Key Points
- Thelio Astra is the fastest Arm desktop, achieving a 5,003 Cinebench 2024 score.
- Geerling’s 128-core test system excelled in multi-thread performance and FP64 computing.
- Windows on Arm faces GPU driver limitations, but Linux has full compatibility.
- The system is limited to PCIe 4.0 and DDR4 and lacks front I/O ports.
Influencer Jeff Geerling has labeled the System76 Thelio Astra as “the fastest Arm desktop computer in the world.” This claim is supported by its exceptional performance benchmarks, particularly in Cinebench 2024, where the system achieved a record-breaking score of over 5,000 points for a 120-core chip, as verified by HWBot. Thelio Astra starts at $3,299 but can reach nearly $25,000 for its highest-end configuration.
The base configuration offers a robust system with a 64-core CPU, 64GB of RAM, an Nvidia workstation GPU, and extensive expandability. However, Geerling’s test system featured an upgraded 128-core Ampere Altra Max M128-30 CPU, 512GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD. This setup costs under $7,000 and includes an Nvidia RTX A400 GPU, dual 25 GbE NICs, and support for up to 40TB of storage.
The Thelio Astra outperformed all other Arm PCs in several tests, excelling in multi-thread performance, Blender, and FP64 computing with a score of 1.7 TFLOPS. While running Cinebench 2024 on Windows, Geerling noted significant improvements with Maxon’s support for 128 cores and an impressive multi-core score of 5,003, surpassing AMD’s EPYC 7713 in the same test. However, Nvidia’s lack of Windows on Arm drivers limits GPU acceleration, though Linux offers full functionality.
Despite its strengths, Geerling identified some limitations. The system uses PCIe 4.0 and DDR4, and its single-core performance is modest, comparable to the 2017 Threadripper 1950X. Mechanical issues like rattling PCI brackets and the absence of front I/O slightly diminish the overall experience. However, the Thelio Astra remains an efficient, quiet, and highly capable workstation for advanced users.
