Beelink SER8 PC review: Mac Mini-inspired design with an AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS
The Beelink SER series is back this year with not just a processor upgrade from AMD Zen 3+ to Zen 4, but a whole chassis redesign yet again for the third year in a row. This time, however, the external changes are even more significant to really set the 2024 SER8 apart from any previous entry.
Our test unit comes with the Ryzen 7 8845HS CPU, integrated Radeon 780M GPU, 32 GB RAM, and 1 TB SSD for approximately $650. There are no additional configurations available at the time of writing aside from one other color choice.
Alternatives to the SER8 include other NUC-sized mini PCs like the GMKtec NucBox K6, Geekom GT13 Pro, or Bosgame M1.
More Beelink reviews:
Potential Competitors in Comparison
Rating | Version | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 74.9 % | v8 | 07 / 2024 | Beelink SER8 R7 8845HS, Radeon 780M | 776 g | 44.7 mm | x | ||
| 86.6 % v7 (old) | v7 (old) | 09 / 2023 | Beelink SER7 R7 7840HS, Radeon 780M | 640 g | 49 mm | x | ||
| 86.3 % v7 (old) | v7 (old) | 07 / 2023 | Beelink GTR7 7840HS R7 7840HS, Radeon 780M | 890 g | 48.8 mm | x | ||
| 83.6 % v7 (old) | v7 (old) | 04 / 2024 | GMK NucBox K6 R7 7840HS, Radeon 780M | 514 g | 47 mm | x | ||
| 72.1 % | v8 | 06 / 2024 | Geekom GT13 Pro i9-13900H, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 440 g | 37 mm | x | ||
| 73.7 % | v8 | Aoostar GEM10 R7 6800H, Radeon 680M | 525 g | 60 mm | x |
Hinweis: Wir haben unser Rating-System kürzlich aktualisiert und die Ergebnisse von Version 8 sind nicht mit den Ergebnissen von Version 7 vergleichbar. Weitere Informationen dazu sind hier verfügbar.
Note: We have recently updated our rating system and the results of version 8 are not comparable with the results of version 7. More information is available here .
Case — Less Plastic And More Metal
The new case design is perhaps the standout feature of the SER8. Whereas older Beelink models would rely on a combination of metal, plastics, and fabrics, the SER8 consists mostly of a unibody metal shell for a cleaner and more professional appearance. Its flat sides and matte gray surfaces mimic the Mac Mini without the model feeling like a cheap or "knock off" effort. Applying pressure on the sides or top of the SER8 would result in no visible flexing for a high quality first impression.
The rear and bottom areas are still plastic to save on costs and they lack the attractive shiny sheen of the metal portions of the chassis. Of course, the less attractive plastic sides are more hidden from view when positioned on a table or shelf.
As sexy as the new design may be, it is appreciably larger and heavier than before by about 31 percent and 21 percent, respectively. Much of this can be attributed to the prominent use of more metal instead of plastic and the revised vapor chamber cooler.
Connectivity
Ports on the new design are slightly different than on the older SER7 design. Most notably, there are now only two USB-C ports instead of three and two 3.5 mm audio jacks instead of one. The front audio jack takes priority should the system detect two different audio outputs. Keep in mind that only the rear USB-C port supports USB4, DisplayPort, and Power Delivery while the front USB-C port is solely for data.
Annoyingly, two of the four USB-A ports are USB 2.0 only and there is no way to visually tell them apart from the USB 3.2 ports. Such ports would be color-coded in previous designs, but Beelink has decided to make them all gray for the SER8.
There is no Kensington lock slot which can be worrying since onlookers might mistake the SER8 for a Mac Mini.
