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While the cost of RAM is skyrocketing, the mini-PC market remains – for how many more months? – relatively unaffected by this dramatic inflation. However, even with a power source, it’s becoming challenging to find affordable configurations with 32 GB of memory… unless you opt for DDR4, which is a significant advantage of some mini-PCs like Beelink’s latest model.
Understandably, some users might express outrage and concern about the future-readiness of these devices. They are not entirely wrong, but the use of DDR4-3200 allows Beelink to offer the EQi13 Pro with 32 GB for less than 600 euros (589 euros recommended retail price) if it comes with a 512 GB SSD. The same can’t be said for configurations with DDR5.
Technical Specifications
| Model | Beelink EQi13 Pro |
|---|---|
| Touchscreen | Yes |
| Processor (CPU) | Core i7-13620H |
| Graphics Chip (GPU) | Intel UHD Graphics |
| RAM | 32 GB |
| Internal Memory | 500, 1024 GB |
| Wi-Fi Standard | Wi-Fi 6 (ax) |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.2 |
| Operating System (OS) | Microsoft Windows 11 Pro |
| Product Link | Product Page |
The review was conducted using a product provided by Beelink.
Compact as Ever… with Integrated Power Supply
At first glance, the Beelink EQi13 Pro looks like a typical mini-PC: a parallelepiped barely over 44 millimeters thick based on a strictly square base of 126 mm on each side. It may not be the smallest mini-PC we’ve seen at Frandroid, but it’s definitely among the best: the total volume doesn’t exceed 0.7 liters while the Geekom A9 Max, for example, reached 0.83 liters.
Esthetically, and a quick look at our photos will confirm, Beelink hasn’t ventured into wildly original design. The EQi13 Pro follows the design of previous models in the range, which themselves were heavily inspired by industry standards: the casing is uniformly silver-gray, with no protrusions or remarkable elements. Thus, there isn’t even a mention of an SD card reader as found in some competitors… But we may be getting ahead of ourselves because a quick look at the connectors reveals the unique aspect of the range.
As previously mentioned in the introduction, the EQ range from Beelink is one of the very few in the mini-PC world that does not rely on an external power brick. This obviously simplifies installation, transport, and use: there’s no extra “box” hanging around besides the PC itself. However, it must be acknowledged that in case of failure, repair will be less straightforward: you’ll have to get your hands dirty even if, at least, the internal power supplies used by Beelink are often available online, especially on platforms like AliExpress.
The integration of the power supply clearly affects the weight of the EQi13 Pro, which feels significantly denser than many mini-machines right out of the box. In reality, it’s mostly its size that creates this impression as the device only weighs 610 grams. Nothing monstrous.
Rich Connectivity, Yet Sometimes Dated
The absence of an external brick and the integration of the power supply naturally also changes the onboard connectivity: the classic power jack is replaced by a standard two-pin port. It is complemented by numerous connections – as is often the case with mini-PCs – but it’s a mixed bag: we have two RJ45 ports, but they are only 1 GbE ports. At a time when 2.5 GbE is becoming standard, this is regrettable.
Similarly, while Beelink includes two HDMI ports, they are only of the 2.0 standard, perfect for 4K at 60 frames per second, but not more. We would have also liked to see a DisplayPort. Finally, to finish with the rear of the machine, USB seems at first glance to be rather well provided: 1 USB 2.0 port (480 Mbps) and 2 USB 3.2 ports (10 Gbps), all in USB-A. Unfortunately, as you may have guessed, there is no USB4 and/or Thunderbolt to round off the offer. No USB also seems designed to handle display.
On the front of the EQi13 Pro, things are logically more Spartan. A power button and a control LED are on the right, while two USB 3.2 ports (10 Gbps) are present: one in USB-A and the other in USB-C. They are complemented by an audio jack (headphone/mic) and, quite unusually, a small button for Clear CMOS. We must admit that this last feature pleasantly surprised us, but having a third USB would not have been amiss. Finally, no other connectors are on the sides of the machine, nor, as we mentioned, is there a card reader.
