Trigkey S3 mini PC review: Core i3-like performance for the price of a Celeron or Atom
Trigkey specializes in inexpensive mini PCs running on older processors in order to keep prices low. The S3 is one such model running on the three-year old Ryzen 5 3550H retailing for about $280 USD.
Competitors in this space include other cheap mini PCs like the BMax B5 Pro, Beelink U59, or the Chuwi LarkBox.
Potential Competitors in Comparison
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Best Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
01/2023 | Trigkey S3 R5 3550H, Vega 8 | 419 g | 40.7 mm | x | |||
11/2022 | Intel NUC Pro Chassis_i7_1265U i7-1265U, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 35 mm | x | ||||
04/2021 | Intel NUC11TNKi5 i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs | 504 g | 37 mm | x | |||
12/2022 | Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U i5-1235U, Iris Xe G7 80EUs | 465 g | 42 mm | x | |||
09/2022 | Beelink SEi11 Pro i5-11320H, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 440 g | 40 mm | x | |||
10/2022 | Beelink SER Pro Ryzen 5 5600H R5 5600H, Vega 7 | 498 g | 42 mm | x |
Case
The plastic chassis is similar in shape to the Beelink SEi8 but with several superficial differences. The top, for example, is now all matte and flush with the edges of the sides for a cleaner look. Port options and servicing are otherwise nearly identical.
Connectivity
Port options are plentiful, but the single USB-C port appears to be only for data or for charging external devices. Our external USB-C monitor would not work with the Trigkey.
Communication
The system ships with the older 1x1 Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165 for transfer rates that are just a fraction of what modern Wi-Fi 6 and 6E modules are capable of. Nonetheless, performance is stable and sufficient for 1080p streaming and browsing.
Networking | |
iperf3 transmit AX12 | |
Intel NUC11TNKi5 | |
iperf3 receive AX12 | |
Intel NUC11TNKi5 | |
iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz | |
Intel NUC Pro Chassis_i7_1265U | |
Beelink SER Pro Ryzen 5 5600H | |
Beelink SEi11 Pro | |
iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Trigkey S3 | |
iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Trigkey S3 | |
iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz | |
Intel NUC Pro Chassis_i7_1265U | |
Beelink SER Pro Ryzen 5 5600H | |
Beelink SEi11 Pro |
Maintenance
The bottom panel is supposed to come off easily, but the screws are soft and can cam out more easily than on most other mini PCs. This unfortunately occurred on our unit and so we recommend that owners be very careful when servicing the unit. In comparison, the Intel NUC has thumb screws for faster tool-free servicing.
Accessories and Warranty
The retail box includes a wall-mounted bracket, AC adapter, user's manual, and two HDMI cables. The usual one-year limited manufacturer warranty applies.
Performance
Testing Conditions
We set Windows to Performance mode prior to running any benchmarks below. The system does not come with any pre-installed "control center"-type applications for adjusting power profiles.
Processor
Overall CPU performance is far slower than any 11th gen or 12th gen Intel Core i5 or i7 U-series CPU but still noticeably faster than any Celeron or Atom solution currently in the market. Thus, the Ryzen 5 3550H in our Trigkey is more comparable to an Intel Core i3-based PC or the much older Core i5-8260U. It's too bad that the manufacturer didn't opt for the Ryzen 7 4800U instead as the Zen 2 CPU is a massive upgrade over the Zen+ H-series.
