Beelink SER8 Review: Compact Powerhouse for Work and Play

Over the last couple of years, mini gaming systems have emerged as one of the most sought-after segments in the personal computer industry. Whether it be the household names in the PC world, the longstanding ODM manufacturers, or the upcoming brands, everyone is vying for a piece of this lucrative market. Lingke has joined the ranks of companies diving into this craze. On the 22nd of April, Beelink unveiled its latest innovation, the cutting-edge SER8 mini hub. The basic model (which excludes memory and storage) comes with a price tag of $360, while the souped-up 16GB + 1TB variant is available for $470.

Let’s delve into the key specifications of this mini hub:

• Model: Beelink SER8
• Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS (8 cores, 16 threads, maximum frequency 5.1GHz)
• Integrated Graphics: AMD Radeon 780M (12CU RDNA 3)
• Memory: Dual DDR5 SO-DIMM slots
• Storage: Dual M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 x4 slots
• Interfaces: USB4, HDMI 2.1, DP 1.4, 2.5G network port, etc.
• Size and Weight: 135 x 135 x 44.7mm, volume 0.814L, weight 0.75kg
• Price: Barebone system (no memory/hard disk) $360, 16GB + 1TB complete system $470

We’ve been utilizing the gadget for 40 days since obtaining it toward the conclusion of May. Being devoted laptop aficionados, we aimed to address a handful of inquiries during our usage of the Beelink SER8 petite hub:

1. For whom does the novel era of petite consoles prove to be fitting?
2. Amid mini hubs boasting analogous setups, how does one make a selection?
3. What is the gaming encounter like? Could it surpass sleek and weightless notebooks sporting the identical processor?

With the intention of tackling these inquiries, our goal is to aid individuals in grasping the Beelink SER8 merchandise more thoroughly and offer some guidance for your acquisition.

Design

When discussing Lingke’s petite hub, numerous individuals may envision a gadget that is affordable, sizable, and equipped with a multitude of connections, yet often lacks refined and sophisticated craftsmanship. Nevertheless, the latest SER8 model unveiled this year could potentially alter that perception.

The Beelink SER8 petite hub showcases an all-aluminum alloy shell with measurements of 135 x 135 x 44.7mm. Having a capacity of 0.814L and a weight of merely 0.75kg, it is approximately equal to the weight of three leading cell phones (Huawei Mate 60 RS weighs 246g and iPhone 14 Pro Max weighs 240g).

The design flaunts no additional apertures on the edges, granting it a streamlined and polished appearance. It imparts a slightly chilly sensation upon contact, and the surface sandblasting is meticulously executed. You may ponder, lacking side openings, how does it disperse heat? The SER8 is furnished with the MSC 2.0 cooling system, featuring a bottom air intake and rear air outlet. Coupled with a VC heat spreader with an area of 3390.6mm² and a thickness of 4.8mm, it can attain a peak performance release level of 65W, while emitting notably lesser noise than prevalent gaming laptops.

Upon detaching the underside cover, you will observe that Lingke has outfitted the SER8 petite hub with a high-density permeable etched metal mesh to thwart dust infiltration. The standard SSD radiator also aids in regulating the heat dissipation of high-performance solid-state drives.

Connections

Concerning connections, the front of the SER8 encompasses a power switch, CMOS clear opening, 3.5mm audio port, 10Gbps USB TypeC data interface, and 10Gbps USB TypeA interface. The rear showcases a DC power interface, a USB4 40Gbps interface accommodating PD input, an HDMI 2.1 FRL, a DisplayPort 1.4 video output, a 3.5mm audio port, a 2.5G network port, and three USB 2.0 interfaces.

Due to its diminutive size, the external expandability of the Beelink SER8 is somewhat restricted. It solely incorporates a solitary network port, which may prove inadequate for individuals requiring a soft router setup. Nonetheless, it situates the sole highspeed USBA interface at the front, ensuring the inclusion of HDMI 2.1 FRL, full-size DisplayPort, and USB4 interface with PD input. This arrangement permits output on three screens, and the interface layout is reasonably well-organized.

The dismantling process of the Beelink SER8 is uncomplicated. Though tools are not imperative for disassembling and reassembling, a screwdriver is supplied in the bundle. Users merely need to unscrew a few bolts to detach the underside cover, following which they can manually substitute the DDR5 SODIMM memory, PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 solid-state drive, and wireless network card. Even individuals lacking installation expertise can effortlessly upgrade the configuration.

