SER9 Pro × Ryzen AI 9 365: Mini PCs for the AI generation!

Finally ran the NPU utilization rate to fly, AI small steel cannon, how can you not love it?

Welcome to "Kim Thinner", today I want to review the SER9 Pro (AI 9 365) mini computer, which is said to be the little Nezha of the PC industry.

Thanks to the fairy fight between AMD and Intel, the iteration of PC processors has been very positive in recent years, especially the architecture update is becoming more and more diligent, and the taste of toothpaste is getting weaker and weaker. The PC building circle is also gradually divided into two factions, the pursuit of personalization or extreme performance to play sea view room DIY, the pursuit of minimalist or cost-effective play mini computer.

What I want to experience below is the latest small steel cannon equipped with AI 9 365 processor at zero moment, model SER9 Pro, onboard 32GB memory barebones priced at more than 4000 yuan, and the proper AI generation performance is positioned as a sweet spot.

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一、SER9 Pro × AI 9 365

Beelink, a computer brand owned by Shenzhen Android Micro (AZW), focuses on the mini computer category, including the flagship GT series, the cost-effective SE series and the special-purpose EQ series. The protagonist of this issue, SER9 Pro, belongs to the cost-effective SE series, R stands for AMD Ryzen platform, and 9 represents Ryzen AI 300 series (that is, the next generation of Ryzen 8000 series).

In fact, there are two models of the SER9 Pro, the mold is exactly the same, the difference is only in the processor, which is a bit similar to the subdivision strategy of a laptop. The high-end version uses AI 9 HX 370, the light of the AI generation of mobile processors, which has fully evolved from CPU-iGPU-NPU, and the only regret is that the positioning is too high. Fortunately, Zero Moment is as good as a stream, and in the Spring Festival in 2025, the SER9 Pro standard version with AI 9 365 processor will be launched, which is 600 yuan cheaper than the high-end version, which is quite kind.

For the differences between the popular modern models of the SER series, please refer to Kim's Thinner Secret "A Picture to Understand the Zero-Moment SER Universe, the Difference Between SER8 × SER9 Pro 365 × SER9 Pro 370". In addition to the processor iteration, the biggest facelift is to upgrade the DDR5 memory slot to an on-board LPDDR5X, and at the same time use the space saved to add microphones and dual speakers.

In terms of processor iteration, compared with the previous generation Ryzen 8000 series, the new Ryzen AI 300 series can be described as a major architecture update, first of all, the CPU part is upgraded to the Zen5 large and small core architecture (more cores, energy efficiency is improved), secondly, the iGPU part is iterated to the RDNA3.5 architecture (365 maintains 12 cores, 370 upgrades to 16 cores), and finally and most importantly, the NPU part is iterated to the XDNA2 architecture (AI computing power soars to 50 TOPS).

As for how to choose between the two brothers of SER9 Pro, AI 365 or AI 370, it depends on the budget & demand. The technical architecture and functional characteristics of the two processors are completely the same as the NPU computing power, the difference is only that the CPU scale of AI 370 is 2 small cores more, and the iGPU scale is 4 cores more, so it has a slight advantage in multi-core computing and game scenarios, and I personally feel that the AI 365, which is cheaper than 600 yuan, is more cost-effective.

PS: Unless otherwise specified, the "SER9 Pro" mentioned below refers to the standard version with AI 9 365.

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Second, open the box lightly

SER9 Pro adopts the family's traditional gift box packaging, envelope + box lid + pure white minimalist design, the unpacking ceremony feels in place, as if opening a treasure box containing mysterious power, which coincides with the temperament of the mini computer.

The inner packaging adopts a common duplex double-layer structure in the digital field, and the accessories that can be neatly stored when you take out the host, including a black power adapter, HDMI cable and disassembly tools, are ready to use out of the box.

SER9 Pro continues the classic design of SER8/SEi14, using a one-piece metal body shape, measuring 135×135×44.7mm, with a volume of about 0.8L and a bare weight of about 0.8kg.

Let's not say anything "fruity", just by virtue of this light and breezy mini shape× minimalist design× delicate texture, let's say that SER9 Pro looks good, at least the power button is easy to press. However, aesthetics are secondary, and the mystery of the one-piece metal body is that it can not only improve product reliability, but also reduce fan noise.

Interestingly, the SER9 Pro's one-piece metal structure only covers all four sides of the body (top/front/two sides), while the back and bottom panels are made of plastic. The reason is simple, it is to ensure that the hot and cold aisles are completely isolated. The SER9 Pro uses "lower inlet/rear outlet" heat dissipation, so the bottom plate of the cold aisle and the back of the hot aisle must be independent of the integrated body and isolated from each other.

The standard power supply model of SER9 Pro is HKA12019063-0A1, with a power of 120W (19V/6.32A), manufactured by Huntkey, with a measurement of 70×70×30mm and a net weight of about 260g.

In terms of interfaces, SER9 Pro, as always, has a grand slam configuration, with 3 interfaces on the panel + 8 interfaces on the back, and they are properly distributed before and after, and the expandability and convenience are always moving, completely bidding farewell to the existence of the docking station.