Cinebench R15 Multi Loop
Cinebench R20: CPU (Multi Core) | CPU (Single Core)
Cinebench R23: Multi Core | Single Core
Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 | 7z b 4 -mmt1
Geekbench 5.5: Multi-Core | Single-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
CPU Performance Rating | |
Beelink GTR6 | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSKi7 | |
Intel NUC Pro Chassis_i7_1265U | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Beelink SER Pro Ryzen 5 5600H | |
Beelink SEi11 Pro | |
Intel NUC Pro Chassis_i7_1185G7 | |
Prime Computer PrimeBook Circular-i7-1165G7 | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi CK10 - 10810U | |
Beelink SER3 -2! | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 3550H | |
Trigkey S3 | |
MSI Cubi 5 10M -8! | |
Beelink SEi8 | |
BMAX B5 Pro G7H8 | |
Beelink U59 N5105 | |
Geekom MiniAir 11 Special Edition | |
Chuwi LapBook Plus -6! | |
Chuwi Hi10 Air -12! |
Cinebench R20 / CPU (Multi Core) | |
Beelink GTR6 | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSKi7 | |
Intel NUC Pro Chassis_i7_1265U | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Beelink SER Pro Ryzen 5 5600H | |
Beelink SEi11 Pro | |
Prime Computer PrimeBook Circular-i7-1165G7 | |
Intel NUC Pro Chassis_i7_1185G7 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 3550H (1421 - 1728, n=8) | |
Beelink SER3 | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi CK10 - 10810U | |
BMAX B5 Pro G7H8 | |
Trigkey S3 | |
Geekom MiniAir 11 Special Edition | |
Beelink U59 N5105 | |
Beelink SEi8 | |
MSI Cubi 5 10M | |
Chuwi LapBook Plus |
Cinebench R20 / CPU (Single Core) | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSKi7 | |
Intel NUC Pro Chassis_i7_1265U | |
Beelink GTR6 | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Prime Computer PrimeBook Circular-i7-1165G7 | |
Beelink SEi11 Pro | |
Intel NUC Pro Chassis_i7_1185G7 | |
Beelink SER Pro Ryzen 5 5600H | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi CK10 - 10810U | |
MSI Cubi 5 10M | |
BMAX B5 Pro G7H8 | |
Beelink SER3 | |
Trigkey S3 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 3550H (331 - 370, n=8) | |
Beelink SEi8 | |
Beelink U59 N5105 | |
Geekom MiniAir 11 Special Edition | |
Chuwi LapBook Plus |
Cinebench R23 / Single Core | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSKi7 | |
Intel NUC Pro Chassis_i7_1265U | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Beelink GTR6 | |
Prime Computer PrimeBook Circular-i7-1165G7 | |
Beelink SEi11 Pro | |
Intel NUC Pro Chassis_i7_1185G7 | |
Beelink SER Pro Ryzen 5 5600H | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi CK10 - 10810U | |
MSI Cubi 5 10M | |
Beelink SER3 | |
Trigkey S3 | |
Beelink SEi8 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 3550H (850 - 922, n=2) | |
BMAX B5 Pro G7H8 | |
Beelink U59 N5105 | |
Geekom MiniAir 11 Special Edition |
Geekbench 5.5 / Multi-Core | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSKi7 | |
Beelink GTR6 | |
Intel NUC Pro Chassis_i7_1265U | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Beelink SER Pro Ryzen 5 5600H | |
Intel NUC Pro Chassis_i7_1185G7 | |
Beelink SEi11 Pro | |
Prime Computer PrimeBook Circular-i7-1165G7 | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi CK10 - 10810U | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 3550H (3162 - 3486, n=5) | |
Trigkey S3 | |
Beelink U59 N5105 | |
Geekom MiniAir 11 Special Edition | |
Beelink SEi8 | |
BMAX B5 Pro G7H8 |
Geekbench 5.5 / Single-Core | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSKi7 | |
Intel NUC Pro Chassis_i7_1265U | |
Beelink GTR6 | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Prime Computer PrimeBook Circular-i7-1165G7 | |
Beelink SEi11 Pro | |
Intel NUC Pro Chassis_i7_1185G7 | |
