Beelink Mini S12 Pro Mini PC: Intel 12th Gen N100, 16GB DDR4, 500GB SSD

kuripot

Aug 25, 2023 8:57 PM

2.1K Comments

Joined Nov 2006

kuripotAug 25, 2023 8:57 PM

2.1K Comments

Quote from dkd711

:

I just rolled back 2 of my PCs to Windows 10. Windows 11 is a heaping pile of crap.

what issues were you having?

cantalup

Aug 26, 2023 5:09 AM

3.7K Comments

Joined Mar 2008

cantalupAug 26, 2023 5:09 AM

3.7K Comments

Quote from thepackratgene

:

I have to disagree. I have done this with 3 Beelink PC's now. They come with W11, but I still need W10. I start it up as is online (so it registers the PC & License with MS). Insert the media and run the install from W11. It installs W10 normally and it is licensed.

I'm guessing you tried installing from the media without doing the initial startup online, didn't you?

Peace

you are using online, and I never create microsoft account :-D,

if you buy branded model, the key is already embedded in your pc firmware. this is hardware coded, you do not need "online" microsoft gimmick.

Notes:
I remember bought one (not beelink), the key is not in firmware/hardware (BIOS in plain english). flashing to linux and try to reinstall back windows, and oops.. ( I forgot backing up the OS). the reason? mini-pc was throttling bad due lack of heat dissipation, and returned to Amazon. in the end: I use 2-3 prior gen of Intel mini-pc used from lenovo (ebay source). running 24/7 and no heat issue.

good luck!

1

cantalup

Aug 26, 2023 5:12 AM

3.7K Comments

Joined Mar 2008

cantalupAug 26, 2023 5:12 AM

3.7K Comments

Quote from protocol7

:

It depends on the machine, then - I own plenty of these Chinese Mini PCs and most of them can pick up the license on a fresh install without any assistance.

But of course you can just reset it through the settings app and not have Windows lose any licensing info. A Chinese mini PC manufacturer is just not going to invest the effort in putting in kernel-level backdoors in the default Windows 11 installation. The risk/reward does not make sense.

it is standard to hardwire windows key in the hardware, no backdoor involved,
the question is, do they want to spend extra $$$ for that as wellknow brands : Lenovo/HP/Dell/...

cantalup

Aug 26, 2023 5:16 AM

3.7K Comments

Joined Mar 2008

cantalupAug 26, 2023 5:16 AM

3.7K Comments

Quote from protocol7

:

It should be embedded in the BIOS. Well, not usually the key itself, but enough information that they can uniquely tie the Windows 11 license to the machine (motherboard mostly) and activate it from that information. They've been doing it with laptops for a while now as well, you don't really get a product key in the box anymore.

it is in the PC firmware/hardware . without this embedded, you can install and windows will nag you a key.

unless, you run windows and register online: your account and your pc/machine unique identifier will be saved in microsoft

dkd711

Aug 26, 2023 5:22 AM

1.4K Comments

Joined Sep 2010

dkd711Aug 26, 2023 5:22 AM

1.4K Comments

Quote from kuripot

:

what issues were you having?

Random crashes, overall system was more sluggish and I hated all the bloat.

dkd711

Aug 26, 2023 5:24 AM

1.4K Comments

Joined Sep 2010

dkd711Aug 26, 2023 5:24 AM

1.4K Comments

Quote from protocol7

:

You mean you *don't* wan't Candy Crush preinstalled on a $100 operating system?

nanikore

Aug 26, 2023 8:46 PM

2.1K Comments

Joined Oct 2004

nanikoreAug 26, 2023 8:46 PM

2.1K Comments

Quote from rollins88

:

Tdp doesn't equate performance. N95 and N100 have nearly identical CPU performance but the GPU performance of the N100 is miles better. And you get all that for 1/2 the power consumption.

N100 is better in every way.

except single and multithreaded performance. Not a big difference at 10% st and 15% mt but still notable.
https://nanoreview.net/en/cpu-com...essor-n100

Last edited by nanikore August 26, 2023 at 01:49 PM.

