One benefit to the bright colors: For people in the "wonderful" position of remote IT support, being able to tell a non-techie to press the power button on the "BRIGHT ORANGE THING" is a plus. Particularly when it lives around a bunch of black, silver and white devices, probably surrounded with a rats nest of cables.
Presumably a power cycle will restore CMOS to default, probably with a warning and confirm message. I have not changed by settings for many years, and for experimenters it could be usefull.
Man that’s pricy. So same price point as the Mac Mini M2 Pro with 4 Thunderbolt 4 ports and 10 GB Ethernet. But obviously more freedom on OS choices with this. Huh.
@@NPzed Minisforum needs to do a better job with publishing BIOS updates before I would consider buying another product from them. Nice device, but good luck finding an updated BIOS.
The proprietary power connector is what 100% kills it for me. I like the rest, but that magnetic plug is truly pointless when a plain old DC barrel would have been just fine.
Why is that such a big deal to people? The PC is stationed at an area on your desk. Are you constantly unplugging and replugging? I dont understand how this is a deal breaker, as it has nothing to do with performance or power.
@@brayyy5609I'm guessing people are fussed about the part failing. The reason being that if it fails getting a new power adapter will be a pain. Or maybe beelink goes under and there's no alternatives for another part. I get the concern but Personally it wouldn't be a deal breaker for me. If I'm not mistaken the device also supports USB c power delivery
I just *cannot* take seriously any mini-system that has an exposed "Clear CMOS" button. I don't care if there are workarounds for powering on the system, one day someone *is* going to unnecessarily press that button, either accidentally or deliberately.
Although a dumb design, I don't think anyone here commenting about the rubber "clear cmos" button knows how easy it is to remove (it just pops right out). Then the micro switch has to be actuated like we're all used to - by inserting an implement of some sort.
You might be able bypass this proprietary connector and add your own. I know it’s a hack but a plausible work around if the original PS or connector fail.
I also think it ruins it. My thought was one or two of these for a home lab would be cool, but that power connection. That kind of ruins having a common supply for multiple systems. mITX boards... That might be cool if you could stack them like a pi cluster.
UM790 Pro has liquid metal and good cooling. Easy to close any performance gap with a bit of O/C. I would be more swayed by the power connector. Either way, very similar products, can't go wrong.
Thanks for this! I think you literally just sold me on the Windows Mini PC concept. I really love the fact that these Mini PCs can now literally rival full blown traditional tower desktop and that I can turn one into essentially a full on Windows gaming desktop just by connecting it to an eGPU.
@@techluvin7691 But its good enough to do anything better than Laptop and 90% desktop in the world. Just bcuz it can't run all games in MAX settings doesn't mean its useless.
The SSD cooling solution is fine. The controller is what heats up and needs cooling the most. This way there's also no chance to trap heat and transfer it from the controller to the NAND chips.
Add some proper 90mm fans or something and I'm in, those tiny fans are just too risky for me to even give these units a go. They should do a taller version where they have a 120mm fan in-taking air from the bottom which should great for cooling and be super silent!
Really good review. I agree about the proprietary magnetic ZIF power port however the save is that you can power it also with the USB port on the back. I remember when these systems came out and the performance was laughable. Now they are putting performance that most desktops don't have with half the power consumption. Thumbs up STH.
Your analysis is the best out there...your vids are so full of relevant info and well constructed format makes them easy to follow and interesting. Outstanding !! Thank you......
I bought Minisforum UM790 Pro and have been nothing but happy. I got the barebones for 375$ US. Then put in a 2TB SSD and 64G of fastest ram. It's been awesome for only 575$ US. Runs BG3 flawlessly, and every other game I try.
I'm glad you did kind of a comparison with the minisforum um790. I have been trying to decide which of the 2 I want and I think it's clear now that it's the gtr7 pro.
Still happy with my SER6 Pro, it at least uses a normal adapter. it's not as fast as this but fast enough, and sure was a lot cheaper. More people should tell Beelink to quit using the nasty non-standard connector.
It completely blows my mind! That these manufacturers don’t hire an interpreter and then call oh I don’t know maybe YOU!!! And get a clue on there most profitable market!! So dumb really. Makes me want to buy up BeeLink and just take it to the next level. Great job man love the videos thank you.
The um790pro with memory cooling and better heat pads for the nvme drives get my vote. Ideal would be a mix, chassis(ports) gtr pro, wifi and memory/drive cooling um790pro. And of course a normal feed plug.
Nice reporting and review. This is a new channel for me and you are already my favorite for hardware. You have a gift for presenting super-interesting stuff. Keep up the good work!
I am using a Intel Nuc that used to be used for business transactions in my Fathers hotel now it lives a new life as a tv pc. Thanks Dad. Its a handy form factor.
Regarding the thermal pads for the NVMe SSD's, if I am not mistaken, only the SSD controller benefits from cooling to prevent throttling. NAND chips actually perform better with higher temperatures (to a certain degree needless to say).
There's not much heatsink so depending on the temperature deltas it's entirely possible it may heat, not cool, the NAND packages. Just like how an idle CPU can get heated by a stressed GPU if they're sharing coolant.
I run a Beelink GTR5 5900HX for my TV as well and that thing is absolutely SMOKING fast. In fact, there is so much excess processing capacity, that I have started to get the system to take on some of the virtualisation duties as well by running a backup Plex Media Server (in case my main server is too busy doing other stuff), as well as hosting our own, local, Minecraft server. I LOVE the Beelink systems. They're cheaper than the Morefine mini PCs, and they are more performant than the Minisforum mini PCs. Great job, Beelink! (Good to know that USB 4 power delivery works though, so that way, we don't HAVE to use the proprietary AC adapter.)
On the power connector, there are two opposing use cases. A mini PC that loses power then loses unsaved work. A laptop that loses power then runs on battery, without losing unsaved work. So easy breakaway is a plus for laptops, but a reluctant disconnect on a mini PC is a plus (it's still easy with the magnet, but an accidental lateral tug is protected).
Great video - these are some handsome looking NUCs! I still struggle to place the Philosophy of Use for these devices. They are extraordinarily expensive, lack pcie connectivity that better priced and maintainable form factors such as mATX offer, and feature proprietary parts making future maintenance almost impossible *when* something goes wrong. To be certain it's a whole lot of compute in a small form factor, but who out there needs this kind of horsepower without onboard pcie connectivity that a standard form factor provides? The SFF (and smaller) devices are probably still best served as ultra-affordable and low-compute solutions for simple end users. Power users seem almost certainly better served doing it themselves in a way that offers better connectivity, similar compute, and standardized parts for better future upgradeability/maintenance.
This is exactly my thought process whenever I see these cool mini pcs .. yes they're small ... But they're basically laptops in the form of a desktop and they come with similar maintenance and upgrade handicaps .. I've had friends obsessed with this tiny pcs and when i explained everything in detail vs an ATX system they've just gone ATX with a reasonably smaller case ... So I guess the appeal is the form factor
The first use case I can think of is traveling, especially as a mobile workstation. You can plug this into any hotel TV, and this is more powerful CPU/RAM-wise than almost any laptop, and a lot of things that would need a PCI-E slot (10G/25G NICs, capture cards, etc.) can be connected via Thunderbolt/USB4. With two internal PCI-E 4 SSDs you can load it with 16 TB of high speed storage.
@@TheBackyardChemist Who's actually choosing this over a laptop? Who's living out of hotel rooms needing gobs of compute? If they are in media they have workstation laptops with equivalent specs, as nothing in this mini-PC is out of reach of real mobile workstations. And you need a laptop for actual mobile computer versus dragging around a jackery + monitor + keyboard + mouse + mini PC lol. Regarding high speed USB-connectivity: historically running loads sustained for long periods of time over USB controllers has led to unfortunate early demise of said controllers. However I admittedly do not know how well that conveys to USB 4 controllers, and can't recall seeing anyone report on it. I know the spec allows PCIe tunnelling, but not if the same durability of PCIe bandwidth/cards comes along with that.
