A gaming-ready mini PC with modern features and an external graphics dock that you can even use with high-end graphics cards? And for well under 1,000 euros? What sounds like a dream is now possible with the Beelink GTi13 Ultra and EX Docking Station bundle. We took a closer look at the power duo in our test.
Technical data
| Product designation | GTi13 Ultra + Ex Docking Station |
| Processor | Intel Core i9-13900HK (14 cores, 20 threads, up to 5.4 GHz) |
| Graphics performance | Intel Iris Xe iGPU |
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 56 mm x 158 mm x 158 mm |
| weight | 1,290 grams |
| Storage space | 1 TB SSD M.2 2280 (PCI e Gen4 x4) |
| Memory | 32 GB DDR5-5200 |
| Video | 1x HDMI 2.0, 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 1x Thunderbolt 4 |
| Operating system | Windows 11 Pro |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6, 2x 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet; Bluetooth 5.2 |
| Price | € 1,049.00 * |
Beelink GTi13 Ultra Review: Simple look, a lot behind it
- High-quality workmanship
- handy design
- good maintenance options
At first glance, the Beelink GTi13 Ultra is a classic mini PC, just like the ones that are now a dime a dozen. Silver-colored box, rounded edges and compact dimensions. The compact computing dwarf measures 158 mm x 158 mm x 56 mm and weighs in at 1,290 grams.
This makes it somewhat larger and heavier than most models and is very reminiscent of Apple’s Mac Mini both visually and in terms of size. In principle, it is a larger version of the other models from Beelink, such as the SEI 14 (our test).
With its housing in the color space gray and the manufacturer’s logo on the lid, the GTi13 Ultra looks great and is handy enough to fit comfortably under a monitor or stand. And it can be used either standing upright or lying down, whereby the mini PC then benefits from the non-slip rubber feet on the underside.
For maintenance, the GTi13 Ultra has the same practical rubber tab on the underside, which can be easily removed. Then all you have to do is remove the screws, which are unfortunately located under the glued rubber feet, to gain access to the inner workings, where the RAM and system memory can be replaced. There is also a PCIe x8 slot for inserting the Mini PC into the EX docking station.
The Mini-PC can be equipped with a maximum of 96 GB RAM and 8 TB M.2 SSD memory, with two slots available for each. In our test model, 32 GB DDR5-5200 RAM and 1 TB SSD memory are installed at the factory.
Features and connections
- Core i9-13900HK with 32 GB RAM
- up to 96 GB RAM / 8 TB SSD
- Very good selection of connections
In terms of features, the Beelink GTi13 Ultra is very well equipped. The manufacturer relies on the Intel Core i9-13900HK processor with 14 cores and clock speeds of up to 5.4 GHz, which is a good idea considering the disappointing first Intel Core Ultra generation. If you prefer this, you will have to go for the otherwise almost identical but slightly more modern GTi14 Ultra.
The integrated Intel Iris Xe solution is used for graphics processing. I have already mentioned the 32 GB RAM and 1 TB system memory. The mini PC communicates wirelessly via Wi-Fi 6 and connects end devices via Bluetooth 5.2.
An exciting detail on the front is the power button on the far right, which has an integrated fingerprint sensor. Practical for quickly logging into Windows, which is also fast and reliable.
At the front, the manufacturer also provides us with a USB-A port (USB 3.0), a USB-C port with 10 Gbps, a 3.5 mm jack connection and a full-size SD card reader.
At the rear, there are significantly more ports, namely:
- 4x USB 3.0 type A (10 GBps)
- 2x 2.5 GBit LAN
- 1x DisplayPort 1.4a (4K @ 144 Hz)
- 1x HDMI 2.0 (4K @ 60 Hz)
- 1x Thunderbolt 4 (40 GBps with DP Alt mode)
- 1x 3.5 mm jack
All in all, a convincing selection that doesn’t really miss anything. External eGPUs can also be connected via Thunderbolt 4, which makes the GTi13 Ultra interesting for gamers. The 145 watt power supply unit is also already integrated, while a large MSC 2.0 cooling system with vapor chamber promises impressive heat dissipation.
