The Cleanest eGPU Yet -- Beelink GTi14 + Dock

[@borgpunx]

Nice. After watching one of your reviews, I opted to buy the SER8 8845HS on prime day for my kid. Not bad for $500

[@raf.raf.]

I got some butter for mine

[@evasfra]

It's 899 euros in Spain 😓

[@piobandz68]

Should I buy the ser9 for emulators

[@Bushidounohana]

That external GPU setup is pretty slick, and while not for me, certainly intriguing to see in action. Was really surprised to see how complicated the tear down was and the speakers seemed like an odd addition. Great work, as always!

[@LieutenantP1ckle]

THEY LISTED THE BUTTER AS AN OFFICIAL PRODUCT IN THE VIDEO

[@kenkwok83]

Russ needs to start reviewing butters

[@rafauwaxc2871]

I see no issue with this lol

[@kugasthelast]

@@kenkwok83 He better use mini pc's to compare their sizes and shapes

[@haroldreynoldsii9857]

1.) update Bios current is 105 ( mine shipped with 102) 2.) contact support for WiFi cutout fix (RF blocking tape) (they ship kit out for free and im sure future EX docks will have this preinstalled) 3.) You can up power to CPU to 65w from 45w ( however I'd wait until intel microcode fix is put out in BIOS update current is 0x11 microcode on GTi14 @ BIOS ver 105) 4.) If you are sticking with WiFi move that chip over to the EX dock to take advantage of external Antennas (the BingFu's work and fit great), for a sttonger more stable signal I love this small forom factor, currently using as a 1440p @ 21:9 Ultrawide and its a monter, currently using intel A770 and an AMD 7900GRE. This will be good for the next 5-7 years maybe longer, I also picked up the 96GB 5600 RAM kit and a 4TB SSD

[@MrCubansurfer]

How much more did you spend on your upgrades? I love your set up 🔥🔥🔥

[@Old-Knight]

This is a great help I just bought this unit to take overseas. I do no use laptops and this with docking station fits in my carry on.

[@suaveplex]

The CONCEPT of eGPU is excellent.

[@estusflask982]

The Mac Mini also has built-in speakers. They are also bad quality, but I'm glad they're there. They're utility speakers.

[@mvanalst2003]

Another awesome review, Russ! Pretty steep cost of entry for this system, but it is clean. I’m really looking forward to your RGB10X review!

[@KhameCat]

Idk if the butter thing is a meme that I missed or what, but it caught me off guard and I’m reeling. Excellent deadpan joke delivery

[@timseyer6769]

It's not so much a meme as an established method of size comparison. Established by Russ that is.

[@wooordwooord4712]

What do you mean that’s a standard unit of measure

[@Dracossaint]

​@@wooordwooord4712its a relatable measuring item, it gives ya something to use to get an actual idea of its size vs breaking out a ruler. Some people struggle with 3d space. each stick of butter is the same size, a rectangle at that, making it easy to stack or etc

[@wooordwooord4712]

@@Dracossaint I was making a joke as it is something unique to this channel. But yes relatable measurements is Russ' goal I would imagine.

[@porqpai7082]

He also used to write cooking books, so there’s also that. He likes food lol. It’s been good to him.

[@jowrayjr]

3:35 thanks for reminding me that I need some butter sticks

[@rafauwaxc2871]

Russ, I always love how upfront you are about the price from the get-go. I like watching ETA-Prime as well, but he hardly ever mentions the price. That's my only nitpick for him, but you are always a top-tier reviewer🙌🏽 Keep it up!

[@AChunkyOtter]

Was hoping you'd review this!

[@karieltheone]

I mean, I would pay like $300 for it. For $1000, you can get a good 144p micro ATX gaming PC. With this, you still are paying $900, you still need the dock for $150, and you have to add a gaming graphics card (possible around 350 to 400 more). Its a cool piece of tech, but not sure what the target audience is.

[@soiltek2015]

Great video, Russ.

[@PeeJaySpear]

As someone with a backup GPU after upgrading, I really want this setup. I would love to have a cheaper living room PC Setup with my old card and then be able to take it with me for portability if needed. If they can put a cheaper Ryzen chip in there to bring the price down, I am sold. $300 less with the current model and it’s a no brainer for me. People in the comments say “just go ITX” and for what I want, it’s easily over $1000 if I do an ITX build for everything I would need + it’s more difficult to build in.