Beelink SER Pro Ryzen 5 5600H | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi CK10 - 10810U | |
Trigkey S3 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 3550H (880 - 907, n=5) | |
Beelink SEi8 | |
Geekom MiniAir 11 Special Edition | |
Beelink U59 N5105 | |
BMAX B5 Pro G7H8 |
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 / 4k Preset | |
Beelink GTR6 | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSKi7 | |
Beelink SER Pro Ryzen 5 5600H | |
Intel NUC Pro Chassis_i7_1265U | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Beelink SEi11 Pro | |
Intel NUC Pro Chassis_i7_1185G7 | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi CK10 - 10810U | |
Prime Computer PrimeBook Circular-i7-1165G7 | |
Beelink SER3 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 3550H (3.7 - 4.43, n=5) | |
Trigkey S3 | |
Beelink SEi8 | |
Geekom MiniAir 11 Special Edition | |
Beelink U59 N5105 | |
BMAX B5 Pro G7H8 | |
Chuwi LapBook Plus |
LibreOffice / 20 Documents To PDF | |
BMAX B5 Pro G7H8 | |
Geekom MiniAir 11 Special Edition | |
Beelink U59 N5105 | |
Trigkey S3 | |
Beelink SER3 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 3550H (73.3 - 92.7, n=4) | |
Beelink SEi8 | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi CK10 - 10810U | |
Beelink SER Pro Ryzen 5 5600H | |
Prime Computer PrimeBook Circular-i7-1165G7 | |
Beelink SEi11 Pro | |
Intel NUC Pro Chassis_i7_1265U | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Intel NUC Pro Chassis_i7_1185G7 | |
Beelink GTR6 | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSKi7 |
R Benchmark 2.5 / Overall mean | |
BMAX B5 Pro G7H8 | |
Geekom MiniAir 11 Special Edition | |
Beelink U59 N5105 | |
Beelink SEi8 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 3550H (0.732 - 0.752, n=4) | |
Trigkey S3 | |
Beelink SER3 | |
Minipc Union NiPoGi CK10 - 10810U | |
Prime Computer PrimeBook Circular-i7-1165G7 | |
Intel NUC Pro Chassis_i7_1185G7 | |
Beelink SEi11 Pro | |
Beelink SER Pro Ryzen 5 5600H | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Intel NUC Pro Chassis_i7_1265U | |
Intel NUC 12 Pro Kit NUC12WSKi7 | |
Beelink GTR6 |
Cinebench R20: CPU (Multi Core) | CPU (Single Core)
Cinebench R23: Multi Core | Single Core
Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 | 7z b 4 -mmt1
Geekbench 5.5: Multi-Core | Single-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
* ... smaller is better
Blender | |
v3.3 Classroom HIP/AMD | |
Trigkey S3 | |
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000) () | |
v3.3 Classroom CPU | |
Trigkey S3 | |
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000) () | |
Beelink SEi11 Pro | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Intel NUC Pro Chassis_i7_1265U | |
Beelink SER Pro Ryzen 5 5600H |
* ... smaller is better
AIDA64: FP32 Ray-Trace | FPU Julia | CPU SHA3 | CPU Queen | FPU SinJulia | FPU Mandel | CPU AES | CPU ZLib | FP64 Ray-Trace | CPU PhotoWorxx
Performance Rating | |
Beelink SER Pro Ryzen 5 5600H | |
Intel NUC Pro Chassis_i7_1265U | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Beelink SEi11 Pro | |
Intel NUC11TNKi5 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 3550H | |
Trigkey S3 |
AIDA64 / FP32 Ray-Trace | |
Beelink SER Pro Ryzen 5 5600H | |
Beelink SEi11 Pro | |
Intel NUC Pro Chassis_i7_1265U | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Intel NUC11TNKi5 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 3550H (2996 - 3607, n=5) | |
Trigkey S3 |
AIDA64 / FPU Julia | |
Beelink SER Pro Ryzen 5 5600H | |
Intel NUC Pro Chassis_i7_1265U | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Beelink SEi11 Pro | |
Intel NUC11TNKi5 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 3550H (16278 - 18781, n=5) | |
Trigkey S3 |
AIDA64 / CPU SHA3 | |
Beelink SER Pro Ryzen 5 5600H | |
Beelink SEi11 Pro | |