@@FrenziedManbeast I think this will absolutely smoke any laptop under 1500-2000 USD in CPU performance, and is smaller than almost all ITX builds. I can see this as a game console replacement for someone who moves a lot. Maybe truckers, sailors, fuck if I know. Or for people who live in really small apartments in Hong Kong or something.
@@TheBackyardChemist Right, and the entire point I made is a laptop is a mobile computing solution while this is not. It's definitely more compute per dollar, but without the maintenance, expandability, PCIe connectivity, or upgradeability that a standard form factor uses. Now if that suits a user's niche case then great! But this company has spent untold thousands likely bringing this thing to market, and I don't expect they'll move many units at $800+ a pop considering the market saturation when paired with the extremely niche nature of borderline hedt compute in a 1L format.
My mom would absolutely love that orange PC as it's her favorite color. If I had the money I would probably get it to replace her current Windows 10 PC a 2014 Mac Mini.
I know these are listed as "gaming" boxes, but for me it would be really nice if there was a company making these with IPMI so they can be run headless and remotely controlled, and also it would be fantastic if the chassis was design so that a dust filter can be affixed. I use a minipc (it's not beelink) for controlling dual fibre lines in my home/office/lab, it works really well (5 eth ports, 64Gb ram + 2TB store). I run several dozen lxc containers on it controlling various things such as redundant DNS, email for notifications, and much more. As for Beelink, one issue I have with their products is there's seemingly no option to max out RAM and storage when placing an order, the option is not even available for the "pro" version, too bad and I don;t get why since we're talking about only a few $ for saving a lot of hassles upgrading.
I agree, that is why I mentioned they need a barebones. The IPMI is a bit tougher because it adds another 4-5W of power consumption with an ASPEED AST2600 and all of the other components.
@@ServeTheHomeVideo I'll happily pay more for the extra features, but maybe there's not enough of a market to make it worth while. I'm wondering if there are separate mini remote control boxes that you can buy that will do remote KVM and power cycles? I suppose if an extra box is needed, an ASRock server mobo and chassis is the better option unless space is very tight. Anyway, I like the work you are doing it's always informative and much appreciated.
I own a business, I use these devices for development purposes, and running live services. I rent several cloud servers to run SaaS services for customers, the home based servers and mini's are for developmentand use, and also for my general networking and computing needs. I have a full blown server at home with IPMI, but it's not for development use and is expected to always be stable and working. For development, I need remote access when something goes wrong and I have to reset while away. I could buy another server with IPMI, howerver space is limited, the mini's are great space savers, cost less, make less noise, less heat, and get the job done. I bought a wifi power switch to hard reset each development mini, it works OK, except not as good as IPMI for diagosing issues remotely or adjusting bios settings Everyone has their own unique reasons why they buy these products. I use one mini when away for extended time, it's better for my needs than a laptop, although I also have a laptop, it depends on the situation which device I'll use.
Beelink GTR7 Pro us absolutely fanfuckingtastic. Just needs a Linux driver for the finger print reader which is mind blowingly fast. More colors for a total rainbow stack cluster mini singularity would be perfect
I really liked this Review, I'm all excited about this one, because it's perfect to throw in my Back Pack and use the Hotel TV as a Monitor as I travel the World. 😁 I feel like I would throw the whole White Plastic Divider plate with the Fan out, and just make my own Turbo Fan with a Screen Grid for the whole Top Cover, (I'm not going to be sitting my Coffee on top of it or anything) 😁
I looked at the reviews of the Minisforum and Beelink.. Both are impressive, but that CMOS clear button and pain in reassembly are great reasons for avoiding the Beelink. Performance on the Minissforum is well beyond decent. I have not managed to get any noise audible from 4 feet away. The power adapter is somewhat problematic since getting parts out of the far east if the adapter fails is a serious problem.. I *really* like the beelink pro's dual ethernet ports.. If they put the cmos reset on the back and recessed I would be happy with either box. Mine is on and powered up for up to 14 hours a day, and never gets hot...
Just as a heads up. I have the non pro version and you can use the fingerprint reader as a power button. That way you never risk pressing the clear cmos. Also still wiating on full driver support from AMD. I and many others still having GPU related issues that I am parying will be resolved in software.
@@_GarethRossUK It just worked out of the box as a power button when pressed. I haven't used the sensor for it's intended purpose so can't comment on if anything is cached for logon. I'm waiting on full AMD support when I can use a complete clean install to do my full investigation about the viability of these in production.
You should include more virtualisation, how much it costs with those units, how much electricity it consumes per mips or flops etc. Even those tiny boxes are powerful enough for Windows and VirtualBox or using Proxmox to run that Windows and Linux home automation or video server. If it is easy enough, people (meaning the masses) will figure it out and start to use it.
The NIC's included in these devices have compatibility issues with virtualization platforms like ESXi, Proxmox, and KVM. You either have to figure out how to bake drivers into the installer or use USB based NIC ports.
@@ScreamCheese13 - these are using i225-v. In Proxmox 8, I believe they should be ok, though I haven't actually passed through any of them yet. Maybe that's where the issues are.
I like simple SBC systems for their simplicity of application :) When it comes to "mini" PC's I like their potential to fill a need, but don't know how maintainable they may be (what do you do in 18 months when the magic smoke comes out of the power brick, will they still have these, will third party offer them, will you be resorting to a power drill a barrel connector and crafty modification). But then, the need would include disaster recovery, students in dorms, field research stations which would not be real long term uses. Dunno, will discuss this with my daughter, she is looking for a small system right now and this does appear better than the competition.
If the PSU dies just cut the existing cord so you can reuse the same connector and solder the cables (either to a female barrel connector or directly to a new laptop PSU with similar specs, 19-ish V and 6A).
@@zxcvb_bvcxz Context: I'm answering someone that proposed power drilling the case and doing internal solder work to install a barrel plug, so he is capable of basic soldering. For people that can't solder there are also perfectly good non-solder connectors like Wago (lever nuts) or twist nuts, and also terminal blocks. They are all available anywhere and cost a few bucks
I bought a Beelink SER6 Pro in May. I intended to use it with 2 monitors. The Display Port is not functional. I was able to use the HDMI for one monitor and the USB C for the second monitor. I emailed support. After several rounds of emails, I still don't think they understood what was wrong. The emails were very polite and prompt. This is a simple thing but apparently their support people know nothing about their product. The last contact was they were going to ask someone. I haven't heard anything since. During this time I got everything I needed setup and tweaked. Now I would rather keep the defective unit than start over. My takeaway is don't buy one and expect anything useful from support.
I bought my sister-in-law and nephew Beelink SER units through my Amazon Prime during prime days - I’m extremely surprised how well they run. I’ve been looking at getting a beefier unit for myself since setting their units up. This GTR Pro may be my choice for the living room. And although work is tied to the hip with Dell; I may try to see if I cannot replace my aging laptop with one of these. Then the few times I have to go to the office, I have a machine that destroys the current laptop specs and still will fit in my backpack.
Bought the GTR7 pro after watching your video on the GTR7. I've have the unit now for about 6 weeks. You should add an edit to this video because unfortunately this mini pc will now run more than 1 monitor without crashing. I've been dealing with customer support since I took delivery of this thing and like you stated it's very bad. All they can tell me is to wait for an update to the amd 680m gpu. I've updated to the latest driver (7-20-23) and it still goes into a reboot cycle everytime I add a second monitor. I love the computer and all that it promises but this has been one of the worst experiences with a new computer I've ever had. Had I known I would be dealing with connectivity issues, a sketchy mega link for a fresh copy of win11 pro and a cpu gpu combo that is so new that some of the features don't work properly I probably would have went with something else. Has anyone else been dealing with this?
