Review on Beelink SEI8 Desktop Mini PC: Intel 8th i5-8259U, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, Windows 11 Pro, 4K Graphics by Adan Hudson

I chose this unit because it required no upgrades, no additional components, no additional RAM, nothing. I'll go into more specs below, but the configuration of this machine was such that I unboxed it, plugged it in, and literally 3.5 minutes later was working perfectly. So, what about the characteristics that made me choose this one? • Processor (Intel i5-8259U) with integrated graphics is considered reliable. • The GPU (Iris Plus 655) is an upgraded version of the Iris 655 and apart from the dedicated graphics card they aren't much better. • It comes with 16GB of RAM, which is plenty for pretty much anything at the moment. • A 500 GB solid state hard drive is sufficient for the operating system and offers enough storage space for files and programs. Those were the main points that I liked about this PC from the start. Well, here are some bonus features that aren't that obvious or even advertised. • No matter how small the PC is, it still has room for a 2.5” drive (SSD or HDD) and comes with the necessary SATA ribbon cables. • Little did I know it would come with a Wi-Fi 6 card which can reach 3x the speed of other cards and is of course future proof. • Imagine my surprise when I learned that the bundled 16GB RAM consists of two SAMSUNG DIMMS modules (modules). This is a real pleasure, because these are quality modules. • Finally, I tested the supplied SSD with sequential read and write speeds of 1600 MB/s and 1550 MB/s. These speeds are on par with some of the best drives out there right now, and while I haven't been able to identify the manufacturer, I'm willing to bet it's just a remastered version of one of the big ones. It's all about engineering here, but I'll try to say that the processing power it offers is tremendous for the size of this little machine. I made a video showing some more test specs and a small demo but suffice it to say I'm very impressed with how well the machine works. It really took just over 3 minutes to boot up and get going. . Everything was installed and all drivers were already working properly. I didn't have to do anything other than the usual Windows updates. And speaking of Windows, did I mention it comes with a Pro version that lets you use the built-in encryption on your drive? I ran all my desktop and remote apps with no issues, and even when I open the game, the machine just hums. There's a fan inside and it's not exactly quiet, but unless you're sitting in a quiet room next to the car you won't even notice it. I have it on a shelf in a cage above the monitor, but it's like it doesn't exist. Everything is thought out and placed in my opinion. The HDMI ports are on the back, along with a power connector, two USB 3.0 ports (3.2?), and an Ethernet port. There are air vents on the back and sides, and there are three additional USB ports (one of which is USB-C) on the front. There's a microUSB card reader on the side, but to be honest my fingers are too fat and clumsy to use it. It's one of those elastic slots and I can't put a card in. Anyway, the front also has a power button and a headphone jack. If there is one thing I would change about the entire machine it would be to make the case out of metal alloy for better durability and heat dissipation, but I know that will likely increase the cost. this is a really good find. Every component is exactly the same as the big laptop, so I see no reason to hesitate just because it doesn't have a familiar logo.