September 23. The price has increased $10 to $779 at Best Buy, while it's still $769 at Amazon. So I've changed to the cheaper deal below.
With the price of the new Mac mini M6 skyrocketing compared to previous editions, we've been looking out for Windows 11 alternatives to Apple's mini PC. And the Beelink SER8 is one of the most stylish we've tested. You get some serious desktop performance here, in a 5.3x5.3-inch chassis only slightly larger than the Mac mini.
• Best for: Anyone who wants a powerful desktop PC for productivity or creative work but would rather have a compact machine that takes up very little desk space.
• The deal: The Beelink SER8 with 32GB RAM and a 500GB is $769 at Amazon. The 32GB/512GB model is $779 (was $929) at Best Buy.
• Why it matters: This mini PC is about $100 cheaper than the new Mac mini M6 base configuration, but just as stylish and performance-driven. You get an eight-core Ryzen 7 8745HS processor with 16 threads and Radeon 780M integrated graphics, alongside plenty of upgrade potential and support for three external displays. A USB4 port allows you add an external graphics card for creative workloads, too.
Why we recommend it
The Ryzen 7 8745HS CPU delivers boost speeds up to 4.9GHz, giving the SER8 enough processing power to handle most tasks. There's plenty of scope for upgrading with two memory slots and support for up to 256GB of DDR5 RAM and up to 8TB of SSD storage.
In his four-star review, our expert Mark said it was "a classy small system ideal for those needing processing power (or even AI)" and that "Beelink makes some excellent mini PCs, and the SER8 is another in a long line of high-quality products from that brand. The enclosure's engineering delivers styling and refinement that even Apple would admire."
Price context & historical value
At $769, the price at Amazon is the cheapest we've seen - although for an extra $10 you get 512GB storage buying from Best Buy. It's a case of whether that's right for you out of the box, since the SER8 does let you expand storage up to 8TB anyway.
For alternative options look at our roundups of the best mini PCs and this week's best mini PC deals.
Should you buy it?
✅ Buy the Beelink SER8 mini PC if...
You want solid performance without taking up a lot of desk space. The Ryzen 7 8745HS, Radeon 780M graphics and 32GB DDR5 RAM make it suitable for demanding tasks. You can replace the memory and add considerably more internal storage if required.
❌ Skip the Beelink SER8 mini PC if...
You need a dedicated graphics card for demanding 3D workloads. The Radeon 780M is capable integrated graphics, but it isn't a substitute for a powerful discrete GPU.
