Intel N100 performance debut: Beelink Mini S12 Pro mini PC review
The Beelink Mini S12 Pro (or EQ12) is an inexpensive low-power mini PC designed for HTPC purposes. It is one of the few devices equipped with an Intel 12th gen N100 processor whereas most other other mini PCs tend to ship with Core ix options.
Our review configuration with 16 GB single-channel memory and 512 GB SSD can be found online for just $200 USD to be one of the cheapest in the category with a 12th gen processor.
Alternatives to the Mini S12 Pro include Pentium- or Atom-powered mini PCs like the Intel NUC11ATKPE, Beelink U59, or Blackview MP80.
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Potential Competitors in Comparison
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Best Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
73.1 % | 10/2023 | Beelink Mini S12 Pro N100, UHD Graphics 24EUs (Alder Lake-N) | 335 g | 39.1 mm | x | ||
82.8 % | 10/2023 | GMK NucBox K3 Pro i7-12650H, UHD Graphics 64EUs | 396 g | 43.2 mm | x | ||
82.5 % | 08/2023 | Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit i7-1360P, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 558 g | 37 mm | x | ||
12/2022 | Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U i5-1235U, Iris Xe G7 80EUs | 465 g | 42 mm | x | |||
11/2021 | Beelink U59 Celeron N5095, UHD Graphics (Jasper Lake 16 EU) | 329 g | 42 mm | x | |||
70.9 % | 03/2023 | Intel NUC11ATKPE, N6005 Pentium N6005, UHD Graphics (Jasper Lake 32 EU) | 530 g | 36 mm | x |
Case
The chassis is most similar to the Beelink SEi12 except that the top has been redesigned with a bumpy matte texture instead of a removable cover. The S12 Pro also utilizes more plastic instead of metal for both smaller dimensions and a lighter weight as shown by the comparison chart below.
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Connectivity
Port options have changed slightly from the SEi12. When looking at the back, the Mini S12 Pro has one less USB-A port while the USB-C port has been repositioned. Each of the two HDMI ports support external monitors up to 4K at 60 Hz.
Unfortunately, the rear USB-C port on our unit would charge connected devices too slowly and it appears to be incompatible with any external monitors or Thunderbolt devices. It is therefore mostly useful for data transfers only.
Communication
An Intel AX201 comes standard for Wi-Fi 6 connectivity. Wi-Fi 6E or 6G is not supported likely to save on costs.
Networking | |
iperf3 transmit AX12 | |
Beelink U59 | |
iperf3 receive AX12 | |
Beelink U59 | |
iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
Beelink Mini S12 Pro | |
Intel NUC11ATKPE, N6005 | |
iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
Beelink Mini S12 Pro | |
Intel NUC11ATKPE, N6005 | |
iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit |
Maintenance
Accessories And Warranty
The retail box includes two HDMI cables, the power adapter, wall-mounted VESA bracket with screws, and the user manual. A one-year limited manufacturer warranty applies if purchased in the US.
Performance
Testing Conditions
We set Windows to Performance mode prior to running the benchmarks below. Beelink includes no specalized software for adjusting any auxiliary features or power profiles.
Processor
Overall performance with the N100 is merely 5 to 10 percent faster than the N95 in the Blackview MP80. The minor boost is not significant enough to be noticeable during day-to-day loads. Nonetheless, users upgrading from a Celeron N5095 will see decent performance increases in both single- and multi-threaded applications.