Communication
The model ships with the Intel AX200 instead of the AX210 or AX211 likely to save on costs. Thus, Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 are not supported out of the box. Performance is reliable but slower than expected at only ~800 Mbps when paired to our Wi-Fi 6 network.
| Networking | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
| Beelink SER7 | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
| Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| GMK NucBox K6 | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
| GMK NucBox K6 | |
| Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
| Beelink SER7 | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
| GMK NucBox K6 | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
| GMK NucBox K6 | |
Maintenance
Servicing is a two-step process. First, the outer plate must be removed by loosening the four Phillips screws around the corners. Then, the metal dust filter must be removed by loosening two more Phillips screws along the edges. Once inside, users will have direct access to two DDR5 SODIMM slots, two M.2 2280 SSD slots, and the WLAN module. The vapor chamber cooler and CPU sit on the opposite side of the motherboard.
The bottom plastic panel requires only a Phillips screwdriver for easy servicing just like on the older SER7 design. Users have direct access to two M.2 2280 SSD slots, two SODIMM slots, and the removable WLAN module.
Accessories And Warranty
The retail box includes an HDMI cable alongside the paperwork and barrel AC adapter. The system can be powered by third-party USB-C AC adapters if they can supply enough power. Our 135 W USB-C AC adapter from Lenovo, for example, is compatible with the SER8.
Notably missing from the packaging is the removable VESA bracket that would come with nearly all other mini PCs from Beelink. This is because the SER8 is not compatible with VESA mounting which is a drawback to the new design.
A one-year limited manufacturer warranty comes standard if purchased in the US.
Performance — Zen 4 Ready For AI
Testing Conditions
We set Windows to Performance mode prior to running the benchmarks below.
There is a special "65 W" mode (called the PowerLimit setting) that can only be accessed via the BIOS at bootup. Otherwise, the system is set to "54 W" by default no matter your power setting on Windows. Ridiculously, the manufacturer wants you to "contact customer service for guidance" on how to adjust between the 54 W and 65 W modes which is something that no other manufacturer suggests. We are using the default 54 W setting for this review.
Processor
CPU performance from our Ryzen 7 8845HS is excellent with results that are essentially identical to what we recorded on the Geekom A8 equipped with the more expensive Ryzen 9 8945HS. The AMD CPU lies comfortably in between the Core Ultra 7 155H and Core Ultra 9 185H on average, but we suspect that it can better match the Core Ultra 9 185H if set to 65 W mode.
Performance sustainability is excellent as well with steady CineBench R15 xT results during our loop test unlike on the Intel-powered Geekom GT13 Pro.
On the other hand, the Ryzen 7 8845HS offers no raw performance advantages over the already fast Zen 3+ Ryzen 7 7840HS. Its main differentiating factor instead lies in its integrated NPU to accelerate AI tasks such as Microsoft Co-Pilot. If such features are not important for your use cases, then the SER7 can run just as fast as the SER8.
Cinebench R15 Multi Loop
Cinebench R23: Multi Core | Single Core
Cinebench R20: CPU (Multi Core) | CPU (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 6.4: Multi-Core | Single-Core
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
| Cinebench R20 / CPU (Multi Core) | |
| Minisforum G7 PT | |
| Minisforum AtomMan X7 Ti | |
| Geekom A8 | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| Beelink SER7 | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS (5808 - 7026, n=13) | |
| AcePC Wizbox AI | |
| Minisforum Venus Series NAB9 | |
| HP Elite Mini 800 G9-5M9T9EA | |
| Acemagic M2A | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
| Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
| Maxtang MTN-FP750 | |
| GMK NucBox M4 | |
| Geekom A5 | |
| GMK NucBox M6 | |
| GMK NucBox M5 | |
| Cinebench R20 / CPU (Single Core) | |
| Minisforum G7 PT | |
| Acemagic M2A | |
| Minisforum Venus Series NAB9 | |
| Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
| Minisforum AtomMan X7 Ti | |
| Geekom A8 | |
| Beelink SER7 | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS (673 - 698, n=13) | |
| HP Elite Mini 800 G9-5M9T9EA | |
| AcePC Wizbox AI | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
| GMK NucBox M4 | |
| Maxtang MTN-FP750 | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| GMK NucBox M6 | |
| Geekom A5 | |
| GMK NucBox M5 | |
| Cinebench R15 / CPU Multi 64Bit | |
| Minisforum G7 PT | |
| Minisforum AtomMan X7 Ti | |
| Geekom A8 | |
| AcePC Wizbox AI | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| Beelink SER7 | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS (2342 - 2908, n=13) | |
| HP Elite Mini 800 G9-5M9T9EA | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
| Minisforum Venus Series NAB9 | |
| Acemagic M2A | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
| Maxtang MTN-FP750 | |
