Beelink SEi12 i7-12650H review

Technical data and installed hardware

The Mini PC SEi12 i7-12650H, which was provided to us by Beelink, had the following built-in hardware:

• Processor : Intel Core i7-12650H
• RAM : 32GB (2 x Crucial CT16G4SFS832A)
• NVMe SSD : Crucial P3 Plus 500GB (QLC memory)
• Power supply : 19V 5.26A from AZW (AZW12019063-043)
• Network : Realtek RTL8111/8168 Gigabit LAN
• WIFI : Wi-Fi 6 AX200NGW with Bluetooth 5.2
• USB : 4 x USB-A and 1 x USB-C
• Monitor connections : Displayport and HDMI
• Audio connections : 3.5 mm jack
• Expansion : SATA expansion slot for a 2.5 inch hard drive

Pre-installed software

The Beelink Mini PC comes with Windows 11 Pro 64-bit, pre-installed as a clean and fresh installation without any third-party software.

Driver updates are provided via Windows Update.

Case and Build Quality

The Beelink Mini PC impresses with its solid build quality. The case feels high-quality and stable, and the use of plastic makes the mini PC very light.

A good choice is the fabric on the top, which enhances the design and at the same time avoids fingerprints.

However, the glossy black surface on the front attracts fingerprints.

In addition, the large rubber pads on the bottom help to effectively dampen mechanical noise from fans or a 2.5-inch hard drive.

Accesories

The accessories supplied by Beelink save further costs and make installation and use easier.

The scope of delivery includes a VESA mount including suitable screws, which allows the mini PC to be mounted directly behind the monitor.

For this type of mounting, a 20 cm long HDMI cable is included in the package, which can be used when the PC is attached to the monitor using a VESA mount.

In addition, a 95 cm long HDMI cable is included.

Cooling system

The Beelink Mini PC offers a powerful cooling system. A large cooler with heat pipes on the CPU draws air in from below and blows it out again at the rear of the case.

Additionally, there is a case fan on the top of the mainboard, which draws in fresh air from the side and directs it directly onto the mainboard, the RAM and the NVMe SSD.

A special heat sink in the motherboard cover is provided for the NVMe SSD, but the associated thermal pad is a little too small.

It should be noted that installing a SATA SSD can negatively affect the performance of the case fan.

Despite its continuous activity, the fan remains very quiet when idle and is only audible in absolutely quiet environments and when in close proximity, ensuring an unobtrusive volume level.

Maintenance

Maintenance of the Beelink Mini PC is user-friendly. All heatsinks and fans are easily accessible, making regular cleaning easier.

A thorough cleaning can be completed in around 15 minutes, which ensures the long-term performance of the device and should be performed periodically.

Office performance

The Beelink Mini PC proves to be an ideal companion for everyday office and Internet applications, which are now largely done in the browser.

It offers high performance so that you can work without any restrictions. The mini PC almost always remains almost silent, which makes it suitable for quiet work environments.

Video streaming, YouTube, Netflix
Playing multiple video streams at the same time, for example from Netflix, YouTube and similar platforms, is easily possible. Playback on most platforms is supported by Intel GPU hardware acceleration, which helps reduce processor load.

The energy consumption is therefore lower; when using YouTube with hardware acceleration, the mini PC only uses 19 watts, while it needs around 25 watts without hardware acceleration.

Geekbench
In Geekbench, the Beelink SEi12 achieves performance values that are comparable to desktop processors such as the Intel Core i5-12400 or the AMD Ryzen 7 5800.

SSD benchmark
In the SSD benchmark, the Beelink SEi12 shows very high reading values, which is usually the most relevant.

The write speeds are also okay as long as the SSD is not written to more than 50%.

Content creation performance

Adobe Lightroom
The Beelink Mini PC's performance in Adobe Lightroom was tested with images up to 40 megapixels.

The mini PC responded promptly to editing commands and the use of tools such as spot removal/dust removal occurred without any noticeable delay.

Blender
You can also work easily with Blender or similar tools thanks to the high CPU performance.

The only limitation is the rendering of the images, where you have to be a little more patient as GPU acceleration is not available here.

Cinebench R23
In Cinebench R23, a benchmark that runs over a longer period of time, the Beelink SEi12 falls slightly behind its direct competitors compared to Geekbench due to the temperature throttling.

Video editing
The mini PC also proved to be powerful in the area of video editing with Davinci Resolve.

Exporting the videos is done by the CPU, which works quickly thanks to its high number of cores. If you want to convert videos, you can also use the hardware acceleration of the integrated GPU with the Handbrake tool. This is many times faster and also more energy efficient.

However, it should be noted that with such computationally intensive tasks, CPU utilization can reach almost 100%. If the Intel CPU is busy, the two integrated fans also become audible to remove the heat from the case.

Gaming performance

When testing gaming performance, we focused on the Oxygen Not Included game.

Here it turned out that the CPU performance with a clock speed between 2.2 and 3.2 GHz is the limiting factor. Nevertheless, the mini PC delivers solid results:

• With a "late game" save in Full HD, the PC achieves a frame rate of 30 FPS.
• With a new game in Full HD, the frame rate is a stable 60 FPS, with the GPU being utilized at 64%.
• In QHD resolution, the PC achieves 50 FPS with a GPU utilization of 90%.
• At 4K resolution, the frame rate drops to 30 FPS while the GPU is at 100% utilization.

These results show that the Beelink Mini PC is quite suitable for casual gaming, especially at lower resolutions.

However, when it comes to more demanding gaming scenarios or higher resolutions, we reach the limits of its hardware.

