Beelink SER9 HX-370 mini PC review

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Beelink SER9 HX-370: 30-second review

Beelink SER9 HX-370 Mini PC is one of the new generation of Mini PCs that packs great desktop performance into a small form factor. This model was designed for artificial intelligence applications and is powered by the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX-370 processor with an impressive 12 cores and 24 threads. It all looks impressive on paper, but it’s only when you turn on Adobe Premiere Pro that you start to see how well equipped this new technology is to handle heavy-duty computing tasks. The integrated Radeon RX Vega 8 graphics provide enough graphics processing for creative work, but even with the processor’s power, the latest games, while smooth, lack the crisp, smooth visuals you’d expect from a larger system.

Despite its small size, the SER9 HX-370 still offers plenty of connectivity options, including Wi-Fi 6E and a good selection of USB 3.2 ports, although some are a bit dated. The fact that it also supports three 4K displays via HDMI 2.1, DP and USB4 makes it a great choice for both creatives and office workers if screen real estate is important.

The CPU and GPU are well suited for mini PCs, and the power supply is enhanced by the inclusion of the next generation of AMD XDNA 2 processors, which deliver AI acceleration. This NPU chip can be used by applications designed for use with artificial intelligence, as well as machine learning and deep learning tasks. So if you’re looking to dive into the world of TensorFlow or a similar platform, this could be a great starting point.

The SER9 HX-370 has many attractive features considering its small size; however, the features and performance come at a high price. The best mini PCs we’ve reviewed are priced on the higher end, and the form factor will of course limit future upgrades.

Beelink SER9 HX-370: Price and availability

The Beelink SER9 HX-370 is priced at $999 and $1,249, depending on the choice of internal SSD (500GB or 1TB). It can be purchased directly from the Beelink website by clicking here, as well as from online stores.

Beelink SER9 HX-370: characteristics

Beelink SER9 HX-370: Design

The Beelink SER9 HX-370 measures just 136 x 136 x 50mm, and despite its premium build, high-performance processor and features, its sleek, high-end design is a bit understated. A closer look at the exterior reveals that the main all-metal body has an elegant design that instantly creates a premium feel. The weight (819g) isn’t heavy by any standards, but it’s still a bit heavier than your average mini PC.

The body – front, sides and top – is made of a single piece of metal, while the base and back are made of gray plastic, all of which are well finished and give the impression that the device is durable enough to handle transport without any problems. . The exterior not only protects the internal components, but also integrates with the internal cooling system. With large vents on the rear panel and a ventilated base, it’s clear that the case was designed to manage the high-performance internal processor and components.

Like many high-end mini PCs, there are plenty of connectivity options. On the front of the device is a small power button, CLR CMOS, a 3.5mm audio jack, USB Type-C 10Gbps, and a surprising addition: a row of four small holes that are part of a custom microphone array. On the back are DC input, USB4 40 Gbps, HDMI 2.1 4K 120 Hz, 3.5 mm audio jack, USB 2.0 480 Mbps, DP 1.4 4K 120 Hz, LAN 2.5G, another USB 2.0 480 Mbps and USB 3.2 10 Gbps.

This is actually a bit surprising for a model that includes premium features, and limits some connectivity options, especially with a single USB4 port, which limits you to one super-fast storage option, and as it stands, even with that single USB4 port . The machine itself is not optimized for use with an eGPU.

Beelink SER9 HX-370: Features

Although mini PCs are compact in nature, the amount of functionality they can pack into their small forms is often impressive. Leading the SER9’s features is the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX370 processor, which uses the latest AMD Zen 5 architecture with a 12-core, 24-thread setup. What makes this processor different is that it is optimized for AI-driven tasks and applications. It also has a maximum clock speed of 5.1 GHz, making it an ideal choice for creative work where intensive graphics, image and video processing is critical.

AI acceleration for the CPU is provided through the NPU, a dedicated AMD XDNA 2 NPU neural processor that delivers 80 AI TOPS. Applications capable of running AI-enhanced workloads see noticeable performance gains over more traditional processing, as we’ve seen with Adobe applications and advances in video editing, 3D design and rendering.

The machine comes standard with 32GB of LPDDR5X RAM clocked at 7500MHz, which should be enough for most tasks. However, unlike most mini PCs, this RAM is integrated and cannot be upgraded.

