Beelink SER7 “AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS” Mini PC Review: The Phoenix Rises!

It’s finally here! We have our hands on our first Phoenix-based Mini PC which comes courtesy of Beelink. It’s been a few months since the first Mini PCs and laptops featuring AMD’s Ryzen 7040 “Phoenix” APUs started rolling out and I had been anxiously waiting to try out one for myself since we’ve already tested a range of Ryzen 5000 and Ryzen 6000 Mini PCs by now.

Beelink came to us and gave us the opportunity to test out their latest SER7 Mini PC which I gladly accepted and today, we are going to go through all the performance and benchmarking data of this tiny powerhouse.

But before that, I wanted to give a little introduction to Beelink, the company behind the SER7 Mini PC. Beelink was established in 2011 & is regarded as one of the top sellers in the Mini PC category at Amazon. The company has a diverse portfolio of Mini PCs, Players, and gadgets but the core focus is on the Mini PC segment which includes both Intel and AMD options but the higher-end PC offerings are covered in the AMD segment. I am definitely excited to try out Beelink’s Mini PC for the first time so let’s start with the specifications.

Beelink SER7 Mini PC – Specifications At A Glance

Beelink SER7 Mini PC comes in the AMD Ryzen 7000 APU flavors which are based on the Phoenix family. The difference in the three categories, SER7, GTR7, and GTR7 Pro is mainly the I/O and the cooling capabilities which are expanded on the GTR7 variants. For the review sample that we got was equipped with the AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS. The base model of the LITE comes with 8 GB + 256 GB configuration but we received the 32 GB memory + 1 TB storage configuration. This variant costs $729 US but you can get $110 promo coupon which brings the price down to $619 US.

Coming to the specifications, the Beelink SER7 Mini PC rocks the AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS “Phoenix” APU which features 8 cores, 16 threads, 24 MB of cache (L3+L2 combined), and a boost clock of up to 5.1 GHz. The CPU has a TDP of 35W which can be configured up to 54W. The APU is based on the latest TSMC 4nm process node which should guarantee some extremely efficient operation & great performance too.

Another major component of the AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS APU featured on the Beelink SER7 is its AMD Radeon 780M iGPU. This iGPU features 12 compute units or 768 cores that are clocked in at 2700 MHz while being based on the latest RDNA 3 graphics architecture. The APU supports both SmartShift MAX and SmartAccess Memory technologies and is also compatible with HDMI 2.1/DP 1.4 while driving up to four 8K displays. Being based on the AMD RDNA 3 architecture also makes sure that users can enjoy full support for AMD FSR 3, HYPR-RX, and Anti-Lag+ technologies which will deliver some great gaming performance.

Other specs for the Beelink SER7 Mini PC include 16 GB DDR5-(Dual-Channel) memory operating at 5600 MT/s. This isn’t soldered and instead features a SO-DIMM design so users can completely upgrade it as they wish. Storage comes in the form of dual M.2 2280 SSD slots running at Gen 4.0 speeds. You will get 1 TB Gen4 SSD within the package itself and have additional room for a second one.

I/O is a very strong aspect of the Beelink SER7 Mini PC, featuring a USB 4 Type-C port, USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A port, audio jack, Power On button, Audio jack, and a Clear CMOS port on the front while the back features a 2.5GbE Ethernet LAN port, HDMI/DisplayPort outputs, two USB 2.0 ports, and dual USB4 ports (support 40 Gbps speeds and 100W PD3.0). Following are the main features of the Mini PC:

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS Processor, 8 Cores/16 Threads, 5.1GHz
Graphics: AMD Radeon 780M (Frequency 2700MHz)
Storage: M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 SSD ×2
Memory: Dual DDR5 Channel (SODIMM Slots×2, Up to 5600MHz, Max 64GB)
Wireless Network: WiFi 6, BlueTooth 5.2
Power: Magnetic Power Supply (With 19V/6.32A adapter)
Interface: USB4 ×2, DP 1.4 ×1, HDMI 2.1 ×1, LAN 2.5G ×1, Type-C ×1, Audio Jack ×2, USB 3.2 ×1, USB 2.0 ×2, DC IN*1

Beelink SER7 Mini PC – Unboxing & A Closer Look

The Beelink SER7 Mini PC comes in a matte black cardboard package which has a very neat and simplistic look. You can see the large “7” logo next to a silhouette of what appears to be a Phoenix.