[@KyleHead]

I’ve been using a laptop or mini PC with an eGPU since late 2019 and the setup has worked well for me. Pre-eGPU, I started with a Razer 16” laptop with a 1070 mobile GPU. I liked it but battery life was awful and I needed something for both work and gaming. I sold it and moved to a 14” Asus with the best CPU I could get and a Razer Core X Chroma eGPU with a 2070 Super. I eventually replaced the notebook with a Minisforum UM790 Pro after Russ reviewed it last year. I loved the mini PC but the Thunderbolt eGPU connection was always finicky and not very reliable. It worked but would just stop working occasionally and was a pain to get working after reboot. I looked at upgrading to an occulting setup but ended up going with this Beelink mini Pc and Dock last month, paired with an RTX 4080 Super. The performance and reliability are like night and day compared to my previous setup. I’m getting good benchmarks and in game performance and am very happy with it so far.

[@Dracossaint]

It's good to see the butter make a return

[@shoden]

Cons isn't that bad IMO. Amazing work done by beelink team.

[@Camilkzee]

Awesome, another RGC video that I will watch thru the end of a product that I'm not even interested in!

[@BanjoKazFace]

Another quality video!!

[@jennopedernal4900]

Would like to see a comparison video vs. SER9 if you ever get your hands on one.

[@richardgordon6653]

you could have used a small open ended box wrench. Or insert a screw on top with two nuts and turn that. Thats just teardown inexperience. Loved the video.

[@soiltek2015]

Nice flex with the Starfield controller. 😅💪 3:49

[@estusflask982]

Very innovative mini PC. Wow.

[@seanscott1933]

I'm not sure if the Ifixit screw driver is built this way, but with the kit I have has an attachment for the "spacer screw" that pops in and out. Alternatively, generally those are the same size as a standard screw bit. So if you have a screw driver that you can chance the bit by magnet by chance, you can take the bit out and use that for "spacer screws".

[@drtymead]

Been seeing more egu vids since i got my go..cyber monday is going to be interesting this year🥃

[@thescottishaccent]

My one real bugbear with this is the location of the mini PC's power plug. Aesthetically, I'd far, far prefer it if it were at the "bottom" when it's docked alongside the GPU. I feel like it looks horribly "catchable" sticking out of the highest point.

[@Latchfpv]

That docking station is amazing, and I genuinely hope they continue building mini pcs to support it because I could definitely see myself getting a solution like that. I just really have no interest in an Intel based mini pc.

[@starfireprime3666]

IMO - One great addition for these eGPU docks would be some form of shield that would sit in front of the GPU fans with adjustable distance from the PCIe slot (to accommodate thick coolers and to control airflow). The fans on GPUs are notoriously light and weak - one stray cable, finger, or anything else on your desk would easily snap off blades. I'm not comfortable with an eGPU without some fan protection.

[@Kptn_kabaakal]

i always wonder who these products are for. Once you put in the gpu, it doesn't really have a smaller footprint than an SFF pc. And its more expensive. like i cant see any advantages over just an SFF pc.

[@thescottishaccent]

I guess the advantage is that the mini-PC can be detached and taken elsewhere to use if you want the computer without the gaming, like for a work trip or to connect to a bedroom TV as a media player, etc. But I agree, it does feel a bit on the pointless side. Although one beneficial factor, I guess, is that it makes upgrading the GPU the easiest thing ever - no wrestling with a SFF case to try and make your new GPU fit, route cables, etc. Just unplug old, plug in new.

[@pummisher1186]

Those spacer screws are called standoffs and if you had a screw driver with removable bits, you could remove the bit and unscrew it that way.

[@ramilkayumov7913]

Best reviewer I've seen

[@FS-zt6tm]

the One Dock eGPU with a low profile graphics card like the RTX 4060 LP still remains the cleanest open air eGPU docking solution imo. I prefer it over the GPD G1 and OneXGPU's because of it's upgradeability and modularity

[@JonMidori]

Nice review. I was thinking about this option or a legion Go. Mainly Satisfactory, astroneer, Empyrion Galactic, and games like that in desktop mode. The Infamous test made me miss open world super hero like games like that and Prototype.