The Beelink GTi13 Ultra in a practical test
- Pleasantly quiet; very good cooling
- weak WLAN module
- Integrated speakers and microphones
The cooling and fan in the Beelink GTi13 Ultra actually do a great job of cooling the system effectively even under continuous load without it becoming too loud. Even in the stress test, we measured a maximum of 32 dB(A), while the case hardly warms up noticeably even after 20 cycles.
Like the SD card reader, the WLAN module unfortunately only delivers average speeds. Of the maximum 500 MBit/s of my line, only 202 MBit/s ultimately arrive – so if you want to access the maximum, you have to rely on a cable connection.
Windows 11 Pro is pre-installed as the operating system. The mini PC also comes with built-in microphones and speakers, which I have never seen on any other model. Very practical for occasional use or conferences.
I would describe the playback and recording quality as sufficient, although even inexpensive PC speakers sound better. For occasional use, however, what is on offer is definitely sufficient.
Benchmark: Productivity, system, SSD and gaming
As always, I evaluated the performance of the Beelink GTi13 Ultra in various benchmark and real-life tests. The computing dwarf had to endure three runs per test, with the average value serving as a measure.
Beelink provides the mini PC with a Crucial P3 SSD, which achieves a good 3,600 MB/s read performance, but a somewhat meagre 1,588 MB/s write performance. The access times are okay, but could also be better.
| Read | Writing | |
| Sequential | 3,613.11 MB/s | 1,588.55 MB/s |
| 4K | 80.80 MB/s | 245.11 MB/s |
| 4K-64Thrd | 955.37 MB/s | 1,723.43 MB/s |
| Access time | 0.041 ms | 0.032 ms |
In terms of system performance, the installed Core i9-13900HK is at an expected level and ranks behind the AMD Ryzen 9 processors. Nevertheless, the performance is at a very good level and is absolutely sufficient for more demanding tasks.
The Beelink GTi13 Ultra weakens a little, especially in the comprehensive PCMark 10 test. More modern mini PCs such as the Geekom A8 (our test) deliver significantly better performance here. However, it should be noted that this model is also around 300 euros more expensive than the Beelink. The price-performance ratio is therefore convincing.
| Benchmark | Result |
| Cinebench R23 Multi Core | 14.699 pts. |
| Cinebench R23 Single Core | 1,714 pts. |
| Cinebench 2024 Multi Core | 833 pts. |
| Cinebench 2024 Single Core | 103 pts. |
| PCMark 10 total score | 5,996 pts. |
| PCMark 10 Essentials | 10,399 pts. |
| PCMark 10 Productivity | 6,970 pts. |
| PCMark 10 Digital Content Creation | 8,073 pts. |
| Geekbench 6 Multi Core | 12,688 pts. |
| Geekbench 6 Single Core | 2,240 pts. |
| Geekbench 6 GPU | 17,372 pts. |
In terms of the integrated GPU, AMD is clearly ahead, at least until the second Core Ultra generation from Intel. This can also be seen in the 3D and gaming benchmarks, in which the GTi 13Ultra delivers good results, but it is not really suitable for gaming.
| Benchmark | Result |
| Fire Strike Total | 6,045 points |
| Time Spy Total | 2,120 points |
| Steel Nomad Total | 205 pts. |
| Steel Nomad Light Total | 1,426 pts. |
| Final Fantasy XV (1080p; Standard Quality) | 2.972 Pts. |
| Blender 4.3.0 | 182.96 pts. |
The mini PC is therefore equipped for light gaming and/or lower resolutions up to 720p. Anything above that is only possible in conjunction with the docking station and an external GPU.
Beelink EX docking station in test
- High-quality docking solution
- integrated power supply unit
- only compatible with Beelink GTi Mini PCs
Unlimited gaming power with a mini PC? At least that’s the promise of the EX docking station from Beelink, which is already included in this bundle, but is sold separately for 159.00 US dollars.
The dock comes in a space grey color to match the mini PC and weighs around 1.4 kg. When empty, the dock measures 225 mm x 180 mm and is around 73 mm high.
As a PCIe riser without proprietary connections, the Mini-PC can simply be plugged into the dock. This naturally restricts compatibility, as only Mini PCs from Beelink’s GTi model series can be used with the dock.
