At long last, the moment we’ve been eagerly awaiting is here! We’ve got our hands on the very first Mini PC powered by the Phoenix architecture, courtesy of Beelink. It’s been a few months since AMD’s Ryzen 7040 “Phoenix” APUs made their debut in the world of Mini PCs and laptops. Throughout this period, we’ve had the pleasure of evaluating a variety of Mini PCs featuring Ryzen 5000 and Ryzen 6000 series processors.
Beelink reached out to us and generously provided the opportunity to put their latest creation, the SER7 Mini PC, through its paces. Today, we’re delving deep into its performance and benchmarking results, dissecting the capabilities of this diminutive powerhouse.
Before we dive into the performance details, let’s take a moment to acquaint ourselves with Beelink, the company behind the SER7 Mini PC. Established in 2011, Beelink has earned its stripes as one of the top sellers in the Mini PC category on Amazon. The company boasts a diverse product portfolio encompassing Mini PCs, media players, and various gadgets. However, its primary focus revolves around the Mini PC sector, offering both Intel and AMD-based options. Notably, their high-end PC offerings are featured within the AMD segment. This marks my first encounter with Beelink’s Mini PC offerings, and I’m genuinely excited to embark on this journey with you. So, without further ado, let’s kick things off by examining the specifications.
Specifications
The Beelink SER7 Mini PC lineup offers options featuring AMD Ryzen 7000 APUs, all of which belong to the Phoenix family. The primary distinctions among the three categories – SER7, GTR7, and GTR7 Pro – primarily revolve around their I/O (input/output) configurations and enhanced cooling capabilities, with the GTR7 variants boasting expanded features in these areas.
The review unit provided to us was equipped with the AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS processor. The base model of the LITE version comes with a configuration of 8 GB of memory and 256 GB of storage. However, the unit we received for evaluation features an upgraded configuration with 32 GB of memory and a capacious 1 TB storage capacity.
When examining the specifications of the Beelink SER7 Mini PC, we find it powered by the formidable AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS “Phoenix” APU. This APU boasts 8 cores and 16 threads, supported by a generous 24 MB of cache (L3+L2 combined) and a remarkable boost clock frequency of up to 5.1 GHz. Despite its powerful performance, the CPU maintains a thermal design power (TDP) of 35W, but it can be configured to operate at up to 54W for even greater computational prowess. Notably, this APU is built on the cutting-edge TSMC 4nm process node, promising both exceptional efficiency and impressive performance.
An equally significant component of the AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS APU featured in the Beelink SER7 is its AMD Radeon 780M integrated graphics unit (iGPU). This iGPU boasts 12 compute units, amounting to a total of 768 cores, operating at a brisk 2700 MHz clock speed. What sets it apart is its foundation on the latest RDNA 3 graphics architecture. This APU also supports advanced technologies such as SmartShift MAX and SmartAccess Memory. Furthermore, it is compatible with HDMI 2.1 and DP 1.4, capable of driving up to four 8K displays simultaneously. With its RDNA 3 architecture, users can expect full support for AMD FSR 3, HYPR-RX, and Anti-Lag+ technologies, promising exceptional gaming performance.
Additional specifications for the Beelink SER7 Mini PC include 16 GB of DDR5 memory, operating in a dual-channel configuration at an impressive 5600 MT/s. Notably, this memory is not soldered, but rather features a SO-DIMM design, allowing users the flexibility to upgrade it to their preference. Storage options are robust, with dual M.2 2280 SSD slots operating at Gen 4.0 speeds. The package includes a generous 1 TB Gen4 SSD, with room for an additional drive.
The Beelink SER7 Mini PC shines in the realm of I/O (input/output) capabilities. On the front, it offers a USB 4 Type-C port, a USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A port, audio jacks, a Power On button, and a Clear CMOS port. At the rear, you’ll find a 2.5GbE Ethernet LAN port, HDMI and DisplayPort outputs, two USB 2.0 ports, and dual USB4 ports, boasting impressive 40 Gbps speeds and 100W PD3.0 support.
Here are the key features of the Beelink SER7 Mini PC:
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS Processor, 8 Cores/16 Threads, 5.1GHz
- Graphics: AMD Radeon 780M (Frequency 2700MHz)
- Storage: M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 SSD ×2
- Memory: Dual DDR5 Channel (SODIMM Slots×2, Up to 5600MHz, Max 64GB)
- Wireless Network: WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.2
- Power: Magnetic Power Supply (With 19V/6.32A adapter)
- Interface: USB4 ×2, DP 1.4 ×1, HDMI 2.1 ×1, LAN 2.5G ×1, Type-C ×1, Audio Jack ×2, USB 3.2 ×1, USB 2.0 ×2, DC IN*1
Ryzen 7 7840HS
The Ryzen 7 7840HS processor proves to be outstanding, exhibiting multi-thread performance that surpasses the competition, such as the Core i7-13700H, by approximately 10%. This notable advantage easily positions it ahead of any currently available Intel Core U or Core P processors by a relatively wide margin. For users seeking even higher performance, options like the Core i9-13900K or Ryzen 9 7945HX might come to mind, but it’s worth noting that these processors operate well beyond the power envelope of our HS-series CPU.
Furthermore, the stability of performance offered by the Ryzen 7 7840HS is exceptional and outperforms most Mini PCs equipped with Core U or Core P CPUs. To provide an illustrative example, consider the performance drop of the processor in the Intel NUC 12 Pro when running a CineBench R15 xT benchmark in a loop. Over time, the Intel NUC 12 Pro experiences a roughly 20% performance decline, whereas our Beelink SER7 remains stable throughout the entire process. This robust performance consistency can be attributed in part to the SER7’s vapor chamber cooler design.