1个USB-C 4（40Gbps/PD/DP1.4/雷电3）

1个USB-C 3.2Gen2×1（10Gbps）

2个USB-A 3.2Gen2×1（10Gbps）

2 x USB-A 2.0

1 x DP1.4 (4K@240Hz)

1 x HDMI 2.1 (4K@2404Hz)

1 x 2.5G network port

2 x 3.5mm audio ports

The biggest improvement over SER8 is the four small holes on the panel (oh no, four microphones), with built-in dual speakers, which can easily support the voice interaction of mainstream AI large models, greatly improving productivity and entertainment.

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Third, disassemble the machine to see

The interior of SER9 Pro adopts the mainstream double-layer duplex structure of mini computers, and the interior of the fuselage is divided into two areas: the upper layer is the platform area, including the processor, onboard memory, VC vapor chamber and silent fan; The lower layer is the hard disk area, which includes the solid state drive, hard disk cooler, wireless network card, speakers, and dust filter. The air duct of the entire heat dissipation system is designed as "lower air inlet/rear air outlet", which takes into account cool× silent × dustproof, which is worthy of the mature MSC2.0 heat dissipation solution.

First use a toothpick or needle tip to pick up the rubber stopper, and then happily unscrew the four screws to separate the plastic bottom plate. The only slot, the standard screwdriver lacks faith, it is recommended to customize one at zero moment.

After removing the plastic bottom plate, the metal dust filter is visible, as well as the two conspicuous bags (built-in speakers) on the dust screen, and the left and right screws need to be unscrewed to disassemble the dust filter. It should be noted that the dust filter doubles as a fixed bracket for the built-in audio, and the audio is connected to the motherboard with a cable, so it should be gentle when disassembling the dust filter.

Take off the dust filter to see the entire hard disk area, pay attention to the screw with the word "effect" in the upper right corner, which means that further dismantling may affect the warranty, in fact, dismantling to this area has met the regular upgrade and maintenance needs, there is no need to go crazy to try.

Remove the SSD heatsink to replace the M.2 hard drive and wireless network card, since SER9 Pro uses onboard memory, then 2 hard disk slots and 1 network card slot are the DIY space of the whole machine. The huge SSD heatsink is really reassuring, and it should be reminded that in order to avoid local heating, it is recommended to avoid the slot where the wireless network card is stacked when installing a single hard drive.

I can't help but praise it, the design of the motherboard and the internal stacking are quite compact, the layout of various parts & interfaces is reasonable, and the heat dissipation and air duct are also thoughtful, which is worthy of being an old mage of mini computers.

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Fourth, hardware configuration

The sample of this review is SER9 Pro (AI 9 365), 32GB+1TB whole machine, come and say hello to them!

▼ Processor

SER9 Pro is equipped with AMD Ryzen family AI 9 365, which belongs to the 9th generation mobile processor according to the previous positioning, and belongs to the 3rd generation mobile AI processor according to the new name, the action code name Strix Point, based on the Zen5 + RDNA3.5 + XDNA2 architecture, and the Ryzen AI 300 series is positioned as the sub-flagship.

▼CPU

Ryzen AI 9 365 adopts TSMC 4nm process, Zen5 + Zen5c large and small core architecture, 10 cores and 20 threads (large core 4C/8T + small core 6C/12T), large core frequency 2.0~5.0GHz, small core frequency 2.0~3.3GHz, official TDP power consumption 28W, zero moment adjustment to 54W. CPU-Z benchmark score, single-threaded 789, multi-threaded 7791, the overall performance is equivalent to Intel desktop processor i7-12700.

▼iGPU

The core graphics model Radeon 880M adopts RDNA3.5 architecture, 12 groups of CUs, 768 stream processors, and a frequency of 2900MHz, which is equivalent to the enhanced version of the classic predecessor Radeon 780M. In terms of benchmarking N cards, the game performance is between RTX 2050 Mobile and GTX 1650 Max-Q, and it is still possible to play "Black Myth: Wukong".

▼NPU

The AI engine that keeps pace with the times, adopts the XDNA2 architecture, and the AI computing power is up to 50 TOPS, which is a qualitative leap compared to the AI computing power of the previous generation Ryzen 8000 series of 16 TOPS. It is worth mentioning that the Ryzen AI 300 series has passed the official certification of Copilot+ PC, which is perfectly in line with the AI generation. As for the ecosystem, AMD is also actively deploying and cooperating extensively with mainstream AI applications in the industry to give full play to the productivity of the XDNA2 architecture.

▼ Memory

The SER9 Pro uses on-board LPDDR5X memory chips, and the 32GB version is an 8GB×4 quad-channel configuration, with a memory frequency of 8000MHz and a timing of 26-18-21-42. AIDA64 has a memory score of 93GB/s read speed, 109GB/s write speed, 84GB/s copy speed, and 111.9ns latency, and the performance is in line with expectations.