Accessories: Quite Sparse
If you regularly read our mini-PC tests or are interested in this category of machines, you are used to this: they are not known for the richness of the standard accessories provided. However, Beelink has been even less generous than usual and apart from the mini-PC itself, there is literally nothing else included.
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We exaggerate only a (very) little because, in reality, Beelink does still deliver the power cable for its machine (about 1.2 meters) and an HDMI cable. But that’s it, you could search the small box or turn it inside out, there is absolutely nothing else. The most irritating part is the absence of a VESA mounting kit, typically a standard feature on mini-PCs from other brands and even those from Beelink. The reason is quite simple: the EQi13 Pro is not directly equipped with the necessary holes for such a kit. There, however, we do not understand the why of this technical choice.
Windows 11 Preinstalled… That’s It
When it comes to software, there really isn’t much to get excited about since nearly all mini-PC manufacturers are in the same boat: they offer a pre-installed edition of Windows 11 on the machine and leave little other choice for users who, for example, would prefer not to pay for Microsoft’s operating system.
Beelink does neither better nor worse than others and thus it’s a Windows 11 Professional edition that we find at the initial boot of the PC. This pre-installation speeds up the machine’s deployment: simply follow the various steps to finalize the installation and within a few minutes, you find yourself on the Windows desktop, ready to work. A precautionary measure: it is advisable not to connect the network cable and not to validate the WiFi connection for this pre-installation to prevent Windows from immediately launching all the updates.
It is indeed important to note that, as is often the case, the EQi13 Pro is far from being up-to-date and numerous patches will be deployed by Microsoft: Windows Update will for example upgrade to Windows 11 25H2 which can take some time. As for Intel drivers, they are not very up-to-date either and you won’t be able to avoid them to ensure the machine is performing at its best. Note that unlike major manufacturers like ASUS, Dell, or HP, there is no software to check for driver updates.
And How Does It Perform in Use?
As usual, after a few paragraphs and photos to discuss the EQi13 Pro, it’s time to see what this PC really has under the hood. To do this, we made it our main machine for a few weeks and put it through the various scenarios of our daily use… well, almost all of them.
Firstly, it’s worth mentioning that Beelink planned two versions of the EQi13 Pro: ours is equipped with a Core i7-13620H featuring 10 cores/16 threads and 24 MB of Smart Cache. It’s also possible to opt for a Core i5-13500H with 12 cores/16 threads, but only an 18 MB cache. Moreover, 6 of the 10 cores of the Core i7 are performance cores, while there are only 4 performance cores in the Core i5. Advantage to the former then, which has fewer efficient cores in its mix. However, the Core i5 is equipped with a more ambitious graphics solution: an Intel Iris Xe Graphics with 80 execution units more modern than the 64 units of the Intel UHD Graphics solution of the Core i7.
No difference, however, in the TDP of the two processors, and everything suggests that these two chips will be intended for different uses with a more multimedia, more gaming focus for the Core i5 while the Core i7 will be more comfortable with all production tasks, heavy computing work. To avoid any jealousy, Beelink decided to equip both machines with a similar environment: 32 GB of RAM through two SO-DIMM DDR4-3200 sticks. It will be possible to upgrade to 96 GB, but by changing sticks as no slots are free. Free, however, is one of the two M.2 ports for SSDs: 1 TB is already installed, but the second remains free.
The technical considerations of which are evident in our first test tools. There, it is clear that the EQi13 Pro we received is less well-equipped than the model with Core i5 and Iris Xe Graphics solution. Indeed, on 3DMark, with our three scenes of choice, the Core i7 is less comfortable: on Fire Strike it still passes with 4386 points for the graphics score, but it’s only 579 and even 131 points, respectively on Time Spy Extreme and Steel Nomad. Clearly, the EQi13 Pro equipped with the Core i7 will not be a good solution for gaming. Note that while the model with Core i5 does better, we are still far from mini-PCs like the A9 Max or the Evo-T1.