Cinebench R15 Multi Loop
Cinebench R23: Multi Core | Single Core
Cinebench R20: CPU (Multi Core) | CPU (Single Core)
Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 | 7z b 4 -mmt1
Geekbench 5.5: Multi-Core | Single-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
Cinebench R23: Multi Core | Single Core
Cinebench R20: CPU (Multi Core) | CPU (Single Core)
Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 | 7z b 4 -mmt1
Geekbench 5.5: Multi-Core | Single-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
* ... smaller is better
AIDA64: FP32 Ray-Trace | FPU Julia | CPU SHA3 | CPU Queen | FPU SinJulia | FPU Mandel | CPU AES | CPU ZLib | FP64 Ray-Trace | CPU PhotoWorxx
Performance Rating | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Intel NUC11ATKPE, N6005 | |
Beelink U59 | |
Beelink Mini S12 Pro | |
Average Intel Processor N100 |
AIDA64 / FP32 Ray-Trace | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Intel NUC11ATKPE, N6005 | |
Beelink U59 | |
Beelink Mini S12 Pro | |
Average Intel Processor N100 (837 - 837, n=2) |
AIDA64 / FPU Julia | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Intel NUC11ATKPE, N6005 | |
Beelink U59 | |
Average Intel Processor N100 (4395 - 4397, n=2) | |
Beelink Mini S12 Pro |
AIDA64 / CPU SHA3 | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Intel NUC11ATKPE, N6005 | |
Beelink U59 | |
Average Intel Processor N100 (307 - 308, n=2) | |
Beelink Mini S12 Pro |
AIDA64 / CPU Queen | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Intel NUC11ATKPE, N6005 | |
Beelink U59 | |
Beelink Mini S12 Pro | |
Average Intel Processor N100 (8663 - 8691, n=2) |
AIDA64 / FPU SinJulia | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Intel NUC11ATKPE, N6005 | |
Beelink U59 | |
Average Intel Processor N100 (430 - 432, n=2) | |
Beelink Mini S12 Pro |
AIDA64 / FPU Mandel | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Intel NUC11ATKPE, N6005 | |
Beelink U59 | |
Average Intel Processor N100 (2217 - 2220, n=2) | |
Beelink Mini S12 Pro |
AIDA64 / CPU AES | |
GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
Beelink U59 | |
Intel NUC11ATKPE, N6005 | |
Beelink Mini S12 Pro | |
Average Intel Processor N100 (8421 - 8426, n=2) |
AIDA64 / CPU ZLib | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
Intel NUC11ATKPE, N6005 | |
Beelink U59 | |
Average Intel Processor N100 (81.7 - 81.9, n=2) | |
Beelink Mini S12 Pro |
AIDA64 / FP64 Ray-Trace | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Intel NUC11ATKPE, N6005 | |
Beelink U59 | |
Beelink Mini S12 Pro | |
Average Intel Processor N100 (465 - 465, n=2) |
AIDA64 / CPU PhotoWorxx | |
GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
Intel NUC11ATKPE, N6005 | |
Beelink U59 | |
Beelink Mini S12 Pro | |
Average Intel Processor N100 (5384 - 6535, n=2) |
System Performance
CrossMark: Overall | Productivity | Creativity | Responsiveness
PCMark 10 / Digital Content Creation | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Average Intel Processor N100, Intel UHD Graphics 24EUs (Alder Lake-N) (2476 - 2497, n=2) | |
Beelink Mini S12 Pro | |
Intel NUC11ATKPE, N6005 | |
Beelink U59 |
PCMark 10 Score | 3164 points | |
Help |
AIDA64 / Memory Copy | |
GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Average of class Mini PC (6481 - 70620, n=69, last 2 years) | |
Intel NUC11ATKPE, N6005 | |
Beelink U59 | |
Beelink Mini S12 Pro | |
Average Intel Processor N100 (8377 - 11580, n=2) |
AIDA64 / Memory Read | |
GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
Average of class Mini PC (6914 - 71285, n=69, last 2 years) | |
Intel NUC11ATKPE, N6005 | |
Beelink U59 | |
Beelink Mini S12 Pro | |
Average Intel Processor N100 (8974 - 12488, n=2) |
AIDA64 / Memory Write | |
GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
Average of class Mini PC (6862 - 87358, n=69, last 2 years) | |
Intel NUC11ATKPE, N6005 | |
Beelink U59 | |
Beelink Mini S12 Pro | |
Average Intel Processor N100 (8762 - 12305, n=2) |
AIDA64 / Memory Latency | |
Average Intel Processor N100 (114.8 - 120.6, n=2) | |
Beelink Mini S12 Pro | |
GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Average of class Mini PC (55.3 - 146, n=69, last 2 years) | |
Beelink U59 | |
Intel NUC11ATKPE, N6005 |
* ... smaller is better
DPC Latency
LatencyMon reveals DPC issues when opening multiple browser tabs of our homepage. 4K video playback at 60 FPS is also imperfect with 3 dropped frames during a one-minute time period. The frame skips are thankfully not enough to be noticeable, but there should be none at all in the first place especially for an HTPC.
DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
Beelink Mini S12 Pro | |
Intel NUC11ATKPE, N6005 | |
GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Beelink U59 |
* ... smaller is better
Storage Devices
The unit ships with a budget 512 GB AZW SSD to save on costs with maximum sequential read and write rates of about 800 MB/s and 700 MB/s, respectively.