The back of the box has some basic specifications along with QR codes that lead to a video tutorial and the Beelink Forums which may come in handy when installing or troubleshooting the system.

Within the box, you are first greeted with a nice greeting card. Little things like these make for a fun unboxing experience.

Lifting the top box cover, you are welcomed by a soft foam internal in which the PC and its various accessories are kept safe and away from harm.

Before talking about the case itself, we have to mention the accessories that come with the SER7. It comes with a Power Adapter, an HDMI/DP cable, a mounting bracket with screws, and a manual. It has a power adapter that is rated to deliver up to 19V, 6.32A of current, or up to 120W of power to the system. There’s also a unique thing about this power adapter which you can see in the picture below and we will get back to it in a bit.

With the SER7 out of the package itself, you are met with another greeting on the plastic film around the PC which thanks you for your purchase and offers a note on what to do if you can not login to the PC on your first boot. Our sample was able to boot into Windows perfectly fine so we didn’t see the need for it but it could be useful to others.

So looking at the PC, you are met with a gorgeous square-shaped chassis that comes with a mix of aluminum and plastic exteriors. Our sample comes in the Space Grey colors but Beelink also offers the SER7 in Green, Obsidian Black, and Orange colors, all of which look great and give you users a bit of personalization option.

Once again, the exteriors of the Beelink SER7 are designed great. The top and sides of the chassis have vents to push hot air out of the unit that is dissipated by the cooling solution. Do note that it comes with a top-mounted and a bottom-mounted cooling solution. The bottom-mounted cooler has little room to breathe since the bottom is mostly covered by a metallic plate.

The front I/O on the Beelink SER7 comes with a USB 4 Type-C port, USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A port, audio jack, Power On button, Audio jack, and a Clear CMOS port.

The back I/O of the Beelink SER7 comes with a 2.5GbE Ethernet LAN port, HDMI/DisplayPort outputs, two USB 2.0 ports, and dual USB4 ports (support 40 Gbps speeds and 100W PD3.0). Customers can also utilize the back-side PD3.0 USB4 port for power delivery.

As stated above, opening the metal plate on the bottom is easy to remove and reveals the fan bracket and SSD cooler which is located at the bottom. This cooler is primarily designed for the storage solutions such as the Gen4 SSDs which can get hot in such a crowded compartment. A single 2.5″ SSD can also be mounted here but that would lead to further blockage of air for the cooler. The primary SSD comes with a proper SSD heatsink while the secondary will need to be pre-mounted with a heatsink for optimal temperatures.

Our test unit came with 32 GB of DDR5-5600 memory and 1 TB of SSD. This is great for a baseline configuration but it looks like a barebones option isn’t available yet. It would be great if users were able to get a barebone and get their choice of memory/SSD solutions.

The top side is where the AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS and the 4+2+1 VRM power delivery are located. The heatsink used to cool them utilizes a vapor chamber design with a copper baseplate and makes use of a larger blower-styled fan. This is why the large exhaust vents are in place on the sides and top of the chassis.

Now coming back to the main source of power delivery. You get a unique magnetic lock port on the bottom of the chassis which makes for a very interesting design and the connector locks into place easily and with a firm grip so you don’t have to worry about it unplugging while moving the Mini PC. Furthermore, while the magnetic power cord has a small bump, it isn’t very noticeable since the Mini PC comes with rubber feet at the bottom which offset the height differences.

The Beelink SER7 Mini PC measures 126x113x49mm (W/L/H). Once again, you can see the magnetic power lock in place in the following pictures.

By default, the display shows the time, the fan speed, and the temperature of the APU which is a nice detail that adds some style to this compact PC.