Yep. Me and a friend having the same issue. Using more than one monitor will result on constant crashes and freezes. These things are garbage. Check their own support forums for the real story about these.
@@KK7RZK Thanks for the reply. Can you link the support forum here? I feel like this should be talked about on the review. Patrick even points out in the review that it can run up to 4 monitors but as you and I know this thing fails miserably with 2 connected. He loses creditability with me when things like this are a known issue but not mentioned.
Sorry if this is a very late reply and hope it got solved. I initially encountered it myself. The Reboot cycle (with or without a second monitor) has to do with the power consumption/save setting of the CPU and hardware itself. In BIOS/UEFI, if you disable everything regarding C/P states and power saving/ control settings and the "suspend to RAM" option (this is a security issue anyway), I think I also disabled the ACPI feature entirely. The reboot/freeze issue was solved for me, I had a reboot or freeze 0.5 -2 min into the OS if I even got there, and I received my devices back in early June (btw I use multiple monitors). You can probably tinker with those setting to find out which ones are causing it or get an update UEFI/BIOS, or a replacement from them by now. I haven't really looked into it. This problem isn't or wasn't unique to Beelink and I think (not sure) the hardware or specific component firmware got a small update by now. I'm not a Windows user, so this is on a hardware level and should resolve the issue. But because the OS itself can cause various issues in how it controls hardware or requires certain (obscured) power settings to be enabled to function properly, I'm mentioning it. I'm also not sure how this works for MS Win with hardware security (standard secure boot, etc.) parameters (potentially) enforced. Or if the settings provide (full) compatibility/ functionality with x version of Windows and other software on top of it 😉
Yup, agreed on 2 points. 1. The clear cmos button should not be at the front face. 2. Beelink should scrap away the nonsense proprietary power connector.
Hey you do make an good point about the CMOS button in being so close to the power button that you may unintentionally strike that and catastrophically clear the system of memory instead of powering ON and yes thats possible if you use it everyday... but consider this?...When powering ON the machine is OFF and recieving no power supply therefore striking the CMOS before the power button will not clear the system...Also if you shut down with the start menu then again the machine is OFF and without power so again not possible to utilise the CMOS function...Sure the button's close and you could get confused but most times you operate around this area the machine should be turned OFF aswell powered down...Just thought i'd point that out..!!
Hey thanks for likes but just want to point out that the GTR Pro magnetic charge cable may not be so "properity" as you think as ive only recently adopted magnetic charging cables after purchasing an torch with magnetic charging...It occoured to me that if ever the cable got lost i would be without charging capability so purchased an spare replacement item...I noted the charge cable had an identifying part number "Mag 2" after using the cable and being happy with the performance of precise and snap fit and more importantly no electrical arcing or sparking when connecting i decided to purchase an well known and advertised brand of an Magnetic charging cable system that comes with attachments for use with USB C Micro USB and Lightning charging ports...I also noted other brands use the same system and share the same specifications and fit so quickly came to the conclusion that perhaps an standard of fitments has been "somewhat" adopted with these myriad of magnetic charging cable connectors IE Mag1 Mag2 and who knows given the size and voltage for the GTR perhaps thats rated as Mag3 or 4 maybe even Mag5...My point is since they are getting popular and prevent electric arcing and sparks they are incredibly safe and an standard of fitment for industries adoption would make sense since the product is so darn safe!!...Dont get me wrong i had initially thought them gimmickey but see the advantage of magnetic charging now and the fact theres no bright blue spark to start fires or initiate an explosion on connection and believe that those cables and fitments may become far more widely available in the years to come..i personally think they are good and obviously very safe... We shall have to wait and see but dont say i didnt tell that fitments of Mag2 Mag3 4 and 5 may be all convienantly found on all the retailers shelves and whats more very soon...They are very safe very safe indeed...!!
I have the minisforum um790 and the cooling solution for ssd AND memory is far better. Even under stress test the temps stay super cool plus super silent. And if you want to beef up the cpu you could in the bios. But why ?? It is already powerful enough at stock. Wonder why you prefer this one now.....
Besides the heating issues, the GTR7 has a proprietary power connector and an exposed cmos button anyone can press. I have the UM790 Pro as well and I don't mind that it's 5% weaker than the GTR7 Pro since it's far more stable, runs way cooler and doesn't have any proprietary nonsense. It's also the most silent pc I ever owned, running the PS3 emulator and I don't hear the fans. I only hear them when I do zip compression.
The propriety power supply isn't a problem. They provide instructions on how to set up the USB-C as power input on the site... If you want to use USB4 port(PD3.0 100W) for power supply, please set the TDP to 54W in your BIOS settings and use a PD charger which supports 20V voltage and maximum OCP of 6.32A. Please be sure to connect 120W power adapter to DC port for power supply if you set the TDP to 65W.
Nice thing with the different colors. I think Blink like you said just pushes the tdp a bit more than Minisforum. They are pretty conservative about the tdp setting. You can push it higher with software and I would not have problem doing that even Minisforum do not condone doing it. Their power bricks is big enough to boost it without a problem, and it does push the graphics performance when you allow the cpu to go a bit higher. It's not that I personly would be using it, but It's also nice that Minisforum delivers an Oculink adapter if you want to push an eGPU a bit more than the USB 4 interface bandwith. I don't know why, but I just have an idea that Beelink in the past have had a bit of problems with Quality. I like they have chosen to change their design to about same formfactor as Minisforum. This model looks surpricingly like Minisforum if it wasn't for the "Dutch" color 😄
I do like the teal green one it would match my office nicely. I used to have a bright orange ACER predator monitor... the orange one would go perfectly :D I think with a couple little mods, custom cooling with a noctua fan and a high spec nvme, you're cooking.
It is used as a home PC. Also, when my wife and I need to look at things (e.g. paint colors for the house) it is easy to get it up on a big screen. If I had time to play games, it might be that as well.
Depends on the CODEC. If you are doing Apple ProRes, then the Mac is better. If you are using AV1, then this will be better. I have the M1 Ultra Studio and it goes largely unused at this point.
I just bought this today and I have a question about the back removable plate, i.e., did I hear you right regarding Beelink has REPLACED THE EXISTING BACK COVER WITH ONE THAT IS PERFORATED NEAR THE FAN TO IMPROVE AIR FLOW, whereby noise and temperatures are further reduced? Or, did you ask Beelink to provide you with a special cover to address the noise and heat issues? If you or someone else can answer this question, I would be very appreciative. By the way, great review!
USBC power is possible but according to their website.: If you want to use USB4 port(PD3.0 100W) for power supply, please set the TDP to 54W in your BIOS settings and use a PD charger which supports 20V voltage and maximum OCP of 6.32A. Please be sure to connect 120W power adapter to DC port for power supply if you set the TDP to 65W.
That secured DC port on the bottom is awesome because it can protect the fragile barrel connector. It would be better if it could take a standard plug, but overall I definitely prefer it to a standard barrel connector.
I ordered one to use as a home theater PC for one reason: it outputs 5.1 surround through the HDMI jacks. The minisforum unit only allows for stereo through HDMI.
I am building LAN networks to provide connectivity and content to rural schools where the internet is not available. To date, I have been using a Raspberry Pi, together with a Cambium access point and a 6TB HDD to build my server. Could the GTR7 Pro be the most powerful option out there to deploy a big mesh network, avoid bottlenecks, and allow a larger number of simultaneous users to connect to my LAN? My plan is to provide Wi-Fi connectivity to multiple classrooms, the exterior of the school, and the health center that is 50m down the block, while allowing more than approx. 500 users to connect simultaneously.