Intel NUC Pro Chassis_i7_1265U | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Intel NUC11TNKi5 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 3550H (847 - 983, n=4) | |
Trigkey S3 |
AIDA64 / CPU Queen | |
Beelink SER Pro Ryzen 5 5600H | |
Intel NUC Pro Chassis_i7_1265U | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Beelink SEi11 Pro | |
Intel NUC11TNKi5 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 3550H (42017 - 48622, n=5) | |
Trigkey S3 |
AIDA64 / FPU SinJulia | |
Beelink SER Pro Ryzen 5 5600H | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 3550H (5386 - 6316, n=5) | |
Trigkey S3 | |
Intel NUC Pro Chassis_i7_1265U | |
Beelink SEi11 Pro | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Intel NUC11TNKi5 |
AIDA64 / FPU Mandel | |
Beelink SER Pro Ryzen 5 5600H | |
Intel NUC Pro Chassis_i7_1265U | |
Beelink SEi11 Pro | |
Intel NUC11TNKi5 | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 3550H (8460 - 9767, n=5) | |
Trigkey S3 |
AIDA64 / CPU AES | |
Beelink SER Pro Ryzen 5 5600H | |
Beelink SEi11 Pro | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Intel NUC11TNKi5 | |
Intel NUC Pro Chassis_i7_1265U | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 3550H (27486 - 32316, n=5) | |
Trigkey S3 |
AIDA64 / CPU ZLib | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Intel NUC Pro Chassis_i7_1265U | |
Beelink SER Pro Ryzen 5 5600H | |
Intel NUC11TNKi5 | |
Beelink SEi11 Pro | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 3550H (299 - 352, n=5) | |
Trigkey S3 |
AIDA64 / FP64 Ray-Trace | |
Beelink SER Pro Ryzen 5 5600H | |
Intel NUC Pro Chassis_i7_1265U | |
Beelink SEi11 Pro | |
Intel NUC11TNKi5 | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 3550H (1584 - 1914, n=5) | |
Trigkey S3 |
AIDA64 / CPU PhotoWorxx | |
Intel NUC Pro Chassis_i7_1265U | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Beelink SEi11 Pro | |
Beelink SER Pro Ryzen 5 5600H | |
Intel NUC11TNKi5 | |
Trigkey S3 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 3550H (14325 - 17838, n=5) |
System Performance
As expected, PCMark results are in between slower mini PCs powered by Celeron or Atom CPUs and faster mini PCs powered by more modern 11th gen or 12th gen Intel CPUs.
CrossMark: Overall | Productivity | Creativity | Responsiveness
PCMark 10 / Score | |
Beelink SER Pro Ryzen 5 5600H | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Intel NUC Pro Chassis_i7_1265U | |
Beelink SEi11 Pro | |
Intel NUC11TNKi5 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 3550H, AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000) (4006 - 4307, n=4) | |
Trigkey S3 | |
Beelink U59 N5105 | |
Chuwi LapBook Plus |
PCMark 10 / Essentials | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Beelink SER Pro Ryzen 5 5600H | |
Beelink SEi11 Pro | |
Intel NUC Pro Chassis_i7_1265U | |
Intel NUC11TNKi5 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 3550H, AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000) (7781 - 8579, n=4) | |
Trigkey S3 | |
Beelink U59 N5105 | |
Chuwi LapBook Plus |
PCMark 10 / Productivity | |
Beelink SER Pro Ryzen 5 5600H | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Intel NUC Pro Chassis_i7_1265U | |
Beelink SEi11 Pro | |
Trigkey S3 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 3550H, AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000) (5995 - 6487, n=4) | |
Intel NUC11TNKi5 | |
Beelink U59 N5105 | |
Chuwi LapBook Plus |
PCMark 10 / Digital Content Creation | |
Intel NUC Pro Chassis_i7_1265U | |
Beelink SER Pro Ryzen 5 5600H | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Beelink SEi11 Pro | |
Intel NUC11TNKi5 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 3550H, AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000) (3457 - 3947, n=4) | |
Trigkey S3 | |
Beelink U59 N5105 | |
Chuwi LapBook Plus |