In terms of graphics, the Ryzen processor is paired with an AMD Radeon 890M with 16 compute units and a clock speed of 2900 MHz. This GPU is more than enough for most creative and demanding applications, but gamers may find it a little limiting. Although the SER9 has a USB4 port, it is not optimized for use with an eGPU, so internal graphics will likely be the best option available.

When it comes to memory, this is an area where the SER9 really stands out from other mini PCs. You can connect ultra-fast external SSDs, but there are two PCIe 4.0 x4 SSD slots supporting up to 8TB of internal storage. Our review version included a 1TB Crucial PCIe SSD, which was extremely fast.

As with most high-end mini PCs, internal cooling is important. Beelink has developed the MSC2.0 cooling system, which uses a vapor chamber, a silent fan and an SSD heatsink to manage temperatures that can rise under heavy workloads.

In terms of display options, the SER9 can use one or all three different display port options to support up to three 4K displays. These ports are HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4 and USB4. For connectivity, in addition to a wired 2.5 Gbps LAN connection, the system is equipped with Wi-Fi 6 (Intel AX200) and Bluetooth 5.2.

In terms of audio, there are two 3.5mm audio ports: one on the front and one on the back for headphones or a microphone. Interestingly, there are also built-in dual speakers, which is also an unusual option for a mini PC of this type. Another interesting and completely unique audio feature is the front-facing microphones. They enable AI-powered voice interaction, providing intelligent audio to recognize voice commands for various tasks.

Beelink SER9 HX-370: Performance

The SER9 HX-370 is a high-performance mini PC, and this is obvious from the start: Microsoft Office applications and using Google Docs through the browser run at high speeds, without any slowdowns or problems. This machine definitely has processing power, and when you switch between applications, that speed really comes through.

Benchmark results show that the Beelink SER9 HX-370 delivers reliable all-round performance for office tasks, creative work and some games, thanks to the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX370 processor, 32GB LPDDR5X RAM and integrated AMD Radeon 890M graphics.

For day-to-day tasks, the machine’s performance was reflected in the benchmarks, with a Geekbench CPU Single score of 14,728 and a PCMark score of 7,205. These scores are a good reflection of real-world usage of apps like Microsoft Word, Excel, and Google Docs (via Chrome).

In creative applications like Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom, the machine easily processed multiple RAW files from the Sony A7 IV and Canon EOS R5 C, and this performance is again reflected in the Geekbench Compute score of 42,770. Switching to Adobe Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve for 4K video editing, the machine again impressed with its speed, although the 1TB SSD was a little small and it used a Samsung EVO T5 to expand capacity via USB4. However, there was also the option to increase the internal storage to an impressive 8TB, which is again a unique feature for a machine of this size. The ease of video editing was reflected in the Cinebench CPU Multi (21,718) and Cinebench CPU Single (2,045) scores.

To really test the performance, several games were tried out, including Hogwarts Legacy, Tekken 8 and Red Dead Redemption 2. Again, the little machine impressed, although unfortunately the system was not optimized for use with an external GPU. However, the performance of the AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 was impressive, with all games running smoothly, although I had to lower the quality settings slightly to around medium. 3DMark scores (Fire Strike Graphics: 10,256, Time Spy Graphics: 3,666, Fire Strike overall: 9,384, and Wild Life: 23,206) reflect the system’s good gaming performance.

Another thing to pay attention to regarding performance is the speed of the internal SSD. In the benchmark test using CrystalDiskMark, the read/write speeds were 5175.50 MB/s and 4751.30 MB/s. It is extremely fast and ideal for any application that requires high-speed disk access.

Overall, the performance of the Beelink SER9 HX-370 is impressive, easily handling CPU-intensive office applications and creative tasks. While the machine handled games smoothly, the best gaming experience was achieved at medium graphics settings, but for a mini PC this is extremely impressive.

Beelink SER9 HX-370: final verdict

Beelink SER9 HX-370 is a powerful mini PC that combines compact size with desktop-level performance. Ideal for gaming, creative applications and intense multitasking, it offers exceptional value for money. While its gamer-focused design may not appeal to everyone, its performance and versatility make it a great choice.

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