Beelink GTR7 mini-PC Review: A Complete AMD Phoenix Package at 65W

Miscellaneous Aspects and Concluding Remarks

Networking and storage are aspects that may be of vital importance in specific PC use-cases. The Beelink GTR7 comes with two 2.5 Gbps RJ-45 ports and a 2x2 Wi-Fi 6 WLAN subsystem. This is high-end, considering that many mini-PC manufacturers are still advertising 1 Gbps and Wi-Fi 5 in their units. While 10 Gbps LAN ports would have been nice to have, the USB4 ports with PCIe tunneling support can be of help for such use-cases. Thunderbolt 3 docks and 10G BASE-T adapters can be used with those ports, if required.

On the storage side, Beelink advertises a Gen4 NVMe SSD, and while it is from Crucial (a tier-one vendor), it is unfortunately DRAM-less and QLC-based. The Crucial P3 Plus utilizes Micron's 176L 3D QLC NAND behind a Phison E21T SSD controller. If I were to recommend a SSD for a mini-PC, a TLC-equipped Gen4 SSD with DRAM would probably be on top of the list. From a benchmarking perspective, we provide results from the WPCstorage test of SPECworkstation 3.1. This benchmark replays access traces from various programs used in different verticals and compares the score against the one obtained with a 2017 SanDisk 512GB SATA SSD in the SPECworkstation 3.1 reference system.

The graphs above present results for different verticals, as grouped by SPECworkstation 3.1. The storage workload consists of 60 subtests. Access traces from CFD solvers and programs such as Catia, Creo, and Soidworks come under 'Product Development'. Storage access traces from the NAMD and LAMMPS molecular dynamics simulator are under the 'Life Sciences' category. 'General Operations' includes access traces from 7-Zip and Mozilla programs. The 'Energy' category replays traces from the energy-02 SPECviewperf workload. The 'Media and Entertainment' vertical includes Handbrake, Maya, and 3dsmax.

Though we have called out the Crucial P3 Plus in the GTR7 for its QLC NAND, use of 176L flash and a reasonably performant Phison E21T controller means that the GTR7 in the middle of the pack consistently outperforms the Kingston NV2 in the GEEKOM AS 6 (which uses 112L 3D TLC). Other than that, the relative performance numbers in the WPCstorage suite are easily explained - the systems / drives that perform way better than the GTR7 / P3 Plus all utilize high layer-count 3D TLC NAND and are fronted by high-performance SSD controllers using DRAM for the flash translation layer (FTL).

Closing Thoughts

The Beelink GTR7 provided us with the opportunity to evaluate one of the first AMD Phoenix-based mini-PCs. The tweaks to operate the Ryzen 7 7840HS at 65W (even though AMD's specifications call for the cTDP to be configured between 35W and 54W only) is very welcome. While we received a review sample from one of the early production runs, the company has actually been iterating quite fast even on the hardware front - a new case underside was released as a free upgrade in order to improve the thermal performance for the RAM and SSDs. A newer board iteration has also been released with expanded RAM compatibility. While it is not a matter of big concern for folks who already have a working unit in hand (Beelink doesn't sell barebones systems), it does help in worry-free RAM capacity upgrades for power users.

Beelink has designed, manufactured, and distributed the GTR7 on their own. As a result, it is easy to see rapid iterations and adoption of feedback. The company has adopted high-end solutions such as vapor chamber-based cooling and this has resulted in the GTR7 becoming a high-end premium system. At the same time, the company has paid attention to things often ignored by other vendors - a focus on creating a thermal solution for the RAM and the SSDs, incorporating a flexible flap into the underside to make its removal easier, etc.

Like the Rembrandt-R systems, Phoenix-based ones like the GTR7 retain the dual USB4 ports functionality with full 40 Gbps support. However, neither USB4 port supports the USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20 Gbps) mode and that feature seems to be restricted to a few RPL-P systems for now. The GTR7 puts a 10 Gbps Type-C port (data only) in front, and two 40 Gbps USB4 Type-C ports in the rear. We would have liked one of the USB4 ports to be in the front panel. The casing could also do with added markings near the ports to indicate the functionality. While the USB 2.0 Type-A ports are easily differentiated from the USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports due to the color coding, the same can't be said of the Type-C ports.

The system comes with a reasonably small wall wart for the 120W power adapter. Utilizing USB-C PD with its newer 140W and 240W power levels would have resulted in a more user-friendly solution. While the implemented magnetic power connector is nice and secure, it is proprietary in nature. Folks dealing with a large number of systems appreciate the ability to swap adapters across different units. For regular users, it is easier to find replacements for standard power adapters. Going the USB-C PD route would be a win-win for both Beelink and the consumer. As a value-add, Beelink could create a compact USB4 dock / hub that could act as a power adapter as well as a port extender for those who desire it. Other users could use a standard USB-C PD adapter.

Beelink GTR7 - Physical Footprint (compared to a regular soda can and a half-height mainstream Intel NUC)

Other aspects that could do with some improvement include the behavior of certain settings for some of the BIOS options. For example, configuring the UMA buffer size for the VRAM to 'Auto' sets it to 32MB. Windows is unable to present a 4K UI as a result, and the desktop resolution remains fixed at 1080p. With a similar 'Auto' setting, the GEEKOM AS 6 allocates 512MB at startup and allows the iGPU to behave normally. Thankfully, the default setting for the GTR7's UMA Buffer Size is 4GB.

The presence of audio jacks in both the front and the rear panel addresses a minor inconvenience faced by a small subset of PC users. It is a welcome feature that would be more beneficial if users were allowed to select the active connection in case both jacks are connected to audio sinks. The absence of Wi-Fi 6E is puzzling, given that all other features of the GTR7 are high-end in nature.

The value proposition of the Beelink GTR7 needs to be discussed after taking pricing into account. The Beelink GTR7 with the Ryzen 7 7840HS, 1TB Crucial P3 Plus SSD, 2x 16 GB Crucial DDR5-5600 RAM, and Windows 11 Pro OS is priced at $709 ($789 with $80 off using coupon code GTR780). This is the same as the GEEKOM AS 6 with similar build components, but for a newer processor and better connectivity (in terms of USB and LAN ports). At this price point, the GTR7 is a no-brainer, with the only tempering aspect being the newness of the platform. The first stable drivers for the product were released by AMD in late July, and Beelink themselves have been iterating on the hardware over the last couple of months.

Traditionally, buying from no-name brands or upstarts like Beelink - particularly from their own storefronts - at 'too good to be true' prices is fraught with risk. However, the company seems to give that impression only because they are new to the distribution and support challenges. With their OEM history, the R&D and components quality are not a major concern. Beelink also sells their PCs on Amazon, but with Phoenix SoCs in high demand, the GTR7 listing is currently only on Beelink's own site. That said, we are starting to see more Phoenix-based mini-PCs in the market from the likes of SimplyNUC (Moonstone), Morefine (M600), and MinisForum (UM790 Pro). Compared to these UCFF systems, the Beelink GTR7 seems to have an edge by operating the Phoenix SoC with a higher cTDP configuration and incorporating better connectivity. The company has achieved this with minimal physical footprint penalty. Overall, the Beelink GTR7 gets our recommendation for power users who don't mind the risks associated with a cutting-edge platform.