Although a silly design inclusion, almost every reviewer has complained about the "clear cmos" button when it's really a non-issue. It's more difficult to remove the bottom plate then it is to remove the rubber button that pushes the switch. Then you can simply insert a cotton swab or whatever if you need to reset it.
I am trying to put an inexpensive/effective computer to run OBS live streaming for a history museum…any thoughts? Also could use the same inexpensive unit to run scanners and Photoshop for image repairs. What are the drawbacks of using these units for these purposes? I use computers, but don’t fully understand the workings to be honest.
I would love to see these sorts of things with optional better cases. If you could get this, but an inch deeper, and with space for a simple Noctua fan, it'd probably take care of most cooling needs. Plus you could have room for a 2.5 inch drive. It's a bit weird they make basic mistakes like not having vents for the fans, not having cooling pads over the whole SSD etc etc when they're making an 'expensive' machine not an entry level one. Still, these things are all insane compare to desktops and thin clients of the past, and they're coming along nicely now that people are worrying about the silly Intel NUCs. Minisforum just released a really nice looking one which sits weirdly lower than their UM980 (sic?) and higher than it (it has Occulink for an eGPU and a few other bits, but a lesser processor). But it does have a lovely tiger logo that glows 🤣😂And would have me changing the boot up sound to Eye of the Tiger.
That SSD cooling fail is ridiculous. I mean there can't have not been a point where an engineer looked at it and though "hmmm... Something's wrong here", so apparently they continued that thought with "nah, it's good enough", which is hilarious.
@@BoraHorzaGobuchul I get the impression someone told the mini-PC manufacturers that they're limited to that exact size of machine, and how very dare they consider making it 5mm deeper or whatever. I suspect some of them just want a slightly different box design, but management won't let them innovate too much lest it scare the horses.
Really enjoying your content! Just subbed in. I'm watching this video 1 year after it dropped and the GTR7 is still OOS on Amazon. Of course, the price on Amazon now is a couple hundred less than it was at release. But that really bites, 'cuz this one has lots of the features I'd like to have in a mini. I can't even find a "Pro" listing or option choice. Even the Beelink store doesn't show the GTR7 sku when I search there. Any suggestions for "close to" options that are currently in stock? Preferably with Windows 11.
Random question - where could I buy the black and blue screwdriver that you have on the shelf over your right shoulder in the background? Awesome video as always thanks for the insights. I think this device made the top of my list when I retire my main custom desktop and go to a mini pc.
It the system uses almost 100W with nothing plugged in, how will it handle being powered by USB-PD when there are peripherals attached? In other words, does it support the latest USB-PD that goes up to 140W? One would presume it does but in that case you would assume a 24V power adapter. An interesting test would be to power the device via USB-PD then start connecting peripherals. Monitor the CPU speed and see if the system slows down to keep the power draw below a specific amount. A poorly designed system would just crash - probably due to the power supply killing power. But a well designed system would detect the power available by the power supply then scale back the frequency while maintaining a maximum power draw - all while not crashing. It should even run on a 60W power supply - in theory...
For the screws, wouldn't a normal run-of-the-mill screwdriver fit fine where your over-sized screwdriver shaft doesn't? Also you picked some weird benchmarks to show. How often are you expecting us to run 7-zip and heavy OpenSSL workloads?
That new mag power adapter is coming up through non-PC channels. I have some hyper -power led flashlights with the same high current mag-based chargers .
I don't see a price, but I assume that the difference in cost will push me to buy the cheaper Minisforum. It is my understanding that I could tune the settings on the Minisforum to get a little more performance.
![PASULOL รามเกียรติ์ ตอนที่ 4 นนทกพบรัก [Ramakien Ep.4: Nonthok in love]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/tMUQgmZzf_A/mqdefault.jpg)
One benefit to the bright colors: For people in the "wonderful" position of remote IT support, being able to tell a non-techie to press the power button on the "BRIGHT ORANGE THING" is a plus. Particularly when it lives around a bunch of black, silver and white devices, probably surrounded with a rats nest of cables.
Just make sure they don't clear the CMOS 😂 Though I'm sure you can just unplug it (right?)
Presumably a power cycle will restore CMOS to default, probably with a warning and confirm message. I have not changed by settings for many years, and for experimenters it could be usefull.
@@dedvzer you can rip the button from inside with pilers
@@dedvzer Put a small rigid cover over the clear CMOS button that prevents you from pressing it by accident.
Exactly 👍
For those wondering the price ranges from $1,050 to $1,200 depending on where you buy it.
Man that’s pricy. So same price point as the Mac Mini M2 Pro with 4 Thunderbolt 4 ports and 10 GB Ethernet. But obviously more freedom on OS choices with this. Huh.
@@ghost-user559 It is a real industry GPU. Not this underpowered Apple SOC "GPU" cores.
perfectly adequate ones if your not fussed about gaming are a 100
Are you talking USD?!? I have yet to see the gtr7 pro for more than $850 with 32gb/1tb, even less if you go barebones.
@@MyKharli I mean definitely cheap mini PCs exist but a computer is more than graphics. Speed of ports, number of ports. CPU speed.
My son and daughter each bought one.
They are very happy with them, aka they do not bother me about slow computers anymore.
that proprietary power connector ruins everything
Agree. We called that out specifically.
Not everything
Not really, it's just for power, not a deal breaker
@@ChaBawbePower bricks fail frequently. Kind of a deal breaker to not be able to replace them once this company moves on to other things.
@@TweakMDS are you saying this from your own experience?
Really wish Beelink would provide a barebones option allowing people to buy whatever memory or m.2 / SSD speed or capacity.
Very much this
They just need to make ITX boards of these systems for us to throw in our own chassis
Asrock deskmini ftw. 2x m.2 slots, 2x 2.5" sata drives, socketed desktop processor.
Minisforum is maybe doing one
@@NPzed Minisforum needs to do a better job with publishing BIOS updates before I would consider buying another product from them. Nice device, but good luck finding an updated BIOS.
I'll ziptie it to my desk
@@VeerMaharajthe perfect product. I love you man thank you.
The proprietary power connector is what 100% kills it for me. I like the rest, but that magnetic plug is truly pointless when a plain old DC barrel would have been just fine.
Why is that such a big deal to people? The PC is stationed at an area on your desk. Are you constantly unplugging and replugging? I dont understand how this is a deal breaker, as it has nothing to do with performance or power.
@@brayyy5609I'm guessing people are fussed about the part failing. The reason being that if it fails getting a new power adapter will be a pain. Or maybe beelink goes under and there's no alternatives for another part.
I get the concern but Personally it wouldn't be a deal breaker for me. If I'm not mistaken the device also supports USB c power delivery
I just *cannot* take seriously any mini-system that has an exposed "Clear CMOS" button. I don't care if there are workarounds for powering on the system, one day someone *is* going to unnecessarily press that button, either accidentally or deliberately.
Totally agree with this
Doesn't need to be held in order to activate?
I think I'd be disabling/disconnecting that button straight away if I got one... Especially if it becomes a PC for the kids
Same thing I thought when first seeing such a silly feature on something not marketed to a lab or the sort @@WilliamOwyong
Although a dumb design, I don't think anyone here commenting about the rubber "clear cmos" button knows how easy it is to remove (it just pops right out). Then the micro switch has to be actuated like we're all used to - by inserting an implement of some sort.
