pro Max support a maximum of 64GB of 5,600MHz DDR5 RAM and up to two PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs. Fortunately, connecting external dedicated graphics doesn't take up one of the M.2 slots.

Both models feature eight-core Ryzen Zen 4 processors with a 5.1GHz maximum boost clock and Radeon 780M integrated graphics, which should handle 1080p gaming at least as well as an Asus ROG Ally X. Some Gem12 Pro models use the Phoenix Point 7840HS, but all Gem12 Pro units upgrade to the Hawk Point 8845HS.

Three wattage settings are available in the BIOS. A "silent mode" ranges between 45W and 54W, a balanced setting can increase power to 65W, and maximum performance can reach 75W.

The launch discount deal starts at $419 but includes no memory, storage, or operating system. The cheapest option for a complete system includes 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD for $499.