| Geekom A5 | |
| GMK NucBox M4 | |
| GMK NucBox M6 | |
| GMK NucBox M5 | |
| Cinebench R15 / CPU Single 64Bit | |
| Minisforum G7 PT | |
| Geekom A8 | |
| Beelink SER7 | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS (269 - 283, n=13) | |
| Minisforum Venus Series NAB9 | |
| Minisforum AtomMan X7 Ti | |
| Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
| Acemagic M2A | |
| HP Elite Mini 800 G9-5M9T9EA | |
| AcePC Wizbox AI | |
| Maxtang MTN-FP750 | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
| GMK NucBox M4 | |
| GMK NucBox M6 | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| Geekom A5 | |
| GMK NucBox M5 | |
| HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 / 4k Preset | |
| Minisforum G7 PT | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| Minisforum AtomMan X7 Ti | |
| Geekom A8 | |
| Beelink SER7 | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS (18.6 - 22.7, n=13) | |
| AcePC Wizbox AI | |
| HP Elite Mini 800 G9-5M9T9EA | |
| Minisforum Venus Series NAB9 | |
| Acemagic M2A | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
| Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
| GMK NucBox M6 | |
| GMK NucBox M4 | |
| Geekom A5 | |
| Maxtang MTN-FP750 | |
| GMK NucBox M5 | |
| LibreOffice / 20 Documents To PDF | |
| GMK NucBox M5 | |
| Maxtang MTN-FP750 | |
| Geekom A5 | |
| AcePC Wizbox AI | |
| HP Elite Mini 800 G9-5M9T9EA | |
| GMK NucBox M6 | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS (44.4 - 77, n=13) | |
| Geekom A8 | |
| Minisforum G7 PT | |
| Minisforum AtomMan X7 Ti | |
| Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| GMK NucBox M4 | |
| Acemagic M2A | |
| Beelink SER7 | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
| Minisforum Venus Series NAB9 | |
| R Benchmark 2.5 / Overall mean | |
| GMK NucBox M5 | |
| Geekom A5 | |
| GMK NucBox M4 | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| Maxtang MTN-FP750 | |
| GMK NucBox M6 | |
| AcePC Wizbox AI | |
| Minisforum AtomMan X7 Ti | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS (0.4304 - 0.4935, n=13) | |
| Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
| HP Elite Mini 800 G9-5M9T9EA | |
| Beelink SER7 | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
| Minisforum Venus Series NAB9 | |
| Acemagic M2A | |
| Geekom A8 | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| Minisforum G7 PT | |
Cinebench R23: Multi Core | Single Core
Cinebench R20: CPU (Multi Core) | CPU (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 6.4: Multi-Core | Single-Core
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
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 GTR7 7840HS | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| GMK NucBox K6 | |
| Beelink SER7 | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
| AIDA64 / FP32 Ray-Trace | |
| Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS (23708 - 29544, n=13) | |
| Beelink SER7 | |
| GMK NucBox K6 | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
| AIDA64 / FPU Julia | |
| Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| Beelink SER7 | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS (99659 - 125873, n=13) | |
| GMK NucBox K6 | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
| AIDA64 / CPU SHA3 | |
| Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| Beelink SER7 | |
| GMK NucBox K6 | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS (4332 - 5180, n=13) | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
| AIDA64 / CPU Queen | |
| Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS (109458 - 124695, n=13) | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| Beelink SER7 | |
| GMK NucBox K6 | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
| AIDA64 / FPU SinJulia | |
| Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS (14062 - 15519, n=13) | |
| GMK NucBox K6 | |
| Beelink SER7 | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
| AIDA64 / FPU Mandel | |
| Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| Beelink SER7 | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS (53436 - 67367, n=13) | |
| GMK NucBox K6 | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
| AIDA64 / CPU AES | |
| Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| GMK NucBox K6 | |
| Beelink SER7 | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS (64515 - 172642, n=13) | |
| AIDA64 / CPU ZLib | |
| Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| GMK NucBox K6 | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS (627 - 1080, n=13) | |
| Beelink SER7 | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| AIDA64 / FP64 Ray-Trace | |
| Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| Beelink SER7 | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS (12361 - 15911, n=13) | |
| GMK NucBox K6 | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
| AIDA64 / CPU PhotoWorxx | |
| Beelink SER7 | |
| GMK NucBox K6 | |
| Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS (33192 - 41668, n=13) | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
Stress Test
When running Prime95 stress, the CPU would boost to 4.0 GHz and maintain a 54 W power draw without any dips as advertised by the manufacturer. Core temperature would also plateau at a reasonable 75 C leaving a bit of headroom for the 65 W setting.