Perfect Mini PC for the Proxmox Cluster i was thinking but proprietary power connector ruins everything
You might be able bypass this proprietary connector and add your own. I know it’s a hack but a plausible work around if the original PS or connector fail.
you can run it off thunderbolt
Doesn’t it also work off the USB-C power delivery port? I think he mentions it around the 13.30 mark
I also think it ruins it. My thought was one or two of these for a home lab would be cool, but that power connection. That kind of ruins having a common supply for multiple systems.
mITX boards... That might be cool if you could stack them like a pi cluster.
Just power it via USB-C if you are not ok with the proprietary connector
UM790 Pro has liquid metal and good cooling. Easy to close any performance gap with a bit of O/C. I would be more swayed by the power connector. Either way, very similar products, can't go wrong.
Liquid metal is not something I want in my PC for sure.
Out of all mini PCs I recommend the Beelink brand to my friends as I find their build quality way above others. Sturdy, reliable, well engineered.
Thanks for this! I think you literally just sold me on the Windows Mini PC concept. I really love the fact that these Mini PCs can now literally rival full blown traditional tower desktop and that I can turn one into essentially a full on Windows gaming desktop just by connecting it to an eGPU.
Don’t drink the kool-aid. They’re not anywhere as fast as a desktop with dedicated graphics for gaming. That’s just pure BS.
@@techluvin7691add an egpu, and it could basically have the same performance as a tower desktop
@@techluvin7691 But its good enough to do anything better than Laptop and 90% desktop in the world. Just bcuz it can't run all games in MAX settings doesn't mean its useless.
@@CptDuck A total oversell that will only result in customer disappointment. Especially if they want to game.
The SSD cooling solution is fine. The controller is what heats up and needs cooling the most. This way there's also no chance to trap heat and transfer it from the controller to the NAND chips.
Add some proper 90mm fans or something and I'm in, those tiny fans are just too risky for me to even give these units a go. They should do a taller version where they have a 120mm fan in-taking air from the bottom which should great for cooling and be super silent!
Really good review. I agree about the proprietary magnetic ZIF power port however the save is that you can power it also with the USB port on the back. I remember when these systems came out and the performance was laughable. Now they are putting performance that most desktops don't have with half the power consumption. Thumbs up STH.
Amazing device, I'd love that with 10gbe and IPMI instead of two 2,5gbe lan ports.
Your analysis is the best out there...your vids are so full of relevant info and well constructed format makes them easy to follow and interesting. Outstanding !! Thank you......
I bought Minisforum UM790 Pro and have been nothing but happy. I got the barebones for 375$ US. Then put in a 2TB SSD and 64G of fastest ram. It's been awesome for only 575$ US. Runs BG3 flawlessly, and every other game I try.
I'm glad you did kind of a comparison with the minisforum um790. I have been trying to decide which of the 2 I want and I think it's clear now that it's the gtr7 pro.
Still happy with my SER6 Pro, it at least uses a normal adapter. it's not as fast as this but fast enough, and sure was a lot cheaper. More people should tell Beelink to quit using the nasty non-standard connector.
It completely blows my mind! That these manufacturers don’t hire an interpreter and then call oh I don’t know maybe YOU!!! And get a clue on there most profitable market!! So dumb really. Makes me want to buy up BeeLink and just take it to the next level. Great job man love the videos thank you.
The um790pro with memory cooling and better heat pads for the nvme drives get my vote.
Ideal would be a mix, chassis(ports) gtr pro, wifi and memory/drive cooling um790pro. And of course a normal feed plug.
the new baseplate with cooling vents drop memory and ssd temps by 14*c
Nice reporting and review. This is a new channel for me and you are already my favorite for hardware. You have a gift for presenting super-interesting stuff. Keep up the good work!
Great that you test and show the noise levels.
I am using a Intel Nuc that used to be used for business transactions in my Fathers hotel now it lives a new life as a tv pc. Thanks Dad. Its a handy form factor.
Regarding the thermal pads for the NVMe SSD's, if I am not mistaken, only the SSD controller benefits from cooling to prevent throttling. NAND chips actually perform better with higher temperatures (to a certain degree needless to say).
There's not much heatsink so depending on the temperature deltas it's entirely possible it may heat, not cool, the NAND packages.
Just like how an idle CPU can get heated by a stressed GPU if they're sharing coolant.
That orange one is so beautiful! I kid you not if I had money I would order one right now. Or two.
I run a Beelink GTR5 5900HX for my TV as well and that thing is absolutely SMOKING fast.
In fact, there is so much excess processing capacity, that I have started to get the system to take on some of the virtualisation duties as well by running a backup Plex Media Server (in case my main server is too busy doing other stuff), as well as hosting our own, local, Minecraft server.
I LOVE the Beelink systems.
They're cheaper than the Morefine mini PCs, and they are more performant than the Minisforum mini PCs.
Great job, Beelink!
(Good to know that USB 4 power delivery works though, so that way, we don't HAVE to use the proprietary AC adapter.)
keep your eye on Minisforum.. some have Occulink now
bro well done you earned my sub, I like people who take their testing seriously.
On the power connector, there are two opposing use cases. A mini PC that loses power then loses unsaved work. A laptop that loses power then runs on battery, without losing unsaved work. So easy breakaway is a plus for laptops, but a reluctant disconnect on a mini PC is a plus (it's still easy with the magnet, but an accidental lateral tug is protected).
Great video - these are some handsome looking NUCs!
I still struggle to place the Philosophy of Use for these devices. They are extraordinarily expensive, lack pcie connectivity that better priced and maintainable form factors such as mATX offer, and feature proprietary parts making future maintenance almost impossible *when* something goes wrong. To be certain it's a whole lot of compute in a small form factor, but who out there needs this kind of horsepower without onboard pcie connectivity that a standard form factor provides?
The SFF (and smaller) devices are probably still best served as ultra-affordable and low-compute solutions for simple end users. Power users seem almost certainly better served doing it themselves in a way that offers better connectivity, similar compute, and standardized parts for better future upgradeability/maintenance.
This is exactly my thought process whenever I see these cool mini pcs .. yes they're small ... But they're basically laptops in the form of a desktop and they come with similar maintenance and upgrade handicaps .. I've had friends obsessed with this tiny pcs and when i explained everything in detail vs an ATX system they've just gone ATX with a reasonably smaller case ... So I guess the appeal is the form factor
The first use case I can think of is traveling, especially as a mobile workstation. You can plug this into any hotel TV, and this is more powerful CPU/RAM-wise than almost any laptop, and a lot of things that would need a PCI-E slot (10G/25G NICs, capture cards, etc.) can be connected via Thunderbolt/USB4. With two internal PCI-E 4 SSDs you can load it with 16 TB of high speed storage.
@@TheBackyardChemist Who's actually choosing this over a laptop? Who's living out of hotel rooms needing gobs of compute? If they are in media they have workstation laptops with equivalent specs, as nothing in this mini-PC is out of reach of real mobile workstations. And you need a laptop for actual mobile computer versus dragging around a jackery + monitor + keyboard + mouse + mini PC lol.
Regarding high speed USB-connectivity: historically running loads sustained for long periods of time over USB controllers has led to unfortunate early demise of said controllers. However I admittedly do not know how well that conveys to USB 4 controllers, and can't recall seeing anyone report on it. I know the spec allows PCIe tunnelling, but not if the same durability of PCIe bandwidth/cards comes along with that.
@@FrenziedManbeast I think this will absolutely smoke any laptop under 1500-2000 USD in CPU performance, and is smaller than almost all ITX builds. I can see this as a game console replacement for someone who moves a lot. Maybe truckers, sailors, fuck if I know. Or for people who live in really small apartments in Hong Kong or something.
@@TheBackyardChemist Right, and the entire point I made is a laptop is a mobile computing solution while this is not. It's definitely more compute per dollar, but without the maintenance, expandability, PCIe connectivity, or upgradeability that a standard form factor uses.