Benchmark GFXBench

GFXBench was used as a reference for gaming performance. The i7's integrated GPU in the Beelink Mini PC has 50% higher performance than the integrated GPU of a Core i9-14900K. The performance of this integrated graphics card is between a GeForce GT 1030 and an Nvidia T400. The overall performance of the integrated graphics card can therefore be classified in the entry-level range.

Games that run well on Beelink Mini PC

Stardew Valley, Among Us, Minecraft, Terraria, Don't Starve, Factorio, RimWorld, Project Zomboid, League of Legends, Hearthstone.

More demanding 3D games on lowest settings

Fortnite, Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, Overwatch 2, PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS.

Networking capabilities

The Beelink Mini PC is equipped as standard with a Realtek Gigabit LAN adapter and an Intel® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 adapter.

The performance of the Wi-Fi adapter was tested with a Cudy X6 router. At a distance of 5 meters, the mini PC achieved a very good bandwidth of 750 Mbps in the speed test.

When using a network share, a stable transfer rate of approximately 65 MB/s was achieved.

The Realtek Gigabit LAN adapter consistently achieves maximum speed.

Noise Level

Even though the Beelink Mini PC is never completely silent, it still impresses with its low noise level under various conditions.

The device remains almost inaudible during low or brief periods of high loads.

This feature makes it unobtrusive in a quiet work environment.

Interestingly, the mini PC remains relatively quiet, but still audible, even under high load.

Thanks to its powerful cooling system, it is often quieter than comparable Intel systems, such as notebooks or other mini PCs.

The mini PC is suitable for users who value a quiet workplace.

Expandability and connection options

The Beelink Mini PC offers outstanding expansion options for its size. RAM, NVMe SSD, SATA hard drive, WiFi adapter and power supply can be exchanged or expanded.

This makes it possible to install a combination of an 8TB SATA SSD and an NVMe SSD.

According to Intel-Ark, the RAM can be expanded up to 64GB, making the mini PC also suitable for more demanding tasks.

The mini PC offers four USB-A and one USB-C ports, which is extensive for a mini PC. A 3.5mm jack connection is also available.

DisplayPort and HDMI are available for monitors, both of which support 4K. In addition to WLAN, the mini PC also has a gigabit network connection.

Selection of components

In terms of usage, the choice of components makes the Beelink Mini PC a well-balanced office PC.

The high-clocked RAM complements the Intel Core i7-12650H well, which is crucial for both high multicore and graphics performance.

The WLAN adapter supports all important standards with WLAN 6 and also offers Bluetooth 5.2 support.

The Crucial P3 Plus NVMe SSD with QLC storage is optimal for most office applications. Limitations in speed only become apparent when the SSD fill levels are high and during extensive copying processes involving several gigabytes.

In such cases, the transfer speed can drop to an average of around 100 MB/s. This effect is not yet noticeable with smaller copy processes in the 1-5 GB range or with benchmarks.

Power consumption

We tested the energy consumption of the Beelink Mini PC on both Windows and Linux (with a desktop interface).

It was noticeable that the power consumption in desktop operation under Windows is significantly higher than under Linux.

Interestingly, switching from an NVMe SSD, which comes standard, to a SATA SSD results in a saving of around 2 watts.

Power consumption under Windows

• In desktop operation: approx. 16 watts
• When using the browser actively: around 22 watts
• During video conversion: about 80 watts

Power consumption under Linux:

• In desktop operation: approx. 9 watts (with 'powertop --auto-tune': 7.5 watts)
• When using the browser actively: around 16 watts
• During video conversion: approximately 80 watts

The power consumption is typical for a current Intel system and therefore brought no surprises.

Under Windows, power consumption can be influenced primarily by the three different energy saving modes, especially in desktop operation (without load). Consumption drops to 16 watts in desktop operation in energy saving mode, while the system requires 26 watts in “high performance” mode.

However, in programs with high performance requirements, the thermal performance of the cooling system limits the electrical power consumption, which limits the clock speed of the Mini PC.

However, this is not unusual behavior for an Intel or AMD system; only Apple systems with their own SoC perform better here.

Uses

Below we have put together a few uses for the Beelink Mini PC for which we think it is particularly suitable

• Content Creation: Suitable for Photoshop, Lightroom, DaVinci Resolve.
• Development environment: Suitable for Linux and Windows.
• Mini Server: Can be used for lightweight server applications such as Proxmox.
• Demonstration PC: Compact and versatile for presentations.
• Gaming: Suitable for games with low graphics requirements.
• Media or streaming computer: Perfect for smooth streaming and media playback.

Pros:

• Entry Level Gaming: Suitable for games with lower graphics requirements.
• Quiet operation: Very quiet at low load and not disruptive even under load.
• Good expandability: Allows you to upgrade RAM, SSD and more.
• Versatile: Perfect for content creation, office applications, streaming and multimedia.
• Practical monitor holder: Includes VESA mount for space-saving installation behind the monitor.

Cons:

• Loss of speed when the SSD is full: The NVMe SSD can become slower when the fill levels are high.

Conclusion

The Beelink Mini PC proves to be a versatile computer that is suitable for a wide range of applications.

It is suitable for everything from office work to content creation and streaming to multimedia use and gaming with low graphics requirements.

It works very quietly at low loads. It remains unobtrusive even under load, making it suitable for quiet work environments.

A very important feature of the Mini PC for us is its expandability. This is particularly relevant for users who plan to use their PC for a long period of time.

For users looking for a PC for Linux or Windows operating systems, the Beelink Mini PC offers the necessary flexibility and performance.

The included monitor holder is very practical for those who prefer a tidy desk.

With a price of 549 euros, the Beelink Mini PC is a recommended option for many users.

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