GPU clock rate and temperature when running Witcher 3 would average 2700 MHz and 62 C, respectively, compared to 2526 MHz and 64 C on the SER7 even though fan noise when gaming is much quieter on the SER8.
| CPU Clock (GHz) | GPU Clock (MHz) | Average CPU Temperature (°C) | |
| System Idle | -- | -- | 30 |
| Prime95 Stress | 4.0 | -- | 75 |
| Prime95 + FurMark Stress | 4.2 | 2317 | 68 |
| Witcher 3 Stress | 0.5 | 2700 | 62 |
System Performance
PCMark results are some of the highest of any mini PC with integrated graphics, but they're not that much greater than what we recorded on last year's SER7 to represent only marginal improvements when it comes to day-to-day applications and workloads. Memory performance also hasn't improved despite the switch from Zen 3+ to Zen 4.
CrossMark: Overall | Productivity | Creativity | Responsiveness
WebXPRT 3: Overall
WebXPRT 4: Overall
Mozilla Kraken 1.1: Total
| PCMark 10 / Score | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| GMK NucBox K6 | |
| Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS, AMD Radeon 780M (6993 - 7641, n=8) | |
| Beelink SER7 | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
| PCMark 10 / Essentials | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| GMK NucBox K6 | |
| Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS, AMD Radeon 780M (10286 - 11570, n=8) | |
| Beelink SER7 | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
| PCMark 10 / Productivity | |
| Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
| GMK NucBox K6 | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| Beelink SER7 | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS, AMD Radeon 780M (9742 - 10482, n=8) | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
| PCMark 10 / Digital Content Creation | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| GMK NucBox K6 | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS, AMD Radeon 780M (9009 - 10009, n=8) | |
| Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
| Beelink SER7 | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
| CrossMark / Overall | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| GMK NucBox K6 | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS, AMD Radeon 780M (1633 - 1939, n=8) | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
| Beelink SER7 | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
| CrossMark / Productivity | |
| GMK NucBox K6 | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS, AMD Radeon 780M (1562 - 1872, n=8) | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| Beelink SER7 | |
| Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
| CrossMark / Creativity | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| GMK NucBox K6 | |
| Beelink SER7 | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS, AMD Radeon 780M (1734 - 2052, n=8) | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
| CrossMark / Responsiveness | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| GMK NucBox K6 | |
| Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS, AMD Radeon 780M (1437 - 1849, n=8) | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| Beelink SER7 | |
| WebXPRT 3 / Overall | |
| Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| Beelink SER7 | |
| GMK NucBox K6 | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS, AMD Radeon 780M (295 - 334, n=8) | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| WebXPRT 4 / Overall | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
| GMK NucBox K6 | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
| Beelink SER7 | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS, AMD Radeon 780M (245 - 314, n=8) | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| Mozilla Kraken 1.1 / Total | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS, AMD Radeon 780M (501 - 664, n=8) | |
| GMK NucBox K6 | |
| Beelink SER7 | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
* ... smaller is better
| PCMark 10 Score | 7641 points | |
Help | ||
| AIDA64 / Memory Copy | |
| Beelink SER7 | |
| GMK NucBox K6 | |
| Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS (61459 - 71873, n=13) | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Read | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| Beelink SER7 | |
| Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
| GMK NucBox K6 | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS (49866 - 61976, n=13) | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Write | |
| Beelink SER7 | |
| Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
| GMK NucBox K6 | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS (68425 - 93239, n=13) | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Latency | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| Average AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS (82.5 - 117, n=13) | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| GMK NucBox K6 | |
| Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
| Beelink SER7 | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
* ... smaller is better
DPC Latency
LatencyMon reveals no major DPC issues when opening multiple browser tabs of our homepage. Unfortunately, 4K60 video playback is imperfect with 20 dropped frames recorded during a 60-second window. This issue is more common amongst AMD-powered PCs than on Intel and it's disappointing to see the trend continue on the SER8. The majority of users won't notice the occasional frame skip, but there should ideally be none in the first place especially from a Ryzen 7 HS-class processor.