The GTi13 Ultra can be attached using screws for greater stability. However, you have to have your own power cable for the GPU – which we find a bit annoying. Beelink only includes two 8-pin patch cables.
The EX docking station has its own power button and a separate power cable. A 600 watt power supply unit is also integrated into the dock, which means that the combination of mini PC and docking station should even be able to power the latest high-end graphics cards.
Practical: The base of the docking station can be opened and offers space for an additional M.2 SSD. A Wi-Fi module can also be installed, which is already included in the scope of delivery. Unfortunately, the manufacturer does not include the Wi-Fi antennas.
Instead, there is a power cable, a 3.8-pin patch cable in two versions, a backplate for the graphics card and various screws (M2, M2.5 and M3).
The combination of docking station, mini PC and graphics card is of course noticeably louder than the mini PC alone. I measured a maximum of around 52 dB(A) under full load, while the Mini PC’s housing only warmed up to around 40°C.
Compared to dedicated gaming mini PCs such as the ASUS ROG NUC 14 (our test) with RTX 4070 laptop GPU, the ASUS model is around 3 dB(A) quieter and remains 2-3°C cooler on average. However, it should not be forgotten that the Beelink GTi13 Ultra and graphics card are significantly more powerful, at least in theory.
Start-up with problems
Setting up the Beelink GTi13 Ultra together with the docking station is, at least in theory, very simple. However, we had massive problems during the test. Initially, we didn’t get a picture when we connected the GPU to our monitor, but we did when we output a picture directly via the mini PC.
After installing the latest NVIDIA drivers, we experienced image dropouts and unsightly flickering. After poring over the instructions, YouTube tutorials and tests in other magazines, we were unable to find a solution. The docking solution worked perfectly everywhere else.
After several contacts with the friendly Beelink support team, we finally got the solution we needed: The PCI Express and GPU configuration were set incorrectly in the mini PC’s BIOS. Both the PCI Express speed and the primary image output were set incorrectly. Changing the settings in the BIOS was of course child’s play and the mini PC and graphics card worked without any problems from then on.
Gaming test of the EX docking station
- GPU performance almost identical to gaming PC
- But cables and connections are exposed
The Beelink EX docking station is compatible with almost all graphics cards from NVIDIA and AMD. The manufacturer promises almost no loss of performance on its own website – at least based on an example of an unspecified NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080.
Since a brand new ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 5070 Ti OC Edition (our review) has just arrived in our test lab, we put the dock and the new Blackwell GPU to the test.
The good news: In terms of performance, the combination of mini PC and docking station with external GPU has almost no loss of performance. The performance comes very close to the performance of the same GPU in a dedicated gaming PC. In synthetic benchmarks, the differences are somewhat greater than in practical gaming benchmarks.
Benchmarks: 3DMark and gaming
Test system:
- AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
- Gigabyte X670E Aorus Pro X
- 64GB Corsair Vengeance RGB DDR5-6000
- 1000W – Corsair RMx Shift Series
- be quiet! Silent Loop II – 360 mm
- Windows 11 Home
- NVIDIA Game Ready driver 572.70
Tested benchmarks and games:
- 3DMark: Time Spy Extreme, Speed Way, Steel Nomad, Port Royal
- Black Myth: Wukong (4K, Ultra-Preset, DLSS Quality, Level 50, Frame Generation)
- Path of Exile 2 (4K, Ultra-Preset, DLSS Quality, Frame Generation)
- F1 24 (4K, Ultra-Preset, DLSS Quality, Frame Generation)
- Shadow of the Tomb Raider (4K, Ultra-Preset, DLSS Quality, Frame Generation)
Results of synthetic benchmarks with ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 5070 Ti OC Edition:
| Gaming PC | Beelink GTi13 Ultra | Performance difference | |
| 3DMark Port Royal | 19,104 pts. | 17,914 pts. | – 6.23 percent |
| 3DMark Speed Way | 7,681 pts. | 7,428 pts. | – 3.41 percent |
