The verdict

CPU
Aoostar GEM10 has 1.1x the CPU throughput (29,783 vs 28,362 PassMark).
Plex
GMKtec K8 Plus transcodes more 4K HDR streams (~5 vs ~3).
Idle power
Aoostar GEM10 idles lower (13W vs 14W) - cheaper to run 24/7.
RAM ceiling
GMKtec K8 Plus takes more RAM (96GB vs 32GB).

Which wins for each job

Job Aoostar GEM10 GMKtec K8 Plus
Plex / Jellyfin ~3 streams ~5 streams win
Frigate NVR ~4 cameras win add a detector
Proxmox / VMs 29,783 PassMark win 28,362 PassMark
Firewall / router 2 NICs 2 NICs
Local AI / LLM no slot no slot

Approximate - capacity estimates from curated specs, the same logic as the recommender. Verify against your exact setup. Prices move; check the retailer.

Full specs

Spec Aoostar GEM10 GMKtec K8 Plus
Price (list) $511 $520
CPU AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS
Cores / threads 8 8
PassMark 29,783 28,362
iGPU Radeon 780M Radeon 780M (RDNA3)
NICs 2 2
NIC model Realtek 2.5GbE Intel I226-V
RAM max (GB) 32 96
M.2 free 3 1
PCIe slot none none
Idle (W) 13 14
TDP (W) 54 54