Storage Devices
The model comes with the same Crucial P3 Plus CT1000P3PSSD8 PCIe4 x4 NVMe SSD as found on the GTR7 and SER7 for a comforting sense of consistency between Beelink mini PCs. We appreciate that the manufacturer ships SSDs from more well-known brands whereas other mini PC makers like GMktec tend to ship with lesser-known SSD brands. Performance sustainability is excellent with no throttling issues as shown by our DiskSpd loop test results below.
| Drive Performance Rating - Percent | |
| GMK NucBox K6 | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| Beelink SER7 | |
| DiskSpd | |
| seq read | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| GMK NucBox K6 | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
| Beelink SER7 | |
| seq write | |
| GMK NucBox K6 | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
| Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
| Beelink SER7 | |
| seq q8 t1 read | |
| GMK NucBox K6 | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
| Beelink SER7 | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| seq q8 t1 write | |
| GMK NucBox K6 | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
| Beelink SER7 | |
| 4k q1 t1 read | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| GMK NucBox K6 | |
| Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| Beelink SER7 | |
| 4k q1 t1 write | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
| GMK NucBox K6 | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| Beelink SER7 | |
| 4k q32 t16 read | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| Beelink SER7 | |
| Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
| GMK NucBox K6 | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| 4k q32 t16 write | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| GMK NucBox K6 | |
| Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| Beelink SER7 | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
* ... smaller is better
Disk Throttling: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8
GPU Performance
The Radeon 780M in the Ryzen 7 8845HS offers only marginal performance boosts over the same GPU in last year's SER7 at best. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, however, as AMD is still neck-to-neck with Intel even when compared to the latest Arc 8 iGPU in the the Meteor Lake-H platform. The Arc 8 iGPU in the Minisforum AtomMan X7 Ti, for example, is about 10 percent faster in the DX12-based Time Spy benchmark while the opposite is true in the DX11-based Fire Strike benchmark.
| 3DMark 11 Performance | 13420 points | |
| 3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 39359 points | |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Score | 7906 points | |
| 3DMark Time Spy Score | 3274 points | |
| 3DMark Steel Nomad Score | 513 points | |
Help | ||
| Blender | |
| v3.3 Classroom HIP/AMD | |
| Geekom A5 | |
| Maxtang MTN-FP750 | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| v3.3 Classroom CPU | |
| GMK NucBox M5 | |
| Geekom A5 | |
| GMK NucBox M6 | |
| GMK NucBox M4 | |
| Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
| Maxtang MTN-FP750 | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| Minisforum Venus Series NAB9 | |
| HP Elite Mini 800 G9-5M9T9EA | |
| Average AMD Radeon 780M (300 - 664, n=62) | |
| AcePC Wizbox AI | |
| BOSGAME M1 | |
| Beelink SER7 | |
| Geekom A8 | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| Minisforum AtomMan X7 Ti | |
| v3.3 Classroom oneAPI/Intel | |
| AcePC Wizbox AI | |
| Minisforum AtomMan X7 Ti | |
* ... smaller is better
Gaming Performance
Though not a gaming machine, the SER8 is still fast enough to satisfy casual 1080p gamers. Most older titles run well at 1080p Medium settings while newer or more demanding ones like Baldur's Gate 3 will typically hover in the 40 FPS range on 1080p Low settings. This is about as fast as you can get without resorting to discrete graphics or eGPUs.