[@samh5886]

I think a proper desktop pc with those mini itx/matx case is both "cleaner" and more cost effective than this thing. 9-13 litres cases are quite common, and 6-7 litres ones that still support sfx psu can also be found as well. Even possible to go smaller but that will have a lot restriction on the cpu/GPU used as well as psu (only flex/1U). I feel that Egpu only make sense when you are talking about those customized mobile variants ones such as those from Asus, gpd or onenetbook, and that is not considering performance/$, just the portability and space saving/"cleanliness". Egpu solution where a full desktop GPU is used don't really offer benefits compared to a mini itx case/PC.

[@accountname-tu2om]

That's ridiculous and outrageous. People with too much money need useless toys to buy.

[@MartinAdrianoFlores]

This is not for people who want something that’s “the most effective” this is for people that want plug and play with ease performance, even if it’s costly.

[@mrmuffins4224]

Nah I can easily take this apart and travel with it. Can't do that easily with even the smallest ITX build.

[@samh5886]

@@mrmuffins4224 if you really have a need to and can travel with this bundle of mini PC + a desktop GPU card (or worse, some other full size Egpu enclosure)，there should not be any issue travelling with a Dan A4 style cases of around 7 litres in volume. There are even smaller ones (albeit with differing GPU length/height restriction) that uses flex/1U PSU case as I mentioned. Many mini itx cases even come with a metal handle or leather strap for you to carry it around with. If really want to go egpu, those mobile dedicated products are the ones that really offer a significant space saving/portability.

[@mjsdabest]

Kerrygold butter appears…..immediately hungry 🤣

[@IAmTheGlovenor]

This (the device that allows GPU to be attached) must be for someone that gets given a free GPU or something. You can get pre-built 4060 for less than the mini-pc. You can get a 4070 pre-built for the price of the mini-pc.

[@mechanicalmonk2020]

It's higher price now due to bring niche. As this becomes more common price will go down. I would love one of these for my TV set up.

[@CarlosDiaz-fs6cv]

Where?

[@ColorblindMonk]

@@mechanicalmonk2020 I think you can find wayy better options for your TV.

[@haziqshams]

Well, is it mini though?

[@jonatandehnisch202]

Where?

[@hausmaus5698]

A docking station for a laptop (with PCI-E 16 interface on the bottom like the Mini PC) would make much more sense. If you want it to be stationary and small, why not just use an ITX system?

[@cicciograziani6697]

is not allowed to use a brain, please just consume

[@OSW]

Yo Russ mate! Is there any chance perioidically you could explain certain abbreviations? Like FSR and DLSS? So plebs like me know what ya mean! Thank u, enjoying the vids

[@minekey29348]

EDIT: AWWW killing me with that two power cables stuff. So close to being perfect! Otherwise I Wish this existed a year and a half ago when I was buying a new gaming PC. This is really what I wanted as opposed to a bulky tower. It even has user upgradeable ram! Wish it had more USB C ports tho

[@alexsmith8021]

i would love to see a system with a motherboard in the form factor of a graphics card, so that way you have your gpu on the right and your cpu on the left. maybe another gpu shaped block on the other side of the cpu for the psu, m.2, and usb4 ports

[@YelNatSttocS]

I'm worried about the heat it can produce if the PSU is inside the minipc. Speaker is not necessary, instead they should add some cooling system. Wonder how much score on its PCIE connection test in 3Dmark.

[@raevn11]

This is pretty sick. Smaller than a console and it's a full PC. Bring along a portable screen or just use the hotel's tv's and you're good to go. Damn, and I just bought a laptop lol

[@KatDoomsong]

I imagine the answer is no, but did the speakers sound any better when the PC was on the dock? At least at that point they wouldn't be firing directly into the desktop.

[@gobeyondchannel]

29:01 Why aren't the fans spinning on the GPU?

[@estusflask982]

They only spin when it hits a certain temp

[@ErikS-]

The advantage of having an eGPU (I have one using Oculink), is that you can also use it on different computers. A dock that combines both a computer and GFX card is not a sensible thing to do imo...

[@tilly9000]

Careful with the spreadsheet Russ

[@evok3r]

This physically is an external GPU setup, but technically it isn't, right? Since there is a direkt PCIe connection to the CPU, it is technically an internal GPU and does not have the typical performance downside of an eGPU that is connected via Thunderbolt. Sorry if this was mentioned during the video, I did not watch all of it since I am looking for a Thunderbolt eGPU dock.