However, the EQi13 Pro is not a bad fellow either, and our actual gaming tests yielded something “playable”, at least on Forza Horizon 5 or Shadow of the Tomb Raider. If you stay in 720p and set the details to minimum, we are talking about 52 frames per second for the first and 50 fps for the second.
Quickly, we conducted the same tests by simply putting the graphical details to the maximum (respectively in “extreme” and “very high”). This time, no miracle and it will be impossible to play with such settings: on Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the average is set at 28 fps and on Forza Horizon 5 it’s even worse as we speak, moreover, of a racing game, simply 14 fps.
Fortunately, it is still possible to play less demanding titles: the world of independent gaming is full of gems that will remain perfectly playable like, you are used to if you read our tests regularly, Unpacking or Horizon Chase Turbo, our favorites. On the latter, it is even possible to play several locally by sharing the screen: it passes well.
As we said, the interest of the EQi13 Pro with its Core i7 is not its gaming potential, even if it remains feasible. No, the computing power of the Intel processor must especially show its capabilities on a tool like Cinebench 2024 and, there, it must be said that the result is interesting: 103 points in single-thread and, especially, 670 points in multi-thread, it’s a very honorable score that bodes well for the behavior of the mini-PC.
A good behavior confirmed by PCMark which is more generalist in simulating multiple scenarios from classic office work to multimedia creation tasks, video editing, but also rendering work and videoconferencing.
There, the 5268 points obtained in general are not exceptional, but guarantee a good functioning of the machine which, moreover, especially struggles with the digital content creation test: only 6437 points while we are at 8919 points in essentials.
Finally, we always end the performance evaluation with a measure related to the storage system. Here, Beelink opted for a well-known model of SSD, a Crucial P3 Plus of 1 TB. Unsurprisingly, this SSD ensures good performance for the machine thanks to its PCIe Gen 4 interface: 5197 MB/s in sequential read and still 4757 MB/s in sequential write. Better, almost 780K IOPS in random read and almost 740K IOPS in random write are a good index for a more “professional” operation.
Power Consumption and Heat
Beyond the performance of the components used by Beelink, we appreciate their excellent energy management. Indeed, these are products that consume little and heat up even less. These are very important points when you see the small space available to cool everything while the presence of the power supply within the machine further increases the risk of overheating.
So, of course, do not expect miracles and, under full load on the heaviest tasks, the Core i7-13620H still reached 87°C, but this is not extraordinary and as soon as the tasks are a bit less heavy, we quickly fall below 80°C. Better, this rise in temperature remains below Intel’s recommendations (100°C) and never “contaminates” the other components of the EQi13 Pro.
For example, the Crucial P3 Plus SSD never reached 60°C and the SO-DIMM DDR4 sticks stayed even cooler at all times: barely 54°C. Beelink attributes these good results to the cooling system it has developed: a heat pipe is placed at the processor level to direct its heat towards the blower type fan. Better, fresh air is taken from the bottom of the case in order to follow the natural movement of the heat. Finally, the SSDs have a relatively imposing heat sink given the size of the configuration.
Finally, it is always good to make a small point on consumption while a mini-PC should be much more economical than a large tower machine. There, no worries, even at the height of the demands, on Cinebench 2024, the EQi13 Pro never reached 80 watts while in gaming behavior, on Shadow of the Tomb Raider, we were rather around 55 watts.
Price and Availability
Launched a few weeks ago – before the end-of-year holidays – the EQi13 Pro is now easily available online. It already benefits from promotions, but be careful as the soaring cost of
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Maya Singh is a senior editor covering tablets and hybrid devices. Her work explores how these tools reshape digital productivity and learning. She also contributes to feature editorials on emerging tech.