| Performance Rating - Percent | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| GMK NucBox K6 | |
| Beelink GTR7 7840HS -1! | |
| Beelink SER7 | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro -2! | |
| The Witcher 3 - 1920x1080 Ultra Graphics & Postprocessing (HBAO+) | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
| GMK NucBox K6 | |
| Beelink SER7 | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| Final Fantasy XV Benchmark - 1920x1080 High Quality | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| GMK NucBox K6 | |
| Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
| Beelink SER7 | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
| Strange Brigade - 1920x1080 ultra AA:ultra AF:16 | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| GMK NucBox K6 | |
| Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
| Beelink SER7 | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
| Dota 2 Reborn - 1920x1080 ultra (3/3) best looking | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| GMK NucBox K6 | |
| Beelink SER7 | |
| Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
| X-Plane 11.11 - 1920x1080 high (fps_test=3) | |
| GMK NucBox K6 | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| Beelink GTR7 7840HS | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| Beelink SER7 | |
| Far Cry 5 - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:T | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| Beelink SER7 | |
| GMK NucBox K6 | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
| Baldur's Gate 3 | |
| 1280x720 Low Preset AA:SM | |
| Geekom A8 | |
| BOSGAME M1 | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| Average AMD Radeon 780M (30.7 - 67.4, n=22) | |
| Minisforum AtomMan X7 Ti | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| GMK NucBox M6 | |
| Geekom A5 | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
| GMK NucBox M5 | |
| HP Elite Mini 800 G9-5M9T9EA | |
| 1920x1080 Low Preset AA:SM | |
| BOSGAME M1 | |
| Geekom A8 | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| Average AMD Radeon 780M (20.2 - 44.1, n=33) | |
| Minisforum AtomMan X7 Ti | |
| GMK NucBox M6 | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
| Geekom A5 | |
| GMK NucBox M5 | |
| HP Elite Mini 800 G9-5M9T9EA | |
| 1920x1080 Medium Preset AA:T | |
| BOSGAME M1 | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| Average AMD Radeon 780M (15.7 - 36.8, n=36) | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| Geekom A8 | |
| Minisforum AtomMan X7 Ti | |
| GMK NucBox M6 | |
| Geekom A5 | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
| HP Elite Mini 800 G9-5M9T9EA | |
| 1920x1080 High Preset AA:T | |
| BOSGAME M1 | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| Average AMD Radeon 780M (13.3 - 30.6, n=36) | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| Minisforum AtomMan X7 Ti | |
| Geekom A8 | |
| GMK NucBox M6 | |
| Geekom A5 | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
| 1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:T | |
| BOSGAME M1 | |
| Beelink SER8 | |
| Average AMD Radeon 780M (12.8 - 29.6, n=35) | |
| Aoostar GEM10 | |
| Minisforum AtomMan X7 Ti | |
| Geekom A8 | |
| GMK NucBox M6 | |
| Geekom A5 | |
| Geekom GT13 Pro | |
Witcher 3 FPS Chart
| low | med. | high | ultra | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Witcher 3 (2015) | 163.3 | 101.1 | 51.9 | 32 |
| Dota 2 Reborn (2015) | 151.9 | 130.1 | 98.8 | 90.4 |
| Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) | 79.7 | 40.2 | 29.4 | |
| X-Plane 11.11 (2018) | 65.9 | 47.8 | 39.6 | |
| Far Cry 5 (2018) | 89 | 51 | 47 | 45 |
| Strange Brigade (2018) | 173.7 | 68.9 | 58.7 | 50.8 |
| Tiny Tina's Wonderlands (2022) | 72.8 | 52.8 | 36.8 | 29.6 |
| F1 22 (2022) | 99 | 85.9 | 65.6 | 17.9 |
| Baldur's Gate 3 (2023) | 41.6 | 34.8 | 28.9 | 28 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 2.2 Phantom Liberty (2023) | 43.8 | 34.5 | 27.1 | 23.4 |
Emissions
System Noise — Slower And More Gradual Fan RPM Changes
Fan noise when idling is louder than what we recorded on the SER7 by a few decibels. It's thankfully not enough to be distracting in a living room setting, but it's a measurable increase nonetheless. On the other hand, fan noise is quieter than on the SER7 when running more demanding loads like games while offering essentially the same graphics performance. Noise range is thus narrower than what it was on the SER7. The loud fan when gaming was one of our biggest complaints about the SER7 and so it's refreshing to see it addressed on the SER8.