[@KillerSmurf]

Peter Griffin: Where are you getting these units of measurement???

[@Pererogatist]

So clean

[@synak1538]

Would be great if you made a review on the OnexGpu 2!!

[@Jabiinc]

omg, love that guy, best youtuber lol

[@shellshock7043]

I wonder if there will be an EGPU that can double as a power brick for laptops. That would be amazing.

[@eye4z]

only if the laptop is powered by 100w USB C thunderbolt. look up the RAZER CORE e GPU, you just need a GPU & you're good to go

[@Sumire9287]

I like the idea of this product, but this time I simply don’t get the point of it. Usually I’m the first guy to defend niche products, heck, my dream still is having a switch like experience on a windows handheld with a small e-GPU like the GPD G1 or OneXGPU. The problem with this one is that this is a mini pc meant to remain in one place while taking as little space as possible like in an office. I have nothing against mini PCs, it’s just this setup. If you’re going to have a desktop like usage while using the same space as a PC, you might as well get one in the first place. It’s cheaper, more aesthetic, you’ll get more upgradability and it might be even smaller than this if you go for something like the Velka 3 or it’s many aliexpress copies.

[@simoz78]

This is for people like me who travels intercontinentally often between 2 homes. Both places would have a dock and gpu and monitor etc. So I can carry only the mini PC. Nowawayd I need to carry on a Ncase M2 which is still to heavy

[@ErikS-]

Imo there is just one correct way to experience "retro gaming": Buy a small handheld with a look & feel of a retro device.

[@raghuvaidya5485]

Soo very clean

[@SydneyMud]

Can you directly plug the GPU card onto the miniPC's PCIe slot, and use a dedicated PSU. So you do not need to buy this dock. Right?

[@Joshua_Bee]

When it's docked does it sound like talking into a fan?

[@illustriouschin]

I like how much sense it makes to get a mini pc and stick a bunch of boxes, cables, and bare GPU on it.

[@kougamecs3876]

Hey, at least it has more airflow for the Lenovo Legion Go

[@tech6309]

The second someone makes a handheld that can dock into that x16 (x8 limited) slot, all this will make sense

[@accountname-tu2om]

I guarantee you the people buying this already have a laptop and a desktop pc, and don't need it.

[@estusflask982]

@@accountname-tu2om yes

[@tech6309]

@@accountname-tu2om True, I bought it and don't need it :) hence my comment

[@Gonzie6]

Could be even cleaner if you used a two headed power cable with C13 and C7 connectors

[@Dubi00]

Does this dock only work with Intel? I know you did a video on the Misinforum and they use AMD computers as well and I know they work in the EGPU they have. Does this dock also work with AMD as well?

[@a9udn9u-vanced]

Making those chunky speakers sound miles worse than an iPhone is an achievement.

[@supergooglelee]

Does the dock fit a 4090? I may use my 4090 on this thing once the 5090 comes out which replaces my main rig display card.

[@carwynvan]

This would look great with a 30/40 series founders edition

[@Germania9]

Dumb questions: 1. Is it possible to use a power bank on any Mini PC for portable use? 2. If yes, which is the suitable power bank?

[@estusflask982]

If the power bank has an AC outlet, any power bank will work, at least for a minute

[@SSuperC]

Isnt thay screw just like a standard 1/4" socket?

[@HSLSENG]

How many sticks of butter was the docking station though?

[@davidshotwell7320]

The thumbnail looks like your about to show how pocketable this unit is

[@gysahl]

$900 (more like $1300 for me in Canada) for a pc without discrete graphics is crazy

[@MAXISORAWIGGLES]

I'm legit asking here, what exactly is the benefit of this versus a regular prebuilt PC?

[@RetroGameCorps]

For me it comes down to the conclusion of this video. If someone wants to pick up a mini PC because it fits their budget or space availability, they could upgrade later down the line with a desktop GPU without having to buy a motherboard, CPU, RAM, storage, and PSU. So I think the dock is a great solution for some users, but only if they make it compatible with more mini PCs down the road, because this mini PC on its own ain't it.

[@JessicaFEREM]

It looks like if they made the Mac Mini Studio for PCs

[@judahhuber6463]

Is this pc as good as a normal pc

[@tiga8032]

Do you think you could fit a 3 slot GPU there?