Beelink SER7 Mini PC – CPU System Performance

For performance testing, we used the 54W and 65W power profiles for the AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS APU when testing the Beelink SER7 Mini PC.

Beelink SER7 Mini PC – 1080P GPU Gaming Performance

For gaming, we tested a couple of the latest and most played esports titles along with a mix of AAA titles at 1080p resolution. The performance was measured between the AMD Radeon 780, Radeon 680M, AMD Vega 8, Vega 7, Vega 6, and Intel Iris Xe-LP integrated graphics.

Beelink SER7 Mini PC – Thermals & Power Consumption

Following are the power and thermal numbers of the Beelink SER7 Mini PC using both the 54W and 65W power profiles.

As for thermals, the Beelink SER7 Mini PC peaked around 78C with the default 54W profile and up to 83C with the 65W profile which is well below its 95C thermal threshold.

Conclusion – The Fastest iGPU On The Planet!

It’s been almost two years since I started covering Mini PCs as a part of my reviews. In these two years, I have tested a range of AMD & Intel solutions from various manufacturers but mainly, the AMD side has been the most impressive and fun to test particularly since the performance gains that these new APUs bring are miles ahead of Intel’s offerings. For example, the iGPU alone on an AMD Ryzen APU is going to be much faster than Intel’s Iris and Xe solutions and while it might be changing soon with the arrival of Meteor Lake later this fall, there’s no doubt that AMD has some of the fastest Mini PC solutions in the market.

That’s where Beelink comes in with its brand-new SER7 Mini PC. This is my first AMD Ryzen 7040 “Phoenix” PC which I received for testing (more on the way) but it honestly had me surprised just because of the sheer efficiency and performance that this thing packs. Straight out of the bag, you are getting 8 Zen 4 cores, a powerful iGPU based on RDNA 3 architecture, an impressive 32 GB of DDR5 memory, and 1 TB of storage space. When you start using this PC, you’ll feel the power right from the start as the PCIe Gen 4.0 SSDs deliver top-notch speeds while offering you a secondary slot that can boost you up to 8 TB & 7000 MB/s speeds with the added cooling that’s specifically for the SSD solutions.

The memory can also be upgraded thanks to the SO-DIMM layout, letting you equip the latest 48 GB modules with ease. For the CPU side, these 8 Zen 4 cores are about on par with the desktop alternative and run in an extremely efficient manner. Even with the 54W mode, you will end up at around 95-97% performance of the 65W profile.

But the real shocker is the Radeon 780M. This iGPU delivered the fastest performance of all other iGPUs and what’s impressive is that it even managed to get close to the GTX 1060 6 GB graphics card which operates close to 120W, nearly double the TDP of the APU itself. And with features such as FSR 3 and Anti-Lag+ coming soon, we can expect this RDNA 3 GPU to get even better. You can definitely enjoy the latest games at 1080p Native with a good balance of settings around 60 FPS & if you want even better performance, then FSR 2 / RSR are readily available.

The I/O is another strong area for the Beelink SER7 Mini PC with two USB4 Type-C ports, one of which you can use for power delivery and support for four 8K displays. This little monster has it all and the magnetic power connector is another good touch. You can also select from a variety of color choices which is great on Beelink’s part as other vendors usually stick to just one color theme.

My only issue with the Beelink SER7 Mini PC is that the fan panel on the back can be a bit tricky to remove if you want to replace or upgrade the memory or SSDs. The temperatures can also be a bit toasty if you aren’t in a well-ventilated room or the Mini PC is sitting in a stuffed-up environment. Plus, the pricing is very much a premium since you can find a Phoenix laptop for close to $600 or $700 US whereas the SER7 costs $730 US without the discount promo.

My overall thoughts about the Beelink SER7 Mini PC are overwhelmingly positive. The iGPU is the best one out there and there’s literally no competition to the RDNA 3-powered Radeon 780M out in the market. The Zen 4 & RDNA 3 combination that the Phoenix APU offers within the SER7 Mini PC is a rockstar of a combo with powerful I/O features in a premium package. If you’re looking for a Mini PC that does it all, then Beelink’s SER7 is a great choice!