So there it is–my new mini PC, the A9 Max from Geekom . A smart little powerhouse, barely bigger than a sandwich tin, whisper-quiet and amazingly powerful. I unpacked it, plugged it in, and completed the initial setup. Everything works perfectly, as my test shows .

And yet I realize after just a few minutes: it won’t stay this way for long. As soon as the software is installed, my fingers start itching for a screwdriver. Why? Because an off-the-shelf PC is always a compromise–a very good one, but not my personal ideal.

As a technology journalist and IT expert, I look at ready-made PCs from a different perspective. Manufacturers have to appeal to a wide audience and, above all, put an attractive price on it. This inevitably means that costs are cut in certain areas. Not in the CPU, si

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