Beelink SEI 14 Review: Elegant mini PC with good performance

Beelink is one of the best-known manufacturers of mini PCs and has already scored points in the past with its computing dwarfs with impeccable workmanship and strong features. With the Beelink SEI 14, the company is now launching a new model that aims to score points with strong features such as Intel Core Ultra 5, 32 GB RAM and a fast PCIe 4.0 x4 SSD. Our test reveals what this compact computer has to offer.

Technical data

Beelink SEI 14 test: Elegant and high-quality

In terms of design and workmanship, the Beelink SEI 14 is right up there with the best. In contrast to the EQ12 Pro (our test), this time the manufacturer has opted for a silver aluminum housing, which not only looks higher quality but also feels much more robust and valuable.

With a width and depth of 113.5 mm and a height of 52 mm (including rubber feet), the SEI 14 is slightly larger than current Geekom models and, at 767 grams, also weighs more. This is mainly due to the Mini-PC’s generous cooling system, which – this much we can already reveal – can also maintain performance over the long term.

Visually, the SEI 14 is reminiscent of most other mini PCs. However, the manufacturer has dispensed with additional ventilation holes on the sides, which further reinforces the robust impression. Instead, there are generous ventilation slots at the rear and a perforated underside.

Clever detail: the underside has a small rubber band that makes it easier to remove. However, it is not quite as clever that the screws for opening the case are located under the glued rubber covers – similar to the Geekom A8 (our test). And they are quite difficult to remove without damaging them, which would not have been necessary.

Once we have removed these, we can access the inner workings via four Phillips screws. Beelink places an additional dust protection under the cover, which is secured once again by four Phillips screws. Once these are also removed, the tidy interior of the Mini-PC is revealed with two SO-DIMMs for the RAM and two M.2 2280 slots for SSDs.

I really like the fact that all the slots are labeled and that Beelink also provides the SSDs with a large heat sink, which should keep even high-performance storage solutions pleasantly cool.

Features and connections leave little to be desired

• Intel Core Ultra 5 with 32 GB RAM
• good expansion options
• Thunderbolt 4 with eGPU support; mixed WLAN performance

Beelink offers the SEI 14 in a single configuration and relies on the Intel Core Ultra 5 125H with 14 cores and clock speeds of up to 4,500 MHz. It is supported by 32 GB DDR5-5600 RAM in dual-channel mode and a 1 terabyte PCIe 4.0 x4 SSD in the form of the Crucial P3 Plus. The graphics calculation takes place internally on the Intel ARC iGPU.

The Mini-PC can be equipped with up to 96 GB of RAM and 8 TB of system memory, which means it should also be well equipped for the future.

The SEI 14 communicates wirelessly via Wi-Fi 6, but only achieves decent speeds and unfortunately cannot reach the maximum. Only around 160 MBit/s of the maximum possible 500 MBit/s arrive. Bluetooth 5.2 is also available.

Things get interesting with the connections, which are spread across the front and rear. At the front, in addition to a 3.5 mm jack connection, there is a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C and a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A to choose from.

At the back there are the following ports:

• 1 x Thunderbolt 4 (40 Gbps)
• 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A (10 Gbps)
• 2 x USB 2.0 Type-A (480 Mbps)
• 1 x HDMI 2.1 (4K60)
• 1 x DisplayPort 1.4a (4K120)
• 1 x 2.5 GbE LAN

The Beelink SEI 14 also allows an external eGPU to be connected via Thunderbolt 4, which should also make the mini PC very interesting for gamers. Unfortunately, the manufacturer has not included an SD card reader. Up to three screens are supported.

Beelink SEI 14 in practical test

• pleasantly quiet fan
• excellent cooling

In practice, the Beelink SEI 14 cuts a very good figure. Two things stand out in particular:

On the one hand, the mini PC works pleasantly quietly even under continuous load. The manufacturer promises “virtually silent operation”, which can actually be confirmed in practice. Even during gaming and stress tests, the fans work almost inaudibly – a huge difference to the Geekom models and other mini PCs, which can get quite loud under load.

On the other hand, the cooling also works extremely efficiently. Even with 20 runs in the 3DMark stress test, the case hardly heats up noticeably, so that the SEI 14 has no problems maintaining maximum performance even under load.

There is no question that the Core Ultra 5 is a high-performance chip. In general, this mini PC delivers really convincing performance that can cope well with demanding workflows and can even set the tone in games.

Benchmark: Productivity, system, SSD and gaming

As always, I evaluated the performance of the Beelink SEI 14 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.

For the first time, the new gaming benchmark 3DMark Steel Nomad was also used in both the normal and light version, which is now an integral part of our benchmark series.

But let’s start with the SSD, which shows really good performance and is fortunately able to maintain this even under constant load. With 4,149.99 MB/s reading and 3,441.02 MB/s writing, the Crucial P3 Plus does not deliver its maximum performance, but it is well ahead of the storage solutions of other mini PCs, so you should be well positioned here in the long term.

The storage solution is particularly strong in the 4K values and access times, resulting in an excellent overall score of 7,740 points. By far the highest in the Mini PC segment that we have been able to test so far. In the 3DMark Storage test, it also scored a very good 2,872 points.

The CPU tests also show a good result, although the Core Ultra 5 125H is inferior to the AMD chips AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS and AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS, especially in the current Cinebench 2024 test.

Nevertheless, this is a very good match on the part of the manufacturer, because compared to the Core Ultra 7 155H (with more cores and higher clock rates), which is used in the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro 360 multimedia notebook (our test), for example, the compact Beelink computer was even ahead in the multi-core tests and slightly behind in the single-core performance.

In the holistic PCMark test, it is even almost on a par, which is mainly due to the fast SSD, which is even ahead in the demanding Digital Content Creation test. However, the Geekom A7 and A8 models deliver noticeably better results here thanks to the efficient and powerful AMD chips.

The graphics and gaming performance of the Beelink SEI 14 is also surprisingly good, even though the Geekom A7 achieves significantly better results here thanks to its Radeon 780M. In the synthetic 3DMark benchmarks, the mini PC with the Intel ARC iGPU delivers expected results that are on a par with previously tested notebooks with Intel Meteor Lake.

In practice, this means that even reasonably modern games such as Final Fantasy XV or Shadow of the Tomb Raider can be played in medium details at over 30 fps. However, not much more is possible. Unless you connect an external GPU, which is of course an interesting option in conjunction with the mini PC.

In the new 3DMark Steel Nomad tests, the SEI 14 achieves 670 points or 2,874 points in the light version of the test, which translates into 21.29 fps.

The good cooling performance is confirmed in the 3DMark Speed way stress test, which the SEI 14 masters with Bavour and can maintain the performance at 99.6 percent after 20 runs and thus almost constantly at maximum.

Beelink SEI 14 Review: Conclusion

With the Beelink SEI 14, the manufacturer has created a very high-quality and robust mini PC, which also scores with convincing maintenance options and excellent features. The selection of connections is also pleasing, while the built-in Intel Core Ultra 5 delivers strong performance.

There is not really much to complain about. The Wi-Fi receiver could have been a little more powerful and an additional USB-C port would have been nice, but that’s complaining at a high level. The Beelink SEI 14 is also attractively priced, making the mini PC worthwhile for anyone looking for a powerful computer that can also make use of an external GPU.