Beelink has to be the best this year. Minisforum did fucked up their Minisforum Venus Series UM773 due to overheating DDR5 issued because lack of ventilation on their bottom compartments. I had to return both of their Venus series.
What a great video. I always enjoy your whatever-5 videos, but this has been my favorite. I liked that your choices even at the high-end were all still reasonably priced and thought your explanations for the rankings made it very clear exactly why you'd ranked as you did. I also liked that you included the previous-gen systems that are such great values these days.
I've been using your reviews Robtech since I've started looking at MiniPCs as a daily driver. another thing that the ser6 max has is an extra m2 slot....which you can add an oculink eGPU and once coupled with a cheaper dedicated graphics card with faster than USB4 connection you now can destroy Triple AAA games. All while staying under 800USD. That 32 GB of RAM is a real eye opener.
Could you drops links for me please? I been wanting to get into AI dev seriously again, on a budget, I plan to shrink a multimodal LLM w pruning & estimate 8Gb VRAM a safe low level of entry during ~3-7B parameter models (train before pruning 95%+ & gain tons of performance post sparse pruning).. afterwhich I'll convert much of the custom built model & QALoRAs for CPU based use.. as I intend to eventually create a (small) MMSLM that'll run on more modest hardware like RaspberryPi & old laptops. But yeah that M2 connection sounds pretty ideal, SER 6 should be fine compared to SER 7 as I'll be using Linux & won't be using that built-in proprietary AI (40s vs 45s) chip regardless. If you happen back by & drop the link here for the Ser 6 & Oculink I would greatly appreciate it. 🙏🏼thanks 😊
My SER5 MAX is my main PC right now and I love it. It takes all the games I ever want to play. I'll probably upgrade next year just for a bit more, and either use this as a backup or give it to my sister. I figure by then the 7s will be even better and they'll have even a SER8 MAX lmao!
Excellent video. I have a few family members working from home and these videos are helpful for a home setup. BeeLink GTR7, Minisforum UM 790, Geekom IT13, and Intel NUC 13 Pro are my favorites to recommend. The last 2 for those that prefer to game on a console only. Yes there are people like that.
Nice list. And I agree with #2... having just picked one up! I caught a stacking 10% off that appears occasionally at Amazon along with the $100 coupon, so a SER7 for just $729 * 90% - 100 = $556.
Beelinks are the true successor to the Intel Nucs. They have the branding nailed down with only missing microsd port. Unlike Zotac, with their vaporware minis. 👍👍
ok so lets just call it a BEELINK lineup video review I would have gone with a Beelink but the reviews on Amazon made me STAY AWAT from them as there were some motherboards freezeups I actually ended upbuying a Minisforum with 32GB ram 512GB SSD but with tons of USB 3.2 and 2 USB4 ports The Beelink were poor on the USB ports which was the secondary reasons why I chose to look elsewhere.
Most of those mini-PCs are ridiculous for the following reason: # very small fan and bad ventilation, therefore a lot of noise and high temperatures. Those idiots of manufactures should concentrate on creating a silent and cool Mini-PC. Integrate a 120mm fan into the top lid of the Mini-PC. Is it that difficult?
I got my minisforum with R7 7735HS for even cheaper. I already had an M.2 SSD laying around so i just bought the barebone version for only $329 and added 32Gb of DDR5 5600 and the total was only $400 im the happiest person on earth 😊
I wonder if the gap between the 7735 and the 7740 will grow at all as the 7740 drivers mature. Also, how does GMKtec compare to Beelink in terms of service, driver updates, reliability, etc.. It is my understanding that all these mini PC makers are a disaster.
The drivers are provided by the manufacturers of the hardware and eventually make it into Windows updates even if they don't put the drivers on their websites (they should, but most don't). One thing GMKtek and Beelink or anyone else should definitely provide is BIOS updates. But apart from Intel, ASRock, ASUS, Gigabyte and MSI, it's very rare to see in the mini PC space. That being said, every used PC and motherboard I've bought in the last 10 years didn't have the BIOS updated even once, so the mainstream doesn't care about this and don't update anyway. I mentioned it for a bunch of reviews, but then got tired of pointing it out. As for reliability, no clue. Number of RMAs will never be shared. All the minis in this list come with a one year warranty, if that's not enough, need to look at pricier options like Intel NUCs that have three years.
