Summary and conclusion
The issue of instability when using PCIe 4.0 is somewhat annoying, as this would allow twice the bandwidth with 8 lanes compared to Gen 3.0 with 8 lanes. Even though my contact at Beelink had no problems with an RTX 4060 and Gen 4.0, they have already announced that a new revision is in the works. This should fix the problem completely and it is planned that there will be another retest.
The much bigger point of criticism, however, is that support for graphics cards with up to 600 watts is advertised. However, if you add up the two available 6 2-pin cables with 150 watts each and even add the frequently unused 75 watts from the PCIe slot itself, you end up with a maximum of 375 watts. When asked, Beelink stated that each of the two 8-pin connectors on the dock not only supplies the maximum specified 150 watts, but can also provide up to 300 watts. Apart from the fact that the “lots of power via few connectors” issue is currently at least as hotly debated as the connectors themselves: At least the graphics card manufacturers adhere to the limits of the 6 2-pin PCIe power supply. So even if Beelink allows the dock to send 300 watts via 8 pins to the power supply side, they will not be picked up on the graphics card side.
The only “solution” I can see in the current state would be to trick the graphics card with an 8-pin to 2x 6 2-pin Y-cable. Of course, the graphics card has no idea that the two connected 6 2-pin PCIe power cables actually come together as one cable. But such a cable is not included in the scope of delivery. So either the specifications should be adapted or – even better – two additional 8-pin connectors should be made available on the dock. Because then not only could 600 watts be supplied as standard, but graphics cards with 3x 6 2-pin or even 12V-2×6 with adapter could also be used.
The EX Docking Station from Beelink is somehow a strange product. For the current price of 159 dollars or the equivalent of around 145 euros, it is almost inexpensive in terms of eGPU docks, considering the integrated 600 watt power supply unit. However, the somewhat botched implementation of the power supply, the currently small selection of compatible mini-PCs and an already planned revised version would make me wait a little longer if I were interested in this niche product. Perhaps I can say more about the power supply in the test of the revised version. After all, the performance on offer is really impressive and this combination certainly doesn’t have to hide from a well-equipped desktop computer.
The test sample was provided by Beelink without obligation. There was and is no influence on the tests and results. There was also no compensation for expenses and no obligation to publish.
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