Beelink SER8, Review: mini PC with AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS

We present the new mini PC Beelink SER8 in its detailed analysis or review. A computer with a very attractive design and a powerful processor.

This mini PC with aluminum unibody case integrates the new AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS processor that offers a specific core for AI, a good cooling system and a Radeon 780M iGPU with RDNA3 technology. Also, we can find Crucial brand components such as its 32GB DDR5 5600 Mhz RAM expandable up to 64 GB and a 1TB M.2 NVMe 2280 drive with another free slot. It offers us the option to connect three monitors up to 8K and we have Wifi 6 connection in addition to Ethernet 2.5G.

Let’s check how it performs in our test battery and see how this device behaves.

Beelink SER8 details

Unboxing

This Beelink SER8 comes in a simple but well protected cardboard box. Inside we find the computer with its contents, manual, extras and 120 W charger.

Description

The elegant Beelink SER8 offers us a very neat aluminum unibody case, we have air inlets on the bottom and outlet on the back. On the front we have a power button, audio jack in / out, USB-A 3.2 and USB-C 3.2 with speed up to 10 Gbps.

In the rear area we find a charging port, 3.5mm audio jack, a USB-C 4 full up to 40 Gbps, two USB-A 2.0, a USB-A 3.2, HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4 video outputs. In addition, we have a 2.5G Ethernet port and another audio jack.

Inside this PC we find a Wifi 6 + Bluetooth 5.2 (Intel AX200) network adapter with two internal antennas. We also have installed a 1TB Crucial M.2 2280 NVMe SSD and there is another free slot. For RAM we have 32 GB Crucial RAM 2x SODIMM DDR5 5600 MHz that support up to 64 GB.

As cooling system we have a vapor chamber system and a removable dust filter is also integrated. As we will see in our test, the performance is quite good despite the closed aluminum case.

System and performance

Environment and user experience

We start the Beelink SER8 and by pressing the front power button, the small internal LED lights up immediately. We have the Windows 11 Pro operating system activated, which as we can see moves very quickly. This mini PC boots up in seconds thanks to its b drive.

• OS: Windows 11 Pro 64bit / Linux optional.
• Software: No preinstalled apps / Antivirus check = OK.
• BIOS: ESC access / BIOS AMI text / WOL / Auto Power ON / Power ON RTC.
• Tutorials: Control the micro PC with your Smartphone / Install Windows 11 / Migrate Windows to SSD

Networks, Storage, RAM and Ports

In terms of network connectivity, the Beelink SER8 PC includes a Wifi 6 + BT 5.2 wireless adapter (Intel AX200) and one 2.5G Ethernet port (Realtek). The SSD supports NVMe 4×16 up to 16 GT/s and for b we have two SODIMM up to 5600 MHz. The USB4 port works properly connecting an external GPU as we have tested.

• Wifi: Range 42 dBm / Link 5G 880 Mbps / Bluetooth OK.
• USB ports: 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 10 Gbps / 1x USB4 40 Gpbs.

Processor, performance and thermal

The new Beelink SER8 features the powerful AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS processor manufactured on 4nm. An APU with eight Zen 4 cores and sixteen threads that moves between 3.8 and 5.1 GHz, it also has an AI core with 38 TOPS. As for the graphics section, we have a Radeon 780M GPU with 12 cores up to 2700 MHz with a staggered consumption of 15/54 W TDP. This mini PC works well for working with video or Photoshop, multimedia playback with KODI or IPTV up to 8K, office use and demanding 3D games in 1080p quality.

Inside the BIOS of this computer we can find some Gaming performance improvements, it doesn’t change radically, but we can gain some frames.

• Advance > AMB CBS > NBIO > GFX Config > iGPU Config > UMA_GAME_OPTIMIZED
• Advance > AMB CBS > SMU > SMU > Smartshift > Power limits = 54000
• Advance > OEM Features > Power limit > Performance mode

Benchmarks

As we checked in the performance tests, the Beelink SER8 with the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS is in a good place compared to other mini PCs, but it is basically the same as the 7840HS above. The iGPU installed is a Radeon 780M which as we can see has an excellent performance. This APU with its 4 nm is efficient and has a fairly low power consumption for its performance in all scenarios.

This mini PC as we see gives us a good thermal performance, the system keeps the temperatures controlled with its fan at variable RPM and emits very little noise at rest, in games it is quite audible when it accelerates a lot.

• Consumption: Off 1.2W / Idle 6W / Basic use 32W / Maximum 85W.
• Thermal: Idle 40ºC / Basic usage 46ºC / Maximum 89ºC / CPU 4 GHz max / Performance up to 100%.
• Noise: 41 dBA Max / Variable RPM / NO Semi-passive.

Games

We spent several performance tests running games on the Beelink SER8, the GPU we found integrated is the Radeon 780M with 12 cores up to 2.7 GHz. As we can see it is adequate for 1080p quality games, the system falls somewhat short in games with a lot of 3D load. In the section of emulators at most we stay in some titles up to Switch, PS3 and the like.

• Setting: Medium quality / 1080p resolution / No VSync / Play emulators with RetoArch.
• In models with integrated Intel HD GPU in low and 720p resolution.

It is possible to play titles like LoL without problems, in games like Fornite we also have good performance in DX11 and reaches 80 fps in medium quality with FSR. Good figures to play smoothly popular titles like Call od Duy Warzone up to about 60 fps with low settings in 1080p.

Video and audio tests

Playback test

In terms of video playback, the Beelink SER8 features the integrated Radeon 780M GPU which has a VPU with hardware support for the modern AV1 video codec. This processor has native HDR support and is perfectly valid as a multimedia system for using KODI, IPTV or for use with the PLEX app.

• Video outputs: 1x HDMI 2.1 / 1x DP 1.4 / 2x USB-C 4 / HDR10+
• Audio outputs: HDMI up to 7.1 / Stereo audio jack.
• Tutorials: Adjust monitor image quality / KODI add-ons / Auto refresh rate / Multichannel audio

Video test

• Bitrate max: 350 Mbps.
• HW = With Hardware acceleration / SW = No Hardware acceleration.

• Native – Supports the format directly in our AV receiver or similar / More info.
• Core – Only Dolby or DTS 5.1 core is played. / More info.
• PCM – Only stereo downmixing from DD or DTS.

Streaming services

We tested the Beelink SER8 using the most popular streaming services such as YouTube, Netflix, HBO Max, Movistar+, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video and DAZN with their native apps or using the compatible browser to watch content in 4K/8K quality.

• Performance: Has hardware acceleration for AV1 8K HDR codec on Youtube.
• Tutorial: Install Addons in KODI in a simple way / LibreELEC for PC

Conclusions and buy links for Beelink SER8

Opinion

As we have seen, the Beelink SER8 is a powerful and very elegant device that leaves a good taste in our mouths. Its powerful AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS processor with a Radeon 780M GPU allows its use for any demanding application and quite demanding games. The cooling system with vapor chamber and dust filter is also remarkable.

A mini PC certainly suitable for heavy tasks that will fit perfectly on our office desk. Highlight its expansion options as it is possible to mount two M.2 2280 NVMe 4x SSDs, two DDR5 5600 MHz SODIMM modules, as well as having a USB4 port up to 40 Gbps for an eGPU if necessary.

As we can see, the Beelink SER8 is a sleek and powerful mini PC. This computer will be sufficient for any demanding job and also for gaming or emulators to some extent.

Where to buy

Score