Beelink EX GPU Dock: A Mini PC Transformed into a Gaming Powerhouse
September 1, 2024 | by Smith Elsie
Beelink has been creating waves in the mini PC industry with creative designs that exceed the capabilities of these little devices. The Beelink EX GPU Dock, their most recent product, is no different. When used in conjunction with the Beelink GTI14 Ultra tiny PC, this docking station transforms a small tiny PC into a capable AAA gaming system. But tremendous power also comes with great responsibility, or in this case, the decision of whether it makes sense to outfit a little PC with a powerful GPU like the RTX 4090 or not.
The Beelink GTI14 Ultra Mini PC: A Solid Foundation
With some amazing features, the Beelink GTI14 Ultra Mini PC is a little powerhouse all by itself. The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H CPU that powers it has 16 cores and 22 threads, including six performance cores with 5.1 GHz turbo boost. With a speedy 5600 MHz DDR5 RAM capacity of up to 96 GB, the system has two M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSD slots for storage. With extra features including built-in 145-watt power supply, Bluetooth 5.4, and Wi-Fi 7, this micro PC is a serious competitor in the small computer market.
Another noteworthy feature that distinguishes the GTI14 Ultra from other micro PCs on the market is a PCIe x8 slot. By enabling direct connections between a dedicated GPU and the tiny PC, users may fully utilize Beelink’s EX GPU Dock and do away with the need for slower interfaces like Thunderbolt 4 or USB4.
The EX GPU Dock: Compact Power
The intriguing part comes with the Beelink EX GPU Dock. The EX Dock has a built-in 600-watt power source, unlike other docking options that need you to add your own. This is more than sufficient to run even top-tier GPUs, such as the RTX 4080 and, depending on how much power the card uses for gaming, the RTX 4090.
The dock also has a slot for an extra M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 SSD and two 8-pin PCIe power connectors. The dock is both adaptable and strong, with room even for the installation of an extra Wi-Fi module.
To ensure a smooth and tidy setup, the dock has a bracket system that securely keeps both the GPU and the tiny PC in place, catering to people who are concerned about aesthetics. Although Beelink states that the dock can support GPUs up to 2.5 slots wide, there are ways to go above the maximum capacity, just like with any modular configuration.
Pushing the Limits: RTX 4090 in a Mini PC?
The Beelink GTI14 Ultra was bravely combined with an RTX 4090, a massive GPU usually found in high-end desktop setups. Due to its high power requirements, this card is typically built with an 850-watt PSU. Nevertheless, this configuration dedicates the whole 600-watt power supply of the dock to the GPU, which may make it a feasible choice, albeit with certain limitations.
Even with the PCIe x8 slot stifling it, the RTX 4090 produced amazing performance. Without any DLSS or frame generation enabled, the machine achieved outstanding frame rates in Cyberpunk 2077 at 1440p with ray tracing set to Ultra. The x8 connection did cause a small drop in performance, but it was still better than what Thunderbolt or Oculink connections could accomplish.
In order to accelerate the system, frame creation, DLSS, and ray tracing were turned on. What was the outcome? A fluid gameplay experience at noticeably higher frame rates, showcasing the setup’s immense capabilities. For the majority of tiny PC applications, the RTX 4090 is undoubtedly overkill, but when everything is set up correctly, it’s difficult to argue against the performance advantages.
You can see that the Beelink GTI 14 Ultra Mini PC is managing duties with ease thanks to the Intel Core Ultra 9 185h, and we’ve increased its power in the BIOS to 65 watts to make sure we’re optimizing its capabilities. We have access to Intel’s Neural Processing Unit (NPU) for AI activities in addition to 32GB of DDR5 RAM. However, the integrated Intel Arc visuals have been disabled as the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 490 is handling the visuals. Even with the PCIe x8 slot being used, which limits the RTX 490’s capabilities, this configuration ought to be more efficient than Thunderbolt or even Oculink connections.
TDP and PCIe Bandwidth: Checking the Limits
Verifying the Ultra 9 185h’s Thermal Design Power (TDP) after increasing it to 65 watts in the BIOS was among my first goals. Its constant pulling of 65 watts was verified by a stress test. Although the CPU is capable of handling 80 watts, 65 watts seems to be the ideal amount for gaming, especially considering the strong GPU we’re using.
I then checked the PCIe bandwidth. Here, the RTX 490 is using an x8 4.0 PCIe slot instead of its usual x16 4.0 slot. This might cause the card to bottleneck a little, but it’s still a lot better than Oculink or Thunderbolt, which would operate at x4 3.0 or 4.0, respectively, depending on the adapter. This system should be powered by the 600-watt power supply that comes with it. My testing also showed that the RTX 490 was only using about 450 watts during demanding workloads, which is well within the power supply’s capacity.
Benchmarking the Beelink GTI 14 Ultra with RTX 490
I started by running Cinebench R24 as one of several benchmarks to assess the system’s performance. Although the Intel Ultra 9 185h’s total multicore score of 971 is good, it might still be improved if the TDP were raised. I used 3DMark’s Steel Nomad and Fire Strike tests to measure GPU performance. In that order, the RTX 490 received 8,808 and 37,623 points. Even though these artificial benchmarks display excellent performance, it is evident that the PCIe x8 connection and the CPU are slightly slowing down the RTX 490.
Real-World Gaming Performance
Setting up benchmarks is one thing, but I was very interested in how this setup functioned in real-world gaming situations. I started with “Cyberpunk 2077” at 1440p, with no DLSS or frame generation enabled, and with ray tracing set to ultra. The system’s 98 FPS on average is more than sufficient for fluid gameplay. The graphics were further enhanced by turning on frame generation and ray tracing overdrive. Despite a decrease in frame rate, it was still remarkably high considering the hard settings.
Next was “Shadow of the Tomb Raider,” which was played without DLSS at 1440p on extremely high settings. Here, the system demonstrated the strength of the RTX 490 even when it was somewhat limited by the PCIe x8 slot by averaging 175 FPS in the built-in benchmark.
In “Forza Horizon 5,” the system produced an average frame rate of 102 FPS at 1440p on ultra settings. This demonstrates that the setup can manage 4K gaming fairly effectively, especially on demanding titles, despite my 4K display having problems.
“Hogwarts Legacy” was a difficulty as well, however frame generation eased the experience, sustaining an average of about 75 frames per second at 1440p with ultra settings and ray tracing enabled. I experienced minor stuttering when there was no frame generation, which was probably caused by the game’s optimization problems rather than the hardware.
Lastly, I ran “Black Myth: Wukong” at 1440p with the highest settings. This visually spectacular game taxed the machine to the breaking point even with frame generation turned on, but it never dropped below 60 frames per second.
Conclusion: A Mini PC That Punches Above Its Weight
All things considered, this Beelink configuration with the RTX 490 and EX GPU Dock produces some incredibly amazing gaming performance. Even though the RTX 490 may be too powerful for most people, this configuration makes the Beelink GTI 14 Ultra Mini PC a competitive AAA gaming system. But, using a less expensive GPU, such as the RTX 4060 or 4070, might still produce good results without going to the same extremes for those trying to save space and money.
Please let me know in the comments section below if you would be interested in seeing this system combined with a different GPU. I would be pleased to try alternative setups. Thanks again for reading, and be sure to check back soon for more in-depth looks into cutting-edge technology!
Video Review of Beelink EX GPU Dock
RELATED POSTS
View all