@Robtech I think a couple videos on your general pet-peeves, and things you like, on mini PCs in general might be a way to avoid repeating yourself over and over (like the whole custom power connector on the newer beelinks)
Thank you very much for this review. I'm looking for a mini pc for home office (some coding in visual studio, web surfing, video and so on). My collegs prefer Lenovo, but I don't want to pay more just for label. Hopefully Beelink SER5-MAX will be a right choice. Regards from Germany)
Hey, great picks! I'm guessing you skipped over the SER6 6600H based on your review requirement. It apparently swaps blows with the SER5 5800H Max but at a lower TDP and with much lower fan noise (due to a less aggressive fan curve). It relies on faster memory and has newer ports (Gen4 NVMe, Display Port, etc). It's typically within $20 of the Max after coupons on Amazon. I bought both and ended up returning the SER5 Max while keeping the SER6 6600H.
@Robtech Gotcha. No big deal. Perhaps the lack of reviews keeps the price in-check on this little 6600H gem (mine was $319 on Amazon a month ago; while the SER5 Max was $299). Perhaps checkout the side-by-side gaming reviews to see if it's worth your time to review. It beats the 5800H in gaming by at least a few FPS in 15 of 20 titles, while lagging in multi-core CPU benchmarks. I've been most impressed by the low fan noise under load, and the faster storage. The Display Port was a bonus, but only the USB4 port seems to support HDR in my testing. Again, thanks for all your valuable reviews in this space.
Great list, love your videos, but Minisforum UM790Pro is ordered and on the way. Main reason being bare version is low enough priced to avoid tax, and at checkout they take another $30 off the already $10 reduced price. But very hard to justify given that my Mele Quieter 3C is obsoletely perfect, silent and reliable. Best PC I've ever owned, since 286 days...
@@Robtech Well that is interesting. Next time round, maybe mini PC would be better idea than bulky tower PC but, as things stand, seems intel could lose out. Perhaps nvidia dip its toe in the water.
@@Robtech Funnily enough the most high end mini gaming PCs seem to go back to intel CPU but with dedicated graphics card. It is odd that the intel igpu is poor considering its arc graphics cards seem to be quite well regarded.
Hi! Would anyone have a recommendation between the Beelink SER7 and the Geekom mini IT13? I've heard that Beelink's pc had some blue screen issues with older versions.
Beelink's move to a totally proprietary connector kills those for me. What is the point of a magnetic connector that isn't not designed to pull free, and has minimal contact area and pressure.
I see the CPUs often spiking over 70°C at less than 20% performance, isn't that quite high already? Are there some accessoires to cool it down like electric cooling devices or fans to increase airflow? Also the GPU always being at 100% even for the strongest options still seems a bit worrying
No, thermal throttling doesn't kick in until 90C. If the GPU isn't being 100% utilised with an unlocked framerste, then the bottleneck is elsewhere. It's ideal when the GPU is the bottleneck while gaming.
@@Robtech Gotcha, I thought it usually kicks in way earlier and that lower %-usage results in lower operating temperatures. I'm very tempted to get a Mini-PC in future but there are just so many of them yet that hit a wall with advanced things like basic gaming or video editing, that needs reviews to filter out the weaker ones.
I've got the beelink Ser5 Max with 32GB. This thing is an absolute beast and I love it. Got mine on Black Friday via Amazon for under 250$ including taxes+shipping.
I'm very curious to see if meteor lake will come to this market segment (assuming it's good of course) and where the mini pc market will be in a few years, especially if MS can get support behind Arm. Interesting times for sure.