Now if that suits a user's niche case then great! But this company has spent untold thousands likely bringing this thing to market, and I don't expect they'll move many units at $800+ a pop considering the market saturation when paired with the extremely niche nature of borderline hedt compute in a 1L format.
My mom would absolutely love that orange PC as it's her favorite color. If I had the money I would probably get it to replace her current Windows 10 PC a 2014 Mac Mini.
I know these are listed as "gaming" boxes, but for me it would be really nice if there was a company making these with IPMI so they can be run headless and remotely controlled, and also it would be fantastic if the chassis was design so that a dust filter can be affixed. I use a minipc (it's not beelink) for controlling dual fibre lines in my home/office/lab, it works really well (5 eth ports, 64Gb ram + 2TB store). I run several dozen lxc containers on it controlling various things such as redundant DNS, email for notifications, and much more. As for Beelink, one issue I have with their products is there's seemingly no option to max out RAM and storage when placing an order, the option is not even available for the "pro" version, too bad and I don;t get why since we're talking about only a few $ for saving a lot of hassles upgrading.
I agree, that is why I mentioned they need a barebones. The IPMI is a bit tougher because it adds another 4-5W of power consumption with an ASPEED AST2600 and all of the other components.
@@ServeTheHomeVideo I'll happily pay more for the extra features, but maybe there's not enough of a market to make it worth while. I'm wondering if there are separate mini remote control boxes that you can buy that will do remote KVM and power cycles? I suppose if an extra box is needed, an ASRock server mobo and chassis is the better option unless space is very tight. Anyway, I like the work you are doing it's always informative and much appreciated.
Why do you need all of these, kid?
Are you making $ from it, or just waste your time ...
I own a business, I use these devices for development purposes, and running live services. I rent several cloud servers to run SaaS services for customers, the home based servers and mini's are for developmentand use, and also for my general networking and computing needs. I have a full blown server at home with IPMI, but it's not for development use and is expected to always be stable and working. For development, I need remote access when something goes wrong and I have to reset while away. I could buy another server with IPMI, howerver space is limited, the mini's are great space savers, cost less, make less noise, less heat, and get the job done.
I bought a wifi power switch to hard reset each development mini, it works OK, except not as good as IPMI for diagosing issues remotely or adjusting bios settings
Everyone has their own unique reasons why they buy these products. I use one mini when away for extended time, it's better for my needs than a laptop, although I also have a laptop, it depends on the situation which device I'll use.
Beelink GTR7 Pro us absolutely fanfuckingtastic. Just needs a Linux driver for the finger print reader which is mind blowingly fast. More colors for a total rainbow stack cluster mini singularity would be perfect
I really liked this Review, I'm all excited about this one, because it's perfect to throw in my Back Pack and use the Hotel TV as a Monitor as I travel the World. 😁 I feel like I would throw the whole White Plastic Divider plate with the Fan out, and just make my own Turbo Fan with a Screen Grid for the whole Top Cover, (I'm not going to be sitting my Coffee on top of it or anything) 😁
I looked at the reviews of the Minisforum and Beelink.. Both are impressive, but that CMOS clear button and pain in reassembly are great reasons for avoiding the Beelink. Performance on the Minissforum is well beyond decent. I have not managed to get any noise audible from 4 feet away. The power adapter is somewhat problematic since getting parts out of the far east if the adapter fails is a serious problem.. I *really* like the beelink pro's dual ethernet ports.. If they put the cmos reset on the back and recessed I would be happy with either box. Mine is on and powered up for up to 14 hours a day, and never gets hot...
Wonder if:
- one can easily reversibly disconnect the clear CMOS button from the mobo
- install ssds with heatsinks - will they even fit?
Just as a heads up. I have the non pro version and you can use the fingerprint reader as a power button. That way you never risk pressing the clear cmos. Also still wiating on full driver support from AMD. I and many others still having GPU related issues that I am parying will be resolved in software.
how do you enable the fingerprint power button also does it save the scan until windows asks for it and passes it and log you in?
@@_GarethRossUK It just worked out of the box as a power button when pressed. I haven't used the sensor for it's intended purpose so can't comment on if anything is cached for logon. I'm waiting on full AMD support when I can use a complete clean install to do my full investigation about the viability of these in production.
thanks i had no idea, learning something new every day :D @@andrewharwood7843
my favorite seventh generation professional grade gran turismo racing personal computing device.
It's funny how the LTT screwdrivers are a flex. OK, OK, I admit I have one, too. 🤣
It’s a quick way to tell you have more money than brains.
Maybe, but it's the ONLY screwdriver that I've ever had that has the ratchet turn the right way. I happily paid for that feature.@@Bob_Smith19
You should include more virtualisation, how much it costs with those units, how much electricity it consumes per mips or flops etc. Even those tiny boxes are powerful enough for Windows and VirtualBox or using Proxmox to run that Windows and Linux home automation or video server. If it is easy enough, people (meaning the masses) will figure it out and start to use it.
The NIC's included in these devices have compatibility issues with virtualization platforms like ESXi, Proxmox, and KVM. You either have to figure out how to bake drivers into the installer or use USB based NIC ports.
@@ScreamCheese13 Been there and used Fedora cause it was the only one to support that specific controller. And we wanted to use an rpm-based distro.
@@ScreamCheese13 - these are using i225-v. In Proxmox 8, I believe they should be ok, though I haven't actually passed through any of them yet. Maybe that's where the issues are.
I like simple SBC systems for their simplicity of application :) When it comes to "mini" PC's I like their potential to fill a need, but don't know how maintainable they may be (what do you do in 18 months when the magic smoke comes out of the power brick, will they still have these, will third party offer them, will you be resorting to a power drill a barrel connector and crafty modification). But then, the need would include disaster recovery, students in dorms, field research stations which would not be real long term uses. Dunno, will discuss this with my daughter, she is looking for a small system right now and this does appear better than the competition.
If the PSU dies just cut the existing cord so you can reuse the same connector and solder the cables (either to a female barrel connector or directly to a new laptop PSU with similar specs, 19-ish V and 6A).
@@marcogenovesi8570 "just" asking people to solder things is a pretty high bar
@@zxcvb_bvcxz Context: I'm answering someone that proposed power drilling the case and doing internal solder work to install a barrel plug, so he is capable of basic soldering.
For people that can't solder there are also perfectly good non-solder connectors like Wago (lever nuts) or twist nuts, and also terminal blocks. They are all available anywhere and cost a few bucks
@@zxcvb_bvcxz Electrical tape and/or wire nuts would work well enough. Just need to get the polarity right.
I bought a Beelink SER6 Pro in May. I intended to use it with 2 monitors. The Display Port is not functional. I was able to use the HDMI for one monitor and the USB C for the second monitor. I emailed support. After several rounds of emails, I still don't think they understood what was wrong. The emails were very polite and prompt. This is a simple thing but apparently their support people know nothing about their product. The last contact was they were going to ask someone. I haven't heard anything since. During this time I got everything I needed setup and tweaked. Now I would rather keep the defective unit than start over. My takeaway is don't buy one and expect anything useful from support.
I bought my sister-in-law and nephew Beelink SER units through my Amazon Prime during prime days - I’m extremely surprised how well they run.
I’ve been looking at getting a beefier unit for myself since setting their units up. This GTR Pro may be my choice for the living room.
And although work is tied to the hip with Dell; I may try to see if I cannot replace my aging laptop with one of these. Then the few times I have to go to the office, I have a machine that destroys the current laptop specs and still will fit in my backpack.
I stay with my Odroid...couple of hundred bucks for a satisfying system.
Wow, that's amazing ... every day I see "The best mini PC" ... and every day they're different.
