Beelink ME mini Review: A 99mm Cube With Six M.2 Slots for Solid-State Storage
The Beelink ME mini is a mini PC built around storage: a 99mm cube with six M.2 2280 PCIe 3.0 slots, up to 4TB each, that turns an efficient four-core Intel N150 into a compact all-flash file, media or backup box. Two 2.5G Ethernet ports, a built-in 45W power supply and air cooling suit a machine meant to stay on. The trade-off is everything around the drives: 12GB of soldered memory that can never grow, PCIe 3.0 x1 lanes on five of the six slots, a single HDMI output, and a base configuration that ships with only the 64GB eMMC and no SSD.
- Home file and media servers
- All-flash storage builds
- Always-on low-power machines
- Homelab and network appliances
Pros
- Six M.2 2280 slots, up to 4TB each and 24TB in total
- Two 2.5G Ethernet ports on Intel I226-V
- Built-in 45W power supply, no external brick
- Efficient four-core Intel N150 up to 3.6GHz
- Compact 99mm cube with air cooling
- Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2
- Three-year warranty with an HDMI cable included
Cons
- Ships with a 64GB eMMC only, no SSD included
- 12GB of soldered single-channel memory, not upgradeable
- Five of the six M.2 slots run at PCIe 3.0 x1
- Single HDMI output, no DisplayPort, Thunderbolt or USB4
- No headphone jack, SD card reader or Kensington lock
- No VESA mount included
Who is the Beelink ME mini for?
Anyone who wants several terabytes of solid-state storage in a box that fits on a bookshelf. With six M.2 slots, two 2.5G Ethernet ports and a power supply built into the chassis, it is laid out as a home server first and a desktop second. The Intel N150 is a four-core, four-thread chip reaching 3.6GHz with Intel graphics running 24 execution units, which is enough to serve files, stream media and run light services while drawing very little power. Windows 11 Home comes pre-installed on the eMMC, so it also works as a plain small computer out of the box.
What the Beelink ME mini offers
The storage layout is the reason to buy it. A 64GB eMMC holds the operating system, leaving all six M.2 2280 slots free for data: slot 4 runs at PCIe 3.0 x2 and also accepts SATA drives, the other five run NVMe at PCIe 3.0 x1, and each takes up to 4TB for 24TB in total. Networking is two 2.5G Ethernet ports on Intel I226-V controllers plus Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2. The 45W power supply is inside the cube, so there is no external brick, and air flows vertically through an aluminum heatsink. Ports cover one USB 2.0, one USB 3.2 Type-A and one 10Gbps USB-C for data, plus a single HDMI output at 4K 60Hz. An HDMI cable is in the box and Beelink backs it with a three-year warranty.
What to know before you buy
This configuration ships with no SSD, only the 64GB eMMC, so the drives are an extra purchase. The 12GB of LPDDR5 is soldered and runs single-channel, and 12GB is also the ceiling, which limits how many virtual machines or containers it can host. Five of the six slots get a single PCIe 3.0 lane each, so drive speed is capped well below what the SSDs can do, although two 2.5G ports are the bottleneck on the network side anyway. There is one HDMI output and no DisplayPort, Thunderbolt or USB4, no headphone jack, no SD card reader, no Kensington lock and no VESA mount, and the chassis is plastic.
Is the Beelink ME mini worth it?
As a storage appliance, yes: six M.2 slots, dual 2.5G networking and an internal power supply in a 99mm cube are hard to find in a mini PC, and the N150 keeps the running costs low. As a general desktop it makes less sense, since the single display output and fixed 12GB of memory give nothing back for a buyer who does not plan to fill the drive slots. Budget for the SSDs on top of the base price, because this version arrives with only its small eMMC.
Frequently asked questions
How much storage can the Beelink ME mini hold?
It has six M.2 2280 slots that take up to 4TB each, for 24TB of solid-state storage in total, plus the 64GB eMMC that holds the operating system.
Does the Beelink ME mini come with an SSD?
Not in this configuration. It ships with 12GB of memory and a 64GB eMMC with Windows 11 Home, and all six M.2 slots are left empty for your own drives.
Can you upgrade the memory in the Beelink ME mini?
No. The 12GB of LPDDR5 at 4800 MT/s is soldered to the board, and 12GB is also the maximum.
How fast are the M.2 slots on the Beelink ME mini?
Slot 4 runs at PCIe 3.0 x2 and also accepts SATA SSDs. The other five slots are NVMe only and run at PCIe 3.0 x1.
Does the Beelink ME mini need an external power adapter?
No. The 45W power supply is built into the cube and it runs from a standard AC cable rated for 100-240V.