| 3DMark Steel Nomad | 6,512 pts. | 6,477 pts. | – 0.54 percent |
| 3DM Time Spy Extreme | 11,194 pts. | 10,901 pts. | – 2.68 percent |
Results of gaming benchmarks with ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 5070 Ti OC Edition:
| Gaming PC | Beelink GTi13 Ultra | Performance difference | |
| F1 24 (DLSS off) | 66 FPS | 64 FPS | – 3.13 percent |
| F1 24 (DLSS on) | 178 FPS | 174 FPS | – 2.3 percent |
| Black Myth Wukong (DLSS off) | 53 FPS | 53 FPS | +/- 0 percent |
| Black Myth Wukong (DLSS on) | 81 FPS | 79 FPS | – 2.53 percent |
| Shadow o.t. Tomb Raider (DLSS off) | 132 FPS | 129 FPS | -2.33 percent |
| Shadow o.t. Tomb Raider (DLSS on) | 187 FPS | 185 FPS | – 1.08 percent |
| Path of Exile 2 (DLSS off) | 140 FPS | 137 FPS | – 2.19 percent |
| Path of Exile 2 (DLSS on) | 175 FPS | 173 FPS | – 0.6 percent |
As we can see, the performance of the same GPU only differs marginally when used with a gaming PC (including faster RAM, faster SSD and different CPU). Particularly in games, the differences are around two percent on average – in 4K UHD resolution.
Of course, the rest of the hardware also plays a decisive role here, but the gaming results of the Beelink GTi13 Ultra are really convincing. 4K gaming is absolutely no problem for the mini PC with such a powerful GPU, especially if you use DLSS. With minor RAM and SSD upgrades, you can of course tease out a little more performance, but the result is definitely impressive.
Due to the open design, the graphics card is naturally louder than it would be in a closed housing. If you are considering a purchase, it is therefore advisable to look for a rather quiet GPU – the tested ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 5070 Ti OC Edition is a convincing choice with around 31 dB(A) in Quiet BIOS under full load and is therefore significantly quieter than dedicated gaming notebooks when they are fully turned up.
The combination easily outperforms comparably equipped gaming laptops with a GeForce RTX 4080 or 4070, and gaming mini PCs such as the ASUS ROG NUC 14 (our test) are also easily outperformed.
So if you combine the GTi 13Ultra with an RTX 4070, you get a really potent gaming machine for around 1,200 euros (mini PC + GPU). With an RTX 5000 GPU or Radeon RX 7900 (XT), you get an absolute powerhouse.
The only problem I can see is the open design of the combination. As the GPU and connections are completely exposed, the combination is susceptible to dust and dirt. You should therefore regularly make sure to keep the powerful duo clean.
Beelink GTi13 Ultra Review: Conclusion
The Beelink GTi13 Ultra is a convincing mini PC whose performance makes it ideal for everyday tasks and multimedia applications. When it comes to sheer gaming performance, the integrated Iris Xe solution delivers the expected results, but of course the computing dwarf is not really suitable for gaming.
However, this is where the Ex docking station comes into play, which, in combination with a dedicated GPU, turns the mini PC into a real gaming PC. The performance is absolutely at the level of a gaming PC and ranks well above comparably equipped gaming notebooks.
In combination with the low noise level, this is of course very pleasant. The problem with the dock is of course the exposed connections and cables, which – unlike with eGPU solutions – are much more susceptible to dirt and hair.
Depending on the household and environment, this can tip the scales. This makes the Beelink GTi13 Ultra a thoroughly coherent overall package, even if I would personally opt for models with an AMD CPU, as these simply work more efficiently in mini PCs.
Nevertheless, the result is an absolutely coherent overall package at a very attractive price. The integrated speakers and microphones are of course particularly practical, which also makes the GTi 13Ultra interesting for conferences and the like.
- High-quality design
- Integrated speakers
- Good performance
- Strong GPU performance in the dock
- Attractive price
- Limited compatibility
- Weak WLAN
- Slow card reader
Beelink GTi13 Ultra
Design & processing
Equipment
Performance: Mini PC
Performance with dock
Price-performance ratio
89/100
Convincing and high-quality mini PC with integrated speakers and microphones that combines good performance with an attractive price. WLAN and SD card reader are quite slow, however.