Thanks for reviewing these, it is helpful with purchasing decisions. I am especially grateful that you highlighted the wired network cards brands. The manufacturers don't seem to share this information along with their specs. The NIC information is important to know for enterprise applications, in particular VMware ESXI. ESXI software does not recognize Realtek NICs as well as many other brands, they aren't "compatible". Therefore, NIC information is pivotal when making a purchasing decision. We homelab'ers salute you!
This is just the video I was looking for, thanks bro! I’ve been gaming more on my Xbox lately and wanted a lower power option than my behemoth rig since I’ve just been browsing Reddit and RU-vid on it. Could be fun to play with Linux as well.
Which do you recommend for general MS OFfice work, mainly Power Point presentations and web browsing? No gaming needed? I'm looking at cutting weight when I travel, but need HDMI/Thunderbolt connection...
I'm about to buy a pair of xreal air pro AR glasses, and then maybe an ROG ally to play Balder's Gate 3 on the go. But I wonder if a mini PC like these would give me more performance for the price. I would need to be able to run it off a power bank, preferably via Usb-c whenever not near an outlet. Thoughts and advice appreciated.
I went with one similar to #3 but intel - GMKtec Mini PC Windows 11 Pro Intel Core i7-11390H (Turbo 5.0 GHz) 1TB SSD 16GB DDR4, Desktop Mini Computers WiFi 6, USB3.2, BT 5.2, DP, HDMI, RJ45 2.5G $375 Amazon pre pre Black Friday or whatever they called it
Most come with a 1 year warranty. Some go up to 3. Hard to tell how long they'll last, I have a couple 10 year old units going strong, while I've had one die and be replaced within a month. Same as all electronics really.
Here are a few more ideas as I have looked more: What is the warranty: Beelink - 1 year; Minisforum - 2 years; Geekom and Ace Magician - 3 years. What is the quality of the support page for the unit: Organized by model with downloads for a given unit easily findable? Automated updates: software in the PC talks to the 'mothership' to see what's available and prompts you to do the update. Location: many of the mini PC vendors are in China so cost and support could be subject to international issues. Parts Depot in the U.S.: Geekom and Ace Magician - yes, others? Turnaround time on submitted questions? Telephone support in western countries? etc. etc.@@Robtech
Hi. amazing video. I want to ask for your suggestion. In my country the only options are beelink SER5 MAX and PRO 5800H and Beelink SEI12 1235U. I don't really understand the difference between SER5 MAX and PRO. Do you have any information about this? And how do you think I should choose for multi core usage (open face and python programming), 5800H or 1235U? thanks a lot for your videos about mini PC, appreciate it!
Hi, the Pro runs at a lower power limit so multicore performance is lower, but so is fan noise (which I prefer). Also the Pro can have its power limit increased in the BIOS. If it's cheaper, I'd just go with that.
You can check my Beelink SER7 review (or any review) which shows what it can play. 1080P low on games gets you anywhere from 30-100fps with the games I tried.
@Robtech In Cinebench R23 multicore table for SER5 5560U you used scores from R20 version (my 5600u has 8200 pts in R23, similar scores should be for 5560U)
HX99G was close on the list, but I didn't think it was as good value compared to the HX80G which I didn't review unfortunately and is no longer available. But the details are in my HX99G review.
@@Robtech Yeah, and I won't be able to buy a Mini PC until around December or January so I'm hoping I can find the UM790 or the HX99G or even the Minisforum Mini PC NUCXi7 which will be harder to find in 3 months.
Are mini-PCs good for indie gaming, especially those of 2D? I’m only interested in those games. And if they’re good then I assume any of these minis on the list are great?
Recommended spec for Fallout 4 is a GTX 780. That gets a 3D Mark Time Spy graphics score of around 3011. SER6 MAX is 2449 and SER7 2899. So they easily pass the minimum and are pretty close to the recommended for this game. SER5 MAX at 1433 is far above the minimum which is a GTX 550Ti (424). But who knows what the minimum resolution is....