[@forblaze74]

I like the idea of a mini pc, I’m just never sure it’s worth it. You can build a sleek pc with a mini ATX PC and get more performance with a comparable price.

[@ColorblindMonk]

I don't think I'll ever see the point of this beyond the coolness factor. It's not any smaller or cheaper than a SSF build, and with an eGPU you're just leaving performance (and some game compatibility) on the table that couldn't be met with a mini PC with built-in AMD/Nvidia laptop graphics. Also the mini PC is literally blocking half the GPU's airflow, if not dumping hot air into it.

[@mikaeldannenberger6]

So sad that there's no thunderbilt port on the dock tu use it the "traditionnal way" with other devices

[@tech6309]

We know what needs to happen... Someone needs to make a handheld that docks into a 4.0 x8/16.

[@Dracossaint]

Meanwhile, occulink exist

[@KyleHead]

@@Dracossaintwhile I think occulink is great, it is considerably lower bandwidth than the pcie 4.0 8x or 16x they mentioned

[@greenmonkey.8403]

Can the low profile 4060 gpu fit in the dock? If so, could you please make a video of it if you have the lp 4060.

[@Markmarroquin-z4f]

How's the monitor?

[@Banth630]

Would you know if beelink ser8 amd ryzen™ 7 8845hs is compatible with the Ex Dock or do you need the GTi14 that is shown in the video

[@jadusiv]

I mean it uses a processor for 2023… why get this when the new lunar lake / arrow lake will be in these any time?

[@estusflask982]

why get any intel

[@jadusiv]

@@estusflask982 Lunar lake is honestly pretty amazing for a mini pc. Arrow lake would be as well. Really good thermals. I thought I was over intel but lunar lake is kind of awesome. I’d never get arrow lake though, it’s going to be the only chip for that platform making it the shortest lived platform in history. Razer lake will probably be sick though.

[@Ethan.1234]

$600-$700 with AMD would have been a nice sweet spot with that dock

[@serioserkanalname499]

You can get 60fps 1080p in Doom Eternal (low settings to be fair)with a 350$ docked steamdeck instead of this 1000$ minipc + dock + egpu setup so idk about the value preposition here.

[@exodous02]

This is fine if every mini PC is made to go in this dock but it is a little weird if this is the only PC that works with this.

[@NetflixForeign]

Here's hoping they offer an AMD option too for the people who want to use Windows 10 in case the Intel doesn't support it.

[@friendly_pyro]

What fan can be put on it?

[@johnb3488]

Just need a steam deck eGPU dock. There's my prediction for SD2... If they do that I have no reason to build another PC.

[@etvow]

I don't get it. What is the benefit of this setup?

[@mjdf122]

PC time with Russ/RGC

[@jacobnewton9380]

what's the keyboard shown at 14:33 ?

[@_GarethRossUK]

What AMD driver version? 24.9.1 is buggy

[@joeji7442]

145w for gpu? Will it really be enough for 40series gpus.

[@oliese]

145w is for the mini pc The dock for the gpu has 600w according to the website

[@xxsodomaruxx]

hey russ how many time do you think you've said "no money was exchanged, and all opinions are my own?"

[@briangarvin8867]

Nice job SELLING OUT OF THE KERRYGOLD salted butter Russ

[@emlyndewar]

I just don’t get the point in this. Wait until people hear about ITX… I am a mini-PC fan, I just don’t get the point in having an external GPU, unless you are moving the PC a lot between a place that doesn’t need it, and a place that does.

[@kingleonel2098]

Yeah sadly is not for all beelink mini pcs 😢

[@hotchoclateguy]

you can get a 4060 desktop pre built for less than that price

[@CarlosDiaz-fs6cv]

Where? I would like to know.

[@hotchoclateguy]

@@CarlosDiaz-fs6cv Amazon

[@sus-floppa]

Anyone looking for this just get a normal pc and make it yourself or most better prebuilts are STILL cheaper so you can get thwt but it will be more expensive

[@littlebigmarc]

900 bucks is insane

[@KyleRuggles]

Great review. Just build your own pc and save a bunch of cash, done.

[@jonomatictv]

Seems fine until the GPU is thick enough that the PC blocks half the airflow to it