CrossMark / Overall | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Intel NUC Pro Chassis_i7_1265U | |
Beelink SEi11 Pro | |
Beelink SER Pro Ryzen 5 5600H | |
Trigkey S3 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 3550H, AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000) () | |
Beelink U59 N5105 |
CrossMark / Productivity | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Intel NUC Pro Chassis_i7_1265U | |
Beelink SEi11 Pro | |
Beelink SER Pro Ryzen 5 5600H | |
Trigkey S3 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 3550H, AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000) () | |
Beelink U59 N5105 |
CrossMark / Creativity | |
Intel NUC Pro Chassis_i7_1265U | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Beelink SER Pro Ryzen 5 5600H | |
Beelink SEi11 Pro | |
Trigkey S3 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 3550H, AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000) () | |
Beelink U59 N5105 |
CrossMark / Responsiveness | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Beelink SEi11 Pro | |
Intel NUC Pro Chassis_i7_1265U | |
Beelink SER Pro Ryzen 5 5600H | |
Trigkey S3 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 3550H, AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000) () | |
Beelink U59 N5105 |
PCMark 10 Score | 4006 points | |
Help |
AIDA64 / Memory Copy | |
Intel NUC Pro Chassis_i7_1265U | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Beelink SER Pro Ryzen 5 5600H | |
Beelink SEi11 Pro | |
Trigkey S3 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 3550H (28887 - 32188, n=5) | |
Intel NUC11TNKi5 |
AIDA64 / Memory Read | |
Intel NUC Pro Chassis_i7_1265U | |
Beelink SER Pro Ryzen 5 5600H | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Beelink SEi11 Pro | |
Trigkey S3 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 3550H (31862 - 35172, n=5) | |
Intel NUC11TNKi5 |
AIDA64 / Memory Write | |
Intel NUC Pro Chassis_i7_1265U | |
Beelink SEi11 Pro | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Beelink SER Pro Ryzen 5 5600H | |
Trigkey S3 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 3550H (32493 - 35847, n=5) | |
Intel NUC11TNKi5 |
AIDA64 / Memory Latency | |
Average AMD Ryzen 5 3550H (95 - 120, n=5) | |
Intel NUC Pro Chassis_i7_1265U | |
Trigkey S3 | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Intel NUC11TNKi5 | |
Beelink SEi11 Pro | |
Beelink SER Pro Ryzen 5 5600H |
* ... smaller is better
DPC Latency
LatencyMon reveals DPC issues when opening multiple browser tabs of our homepage. 4K video playback at 60 FPS is mostly smooth with just 3 dropped frames during our minute-long test video.
DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
Trigkey S3 | |
Intel NUC Pro Chassis_i7_1265U | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Beelink SER Pro Ryzen 5 5600H | |
Intel NUC11TNKi5 | |
Beelink SEi11 Pro |
* ... smaller is better
Storage Devices
The Trigkey uses the same Kingston NV1 SNVS/500GCN M.2 2280 NVMe SSD as found on many Beelink mini PCs such as the SEi11 Pro or SER Pro. This is a budget PCIe3 x4 drive with maximum sustained transfer rates of about 2500 MB/s. Users can install one M.2 SSD and one 2.5-inch SATA III drive if they can open the bottom panel.
Drive Performance Rating - Percent | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Intel NUC Pro Chassis_i7_1265U | |
Beelink SEi11 Pro | |
Beelink SER Pro Ryzen 5 5600H -11! | |
Trigkey S3 | |
Intel NUC11TNKi5 |
* ... smaller is better
Disk Throttling: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8
GPU Performance
Raw graphics performance is roughly 2x that of the UHD Graphics 620 commonly found on 10th gen or older Intel CPUs. It's not enough to power most games, but every bit helps when streaming or running on higher resolution displays.
