After reviewing the Beelink EQ12 last year, we have the successor, the Beelink EQ13, which brings significant improvements in design and performance. The chassis or case no longer has any visible vents and now incorporates the power supply into the body in a clean and very minimal design. Additionally, it packs an Intel N200 processor to deliver better performance, especially in graphics tasks.
Of course, in order to maintain the best quality-price ratio, Beelink had to cut back on some parts. Below, we will tell you the details of the new Beelink EQ13 and my experience with this mini PC.
Beelink EQ13: the lowest computer in all respects
Like its predecessor, the Beelink EQ13 isn’t focused on games or demanding tasks. It is a mini computer that allows you to do basic tasks with the lowest possible power consumption, without noise and takes up very little space on your desk. For this, it has the following details:
It has no ventilation slots or visible power supply
Beelink EQ13 is mainly made of ABS plastic. The box is very strong and does not feel weak. The most surprising thing is that it doesn’t have air vents on any visible faces. Heat is released only through the vents on the back. fair enough? The truth is; I have never had a problem with heating while using it. It usually works at a temperature of 40 degrees Celsius, and when it is turned to the maximum, it can reach 80 degrees.
It has a cooling system called “MSC 2.0” that draws cool air from the bottom of the mini PC and hot air from the side. It’s very easy! This minimally invasive design allows for quiet operation even under high demand.
Yes, you can hear the fan, but the volume is so low that it is hidden among the other sounds in the room. It emits a maximum of 35 dB of sound, which is equivalent to a quiet conversation.
It’s worth noting that the bottom of the Beelink EQ13, which has a perforated lid for ventilation, is protected by an anti-dust net to prevent dirt-related problems. In addition, it has “legs” that are slightly raised from the table, which creates the necessary space for air circulation. It’s clear that Beelink has thought of everything when designing this mini PC.
Another great new feature of the Beelink EQ13 is that it does not come with an external power supply as it has been integrated into the body. In the box, it only includes an HDMI cable and a simple power cable with a European plug. Like the PS4, for example, this mini PC only needs to connect a cable to turn it on. You don’t have to deal with external adapters!
As for ports, the front has two ultra-fast ports for data transfer (up to 10 Gbps): one USB-C and another USB-A 3.2. In addition, it has a 3.5 mm jack to connect headphones or speakers. There is your power button and a small LED indicator. On the back, you’ll find two additional USB-A 3.2 ports, a USB-A 2.0 port (up to 480 Mbps), a pair of HDMI 2.0 inputs that connect up to two displays in 4K/60 Hz, in pairs. Ethernet inputs for connecting to networks with wired gigabit and power input.
Incidentally, the Intel AX101 M.2 2230 has a card designed for wireless connectivity that provides WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2. Both connections worked well for us, without any issues.
Moderate hardware for very low consumption
Intel N200 This is a processor with Beelink EQ13. In terms of performance, it’s similar to its predecessor, the Intel N100, but with a significant improvement in integrated graphics (0.74 vs. 0.3 TFLOPS, according to Nanoreview data). But despite this improvement, the truth is that it is still not a computer suitable for relatively modern games.
Like the Beelink EQ12 does not come with DDR5 at 4800 MHz, but with 16 GB of DDR4 RAM at 3200 MHz, it is a reasonable cut if we talk about Dual channel RAM (DDR5 is not very large), but the Beelink EQ13 still has a single slot for RAM memory. Therefore, the performance is slightly lower compared to the previous model. And by the way, you can’t install DDR5 RAM.
On the other hand, it comes with a 500 GB SATA type M.2 2280 SSD, although it has two NVMe-compatible SSD slots. This is another letdown, as the maximum read and write speeds are close to 500 MB/s, while the Beelink EQ12 with NVMe SSD reaches speeds of over 800 MB/s.
Now, technical issues, the truth is we didn’t notice the difference in power between EQ13 and EQ12. The performance of Beelink EQ13 is exceptional when browsing the Internet, doing office work and playing videos. It works fluidly, quickly and quietly. It also works well with older and 2D games, but not with recent generations of 3D games (mostly PS2 and Wii games).
Low graphics load games like LoL run fine at 1080p at 90 FPS, but it can’t handle titles like Fortnite. On the other hand, it is important to mention that it supports modern multimedia playback technologies such as AV1 format, HDR10, 7.1 audio, Dolby, DTS and others. That means it is suitable for using platforms like Kodi, Stremio, Plex, etc.
But the best thing about Beelink EQ13 is that it can do all of the above with very low power consumption. Its processor has a TDP of 6W and consumes an average of 15W with basic functions. In our stress tests, the consumption does not exceed 25 W, which is incredible. All-day access will cost you just 1 euro per month, considering the price of 15 cents per kW.
Is Beelink EQ13 mini PC worth it?
Beelink EQ13 is a compact size PC with efficient, quiet and fluid operation. Although it could have better memory technologies as seen in EQ12, the combination of Intel N200 processor, 16GB DDR4 RAM and 500GB SATA SSD storage is enough to ensure flawless performance in office tasks and multimedia playback.
Thanks to the average low consumption of 15 W, you can leave it on all day and it will cost you only 1 euro per month in electricity bills. So it’s perfectly suited as an office PC and multimedia server or even as an old game console.
If you need a computer for the basics, today I don’t see the point in buying a tower that takes up a lot of space, there are mini PCs like the Beelink EQ13 that are very compact and efficient and just the price. 241 euros. It is worth knowing the limitations.
