The Beelink EQ13 is very affordable, priced at 250 euros. It has an integrated power supply and is advertised with its expansion options, low consumption and the fact that it is almost silent.
In this review, we want to find out what the Beelink EQ13 can do and what you can expect from it in terms of performance, build quality and user-friendliness despite its affordable price.
We will take a close look at its specifications and test its performance in various applications.
Packaging contents
Beelink supplies a power cable and an HDMI cable with the EQ13 mini PC.
Technical data
The mini PC that Beelink provided us with for testing has the following technical data:
- Processor : Intel processor N200, 4 cores, 3.7GHz max.
- Memory : 16GB 3200MHz (1 x AZW 16G DDR4)
- SATA SSD: AZW 512GB
- Power supply : 19V 3.42A (integrated)
- Network: 2 x RealTek Semiconductor RTL8168/8111
- Wi-Fi adapter: Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX101 Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
- USB: 3 x USB 3.2 Gen2 (10 Gbps), 1 x USB Type-C (10 Gbps), 1 x USB 2.0
- GPU: Intel® UHD Graphics (32 EU)
- Monitor connections : 2 x HDMI up to 4K
- Audio connectors : 3.5 mm jack
- Expansion : M.2 NVMe PCIe 3.0 x4 (occupied), M.2 NVMe PCIe 3.0 x1
First impression
The unibody casing of the Beelink EQ13 looks chic and simple at the same time, the patterned surface makes fingerprints less noticeable. The casing is made of plastic, but feels very high-quality and stable.
The Intel N200 processor is current and from 2023. In addition to two network ports, the mini PC has extensive connection options via USB and space for a second M.2 NVMe SSD.
The mini PC also has an integrated power supply. This makes everything look very tidy, which is what you would expect from several mini PCs. Beelink also advertises the very quiet cooling system.
The Beelink EQ13 comes with Windows 11 Pro, which is unusual and very commendable in this price range.
We now want to examine the positive first impression of the Beelink EQ13 in more detail.
Case and Build Quality
The Beelink EQ13 shows that you can also use plastic to create a pretty and attractive case for a mini PC that is both functional and aesthetically pleasing.
On the underside of the case there are very large rubber pads, which effectively dampen mechanical vibrations, e.g. from the fan.
The most important connections for daily use are located on the front of the case. Other connections, such as the air outlet, are discreetly located on the back.
The only criticism of the case is the rubber plugs that are supposed to hide the screws. The rubber plugs are easily damaged every time the case is opened. The screws are only visible on the underside of the case in a few cases anyway.
Internal structure and integrated power supply
The power supply of the mini PC is located in a separate plastic housing that effectively isolates the AC side of the power supply from the other components. Thermal pads on the power supply are intended to dissipate the waste heat through the plastic housing of the power supply to the outside.
The structure of the mini PC is more complex due to an additional board for the front USB ports and the integrated power supply, which makes disassembling the mini PC more difficult. The dust protection built in by Beelink is essential in this case to avoid complicated maintenance work.
Under a massive heatsink are the slots for two M.2 SSDs. In general, components such as SSDs, RAM and WiFi modules are easily accessible and replaceable by loosening a few screws.
Pre-installed software
The Beelink EQ13 Mini PC comes with Windows 11 Pro 64-bit pre-installed as a clean and fresh installation without any third-party software.
Driver and BIOS updates are available on the Beelink website. Beelink also maintains these regularly, which is a big advantage compared to other mini PC manufacturers in order to keep the system permanently secure and error-free.
Cooling system and noise level
As advertised by Beelink, the mini PC operates almost silently. The cooling system uses a radial fan that draws fresh air through the case and blows it out the back.
The system remains silent even under load, with the temperature of the Intel N200 remaining consistently below 80 degrees and the processor running continuously at around 3.1 GHz. The case only gets lukewarm even under load.
To cool the M.2 SSDs, Beelink has installed a very solid heat sink in the mini PC, which cools almost any M.2 SSD more than sufficiently.
The Beelink's cooling concept is very well thought out, quiet and sophisticated. Beelink has kept all of its promises here.
Maintenance
Maintenance of the Beelink EQ13 should be limited to vacuuming or blowing out the dust filter on the bottom of the mini PC. Vacuuming is easily possible without opening the mini PC.
If you want to blow out the dust filter or replace the SSD and RAM, you have to remove the rubber plugs on the bottom and loosen four screws. You can then access all the necessary components and clean the base plate including the dust filter.
Due to its more complex structure, it is not advisable to disassemble the mini PC any further for cleaning.
Office performance
All office applications or web apps in the browser can be used with the mini PC easily and without restrictions.
If there are computationally intensive processes running in the background, you have to expect limitations. One example of this was installing Windows updates, where the CPU often reaches its limits.
