Beelink EQR6

It suits you if you want a firewall between your modem and your network, a small file server or a test bench for self-hosted services. At 126 x 126 x 45.5 mm it fits on a shelf next to the router, and the 2 network ports give each role its own cable. It also works as a plain office and browsing desktop, with Windows 11 Pro already installed.

Skip it if you play games, compile large projects or want to run language models locally. The Radeon 660M is integrated graphics, and the LPDDR5 memory is soldered, so the capacity it ships with is the capacity you keep.

Everyday work is workable. The Ryzen 5 6600H brings 6 cores and 12 threads for browsing, documents and video calls on Windows 11 Pro. The open question is memory: Beelink does not state how much is installed, and soldered LPDDR5 cannot be added to.

Coding is a poor fit. Editors, builds and containers running side by side lean on memory, and here the installed amount is not confirmed while 0 memory slots rule out adding more.

Gaming is a poor fit. The Radeon 660M is an integrated chip, and Beelink does not state how much memory goes to graphics.

Homelab is where it is well suited. The 2 ports at 2.5GbE let you split traffic, for example WAN and LAN on a firewall, and 2 M.2 slots of the 2280 length leave room for a second drive.

Local AI is a poor fit. Generation speed depends on memory bandwidth and which models fit depends on capacity, and Beelink states neither the bandwidth nor the installed memory. The soldered memory cannot be expanded to make room either.

The EQR6 is sold at retail in one configuration: a new unit with the AMD Ryzen 5 6600H, Radeon 660M graphics, a 500 GB NVMe drive and Windows 11 Pro. It is a complete system rather than a barebones kit, so it is ready to use when it arrives. The figure to check before you buy is memory: Beelink does not state the installed capacity, and because the LPDDR5 is soldered, that amount is permanent.

Memory has no headroom: there are 0 memory slots and the LPDDR5 is soldered. Storage is the part you can grow. The EQR6 has 2 M.2 slots for 2280 drives and 0 SATA bays, so the 500 GB NVMe drive takes one slot and leaves the other for an M.2 drive. The first slot runs at PCIe 4.0, so a PCIe 5.0 drive placed there runs at PCIe 4.0 speed. Beelink does not state the second slot's PCIe generation or whether either slot takes SATA drives, so check the maker's page before buying a drive.

You get 2 HDMI outputs and no DisplayPort, and the EQR6 drives 2 displays at most, one per HDMI port. Beelink does not state the HDMI version, so do not count on 4K above 60 Hz, which needs HDMI 2.1 on the computer, the cable and the display. Networking is the strong suit: 2 ports at 2.5GbE, plus Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 from the included wireless module. There are no USB4, Thunderbolt or OCuLink ports.

The memory is soldered with 0 slots, so you live with the factory capacity. There is no PCIe slot, no DisplayPort output and no USB4 or Thunderbolt port. Beelink also leaves a long list unstated: the installed and maximum memory, memory speed and bandwidth, ECC support, graphics memory, the second M.2 slot's PCIe generation, M.2 SATA support, the number of USB-C and USB-A ports, the HDMI version, an SD card reader, the power supply, the TDP and VESA mounting.

The MINISFORUM UM890 Pro steps up to an AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS with a stated maximum of 96 GB of memory, the pick if you want a known memory ceiling. The Beelink EQi13 uses an Intel Core i5-13420H, but its network speed is not confirmed, which matters if the 2.5GbE ports are why you are here. The MINISFORUM MS-01 pairs an Intel Core i9-13900H with up to 96 GB of memory, for a homelab that needs more processor and memory headroom.