Beelink SER5 - Ryzen 7 Mini PC Home Server

I try out the Beelink SER5 with the Ryzen 7 5700U processor. This is an 8 core, 16 thread, low-power processor that is a great value. Check out my thoughts on making this little mini PC a home server in the home server lab.

Introduction to a Ryzen 7 mini PC to run a home lab - 0:00
Overview of trying out different mini PCs 0:29
Introducing the Beelink SER5 with 5700U processor - 0:42
Max memory is 64GB of DDR4 memory - 1:08
2280 NVMe slot and a 2.5 inch SSD - 1:29
The problem with many mini PCs and network adapters - 2:05
VMware will not detect the Realtek network adapter - 2:30
Less than desirable to have a LAN port you can't use - 2:42
I wanted to run all hypervisors, the Beelink falls short in this area - 3:00
Beginning the physical overview of the Beelink SER5 5700U - 3:27
Front of the unit - 4:00
Back of the unit - 4:10
Beelink makes their mini PCs to take apart and upgrade - 4:55
Looking at Proxmox 8 console - 5:33
Proxmox overview of CPU details and memory - 5:40
Looking at workloads - 6:12
Talking about cloning Ubuntu Server template - 6:49
Even with a number of VMs, just a bit of CPU usage - 7:00
Talking about the hardware configuration of the virtual machines - 7:28
Opening the console to a virtual machine - 7:47
Thinking about real world home lab workloads - 8:15
No issues interacting with VMs - 9:00
Concluding thoughts on the Beeink SER5 with the Ryzen 7 5700U, is it worth it? 9:37

The written write up of the Beelink SER5 5700U mini pc:

XCP-ng home server build with the Citrix Hypervisor:

Mini PC - things to know before you buy one for a home server:

[UnicornReacharound]

One thing to keep in mind is that the 5700U is a Zen 2 CPU, so comparable to the 3000 series desktop processors. A little confusing numbering from AMD so worth pointing out if someone was expecting a Zen 3 part.

[ct]

Really like your videos including this one. And based off of this video I did buy a SER5 with a 5700U processor, 32Gb RAM and 1Tb NVME to run proxmox as my previous Mac Mini ESXi just died. Added a 4Tb SATA SSD. Running Proxmox 8.1.4. Windows 10, PiHole and TrueNAS currently running. TrueNAS makes use of the 4Tb drive for storage. And on top of that TrueNAS runs a Plex server. All very smooth and no problem at all. I did try to see if I can run a ZFS mirror using 2x 512Gb USB Sandisk thumbdrives plugged in at the front (I know not recommended but wanted to try) but the system won't boot after setting that up.

[steveremington]

The first mini PC I used as Proxmox VE host was a AMD 5700U based device similar to this one.

I had to abandon it for Proxmox use after a couple of months, despite it being a nice, looking, well-constructured device, because there was at the time (early 2023) an incompatibility (frequently mentioned in Proxmox forum posts) between Proxmow VE 7.x and the AMD Ryzen 5700U APU. The incompatibility caused a kernel panic in the OS at random intervals. I tried many of the suggested fixes but none of them worked for me.

The incompatibility may have been fixed in Proxmox 8.x. I suggest you double check that the incompatibility has been resolved before buying a Ryzen 5700U APU mini PC to run Proxmox.

I switched to a genuine Intel NUC with an i7 CPU and it has been rock-solid reliable.

[braiandickson]

I just bought a mini PC with this 5700U and 2 ethernet ports as my first home lab project, let's see how it goes when arrives :D

[ahyi]

Wanted to share my experience with similar spec using Asus Pn series, running same CPU 5700U for 2 years+, maxed 64Gb RAM and 2 TB SSD. Heat has always been an issue and it will literally shut you down after a year while running 24/7. I got the Asus guy to troubleshoot, changed a new motherboard and the issue came back again after the 2nd year. Kinda suck, but just to check with everyone else if they had the same issue with Beelink or other brand, so we can tell if this is due to the compact form.

[jbauson]

Hi, sorry if this question is coming late, but could you recommend the best option for a homelab with an Intel NIC? I was about to purchase a mini PC until I saw your review. I’ll be running Proxmox on it and might be building complex Docker images.

[cybr]

One thing I should try on a mini PC is microstack

[misterc]

Why don't choose newer 7730u mini pc?

[Stephan]

Hi, I bought exactly the same box. But I'm struggling with the optimal uefi settings for maximum speed and maximum power saving in idle. All the settings are confusing me. Could you make a video about the best settings? And aren't there firmware /uefi updates available?

[unkownomega]

I was looking for something like this to make some game servers a shame about the realtek problem is there a workaround or a fix since this video has come out? not that I have 2.5 gig net anyway but yeah currently waiting for primeday sale to snag this and save some cash while I am at it thanks for your video very informative.

[vadimus]

Good evening. How to enter bios on a mini PC? I have a Geekom A7 (Ryzen) on my desk.

[duduoson]

OK but is there anything similar that will run esxi out of the box?

[themomorain]

Do you think I can use this thing as a nas if I connect two hard drives on those usb 3.0? I know this is kind of a weird usecase but this is perfect for the custom case I want to put it in thats why im asking.

[ioannisgko]

Any recommendations for racks intended for mini PCs?

[nincure]

Why is it I can't find what operating system this comes with?! I can't stand Windows 11, but really considering this computer to replace my Intel ComputeStick. It's been going since like beginning of 2016 or so. It's still kickin', but I want something faster.

I'm willing to do the "downgrade" process, but I haven't seen what OS this has on it!? Can't find info on that anywhere. Still watching your video hopefully you say it 😂😂😂

[CKallias_SteelEternal]

Thanks for the video, do you know if you can passthrough the iGPU in proxmox?

[nizmister]

Hi Brandon, great videos! Question: can these be powered via USB-C?

[BrianThomas]

Thank you for sharing this video. Would you be willing to share with us why you chose the 5700U over the 5800H?

[davidcooke]

Do you have a recommendation for a mini PC with ESXi 8?

[christianchan]

Hi all, you may already discussed about that but what’s about nested esxi and vcenter inside VMware workstation ?