What Notebookcheck actually said
Notebookcheck says the "V-Cooling" system combines a large vapor chamber with an optimized 360° air intake on the underside of the chassis. The manufacturer's promise is sustained system power of up to 65 watts at a noise level of just 38 dB(A) under full load.
Notebookcheck says it will test whether that holds up. The question is whether the machine delivers in practice or whether thermal throttling appears during sustained workloads. The promised test suite covers CPU and Radeon 890M gaming benchmarks, plus measurements of emissions, noise and energy efficiency.
The preview also makes some claims of its own:
- Both manufacturers use largely the same motherboard platform for their flagship systems.
- Notebookcheck's past Geekom tests found fairly pronounced fan noise under full load.
- The AX9 Max uses the Ryzen AI 9 HX 470 with Radeon 890M graphics.
Those are Notebookcheck's characterizations. The preview doesn't include a measured side-by-side comparison.
The vendor spec sheet
Vzmore lists the AX9 Max at $1,499 with 32 GB of DDR5, a 1 TB SSD and Windows 11 Pro. The specification page lists three power modes: Silent at 45 W, Balanced at 54 W and Performance at 65 W. Other listed details:
- Cooling: a vapor chamber plus fan.
- Ports: two 40 Gbps USB4 ports, two HDMI 2.1 outputs and two 2.5G Ethernet jacks.
- Storage: one M.2 2280 slot (holding the 1 TB SSD) and one empty M.2 2230 slot.
- Memory: support for up to 256 GB of DDR5 SO-DIMM.
- Size and power: 5.31 × 5.19 × 2.27 inches, with a 120 W adapter.
Vzmore also claims a 40% larger heat-spreading area and 50% higher heat-transfer efficiency. The page doesn't name a baseline for either figure. Treat them as marketing numbers. The 38 dB figure is likewise a vendor claim, and I found no published test method for it.
What independent testing says so far
Wccftech has already published a review of the AX9 Max. It describes the AX9 Max as the first Ryzen AI 400 mini PC it has tested with a vapor chamber cooler and a TDP of up to 80W.
That is higher than Vzmore's advertised 65 W. Wccftech says the BIOS offers the three modes Vzmore lists. It adds that its own testing found Performance Mode driving the PC up to 80W. Wccftech's charts label the unit "@80W." The review doesn't say whether that is a package limit or something else. Keep the two numbers apart.
Wccftech's benchmark charts compare the AX9 Max against a Geekom A9 Max with the older Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 at 70 W:
| Benchmark | AX9 Max | Geekom A9 Max |
|---|---|---|
| Cinebench 2024 multi-core | 1,253 | 1,007 |
| Cinebench 2024 single-core | 120 | 121 |
| Cinebench 2026 multi-core | 5,133 | 4,704 |
| F1 24, 1080p high, balanced upscaling (fps) | 74 | 72 |
| Horizon Zero Dawn, 1080p (fps) | 70 | 68 |
| The Callisto Protocol, 1080p medium (fps) | 56.08 | 53.82 |
The multi-core CPU gap is meaningful. The gaming gap is a couple of frames. This comparison doesn't isolate the cooling. The processors differ (HX 470 versus HX 370), and so do the power settings (80 W versus 70 W). Wccftech's own conclusion is that the chassis dropped temperatures by about 10°C compared with non-vapor-chamber mini PCs using the same chip. It notes that this held despite the higher 80 W rating. That claim is more specific than the headline performance numbers, but it is still one reviewer's measurement.
The noise question is still open
The 38 dB(A) promise is the headline claim, and the evidence so far is mixed. Guru3D's review framing says actual temperatures, noise and sustained performance need to be assessed under testing. A WindowsForum roundup of Neowin's testing reports that Neowin observed no intrusive fan noise during its benchmark suite, while Yanko Design noted the fan becomes clearly audible during sustained high-performance workloads. A separate summary of Yanko Design's review also lists audible fan noise at high performance as a drawback. These are subjective impressions and are not a calibrated dB(A) measurement. Whether the AX9 Max meets the promised 38 dB(A) at full load, and whether it is quieter than the Geekom, depends on Notebookcheck's measurements.
The same roundup describes the AX9 Max as sharing a nearly identical footprint with the Geekom A9 Max. It says the Vzmore stands slightly taller, 5.77 cm versus 4.69 cm, to fit the vapor-chamber assembly. That is a reported figure, not one I verified independently. It does suggest the cooling advantage comes partly from added height.
Practical takeaways for buyers
- Pick a power mode deliberately. The Silent, Balanced and Performance modes trade speed for noise. Wccftech's 80 W observation means the "65 W" label may understate peak draw in Performance mode.
- Check what you're paying for. Wccftech calls the $1,499 price roughly $500 cheaper than Panther Lake and Strix Halo options, but it also lists "very high prices" among the cons and attributes them to memory costs. The Vzmore page also showed a $100 coupon valid until October 25 when it was fetched.
- Expect good CPU speed, modest graphics. Wccftech says the Radeon 890M is showing its age against newer integrated graphics.
- Wait for Notebookcheck's noise data if quiet operation is your main reason to buy.
Bottom line
The preview raises a reasonable question. Independent early results show strong CPU numbers and a reported temperature drop. They don't yet confirm the 38 dB(A) claim or show that the Geekom "needed" this cooling approach. For now, the AX9 Max looks like a capable Windows 11 Pro mini PC with a promising thermal design. Its acoustic promise remains unproven until measured results arrive.