1

jmsilva22

Aug 26, 2023 9:52 PM

538 Comments

Joined Feb 2011

jmsilva22Aug 26, 2023 9:52 PM

538 Comments

Not sure if there's any DJ's in this thread, but I wonder if one of these N100's with 16gb will be enough to run Serato DJ Pro. My laptop died recently and maybe this could be a cheap alternative until I buy a new laptop. I have a 15.6 portable monitor that I can connect to the Mini PC.

shonuff

Aug 27, 2023 3:03 AM

19 Comments

Joined May 2009

shonuffAug 27, 2023 3:03 AM

19 Comments

I have this unit. I bought this 2 weeks ago. I paid $160 for it with a version that included Windows 11 Pro. The current one does not say it includes Windows 11 Pro..

Someone wrote BIOS includes license. I had to reinstall Windows 11 on my S12 Pro unit. Windows required license key. I sent a proof (serial #, etc) to Beelink support and they sent me a key. Again, I bought a version with Windows 11 included. But this one does not say anything about the license.

1

DaHoBO

Aug 27, 2023 3:39 PM

90 Comments

Joined Mar 2010

DaHoBOAug 27, 2023 3:39 PM

90 Comments

Quote from geekwithoutacause

:

Same here. Had it setup for plex server and worked great. Even had it transcode a 4k stream and it worked well.

Any benchmark with 4k+pgs subs enabled?

CouponFinder99

Aug 27, 2023 9:34 PM

812 Comments

Joined May 2013

CouponFinder99Aug 27, 2023 9:34 PM

812 Comments

Quote from shigshag

:

Beware there are no Linux kernel drivers for the hardware in this machine, so you're stuck with windows for now. You won't have Wi-Fi, and can't have Wi-Fi, until that gets updated.

I think there are drivers for everything but the Bluetooth/wifi (Intel AX101) but they're supposed to be in the upcoming Linux 6.5/6.6 kernel. So full Linux support is coming soon.

CouponFinder99

Aug 27, 2023 9:35 PM

812 Comments

Joined May 2013

CouponFinder99Aug 27, 2023 9:35 PM

812 Comments

Quote from shonuff

:

I have this unit. I bought this 2 weeks ago. I paid $160 for it with a version that included Windows 11 Pro. The current one does not say it includes Windows 11 Pro..

Someone wrote BIOS includes license. I had to reinstall Windows 11 on my S12 Pro unit. Windows required license key. I sent a proof (serial #, etc) to Beelink support and they sent me a key. Again, I bought a version with Windows 11 included. But this one does not say anything about the license.

Did you tie this version of Windows 11 Pro to your Microsoft ID? If so, it should allow you to reinstall and recognize this hardware fingerprint to your license key.

CouponFinder99

Aug 27, 2023 9:37 PM

812 Comments

Joined May 2013

CouponFinder99Aug 27, 2023 9:37 PM

812 Comments

Quote from shigshag

:

Beware there are no Linux kernel drivers for the hardware in this machine, so you're stuck with windows for now. You won't have Wi-Fi, and can't have Wi-Fi, until that gets updated.

You could add a USB wifi adapter and use that until the AX101 drivers make it into the Linux kernel, which is supposed to be in the next release or one right after.

Jonathan1949

Aug 28, 2023 3:00 PM

6 Comments

Joined Feb 2019

Jonathan1949Aug 28, 2023 3:00 PM

6 Comments

Does anyone know if the specs for this Mini PC would meet the Zoom requirement specs for utilizing the blurred background feature ?

danjayh

Pro

Aug 28, 2023 4:53 PM

767 Comments

Joined Oct 2009

danjayh

Pro

Aug 28, 2023 4:53 PM

767 Comments

Quote from rodalpho

:

The N95 models appear to be identical except the CPU gets over double the TDP (to 15w, it's still tiny) which leads to much better performance. You can also save a bit of money on the 8GB/256GB model and then upgrade it yourself. Both DDR4 RAM and SSDs are silly cheap these days.

You'd think that, but the benchmarks for the N95 aren't any higher despite its higher TDP. And the N95 also has a gimped GPU compared to the N100.

1

Beelink Mini S12 Pro Mini PC: Intel 12th Gen N100, 16GB DDR4, 500GB SSD

$169

$189

Editor's Notes

Original Post

Editor's Notes

Original Post

Community Voting

Top Comments

Join The Conversation

388 Comments

Join The Conversation

Related Searches