I wished they'd move away from barrel or magnetic power connectors or would at least give an option of having the unit powered through a USB4 port as well (or it powering a monitor) for units that have a suitable power draw, less cables would make the whole setup even more interesting. The whole setup with computer/monitor/keyboard/mouse/wifi could be just 2 cables.
If same size as this, I'd go for something with a 13th gen i5 or i7. Intel CPUs have native hardware decoding for H264 and AV1 which helps immensely for video editing. 12th gen doesn't have AV1, so that would work fine if you only use H264. I did review a couple of GMKtek boxes (M3, K3 Pro) with Intel CPUs which did a good job at editing my 4K projects.
i want to emulate games. mostly on a 1440p monitor, sometimes on a 4k tv. will the beelink ser6 max be enough for games up to ps2 and gamecube? would i have to lower the resolution a lot and does it look bad if i do?
Great reviews! Any of these mini pc s got some sort of freesync, adaptive sync, vesa sync or whatever? Mame emulation sucks without it. I m talking being able to drop the framerate to 54fps or keep it to 61fps etc... not talking about 160hz and other high end syncs... thanks.
Both AMD's and Intel minis support Freesync and Adaptive sync. Not sure of the range, you'd need to look into Intel's Xe Adaptive sync and AMD's Freesync for the generation of iGPU to see what it supports. I might test it at some point.
@@Robtech thanks so much for the answer but things are pretty shady i m afraid when it comes to specs... On latest amd minis people complain on forums that they couldnt make it work/flicker issues on certified monitors and tv s. These reported issues kind of scared me so i tried the intel route... For intel xe should theoretically work as you said since 11 generation but again things are poorly documented and confused(for me at least) -i ll give you one exmple you cannot get adaptive aync without a display port and that desqualifies alot of minis and alot of monitors branded freesync ready... i repeat i m talking of a freesync or adaptive sync for popular retro games - 2 quick examples Mortal Kombat(1-3) has around 54hz and Double Dragon(1,2) have something around 57Hz. It s funny but wirhout some special properly downsync they will never play/look as intended by developers. 1978 space invaders also got something below 60hz... Of course most of the 2d arcade games got 60hz and everithing is fine there without special sync... Also, for 3d emulation dont matter that much but it s another discussion thank god i m not interested in that. Anyway recentelly i make it work with a nuc12proi3 and for the non conventional refresh rate 2d arcade games it s definetelly worth it. Nuc12proi3 shows uhd graphics in device manager not xe graphics like i5 and i7 ahahaahahahaha :), bleah.... thanks again, sorry for the long answer. P.S. Haunted Castle arcade game also got a weird refresh rate of 57hz something, the fact that is now running buttery smooth and without any tearing or sound sync problems fillls my heart with joy:). I had to mention this because I noticed you have a Castlevania shirt and maybe you know the game as they are more than related. Ahahahahahhaha... Dracula!!!
According to various comments everywhere, Beelinks do not hold up over time, making them great just on paper. Seems like all reviews focus on "best" as meaning the most features but which hold up, which are easiest to work on, like changing fans and modules? Which have the best customer service? Which have the highest quality components? I was ready to buy a Beelink but now im fading off from them and I really must buy something immediately.
Intel NUCs. Only minis that are rated for 24/7 use and also have 3 year warranties. There is no way for me to test reliability or customer service. As for changing fans, I am not aware of any company offering genuine replacements.
@@Robtech As for fans, they are usually standard laptop fans but the issue is how easy to take apart the pc to do the job. Im on my second NUC, its from 2018 and getting issues now so I have to change quickly and cant decide what to get.
Great review! I am looking to purchase a new mini. I am looking for something that can handle audio production and recording. My DAW is Presonus Studio. Definitely want something that is futureproof. Would you have any recommendations?
CPU performance is most important for audio production. And then the rest depends on your needs/preference (Ports, fan noise etc.). If you check my recent reviews, all the charts are there for the current best performers. Hard to make a recommendation without knowing the performance needs. That being said, the top two in this lineup should do the job plenty well.