The Beelink SER8 petite hub comes as standard with a 120W DC round port power adapter and supports a 100W PD power supply.

A word of caution: PD chargers in the market typically cannot consistently output maximum power for prolonged durations, and multiport chargers also carry the hazard of disconnection. Therefore, it is advisable to eschew using a PD power supply in a high-demand environment for extended periods.

In general, the Beelink SER8 is a petite hub with a compact and unadorned design, superior craftsmanship, and formidable internal expandability. So, how does it execute? Without further delay, let us proceed to the performance assessment.

Performance Test

The AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS chip, known as Hawk Point, inside the Beelink SER8 micro server, boasts a well-known dominance. Constructed on TSMC’s 4nm procedure and utilizing the Zen 4 design, it boasts 8 cores and 16 threads, a 16MB L3 cache, and a peak boost frequency of 5.1GHz. The integrated Radeon 780M GPU, utilizing the RDNA 3 design, is equipped with 12 CUs and can attain a frequency of up to 2.7GHz.

The Beelink SER8 delivers a power output of 54W in a balanced configuration and 65W in a high-performance setting. While not pushed to its limits, it strikes a harmonious blend of performance and energy efficiency. In our evaluations, the device sustained unwavering performance levels throughout a 30-minute intense examination.

These examinations were executed utilizing 32GB (16GB x2) DDR5 5600 SODIMM memory and the Windows 11 23H2 OS.

Cinebench 2024 Outcomes

In the most recent Cinebench 2024 trial, the SER8 accomplished:

• Balanced Setting (54W): Multicore score of 905, Single-core score of 103
• Performance Setting (65W): Multicore score of 973, Single-core score of 103

As a point of reference, a gaming laptop featuring the identical 8845H CPU but consuming a higher power amount (90W) achieved a multicore score of 994 and a single-core score of 106.

Cinebench Past Iterations

Displayed below are the results across various Cinebench versions:

PCMark 10 Modern Office

Within the PCMark 10 Modern Workplace examination, the SER8 accomplished an aggregate score of 7210 points in execution mode, outshining the typical score of 2023 gaming laptops.

Video Transcoding

When using the default advised parameters, the exporting durations were as follows:

• 4K H.264 transcoding: 1 minute and 27 seconds
• 4K HEVC transcoding: 1 minute and 24 seconds
• 4K AV1 transcoding: 1 minute and 17 seconds

3DMark Time Spy

During the 3DMark Time Spy assessment:

• Equilibrium Mode (54W): A comprehensive score of 3327, with a visual score of 2964
• Execution Mode (65W): A comprehensive score of 3345, with a visual score of 2978

The visual score can be likened to laptop GTX 1650 MaxQ, GTX 980M, and desktop GTX 780 graphics processing units.

Steel Wanderer Trial

The SER8 was subjected to the Steel Wanderer benchmark as well:

• Steel Wanderer Light: 2932 points, 21.72 FPS
• Steel Wanderer: 521 points, 5.22 FPS

Game Testing

After probing assessment metrics, let’s delve into real-time gameplay execution. In the 65W operational mode of the Beelink SER8, we experimented with three online activities: “League of Legends,” “CS 2,” and “Naraka: Bladepoint,” as well as three solo challenges: “Shadow of the Tomb Raider,” “F1 22,” and “Forza Horizon 5.” These activities underwent examination at both 1080p and 1440p resolutions utilizing the preconfigured visual fidelity selections.

1. League of Legends

Within the confines of the “League of Legends” training sphere:

• 1080p maximum visual fidelity: Mean of 209.3 frames per second, 1% minimum of over 100 frames per second
• 1440p maximum visual fidelity: Mean of 189.3 frames per second, 1% minimum of over 100 frames per second

2. CS 2

While operating “CS 2” with the predetermined subpar visual setting and disabling Fidelity FX:

• 1080p: Mean of 158.5 frames per second, 1% minimum of 90.6 frames per second
• 1440p: Mean of 114.3 frames per second, 1% minimum of 63.8 frames per second

Under the conditions of elevated visual attributes:

• 1080p: Mean of 72.3 frames per second

As a result of increased local processing demands in the CS2 FPS trial, the tangible ingame efficiency can fluctuate.