The fact these things outclass an Intel 12900 (non-KS/K) is really understated.
Between the "Clear CMOS" button in a place that makes no sense whatsoever and again with the proprietary power connector, it's out....NEXT
One thing these device reviews almost never discuss is the price range of the device. It would be nice to know before looking at buying.
Yep can confirm the Beelink Mini PC's are awesome.
Bought the GTR7 pro after watching your video on the GTR7. I've have the unit now for about 6 weeks. You should add an edit to this video because unfortunately this mini pc will now run more than 1 monitor without crashing. I've been dealing with customer support since I took delivery of this thing and like you stated it's very bad. All they can tell me is to wait for an update to the amd 680m gpu. I've updated to the latest driver (7-20-23) and it still goes into a reboot cycle everytime I add a second monitor. I love the computer and all that it promises but this has been one of the worst experiences with a new computer I've ever had. Had I known I would be dealing with connectivity issues, a sketchy mega link for a fresh copy of win11 pro and a cpu gpu combo that is so new that some of the features don't work properly I probably would have went with something else. Has anyone else been dealing with this?
Yep. Me and a friend having the same issue. Using more than one monitor will result on constant crashes and freezes. These things are garbage. Check their own support forums for the real story about these.
@@KK7RZK
Thanks for the reply. Can you link the support forum here? I feel like this should be talked about on the review. Patrick even points out in the review that it can run up to 4 monitors but as you and I know this thing fails miserably with 2 connected. He loses creditability with me when things like this are a known issue but not mentioned.
I got the UM780 Pro and it's the same nightmare. Returning that turd back to Amazon.
Sorry if this is a very late reply and hope it got solved. I initially encountered it myself.
The Reboot cycle (with or without a second monitor) has to do with the power consumption/save setting of the CPU and hardware itself. In BIOS/UEFI, if you disable everything regarding C/P states and power saving/ control settings and the "suspend to RAM" option (this is a security issue anyway), I think I also disabled the ACPI feature entirely. The reboot/freeze issue was solved for me, I had a reboot or freeze 0.5 -2 min into the OS if I even got there, and I received my devices back in early June (btw I use multiple monitors). You can probably tinker with those setting to find out which ones are causing it or get an update UEFI/BIOS, or a replacement from them by now. I haven't really looked into it. This problem isn't or wasn't unique to Beelink and I think (not sure) the hardware or specific component firmware got a small update by now.
I'm not a Windows user, so this is on a hardware level and should resolve the issue. But because the OS itself can cause various issues in how it controls hardware or requires certain (obscured) power settings to be enabled to function properly, I'm mentioning it. I'm also not sure how this works for MS Win with hardware security (standard secure boot, etc.) parameters (potentially) enforced. Or if the settings provide (full) compatibility/ functionality with x version of Windows and other software on top of it 😉
Great product of course with its flaws...improve the height and power connection maybe passive cooling or a possibility for an real quality fan...done
I like the blue one
I'm in love with the mini computer trend.
another long awaited retrospective to watch lets go
Yup, agreed on 2 points. 1. The clear cmos button should not be at the front face. 2. Beelink should scrap away the nonsense proprietary power connector.
Hey you do make an good point about the CMOS button in being so close to the power button that you may unintentionally strike that and catastrophically clear the system of memory instead of powering ON and yes thats possible if you use it everyday... but consider this?...When powering ON the machine is OFF and recieving no power supply therefore striking the CMOS before the power button will not clear the system...Also if you shut down with the start menu then again the machine is OFF and without power so again not possible to utilise the CMOS function...Sure the button's close and you could get confused but most times you operate around this area the machine should be turned OFF aswell powered down...Just thought i'd point that out..!!
Hey thanks for likes but just want to point out that the GTR Pro magnetic charge cable may not be so "properity" as you think as ive only recently adopted magnetic charging cables after purchasing an torch with magnetic charging...It occoured to me that if ever the cable got lost i would be without charging capability so purchased an spare replacement item...I noted the charge cable had an identifying part number "Mag 2" after using the cable and being happy with the performance of precise and snap fit and more importantly no electrical arcing or sparking when connecting i decided to purchase an well known and advertised brand of an Magnetic charging cable system that comes with attachments for use with USB C Micro USB and Lightning charging ports...I also noted other brands use the same system and share the same specifications and fit so quickly came to the conclusion that perhaps an standard of fitments has been "somewhat" adopted with these myriad of magnetic charging cable connectors IE Mag1 Mag2 and who knows given the size and voltage for the GTR perhaps thats rated as Mag3 or 4 maybe even Mag5...My point is since they are getting popular and prevent electric arcing and sparks they are incredibly safe and an standard of fitment for industries adoption would make sense since the product is so darn safe!!...Dont get me wrong i had initially thought them gimmickey but see the advantage of magnetic charging now and the fact theres no bright blue spark to start fires or initiate an explosion on connection and believe that those cables and fitments may become far more widely available in the years to come..i personally think they are good and obviously very safe... We shall have to wait and see but dont say i didnt tell that fitments of Mag2 Mag3 4 and 5 may be all convienantly found on all the retailers shelves and whats more very soon...They are very safe very safe indeed...!!
I just wish external GPU enclosures would get standardized so I could run one of these as my main PC
I have the minisforum um790 and the cooling solution for ssd AND memory is far better. Even under stress test the temps stay super cool plus super silent. And if you want to beef up the cpu you could in the bios. But why ?? It is already powerful enough at stock. Wonder why you prefer this one now.....
Besides the heating issues, the GTR7 has a proprietary power connector and an exposed cmos button anyone can press.
I have the UM790 Pro as well and I don't mind that it's 5% weaker than the GTR7 Pro since it's far more stable, runs way cooler and doesn't have any proprietary nonsense. It's also the most silent pc I ever owned, running the PS3 emulator and I don't hear the fans. I only hear them when I do zip compression.
The propriety power supply isn't a problem. They provide instructions on how to set up the USB-C as power input on the site...
If you want to use USB4 port(PD3.0 100W) for power supply, please set the TDP to 54W in your BIOS settings and use a PD charger which supports 20V voltage and maximum OCP of 6.32A.
Please be sure to connect 120W power adapter to DC port for power supply if you set the TDP to 65W.
So is this a good buy? Not a big computer nerd so I’m just looking for a good mini pc to do basic business stuff and small gaming.
This is good, but for your use case, check the pricing on the non-Pro version.
Nice thing with the different colors. I think Blink like you said just pushes the tdp a bit more than Minisforum. They are pretty conservative about the tdp setting. You can push it higher with software and I would not have problem doing that even Minisforum do not condone doing it. Their power bricks is big enough to boost it without a problem, and it does push the graphics performance when you allow the cpu to go a bit higher. It's not that I personly would be using it, but It's also nice that Minisforum delivers an Oculink adapter if you want to push an eGPU a bit more than the USB 4 interface bandwith. I don't know why, but I just have an idea that Beelink in the past have had a bit of problems with Quality. I like they have chosen to change their design to about same formfactor as Minisforum. This model looks surpricingly like Minisforum if it wasn't for the "Dutch" color 😄
Would like to see main cooling system
love mine !!
I do like the teal green one it would match my office nicely. I used to have a bright orange ACER predator monitor... the orange one would go perfectly :D I think with a couple little mods, custom cooling with a noctua fan and a high spec nvme, you're cooking.
Excellent video. If I may ask, what do you use a living room PC for? I feel like I might be missing out on something fun and convenient. Thank you.
It is used as a home PC. Also, when my wife and I need to look at things (e.g. paint colors for the house) it is easy to get it up on a big screen. If I had time to play games, it might be that as well.
amazing review !!!! btw i randomly found someone using ur video and put music on it and a logo to hide it ,
Thanks for the review. Curious, would your recommend it for heavy video editing and picture editing, how does it compare to the Mac Studio?