Connectivity
The Beelink SER7 Mini PC takes a significant step forward in addressing a longstanding concern with older Beelink models by incorporating multiple USB-C ports, a notable improvement over the previous single USB-C port setup. Impressively, the SER7 boasts a total of three USB-C ports, surpassing the offerings of most other mini PCs on the market. Furthermore, two of these USB-C ports are USB4 compatible, ensuring full support for external GPUs (eGPUs) for users seeking enhanced graphics capabilities.
The inclusion of dual 3.5 mm headphone jacks is also noteworthy, providing greater flexibility and support for expanded audio options.
It’s worth mentioning that the Beelink SER7 supports USB-C Power Delivery of up to 100 W, enabling users to utilize third-party USB-C AC adapters to power the unit in case the proprietary AC adapter that ships with the device is misplaced or unavailable. However, it’s important to note that the SER7 appears to be selective in terms of compatibility with various USB-C AC adapters. For instance, our 130 W USB-C AC adapter from Dell failed to power on the SER7 at all, whereas our 140 W USB-C AC adapter from Lenovo functioned seamlessly without any issues.
One notable absence in the SER7’s design is the lack of a Kensington lock, a feature found on Intel NUC series devices, which some users may find desirable for additional security measures.
Interestingly, Beelink continues to include last-generation Wi-Fi modules in its top-performing mini PCs for reasons that remain undisclosed. In the case of our unit, it came equipped with the Intel AX200, which, unfortunately, lacks support for Wi-Fi 6E. This stands in contrast to the Intel NUC 13 Pro, which ships with the more up-to-date Intel AX211 module.
It’s essential to note that while Wi-Fi 6E may not consistently offer higher speeds compared to Wi-Fi 6, it does bring the advantage of reduced latency. This latency reduction proves particularly beneficial for enhancing common Home Theater PC (HTPC) applications such as game streaming via cloud services. As such, having Wi-Fi 6E support can contribute to a smoother and more responsive gaming experience, especially when utilizing cloud-based gaming platforms.
SSD
In the realm of storage devices, it’s worth noting that the SER7 Mini PC comes equipped with the Crucial P3 Plus CT1000P3PSSD8 NVMe SSD, which is consistent with what we’ve seen on other models from the same manufacturer, including the GTR7. However, it’s important to highlight that transfer rates, particularly concerning write performance, have been somewhat underwhelming, even after conducting multiple retests. Notably, DiskSpeed diagnostics indicate suboptimal performance, particularly in the areas of q8 t1 and 4k q1 t1 blocks.
GPU Performance
When it comes to GPU performance, the Beelink SER7 Mini PC showcases a significant improvement over its predecessor, the SER6 Pro, featuring the Radeon 780M GPU. In direct comparisons, the Radeon 780M proves to be approximately 10 to 20 percent faster than the Radeon 680M found in the older SER6 Pro model. Notably, these advantages become even more pronounced when running DirectX 12 (DX12) titles as opposed to DX11. Therefore, it’s recommended to enable DX12 whenever possible to fully leverage the enhanced performance capabilities of the Radeon 780M GPU.
Furthermore, the Radeon 780M GPU outperforms the competing Iris Xe with 96 EUs from Intel by a substantial margin. In fact, the performance levels delivered by the Radeon 780M are approximately 40 to 75 percent faster than the Intel solution, making the latter appear dated by comparison. This significant boost in graphics performance enhances the overall gaming and visual experience on the Beelink SER7 Mini PC.
in Games
The Radeon 680M was a notable integrated GPU solution for gaming when it was introduced last year, and the upgraded Radeon 780M takes things to the next level. With the Radeon 780M, the Beelink SER7 Mini PC is capable of handling modern titles like F1 22 at 1080p resolution and low to low-medium settings while maintaining a commendable performance level close to 60 FPS. When tackling more demanding titles such as Cyberpunk 2077, it may be necessary to dial down the settings to ensure frame rates remain above 30 FPS, but it’s still possible to enjoy these games at native 1080p resolution. Even titles with high system requirements, such as GTA V and The Witcher 3, are well within the capabilities of the GPU, ensuring a smooth gaming experience on the Beelink SER7.
Verdict
The Beelink SER7 represents a significant and much-anticipated upgrade following the somewhat disappointing SER6 Pro. It delivers substantial performance enhancements to the already speedy Zen 3+ series, and it places considerable pressure on other mini PCs, particularly those powered by Intel Core U, P, or H CPUs, in terms of both size and performance-per-watt metrics. Notably, its support for USB4 and external GPUs helps address one of the key drawbacks previously associated with AMD CPUs compared to Intel.
While the increase in performance over older models is evident, it does come at the cost of a slightly thicker and heavier build. Fortunately, the increase in size is not overly substantial, especially since the length and width dimensions remain unchanged. If you plan to position the unit on a desk or similar surface, the slightly taller profile of the SER7 should not pose any significant inconvenience.
The Beelink SER7 unquestionably stands as one of the company’s most impressive mini PCs to date, but it also comes with a relatively higher price tag.
Looking ahead to future models, it would be highly desirable to see the inclusion of Wi-Fi 6E and improved serviceability, such as tool-less access to the SODIMM slots and the primary M.2 drive. While the latter is a minor concern given the infrequent nature of RAM and SSD upgrades, more pressing issues like the problematic SSD write performance and less-than-optimal 4K60 video playback should undoubtedly be addressed.
You can buy from the official store on Amazon or Aliexpress.