These mini pcs should work for a senior like me who only uses a pc for office work, watches RU-vid and Netflix, very simple photo fixes. Can I attach a CD drive to any of these on the list to play a music CD and/or watch DVD movies? Thanks, I play games on a console like most other seniors, wink.
Excellent video as always. I've a list of 3 minis that I can't choose: SER5 Max ($500), GMKtec K1 ($440) and Minisforum EM80 ($580), all of them at 32GB+1TB configuration. I had a preference for SER5 but I saw (in numerous reviews) that there is a noise issue and I' m reluctant to go for it. I need it for business/home usage (lots of apps, most of them RAM demanding, no video editing) and for a short list of games (my kids love fortnite, stumble guys and rocket league). Have in mind that I live in europe, so US shops (and any discounts/sales) are out of the scope. I appreciate any suggestions.
First of all, good video as always. I want to make a suggestion for future review videos. Something I've been thinking of for some time now. When you show gameplay footage of more than one system, having just the model number is not enough for me. With the way too complicated and difficult to remember names, it would be better/easier for the viewer to have some extra sign as to which is the system you are reviewing. Having some extra graphic, or bold colors around it, or something to show the system of interest. Thanks for the video, have a nice day.
Hello, I am interested in buying a mini PC, I am stuck between only two devices, can you help me? Beelink ser 5 (ryzen 5 5560u) and firebat T8 pro plus (intel N100-13th), which one do you think I should buy? (for business and use)
Is there a massive difference between the Beelink 5560U and 5700U? On paper they seem extremely similar apart from the extra graphics performance, but I'm afraid the 5700U could be too noisy for my ears.
I'm reviewing a 5700U mini soon. But you're also looking at an extra 20% multicore performance or so as it has an extra 2 cores. Maybe slightly faster single.
Ive heard that updating the drivers are a pain, i think because of the lack of updates, have you heard of anything of that sort. I was thinking of getting the ser7 , only using it for watching RU-vid and emailing, not a gamer at all.
The manufacturers of the components provide the drivers, not the mini PC manufacturers (apart from the BIOS, which yes is rarely updated). Unfortunately most mini PC sellers don't have dedicated pages for each mini hosting the latest drivers from the component manufacturers. But installing AMD's Adrenaline will get you the latest chipset and graphics drivers for AMD devices, while installing Intel's Driver and Support Assistant will get you the latest Intel graphics, Intel Wi-Fi and Network drivers. For most drivers, Windows update will eventually have the driver added to the repository and most people will get them that way, just with a longer lead time (months later).
I have the intention to buy one Mini PC ... could you answer pls the 2 following questions? (1) Is Beelink a good manufacturer? and (2) Is Beelink good or better than Asus?
1. Beelink use AZW Shenzhen for manufacturing, who in design and cooling at least are better than most. 2. All ASUS mini PCs I've tested have had loud fan noise. For me that's a deal breaker.
@@Robtech Huge thanks for the quick and polite reply ... (3) What about heat/warm for long period of time but with heavy load of work? Some thoughts about that?
Each review has the maximum temp listed. Check out the one you're interested in and there will be comparisons against a bunch of others. Anything above 90C usually means CPU thermal throttling kicks in and there's a loss in performance.
Im here as I was looking for mini PCs that we could purchase for our schools esports club. Cost is a huge factor for us as we try to get started. Is there a mini pc you would recommend?
Since cost is the main factor, you'd be looking at something like a Ryzen 5500U mini at a minimum (or the 5560U in this video). That will handle a bunch of esports titles at 1080P decent framerates. You can search particular titles on RU-vid to see the performance with that CPU as most are covered by other channels.
Thank you. I am hoping in the next few months to a year, tops, we have something started at the college and can get a decent team of students operating ESports gaming club/varsity level competition.@@Robtech
Plastic case, no DDR5, overpriced, poor GPU performance & high thermals. SER6 MAX beats the i7 NUC 13 Pro in almost every data metric (as shown in the review) except single core CPU performance. I mean, really? What was amazing about NUC 13 Pro?