Depends on the CODEC. If you are doing Apple ProRes, then the Mac is better. If you are using AV1, then this will be better. I have the M1 Ultra Studio and it goes largely unused at this point.
Last time u said um790pro is the best. I bought it based on your review and it was a DOA dud LOL.
I just bought this today and I have a question about the back removable plate, i.e., did I hear you right regarding Beelink has REPLACED THE EXISTING BACK COVER WITH ONE THAT IS PERFORATED NEAR THE FAN TO IMPROVE AIR FLOW, whereby noise and temperatures are further reduced? Or, did you ask Beelink to provide you with a special cover to address the noise and heat issues? If you or someone else can answer this question, I would be very appreciative. By the way, great review!
USBC power is possible but according to their website.:
If you want to use USB4 port(PD3.0 100W) for power supply, please set the TDP to 54W in your BIOS settings and use a PD charger which supports 20V voltage and maximum OCP of 6.32A.
Please be sure to connect 120W power adapter to DC port for power supply if you set the TDP to 65W.
That secured DC port on the bottom is awesome because it can protect the fragile barrel connector. It would be better if it could take a standard plug, but overall I definitely prefer it to a standard barrel connector.
Using this as two node virtualization cluster with asus flashstor makes a perfect match
I ordered one to use as a home theater PC for one reason: it outputs 5.1 surround through the HDMI jacks. The minisforum unit only allows for stereo through HDMI.
Any comments on customer support, both for Beelink and Minisforum?
Well this craps all over the Crapple M2, but when Crapple solders everything onto the mobo that's trivially easy to do.
Would love if they would have 2 *SFP/SFP+ ports….for fiber or CAT cable.
And more M.2 ports😊😊😊😊
Proprietary power connectors mean a hard pass for me.
That is why we called it out specifically in the review.
That and the CLR CMOS button do it for me too.
@@ServeTheHomeVideothank you! And please continue to call out mfg that do the proprietary connector
It’s not a deal breaker for me, since if it fails I can fall back to USB-C.
Thanks for the review. Do you have a recommendation for a fanless mini PC?
I am building LAN networks to provide connectivity and content to rural schools where the internet is not available. To date, I have been using a Raspberry Pi, together with a Cambium access point and a 6TB HDD to build my server.
Could the GTR7 Pro be the most powerful option out there to deploy a big mesh network, avoid bottlenecks, and allow a larger number of simultaneous users to connect to my LAN? My plan is to provide Wi-Fi connectivity to multiple classrooms, the exterior of the school, and the health center that is 50m down the block, while allowing more than approx. 500 users to connect simultaneously.
That green one looks so snazzy. I want it
Great video. Love you vids. Love how they have a usb A 3.2 in the front USB 2 what a let down. Wifi 6 not E let down. Can the wifi card be upgraded?
Although a silly design inclusion, almost every reviewer has complained about the "clear cmos" button when it's really a non-issue. It's more difficult to remove the bottom plate then it is to remove the rubber button that pushes the switch. Then you can simply insert a cotton swab or whatever if you need to reset it.
I think it's pretty ridiculous that even the "Pro" model is missing both Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3, both of which are on the UM 790 Pro
Thank you Patrick, this was a wicked review ! DO these have Legacy bios ? or just UEFI ?
I appreciate y’all‘s videos… Can y’all recommend a mini PC that will accept a secondary 3.5”drive, in addition to an SSD or M.2 boot drive?
Glad to know I could power it through USB. A proprietary power conector would kill this system in a few years time, after they discontinue this model.
I am trying to put an inexpensive/effective computer to run OBS live streaming for a history museum…any thoughts? Also could use the same inexpensive unit to run scanners and Photoshop for image repairs. What are the drawbacks of using these units for these purposes? I use computers, but don’t fully understand the workings to be honest.
I would love to see these sorts of things with optional better cases. If you could get this, but an inch deeper, and with space for a simple Noctua fan, it'd probably take care of most cooling needs. Plus you could have room for a 2.5 inch drive. It's a bit weird they make basic mistakes like not having vents for the fans, not having cooling pads over the whole SSD etc etc when they're making an 'expensive' machine not an entry level one. Still, these things are all insane compare to desktops and thin clients of the past, and they're coming along nicely now that people are worrying about the silly Intel NUCs. Minisforum just released a really nice looking one which sits weirdly lower than their UM980 (sic?) and higher than it (it has Occulink for an eGPU and a few other bits, but a lesser processor). But it does have a lovely tiger logo that glows 🤣😂And would have me changing the boot up sound to Eye of the Tiger.
That SSD cooling fail is ridiculous. I mean there can't have not been a point where an engineer looked at it and though "hmmm... Something's wrong here", so apparently they continued that thought with "nah, it's good enough", which is hilarious.
@@BoraHorzaGobuchul I get the impression someone told the mini-PC manufacturers that they're limited to that exact size of machine, and how very dare they consider making it 5mm deeper or whatever.
I suspect some of them just want a slightly different box design, but management won't let them innovate too much lest it scare the horses.
Nice review! Where can I find one of your ratcheting screwdrivers?
Really enjoying your content! Just subbed in. I'm watching this video 1 year after it dropped and the GTR7 is still OOS on Amazon. Of course, the price on Amazon now is a couple hundred less than it was at release. But that really bites, 'cuz this one has lots of the features I'd like to have in a mini. I can't even find a "Pro" listing or option choice. Even the Beelink store doesn't show the GTR7 sku when I search there. Any suggestions for "close to" options that are currently in stock? Preferably with Windows 11.
God og intersang revu men slitsom pratemaker å høre på.
Those Green and Orange cases look knida nice.
Random question - where could I buy the black and blue screwdriver that you have on the shelf over your right shoulder in the background? Awesome video as always thanks for the insights. I think this device made the top of my list when I retire my main custom desktop and go to a mini pc.
I am not sure it is for sale. That is the LTT Creator Edition screwdriver
Ahh, thank you so much for the response!@@ServeTheHomeVideo
It the system uses almost 100W with nothing plugged in, how will it handle being powered by USB-PD when there are peripherals attached? In other words, does it support the latest USB-PD that goes up to 140W? One would presume it does but in that case you would assume a 24V power adapter. An interesting test would be to power the device via USB-PD then start connecting peripherals. Monitor the CPU speed and see if the system slows down to keep the power draw below a specific amount. A poorly designed system would just crash - probably due to the power supply killing power. But a well designed system would detect the power available by the power supply then scale back the frequency while maintaining a maximum power draw - all while not crashing. It should even run on a 60W power supply - in theory...
For the screws, wouldn't a normal run-of-the-mill screwdriver fit fine where your over-sized screwdriver shaft doesn't? Also you picked some weird benchmarks to show. How often are you expecting us to run 7-zip and heavy OpenSSL workloads?
We just use those as a baseline. They tend to be pretty decent in scaling across cores and across different core types.
Awesome unit. Though "faster than most of the desktops in existence" definitely needs citation; it's a mobile chip 😅.
Maybe faster than previous desktop generation
That new mag power adapter is coming up through non-PC channels. I have some hyper -power led flashlights with the same high current mag-based chargers .
I currently use an ace magician am06 mini pc. it has 32 GB ram 3200mhz with ryzen 7 5800u. it can actually play triple A games.
Thanks for this. I wonder if it can handle Debian Linux or similar, in addition to Win10 which I assume it does by default.
I don't see a price, but I assume that the difference in cost will push me to buy the cheaper Minisforum.
It is my understanding that I could tune the settings on the Minisforum to get a little more performance.