Noise Level
| Idle |
| 28.8 / 28.8 / 30.5 dB(A) |
| Load |
| 34.6 / 34.5 dB(A) |
 | ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
||
min:  , med:  , max:  Earthworks M23R, Arta (15 cm distance) environment noise: 23.6 dB(A) | ||
| Beelink SER8 Radeon 780M, R7 8845HS, Crucial P3 Plus CT1000P3PSSD8 | Beelink SER7 Radeon 780M, R7 7840HS, Crucial P3 Plus CT1000P3PSSD8 | Beelink GTR7 7840HS Radeon 780M, R7 7840HS, Crucial P3 Plus CT1000P3PSSD8 | GMK NucBox K6 Radeon 780M, R7 7840HS, MasonSemi 1TB MC7000 | Geekom GT13 Pro Iris Xe G7 96EUs, i9-13900H, Acer N7000 2 TB | Aoostar GEM10 Radeon 680M, R7 6800H, BIWIN CE980Y28900-1TB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noise | 1% | -3% | -17% | -13% | -19% | |
| off / environment * | 23.6 | 24.5 -4% | 25.6 -8% | 23.2 2% | 24.3 -3% | 24.3 -3% |
| Idle Minimum * | 28.8 | 25.1 13% | 28.1 2% | 31.3 -9% | 27.9 3% | 36.5 -27% |
| Idle Average * | 28.8 | 25.1 13% | 28.1 2% | 31.3 -9% | 27.9 3% | 36.6 -27% |
| Idle Maximum * | 30.5 | 25.1 18% | 28.1 8% | 33.4 -10% | 28 8% | 36.6 -20% |
| Load Average * | 34.6 | 35.9 -4% | 34.9 -1% | 47.5 -37% | 43.8 -27% | 41.7 -21% |
| Cyberpunk 2077 ultra * | 34.1 | 45.4 -33% | 40.3 -18% | |||
| Load Maximum * | 34.5 | 45.4 -32% | 42.4 -23% | 47.7 -38% | 48.5 -41% | 40.8 -18% |
| Witcher 3 ultra * | 35.6 | 36.4 | 43.6 | 40.18 |
* ... smaller is better
Temperature
We expected surface temperatures to be warmer on average due to there being fewer ventilation grilles on the exposed sides of the chassis. However, we're pleasantly surprised to see that the top surface would remain cooler than expected at just 33 C even when running games for long periods. This maximum is a few degrees warmer than what we recorded on the SER7 and GTR7, but not unreasonably so. Perhaps more importantly, you'll want to make sure that there is enough airflow for both the intake underneath the chassis and outflow along the rear.
Energy Management — About The Same As Zen 3+
Power Consumption
Consumption when idling on desktop is much less than what we recorded on the Intel-powered Geekom GT13 Pro. However, consumption becomes ~20 percent higher when running more demanding loads like games and even higher by almost 50 percent when running Prime95 stress. The Ryzen 7 8845HS is a much faster processor than the Core i9-13900H in the Geekom and so the higher power demands is arguably worthwhile.
Overall consumption is very close to what we recorded on last year's GTR7 and SER7 despite the differences in processor generation which aligns with their similar performance results noted above. Thus, performance-per-watt advantages between Zen 3+ and Zen 4 should be minimal at best when it comes to traditional CPU/GPU tasks.