Drive Performance Rating - Percent | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
GMK NucBox K3 Pro -11! | |
Beelink Mini S12 Pro | |
Intel NUC11ATKPE, N6005 | |
Beelink U59 |
* ... smaller is better
Disk Throttling: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8
GPU Performance
Graphics performance is 76 percent slower than the common Iris Xe 96 EUs. In fact, it's barely any faster than the UHD Graphics 620 that's almost a decade old by now. We recommend game streaming if you intend to play any games on the Mini S12 Pro.
We suspect that our integrated Xe 24EUs would have performed much faster had our unit shipped with dual-channel memory instead of single-channel.
3DMark 11 Performance | 1751 points | |
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 7456 points | |
3DMark Fire Strike Score | 1206 points | |
3DMark Time Spy Score | 377 points | |
Help |
* ... smaller is better
The Witcher 3 | |
1024x768 Low Graphics & Postprocessing | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
Minisforum Venus Series NPB5 | |
Trigkey Speed S | |
GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN1245 | |
Beelink Mini S12 Pro | |
Average Intel UHD Graphics 24EUs (Alder Lake-N) | |
Beelink U59 | |
1366x768 Medium Graphics & Postprocessing | |
GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
Trigkey Speed S | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN1245 | |
1920x1080 High Graphics & Postprocessing (Nvidia HairWorks Off) | |
Minisforum Venus Series NPB5 | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Trigkey Speed S | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN1245 | |
1920x1080 Ultra Graphics & Postprocessing (HBAO+) | |
Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit | |
Minisforum Venus Series NPB5 | |
GMK NucBox K3 Pro | |
Trigkey Speed S | |
Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U | |
Minisforum Venus Series UN1245 |
Witcher 3 FPS Chart
low | med. | high | ultra | |
The Witcher 3 (2015) | 16 | |||
Dota 2 Reborn (2015) | 80.8 | 51.6 | 20.7 | 19.1 |
Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) | 13.4 | |||
X-Plane 11.11 (2018) | 12.9 | 10.9 | 10.4 |
Emissions
System Noise
The internal fan is always active at 26 dB(A) against a silent background of 23 dB(A) even when not running any applications. Thankfully, this is quiet enough to be essentially inaudible under most living room or office environments. Heavier loads would induce a fan noise between 33 and 37 dB(A) compared to over 40 dB(A) on faster and pricier mini PCs like the Intel NUC 13 Pro or GMK NucBox K3 Pro.
Noise Level
Idle |
| 26.3 / 26.3 / 26.3 dB(A) |
Load |
| 31.9 / 36.7 dB(A) |
| ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
||
min: , med: , max: Earthworks M23R, Arta (15 cm distance) environment noise: 23.3 dB(A) |
Beelink Mini S12 Pro UHD Graphics 24EUs (Alder Lake-N), N100 | GMK NucBox K3 Pro UHD Graphics 64EUs, i7-12650H, Lexar NM610 Pro NM610P001T-HNNNG | Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit Iris Xe G7 96EUs, i7-1360P, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL2512HCJQ | Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U Iris Xe G7 80EUs, i5-1235U, Kingston NV1 SNVS/500GCN | Beelink U59 UHD Graphics (Jasper Lake 16 EU), Celeron N5095, Silicon Motion AZW 512G NV428 | Intel NUC11ATKPE, N6005 UHD Graphics (Jasper Lake 32 EU), Pentium N6005, WDC PC SN720 SDAPNTW-512G | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Noise | -6% | -13% | -4% | 2% | -16% | |
off / environment * | 23.3 | 23.1 1% | 25.2 -8% | 23.3 -0% | 24.5 -5% | 30.3 -30% |
Idle Minimum * | 26.3 | 25 5% | 28.1 -7% | 27.8 -6% | 24.5 7% | 31.8 -21% |
Idle Average * | 26.3 | 25.5 3% | 28.2 -7% | 27.8 -6% | 24.5 7% | 31.9 -21% |
Idle Maximum * | 26.3 | 25.5 3% | 28.3 -8% | 27.8 -6% | 28.6 -9% | 32 -22% |
Load Average * | 31.9 | 39.9 -25% | 42 -32% | 32 -0% | 29.7 7% | 32.5 -2% |
Witcher 3 ultra * | 33 | 39.9 -21% | 34.1 -3% | 30.4 8% | ||
Load Maximum * | 36.7 | 39.9 -9% | 42.1 -15% | 39.2 -7% | 37.6 -2% | 36.8 -0% |
* ... smaller is better
Temperature
Surface temperatures are warmest nearest the rear ventilation grilles. The top surface in particular can reach over 43 C compared to just 37 C on the SEi12 likely due to the lack of ventilation grilles on the top of the Mini S12 Pro.