3. Naraka: Bladepoint

Within the simulated environment of “Naraka: Bladepoint”:

• 1080p substandard visual setting: Mean of 50.5 frames per second, 1% minimum of 41.2 frames per second
• 1440p incredibly low visual setting: Mean of 45.8 frames per second

This operational level might not align with the requisites for seamless gameplay action at superior resolutions.

4. Shadow of the Tomb Raider

Employing the diagnostic device within “Shadow of the Tomb Raider”:

• 1080p substandard visual setting: Mean of 57 frames per second
• 1080p superior visual setting: Mean of 42 frames per second
• 1440p substandard visual setting: Mean of 38 frames per second
• 1440p superior visual setting: Mean of 27 frames per second

5. F1 22

In the domain of “F1 22”:

• 1080p substandard visual setting: Mean of 111 frames per second
• 1080p superior visual setting: Mean of 69 frames per second
• 1440p substandard visual setting: Mean of 76 frames per second
• 1440p superior visual setting: Mean of 48 frames per second

Activating FSR 2 at the pinnacle of visual quality:

• 1440p superior visual setting: Mean of 58 frames per second

6. Forza Horizon 5

During the course of “Forza Horizon 5” at default specifications (1080p resolution and 2x MSAA):

• Substandard visual setting: Mean of 83 frames per second
• Moderate visual setting: Mean of 71 frames per second
• Superior visual setting: Mean of 63 frames per second

At a resolution of 1440p:

• Substandard visual setting: Mean of over 60 frames per second
• Superior visual setting: Mean of 48 frames per second

By utilizing a monitor equipped with VRR adaptive refresh technology, a satisfactory level of fluidity was sustained even at 1440p high-resolution parameters.

Purchase Suggestions

In our era dominated by portable devices, intelligent gadgets such as smartphones, tablets, and smart televisions, which are economically viable and easy to operate, can satisfy the majority of entertainment demands and even address the professional obligations of many. Nevertheless, these gadgets are still incapable of entirely replacing personal computers. Windows-powered PCs, available in various price brackets, offer the most extensive support for applications and games, with the simplest learning curve for most users, rendering them indispensable.

Benefits of Windows PCs

Living without a Windows personal computer can pose multiple difficulties:

• For example, even if you adopt the Mac environment with Apple Silicon, you might discover that certain tools for updating accessory firmware are exclusively accessible on Windows operating systems.
• Furthermore, numerous games remain inaccessible on Mac, and those that are on consoles like PlayStation often come at a premium price.

For financially conscious users with requirements for office work and gaming, Windows integrated with Steam provides the most comprehensive and cost-efficient gaming platform. Mini consoles suit this demand particularly well, given that their core setup is standardized, typically incorporating the latest lineup of mainstream mobile processors and expandable memory slots, streamlining the purchasing procedure.

Aspects to Ponder When Acquiring

1. Processor Selection: Intel (Blue Team) vs. AMD (Red Team)
2. User Interface Configuration: Ensure its alignment with your necessities
3. Selection based on Brand and Visual Appeal: Make choices according to personal liking

The Beelink SER8 compact host serves as an exemplary instance. Boasting USB4, HDMI 2.1 FRL, and DisplayPort 1.4 interfaces, it provides considerable flexibility for external displays. It furnishes robust CPU operation and GPU functionality comparable to the GTX 1650 MaxQ graphics card. Additionally, it includes the latest input/output interface specifications such as USB4 and 2.5G network ports, all enclosed within a diminutive volume of less than 1L. These characteristics substantially augment the day-to-day user interaction.

With such attributes, compact hosts like the Beelink SER8 emerge as economical products that satisfy a wide spectrum of user demands.

Conclusion

The Beelink SER8 emerges as a dainty and petite option in the realm of Ryzen mini servers. It not only functions as a dependable instrument for everyday light office duties but also exploits its 65W performance capacity to optimize the potential of the Radeon 780M core graphics card, addressing the light gaming requirements of users during their leisure moments.

The surging transactions of petite gaming systems like the Beelink SER8 within the expansive PC industry suggest that they effectively fulfill the aspirations of myriad users who crave adaptability and productivity with minimal strain. These individuals desire a gadget that can tackle a vast array of responsibilities, encapsulating the very essence of “I covet everything.”