Beelink S9 Max Mini PC Review: Ryzen 7 255H Performance, 65W TDP, and Radeon 780M Gaming

Discover the premium aluminum build and MSSE2.0 cooling system that keeps the Beelink S9 Max Mini PC cool.

Hardware by Tanisha Aria on Dec 22, 2025

The Beelink S9 Max Mini PC is the newest in Beelink's STR line. It has a small form factor, but with upgraded internals and a better thermal design. One of the best features is that it comes with a new Ryzen APU that hasn't been tried much yet.

This is because Beelink is known for enabling better performance through advanced cooling systems and power management. The full-metal chassis also helps with heat dissipation, making the S9 Max feel more high-end.

Beelink S9 Max Mini PC Review, Ryzen 7 255H Performance, 65W TDP, Radeon 780M Gaming, NoobFeed

Build Quality, Cooling, and Box Contents

The S9 Max is made of metal throughout, except for the bottom panel, which is plastic. The overall build quality feels good and finished.

Beelink has improved this model by adding its new MSSE2.0 cooling system, featuring a multi-stage vapor chamber plate, a quiet cooling fan, and SSD heatsinks. These improvements show how much better Beelink has gotten at making small PCs in the last few years.

The S9 Max Mini PC, a user manual, a 6-foot HDMI cable, and a small 120W barrel-jack power source are all in the box. The power adapter is small, so it doesn't take up much room on a power strip or desk.

Ports and Connectivity

The S9 Max's port choices are one of its best features. There is a 10Gb USB-C port, a 3.5mm audio jack, and a USB 3.2 port on the front.

The back of the device has the power input, a 40Gb USB4 port, an HDMI port supporting up to 4K240Hz, two 3.5mm audio jacks, a DisplayPort 2.1 port supporting 4K240Hz, two USB 2.0 ports, an extra USB3.2 port, and a 10Gb Ethernet port. It's worth noting that 10GbE is included because most small PCs still use 1Gb or 2.5Gb networking.

Internal Layout and Upgrade Options

It's easy to get to the internals. It comes with a metal dust screen, and you can access the parts by removing the bottom panel after unscrewing four screws.

Inside, the machine uses SSD heatsinks and dual-channel DDR5 RAM. You can use two M.2 2280 cards. The unit comes with a 1TB PCIe4.0 SSD, but both slots can hold up to 4TB, for a total of 8TB of storage.

Inside, the new MSSE 2.0 vapor chamber cooling system is clearly visible. Beelink says that this setup can keep going without heat throttling at up to 65W, which is an important factor for long-term performance.

Specifications Breakdown

AMD Ryzen 7255H CPU powers the S9 Max. The CPU is based on "Zen 4" and uses an FP8 chip. It's an 8-core processor with 16 threads. Its base clock speed is 3.8 GHz, and it can "boost" up to 4.9 GHz. The Radeon 780 M iGPU, with 12 RDNA3 compute units that can be clocked up to 2600MHz, handles graphics.

The system can use up to 64GB of DDR5 memory at 5600 MT/s, and the setup tried already has 32GB installed. The Intel AX200 card supports Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2. The gadget comes with Windows 11, but it can also run Linux because it is an x86 platform.

BIOS Options and Power Modes

The BIOS offers useful settings, such as adjustable fan curves and GPU memory distribution. VRAM is set to 4GB by default, but it can be increased if the system has 32GB of memory.

Giving 16GB to the iGPU still leaves plenty of system memory, which can help with games and other tasks that require a lot of GPU power.

There are two main ways to get power. Balanced mode has a 54W TDP, but performance mode raises the long-term power cap to 65W. With the improved cooling system, running in Performance mode is the best choice because it delivers better CPU and iGPU performance, and there is no need to worry about battery life since the system is always plugged in.

Beelink S9 Max Mini PC Review, Ryzen 7 255H Performance, 65W TDP, Radeon 780M Gaming, NoobFeed

System Performance and Everyday Use

In Performance mode, the Ryzen 7 2550H maintains a 65W TDP even under load. The Radeon 780 M iGPU reaches the 2600MHz clock speed it's rated for, which is a little slower than some other versions but still competitive. As a regular desktop system, it is very efficient, with quick loading times and smooth multitasking.

Playing back 4K videos is easy. Whether you're streaming or playing from internal or external storage, 4K60 material plays smoothly with no dropped frames. There is enough room for higher refresh rates, so 4K120Hz should also be possible in situations where that is doable.

Benchmarks

In Geekbench 6, the machine scores 2524 in single-core and 12598 in multi-core. The single-core performance is pretty good, but it might be possible to achieve even better results by raising the power levels slightly.

The score for 3DMark Time Spy is 3312, which is good for a machine with a Radeon 780 M that runs at 65W. In this case, memory speed is important. DDR5 5600 is fine, but faster memory could improve efficiency.

Gaming Performance

At 1080p, this GPU's gaming performance is great, especially given its integrated design. Fallout 4 has smooth gameplay with only small drops at high settings and a locked 60fps.

With frame generation on, Spider-Man 2 runs well at 1080p and medium settings. This gives you a smooth experience without having to lower the levels a lot.

Forza Horizon 5 at 1080p and medium settings runs easily above 100 frames per second. It works a lot better than similar handheld devices because it has higher sustained power limits.

Street Fighter 6 also runs smoothly at 1080p and high settings, maintaining a steady 60fps, which goes to show that well-optimized games can look great on this hardware.

Temperatures and Power Consumption

One of the best features is the thermal efficiency. While playing games at 1080p and with a 65W TDP, the CPU's average temperature is about 67°C, and the highest reported temperature is 83°C during benchmarks and stress tests. The system is still a long way off from its temperature throttling limits.

It also doesn't use too much power. The machine uses about 8W when it's not doing anything. It takes about 12W to play back a 4K movie. While playing games at 1080p, the total draw reaches about 78W, and the peak wall power usage reaches 93W.

Beelink S9 Max Mini PC Review, Ryzen 7 255H Performance, 65W TDP, Radeon 780M Gaming, NoobFeed

Final Thoughts

The Beelink S9 Max is a high-quality, well-balanced mini PC that sticks out from the rest. The CPU performs well, and even though the Radeon 780 M iGPU is something the user is used to, it benefits greatly from the higher, steadier power budget.

If you want a small PC that can handle everyday tasks, play media, and game at 1080p without any issues, this one is a great choice thanks to its compact aluminum build, solid port selection, strong cooling system, and good efficiency.

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