The RAM is sufficiently dimensioned at 16 GB and does not represent any limitation.
Video streaming, YouTube, Netflix and Co.
It is easy to play multiple video streams simultaneously, for example from Netflix, YouTube and similar platforms.
This is mainly thanks to Intel's iGPU, which supports all common formats.
Geekbench
SSD benchmark
Creative performance
Programs such as Photoshop, Lightroom, Blender or video editing programs can be used without any problems.
When exporting photos, rendering images or transcoding videos, you must expect longer waiting times and slight stuttering if the hardware support of the Intel iGPU is not used.
Gaming performance
The gaming performance is generally very low, as this does not correspond to the intended use of the Intel N200 processor. The graphics card is heavily limited and the single-core performance is often too low.
The Beelink EQ13 is therefore more suitable for less complex 2D and 3D games.
A good use for the Beelink Mini PC is streaming or cloud gaming, as even streams in 4K are easily supported.
It is therefore recommended to use it as a device for Steam In-Home Streaming or cloud gaming services such as GeForce Now if you want to play graphically demanding games.
To compare the graphics performance, here are the values from the GFXBench benchmark.
| Test (FPS) | Intel N200 (Beelink EQ13) | Intel N97 | Intel Core i7-12650H | Intel Core i9-12900H | AMD Ryzen™ 9 7940HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4K Aztec Ruins High Tier Offscreen | 4.8 | 6.4 | 14.0 | 17.9 | 29.8 |
| Aztec Ruins High Tier Offscreen | 11.4 | 15.0 | 34.4 | 45.2 | 64.7 |
| Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Offscreen | 31.3 | 40.5 | 97.1 | 125.8 | 149.6 |
Networking capabilities
The mini PC is equipped as standard with two Realtek Gigabit LAN adapters and an Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX101 802.11ax adapter.
The performance of the Wi-Fi adapter was tested with a Wi-Fi 6 access point. At a distance of 5 meters, the mini PC achieved a maximum data transfer rate of 490 Mbit/s in the speed test.
When using a network share, a stable transfer rate of up to 56 MB/s could be achieved.
The Realtek Gigabit LAN adapter permanently achieves the maximum speed.
Expandability and connectivity options
The Beelink EQ13 offers several expansion options. The RAM, the WiFi adapter and the M.2 NVMe SATA SSD, which can also be replaced with an M.2 NVMe SSD (PCIe 3.0 x4), can be replaced or expanded. There is also another M.2 NVMe SSD slot that supports a maximum speed of PCIe 3.0 x1.
The maximum speed of such a PCIe 3.0 x1 SSD would then be approximately 985 MB/s.
Examples of expanding the mini PC:
- ORICO M.2 NVMe SSD Enclosure USB-C Adapter 10Gbps *
- Lexar NM790 4TB, M.2 2280 NVMe SSD *
- Samsung 990 EVO NVMe M.2 SSD 2TB *
- WD Blue SA510 SATA SSD 2 TB M.2 2280 *
Power consumption
We tested the power consumption of the Beelink EQ13 mini PC on both Windows and Linux with desktop interface.
| Operating system | Mode | Performance | additional information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows | Idle (Display off) | 7.3W | |
| Windows | Idle | 10.1W | M.2 SATA |
| Windows | Idle | 11.5W | M.2 NVMe |
| Windows | Browser | 15-20W | |
| Windows | HandBrake CPU | 25.8W | 32.5 W for 40 seconds |
| Windows | Youtube 2k | 12-15W | |
| Windows | Youtube 4k | 13-17 W | |
| Windows | Youtube 8k | 16-20W | |
| Linux | Idle (Display on) | 8.3W | |
| Linux | Idle (Display off) | 7.3W | |
| Linux | Idle (no Display) | 6.9W | |
| Linux | Idle (Display on) | 6.6W | Powertop --auto-tune |
| Linux | Idle (Display off) | 6.4W | Powertop --auto-tune |
| Linux | Idle (no Display) | 5.2W | Powertop --auto-tune |
| Linux | Browser | 10-15W | |
| Linux | Stress test | 25W |
The energy consumption of the Beelink EQ13 is relatively high. With the M.2 SATA SSD installed by Beelink, the mini PC already consumes 10.1 watts in Windows idle, with an NVMe SSD the consumption increases to 11.5 watts. If you compare the Beelink EQ13 with other mini PCs, the consumption is 2.5 watts too high.