Stress Test
CPU clock rates and package power draw when initiating Prime95 stress would spike to 2.6 GHz and 25 W, respectively. After about 40 seconds or so, the processor would drop to 2.6 GHz and 20 W in order to maintain a core temperature of 74 C. High Turbo Boost clock rates are therefore unsustainable for long periods which is not surprising for a low-power processor.
CPU Clock (GHz) | GPU Clock (MHz) | Average CPU Temperature (°C) | |
System Idle | -- | -- | 47 |
Prime95 Stress | 2.6 | -- | 74 |
Prime95 + FurMark Stress | 2.1 | 748 | 78 |
Witcher 3 Stress | ~1.2 | 748 | 69 |
Apple MacBook Pro 16 2021 M1 Pro audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (84.7 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(+) | good bass - only 3.8% away from median
(+) | bass is linear (5.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 1.3% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (2.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 1.9% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (2.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (4.6% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 0% of all tested devices in this class were better, 0% similar, 100% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 18%, worst was 45%
Compared to all devices tested
» 0% of all tested devices were better, 0% similar, 100% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 26%, worst was 134%
Energy Management
Power Consumption
The system is expectedly very efficient. Idling on desktop would consume just 8 to 9 W while very heavy loads like games would take only 20 W on average. Consumption may temporarily peak at around 33 W when launching applications or when high CPU loads are introduced. The included 36 W AC adapter (~7.8 x 4.6 x 3.1 cm) is just barely enough to power the mini PC at 100 percent CPU utilization.
Off / Standby | 1.1 / 1.3 Watt |
Idle | 8.3 / 8.8 / 8.9 Watt |
Load |
20.1 / 32.2 Watt |
Beelink Mini S12 Pro N100, UHD Graphics 24EUs (Alder Lake-N), , , x, | GMK NucBox K3 Pro i7-12650H, UHD Graphics 64EUs, Lexar NM610 Pro NM610P001T-HNNNG, , x, | Intel NUC 13 Pro Desk Edition Kit i7-1360P, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL2512HCJQ, , x, | Beelink SEi12 Core i5-1235U i5-1235U, Iris Xe G7 80EUs, Kingston NV1 SNVS/500GCN, , x, | Beelink U59 Celeron N5095, UHD Graphics (Jasper Lake 16 EU), Silicon Motion AZW 512G NV428, , x, | Intel NUC11ATKPE, N6005 Pentium N6005, UHD Graphics (Jasper Lake 32 EU), WDC PC SN720 SDAPNTW-512G, , x, | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Power Consumption | -76% | -70% | -142% | 23% | 10% | |
Idle Minimum * | 8.3 | 7.1 14% | 7 16% | 15.8 -90% | 6.7 19% | 4.4 47% |
Idle Average * | 8.8 | 10.1 -15% | 9.2 -5% | 16.8 -91% | 6.7 24% | 7.3 17% |
Idle Maximum * | 8.9 | 18.6 -109% | 11.8 -33% | 17 -91% | 7.4 17% | 7.3 18% |
Load Average * | 20.1 | 45.3 -125% | 45 -124% | 54.4 -171% | 16 20% | 23.5 -17% |
Witcher 3 ultra * | 21.5 | 55.2 -157% | 50.7 -136% | 13.1 39% | ||
Load Maximum * | 32.2 | 52.9 -64% | 97.2 -202% | 119.1 -270% | 25.6 20% | 37.6 -17% |
* ... smaller is better
Power Consumption Witcher 3 / Stresstest
Power Consumption external Monitor
Pros
Cons
Verdict
Don't be fooled by the "Pro" naming as the Mini S12 Pro isn't fast at all when compared to PCs with entry-level Core i3 or Ryzen 3 CPUs. Instead, the model is all about efficiency, affordability, and ease-of-servicing with its N100 CPU and accessible internals. The system works well for basic HTPC streaming purposes and light browsing, but more demanding users and multitaskers will want to spend a little more on models like the SEi12 or SER7.
Value is nonetheless extraordinary as the $200 price point nets you Windows 11 Pro, 16 GB of RAM, and 512 GB of storage all ready to go.
Price and Availability
The Beelink EQ12 is now shipping on Amazon for just $199 USD in our exact configuration.
Beelink Mini S12 Pro
-
10/18/2023 v7
Allen Ngo
Transparency
The present review sample was made available to the author as a loan by the manufacturer or a shop for the purposes of review. The lender had no influence on this review, nor did the manufacturer receive a copy of this review before publication. There was no obligation to publish this review.