3DMark 11 Performance | 4348 points | |
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 13817 points | |
3DMark Fire Strike Score | 2374 points | |
3DMark Time Spy Score | 771 points | |
Help |
Idling on Witcher 3 shows frame rates periodically dipping to as low as 30 FPS for short periods before recovering. This behavior suggests poor optimization or interrupting background activity that could potentially lead to dropped frames when streaming other content.
Witcher 3 FPS Chart
low | med. | high | ultra | |
GTA V (2015) | 81.2 | 72.3 | 21.8 | 10.3 |
The Witcher 3 (2015) | 50.7 | 33.8 | 18.3 | 10.1 |
Dota 2 Reborn (2015) | 73 | 64.4 | 40.7 | 37.8 |
Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) | 27.2 | 13.8 | 9.68 | |
X-Plane 11.11 (2018) | 11.5 | 10.5 | 9.58 | |
Strange Brigade (2018) | 65.5 | 21.8 | 17.5 | 14.6 |
Cyberpunk 2077 1.6 (2022) | 10.8 | 8.6 | 6.3 | 5 |
Emissions
System Noise
Fan noise is surprisingly quiet to be a strong highlight of the S3. We're only able to reach a maximum of just over 31 dB(A) when running demanding loads compared to 40 dB(A) or higher on faster mini PCs like the Beelink SEi12 or Beelink SER Pro.
Noise Level
Idle |
| 24.5 / 24.5 / 24.5 dB(A) |
Load |
| 27.1 / 31.3 dB(A) |
| ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
||
min: , med: , max: Earthworks M23R, Arta (15 cm distance) environment noise: 23.2 dB(A) |
Trigkey S3 Vega 8, R5 3550H, Kingston NV1 SNVS/500GCN | Intel NUC Pro Chassis_i7_1265U Iris Xe G7 96EUs, i7-1265U, WDC PC SN720 SDAQNTW-512G | Intel NUC11TNKi5 Iris Xe G7 80EUs, i5-1135G7, Transcend M.2 SSD 430S TS512GMTS430S | Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U Iris Xe G7 80EUs, i5-1235U, Kingston NV1 SNVS/500GCN | Beelink SEi11 Pro Iris Xe G7 96EUs, i5-11320H, Kingston NV1 SNVS/500GCN | Beelink SER Pro Ryzen 5 5600H Vega 7, R5 5600H, Kingston NV1 SNVS/500GCN | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Noise | -36% | -36% | -13% | -9% | -10% | |
off / environment * | 23.2 | 30.5 -31% | 24.8 -7% | 23.3 -0% | 22.8 2% | 22.8 2% |
Idle Minimum * | 24.5 | 31.4 -28% | 35.6 -45% | 27.8 -13% | 24.7 -1% | 26.1 -7% |
Idle Average * | 24.5 | 31.4 -28% | 35.6 -45% | 27.8 -13% | 24.7 -1% | 26.1 -7% |
Idle Maximum * | 24.5 | 31.4 -28% | 35.6 -45% | 27.8 -13% | 25.3 -3% | 28.7 -17% |
Load Average * | 27.1 | 43.8 -62% | 36.2 -34% | 32 -18% | 33.2 -23% | 32.3 -19% |
Witcher 3 ultra * | 30.6 | 38 -24% | 34.1 -11% | 34.5 -13% | 32.8 -7% | |
Load Maximum * | 31.3 | 44 -41% | 47.6 -52% | 39.2 -25% | 37.8 -21% | 36.4 -16% |
* ... smaller is better
Temperature
Surface temperatures are warmest toward the rear where hot air escapes. Cool air enters from the sides and not the top unlike on the Beelink SEi12 which means it's safe to place items like paper on top of the mini PC without impeding airflow.