We're able to measure a maximum consumption of 84 W from the relatively small (~7 x 7 x 3 cm) 100 W AC adapter. However, this can be up to 11 W higher if the CPU is set to 65 W mode via BIOS.
| Off / Standby | 0.8 / 1.1 Watt |
| Idle | 7.3 / 7.3 / 8.4 Watt |
| Load |
68.2 / 84.3 Watt |
   
| |
Key:
min: ,
med: ,
max: Metrahit Energy | |
| Beelink SER8 R7 8845HS, Radeon 780M, Crucial P3 Plus CT1000P3PSSD8, , x, | Beelink SER7 R7 7840HS, Radeon 780M, Crucial P3 Plus CT1000P3PSSD8, , x, | Beelink GTR7 7840HS R7 7840HS, Radeon 780M, Crucial P3 Plus CT1000P3PSSD8, , x, | GMK NucBox K6 R7 7840HS, Radeon 780M, MasonSemi 1TB MC7000, , x, | Geekom GT13 Pro i9-13900H, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, Acer N7000 2 TB, , x, | Aoostar GEM10 R7 6800H, Radeon 680M, BIWIN CE980Y28900-1TB, , x, | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Consumption | -6% | 2% | 2% | -42% | -13% | |
| Idle Minimum * | 7.3 | 6.7 8% | 5.5 25% | 6.7 8% | 7.9 -8% | 7.3 -0% |
| Idle Average * | 7.3 | 7.3 -0% | 5.8 21% | 7 4% | 10.3 -41% | 8.7 -19% |
| Idle Maximum * | 8.4 | 11.6 -38% | 7.7 8% | 7.6 10% | 22.3 -165% | 10.4 -24% |
| Load Average * | 68.2 | 64.1 6% | 70.6 -4% | 74.3 -9% | 57.44 16% | 67.2 1% |
| Witcher 3 ultra * | 75.1 | 75.8 -1% | 79.8 -6% | 75 -0% | ||
| Load Maximum * | 84.3 | 94.8 -12% | 111.8 -33% | 85.7 -2% | 93.4 -11% | 101.6 -21% |
| Cyberpunk 2077 ultra external monitor * | 55.9 | 58.8 |
* ... smaller is better
Power Consumption Cyberpunk / Stress Test
Power Consumption external Monitor
Pros
Cons
Verdict — Professional Looks With Great Performance For The Price
Mini PCs from Beelink have been gradually growing in terms of quality and the SER8 is the latest example of what we can expect from the company in the years to come. The redesign makes the model look more expensive than it actually is without needing to cut any major corners inside or out. You'll still see some plastic here and there and some missing features like Wi-Fi 6E, VESA mounting or a fingerprint reader, but the majority of home or office users can likely overlook these shortcomings especially when both appearance and performance are as good as they are.
With Intel NUCs long gone, Beelink is looking like a serious contender for the crown with the new SER8 design and AI-ready Zen 4 CPU.
While performance is another highlight of the system, it's only marginally better than the SER7 at best outside of AI-powered tasks. Users who aren't enamored by Co-Pilot or the new chassis design will find the smaller SER7 or GMK NucBox K6 to be the better bang for the buck. For under $700, however, the SER8 is one of the best mini PCs and most improved in its family.
Price and Availability
The SER8 is now shipping with 32 GB of RAM and 1 TB SSD directly from Beelink for $650. Alternatively, the model is also available on Amazon starting at $600 when on sale.
Hinweis: Wir haben unser Rating-System kürzlich aktualisiert und die Ergebnisse von Version 8 sind nicht mit den Ergebnissen von Version 7 vergleichbar. Weitere Informationen dazu sind hier verfügbar.
Note: We have recently updated our rating system and the results of version 8 are not comparable with the results of version 7. More information is available here .
Beelink SER8
- 07/07/2024 v8
Allen Ngo
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The selection of devices to be reviewed is made by our editorial team. The test sample was provided to the author as a loan by the manufacturer or retailer for the purpose of this review. The lender had no influence on this review, nor did the manufacturer receive a copy of this review before publication. There was no obligation to publish this review. We never accept compensation or payment in return for our reviews. As an independent media company, Notebookcheck is not subjected to the authority of manufacturers, retailers or publishers.
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