Beelink SER5 Pro 5600H mini PC review: NUC 11 speeds with AMD Ryzen

Much like Zotac and its notoriously large selection of ZBox mini PCs, Beelink is looking to do the same by launching new models every few months equipped with faster and faster processors. The Beelink SER4 launched earlier this year with the Zen 2 Ryzen 7 4800U processor, but now the SER5 has hit the market with an even faster Zen 3 Ryzen 5 5600H all while keeping prices well below $500 USD. Competitors in this space include other mini PCs or HTPCs with no discrete graphics such as the Ace Magician TK11 , Geekom MiniAir 11 , Zotac ZBox PI336 , and most Intel NUC models .

More Beelink reviews: Both the SER4 and SER5 utilize the same chassis skeleton albeit with slightly different superficial markings and colors. On the SER5, the ventilation grilles on the side are black instead of red. In terms of size, the SER5 is just slightly thicker than the Intel NUC 11TNK .

It’s just as heavy at about half a kilogram, however. Port options are the same as on the SER4. It’s disappointing that Beelink still hasn’t moved to USB-C AC adapters as the SER5 relies on a proprietary AC barrel adapter instead.

The single USB-C port up front supports DisplayPort 1. 4 but not PD-in. A MediaTek RZ608 comes standard for Wi-Fi 6E support much like on the Beelink SEi11 Pro .

However, performance is still lacking when compared to the common Intel AX200/210 series as shown by the graphs below. The bottom panel is secured by four Philips screws. These screws are much smaller than the hand twist screws on an Intel NUC and will require a screwdriver to remove.

Keep in mind that these screws are quite soft as well and can be easily stripped if not careful. The retail box includes a removable VESA mounting bracket, extras screws, user manual, two HDMI cables, and the AC adapter. The standard one-year limited manufacturer warranty applies if purchased in the US.

We set our unit to Performance mode via Windows prior to running any benchmarks below. Multi-thread performance is about 15 percent slower than the average PC in our database equipped with the same Ryzen 5 5600H CPU. Even so, overall performance is still much faster than the common Core i7-1165G7 as found on many Ultrabooks and Intel NUCs.

PCMark 10 results are where we expect them to be when compared to other Ryzen 5 5600H laptops or mini PCs except in the Digital Content Creation subtest where GPU performance matters most. This is because many laptops with this same processor typically ship with faster discrete graphics instead. LatencyMon shows no major DPC issues when opening multiple browser tabs on our homepage.

Unfortunately, 4K video playback at 60 FPS is imperfect with 21 dropped frames during our minute-long video. NVMe speeds are limited to PCIe3 x4 whereas most newer Intel NUC models fully support PCIe4 x4. PCIe3 is more than enough for most users, however, and so the cut corner here isn’t significant.

Our midrange 500 GB Kingston NV1 SSD is able to sustain its maximum ~2500 MB/s read rates without any thermal issues. Graphics performance is much faster than most other laptops or mini PCs with the same integrated Radeon RX Vega 7 GPU by 30 to 35 percent because such products typically pair the GPU with slower Ryzen U-series CPUs or single-channel RAM only. The Ryzen 5 5600H is less of a bottleneck to the GPU and frame rates benefit as a result.

It’s still no gaming machine, however. The Iris Xe 96 EUs commonly found on most 11th gen Core i7 Intel laptops or mini PCs is still about 10 to 15 percent faster. Frame rates are unfortunately not as steady as we had hoped.

When idling on Witcher 3 at low 720p settings, frame rates would sometimes drop to 60 FPS or even 19 FPS for seemingly no reason as shown by the graph below. Poor handling of background activity is likely to blame for the interruption in frame rates. Our test unit suffers from electronic noise or coil whine.

Thus, we’re able to record a noise of 26. 1 dB(A) against a silent background of 22. 8 dB(A) even when idling on desktop with no running applications.

Fan noise would hover around the 28. 7 dB(A) range during typical loads like web browsing or video streaming which is quieter than the NUC11TNK. Fan noise ranges between 32 and 37 dB(A) when running more demanding loads like games which is again quieter than the NUC11TNK and the faster Beelink GTR5 .

This is a quiet mini PC relative to the performance you get. Cool air enters from the top and waste heat exits from the rear. You’re going to want to keep the top clear of any books, papers, or other obstructions for optimal cooling as a result.

CPU clock rates and board power draw would stabilize at 3. 0 GHz and 35 W, respectively, when initiating Prime95. 35 W is at the lower-end of the spectrum for the Ryzen 5 5600H and so it’s a bit disappointing to not see higher TDP targets on the SER5.

Core temperature is already quite high at 85 C which may explain the low 35 W rating. Running Witcher 3 would result in a core temperature of 75 C compared to 57 C on the Intel NUC11PAQ . The Beelink system runs a little warmer than the Intel in most conditions.

Power consumption is generally higher than models running on Ryzen U series or Core U series CPUs since our Ryzen H series CPU targets comparatively higher TDP levels. The Intel NUC11 with the Core i5-1135G7 , for example, would demand between 40 and 44 W when gaming compared to 46 to 50 W on our Beelink. Performance-per-watt is still better with the Ryzen 5 5600H especially in terms of multi-thread CPU performance.

We’re able to record a maximum draw of 50. 2 W from the small-medium (~10 x 4. 9 x 3.

3 cm) 57 W wall wart AC adapter when the CPU is at 100 percent utilization. We suspect that this can go even higher if multiple USB devices or external USB-C monitors are connected. For about $450 USD, the Beelink SER5 Pro comes fully loaded with 16 GB RAM, 500 GB of storage, and a licensed copy of Windows 11 Pro.

In contrast, an Intel NUC11PAHi7 equipped with the same storage and RAM capacity currently retails for almost $900. The SER5 is even able to offer faster processor performance than the Intel and many of the same upgradeable options including SODIMM and dual storage. If you’re looking to save a few hundred dollars, then the Beelink should be high on your list of considerations.

The Beelink SER5 Pro is hundreds of dollars cheaper than an Intel NUC of similar performance. Businesses may still prefer the reliability of NUC, but most home users will want to consider the more affordable Beelink. There are a number of cut corners, but none are all that impactful to the core user experience.

When compared to the Intel NUC, the SER5 Pro lacks Thunderbolt, an anti-theft lock, PCIe4 SSD support, a three-year manufacturer warranty, and a stronger chassis skeleton. The NUC can still be the better investment if such features are important to you, but the price savings are otherwise substantial. The Beelink SER5 is now available on Amazon for just under $400 USD.

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