Energy efficiency
To measure the CPU's energy efficiency, we rendered the classroom scene in Blender.
| Device Model | Energy consumed (watt hours) | Duration (minutes) |
|---|---|---|
| Geekom AE7 | 6.1 | 4.8 |
| NiPoGI-AM16 | 6.6 | 10.8 |
| Geekom XT12 Pro | 6.8 | 7.7 |
| BeeLink SEi12 | 10.6 | 7.4 |
| NiPoGiN97 | 12.2 | 32.1 |
| Beelink EQ13 | 13.2 | 28.9 |
The Beelink EQ13, like the NiPoGi N97, is at the bottom of the table in terms of efficiency. This is mainly because the Intel N95, N97, N100 and N200 processors deliver significantly worse performance in certain scenarios, but still consume too much energy.
Selection of components
The SSD and RAM are from AZW. Details about this cannot be found, so this can only be judged by testing.
The RAM is clocked at 3200 MHz and therefore gets the maximum CPU and graphics performance out of Intel's N200 SOC.
The SSD delivers a write speed of approximately 450 MB/s up to a capacity of 150 GB. After that, the write speed drops to 180 MB/s. A further reduction to 80 MB/s then occurs from a capacity of 270 GB.
The Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX101 Wi-Fi 6 performs at the limit of its specifications, with a maximum of 600 Mbit/s.
Comparable components on Amazon
- SATA SSD: WD Blue SA510 SATA SSD 2 TB M.2 2280 *
- RAM: Lexar SODIMM DDR4 16GB, 3200 *
Evaluation of the individual areas
| Application | Evaluation |
|---|---|
| Office PC | 4 / 5 |
| Creative tasks | 3 / 5 |
| Development environment | 3 / 5 |
| Server for home automation | 3 / 5 |
| Server for computationally intensive tasks | 2 / 5 |
| Demonstration PC | 4 / 5 |
| Media and game streaming computer | 4 / 5 |
| Gaming Computer | 1 / 5 |
| Energy efficiency (low utilization / idle) | 2 / 5 |
| Energy efficiency (medium / high utilization) | 1 / 5 |
| Noise level and cooling | 5 / 5 |
| Extensibility | 4 / 5 |
| Connectivity | 5 / 5 |
| Design and build quality | 4 / 5 |
| Drivers and BIOS updates | 5 / 5 |
| Price-performance ratio | 4 / 5 |
| Overall rating | 3.4 / 5 |
Pros and cons
This category highlights areas that stand out in the mini PC for its price, both positively and negatively, or that deviate from what you would expect from a mini PC. Only those features that are relevant in the context of the intended use are rated as negative. For example, poor gaming performance on a mini PC/SOC that is not designed for gaming is not considered a negative point of criticism.
Per
- Quiet operation : Inaudible at low and high loads.
- Good expandability : Allows you to swap the NVMe SSD/SATA SSD and install two NVMe SSDs.
- Versatile : Well suited for content creation, office applications, streaming and multimedia.
- Cooling: M.2 hard drives with large heat sink.
- Design: Chic and unobtrusive
- Integrated power supply: ensures more order
- Maintenance: Low maintenance due to integrated dust filter
- Drivers and BIOS updates: Drivers and BIOS updates are provided directly and regularly by Beelink.
- Dual LAN: Important for Proxmox and pfSense
- Windows: Ships with Windows 11 Pro
Contra
- Energy consumption: The idle energy consumption is a few watts too high, and the energy efficiency under load is not particularly high either.
- SSD: SATA only and poor write performance when full.
Conclusion
The mini PC in use
The strengths of the Beelink EQ13 mini PC include office applications, multimedia, game and video streaming and its very quiet volume level.
Creative tasks in Photoshop, Lightroom or similar are possible with slight delays.
Gaming is less recommended on the mini PC. The mini PC also impresses with its stylish design and the integrated power supply, which makes the desk environment appear tidier.
Its use as a mini server, for example with Proxmox for home automation, is also one of its strengths. The second LAN connection can then also show its advantages. As a mini server, the power consumption could be a little lower.
Accessories and expandability
The expandability of the Beelink EQ13 is good. The M.2 NVMe PCIe 3.0 x4 (occupied by M.2 SATA) can be expanded with almost any M.2 NVMe or M.2 SATA SSD.
The M.2 NVMe PCIe 3.0 x1 slot can only be expanded with an M.2 NVMe SSD, which then has a reduced speed of around 1 GB/s. However, as a storage server, a speed of 1 GB/s is more than sufficient.
Additional hard drives can be connected via the existing fast USB 3 ports.
Thanks to these expansion options, the Beelink EQ13 allows storage capacities of over 10 TB.
Price and purchase recommendation
The Beelink EQ13 is offered on the Beelink website for 240 euros. This sounds like a fair price for which it can definitely be recommended.
If you are looking for features such as dual LAN, integrated power supply or permanently quiet fan, then the offer becomes more and more attractive and you will hardly find any alternatives.
As a pure office computer, the price must definitely be below 250 euros so that you can buy the Beelink EQ13 without hesitation.
Buy Beelink EQ13
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