Stress Test
When running Prime95 to stress the CPU, CPU clock rates and board power draw would boost to 3 GHz and 13 W, respectively, before falling a few seconds later and stabilizing at 2.7 GHz, 11 W, and 74 C. Core temperature would stabilize at 70 C when running Witcher 3 which is comparable to the Beelink SEi12 under similar testing conditions but still warmer than on the Intel NUC11TNKi5 Pro.
CPU Clock (GHz) | GPU Clock (MHz) | Average CPU Temperature (°C) | |
System Idle | -- | -- | 42 |
Prime95 Stress | 2.7 | -- | 74 |
Prime95 + FurMark Stress | 2.2 | 523 | 75 |
Witcher 3 Stress | 2.0 | 688 | 70 |
Energy Management
Power Consumption
Idling power consumption is relatively high at up to 22 W compared to half that on U-series-powered mini PCs like the Intel NUC11 or Beelink SEi12 which is not unexpected given that the S3 is powered by an older H-series processor. The situation is reversed when running higher loads like games despite the slower graphics performance of the integrated Radeon Vega 8. The overall meager performance-per-watt is unsurprising given that the Zen+ series is a few years old.
Off / Standby | 0.8 / 1.2 Watt |
Idle | 11.3 / 21.8 / 22.2 Watt |
Load |
39.7 / 48.9 Watt |
Trigkey S3 R5 3550H, Vega 8, Kingston NV1 SNVS/500GCN, , x, | GMK NucBox 2 i5-8259U, Iris Plus Graphics 655, Netac S930E8/256GPN, , x, | Intel NUC11TNKi5 i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs, Transcend M.2 SSD 430S TS512GMTS430S, , x, | Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U i5-1235U, Iris Xe G7 80EUs, Kingston NV1 SNVS/500GCN, , x, | Beelink SEi11 Pro i5-11320H, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, Kingston NV1 SNVS/500GCN, , x, | Beelink SER Pro Ryzen 5 5600H R5 5600H, Vega 7, Kingston NV1 SNVS/500GCN, , x, | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Power Consumption | 32% | 2% | -35% | 3% | 21% | |
Idle Minimum * | 11.3 | 6.1 46% | 11.5 -2% | 15.8 -40% | 9.8 13% | 5.4 52% |
Idle Average * | 21.8 | 6.8 69% | 12.4 43% | 16.8 23% | 10.3 53% | 8.2 62% |
Idle Maximum * | 22.2 | 7.3 67% | 12.9 42% | 17 23% | 10.5 53% | 8.3 63% |
Load Average * | 39.7 | 46.3 -17% | 40.7 -3% | 54.4 -37% | 54.2 -37% | 49.3 -24% |
Witcher 3 ultra * | 37.5 | 43.9 -17% | 50.7 -35% | 53.1 -42% | 46.1 -23% | |
Load Maximum * | 48.9 | 50.7 -4% | 73.5 -50% | 119.1 -144% | 59 -21% | 50.2 -3% |
* ... smaller is better
Power Consumption Witcher 3 / Stresstest
Power Consumption external Monitor
Pros
Cons
Verdict — Faster Than Celeron Or Atom Alternatives
When looking at mini PCs in the sub $300 USD range, it's common to settle for Intel Celeron or Atom-powered solutions since such processors are slower and cheaper than the usual Core options. Fast CPUs are not really necessary for most basic HTPC purposes, but Celeron and Atom CPUs are notorious for being too slow for even minimal multi-tasking efforts. This is where the Trigkey S3 steps in as its Ryzen 5 3550H CPU can provide that extra performance oomph without needing to raise prices.
The Trigkey S3 offers Core i3-like performance for the price of an Atom or Celeron mini PC.
The main drawback is that the Ryzen 5 3550H is an older CPU and so it requires a bit more power to run in many situations than the latest U-series options. Even so, fan noise is thankfully not any louder despite the higher power draw.
Price and Availability
The Trigkey S3 is now shipping on Amazon for $280 USD.