▼ Hard disk

SER9 Pro comes standard with a 1TB SSD, and the teardown sample uses the Critical P3 Plus SSD, PCIe 4.0 protocol, cache-free design, etc., how does this hard drive ...... Both familiar and unfamiliar! Veteran players know that the Critical P3 Plus is also a zero-moment royal material, but the previous recipe was assembled in Mexico × 176-layer QLC flash memory, and this time the entire PCB and flash memory have changed greatly, which can't help but make people curious.

Take a closer look, the new Critical P3 Plus is assembled in Malaysia, the main control is still Phison PS5021-E21, and the flash memory is still Micron's original particles, but ...... Flash memory FBGA code changed to NY340, through the Micron material library query, the corresponding flash memory model is MT29F8T08EQLCHL5-QU:C, knock on the blackboard, this is 232 layers of TLC flash memory, single particle 8Tb, no wonder only 1 flash memory can form a single 1TB hard disk. Surprised, surprised!

What's even more surprising is that the Critical P3 Plus(new) with TLC particles has excellent temperature control, and the maximum temperature of the hard disk is only 44°C after running a lap of CrystalDiskMark! I don't know how powerful there is no comparison, referring to the thinner Critical P3 Plus(old) with QLC particles on hand, the maximum temperature in the same scene exceeds 50°C, so I asked if it was unexpected?

The sequential read and write speeds of 5208MB/s and 4752MB/s, and the 4K random (Q1T1) read and write speeds of 74MB/s and 225MB/s are in line with the performance of mid-range PCIe 4.0 hard drives, and the sequential write performance is significantly better than that of the old QLC version.

The TxBENCH score is relatively harsh, with sequential read and write speeds of 4870MB/s and 4725MB/s, and 4K random (Q1T1) read and write speeds of 60MB/s and 107MB/s, which are basically consistent with the results of CrystalDiskMark.

▼ Wireless network card

The SER9 Pro comes standard with an Intel AX200NGW wireless card, which supports WiFi6 and Bluetooth 5.2. The WiFi specification is 802.11ax protocol / 160MHz bandwidth / 1024QAM modulation / 2×2 spatial stream, the theoretical bandwidth of the 5G band is 2402Mbps, and the theoretical bandwidth of the 2.4G channel is 574Mbps. It should be noted that the network card uses a built-in simple antenna, and the WiFi signal is easily affected by the host positioning.

▼Built-in speaker

According to the official statement of ZeroMoment, the reason why the SER9 model has a Pro on the back is because compared with the SER8, a microphone and dual speakers are added, and this small detail instantly improves the productivity of the mini computer. In daily office or batch retouching scenes, you occasionally need to listen to the application prompt sound (such as the rendering is completed), at this time, it is a bit overkill to connect an external speaker or wear headphones, and the built-in sound is just right.

The built-in audio adopts an independent PCB modular design, the digital power amplifier chip is the ACM8625S of Zhisheng Semiconductor (built-in DSP algorithm), the ADC chip is GC1808 of Xinmai Technology, and the control chip is the STC8G1K08 of Hongjing Technology, cough cough, plus two 23mm speaker units.

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Fifth, the NPU flies

As a mobile processor of the AI generation, the NPU of Ryzen AI 9 365 has been upgraded to the XDNA2 architecture, and the AI computing power is as high as 50 TOPS.

As the saying goes, there is a specialization in the industry, and the logic architecture of CPU-iGPU-NPU is different, and the fields they are good at are naturally different, to put it simply, they can only play the highest efficiency when dealing with the affairs they are good at. For example, in AI applications, CPUs, iGPUs, and NPUs can provide AI computing power, but the CPU has the lowest energy efficiency ratio, which is purely a lack of awareness of power consumption.

As for iGPU compared to NPU, who will be the killer of AI energy efficiency? Well, you might as well feel the hard core power of NPU through an AI application, OMG, and finally run the NPU utilization rate to fly!

▼Amuse AI

Amuse is AMD's official AI creation tool, which is based on the Stable Diffusion model for localized deployment, provides fool-proof AI image generation capabilities on the desktop, and of course, more importantly, is optimized for the Ryzen AI 300 processor. For example, the Wensheng diagram function in "EZ mode" can call the NPU to run Stable Diffusion and increase the resolution.

下面简单做个“文生图”测试，用英文输入“On a rain day, Batman and Snoopy drink coffee in the forest.” （下雨天，蝙蝠侠和史努比在森林里喝咖啡），分别在关/开XDNA选项的情况下，让Amuse生成四张图片，从而对比iGPU与NPU的AI能效。

▼ iGPU computing power

Turn off the two XDNA options, and the AI computing power is purely provided by the iGPU, at this time the iGPU load is the highest, the CPU is lightly involved, and the NPU sleeps at home. It takes a total of 8.1 seconds to generate four images, and the iteration speed is 3.1it/s, note that the CPU package power (average) is 26.6W.

▼NPU computing power

Turn on the two XDNA options, and the AI computing power is purely provided by the NPU, at this time, the NPU load is the highest, the CPU is lightly involved, and the iGPU goes home to sleep. It takes a total of 8.5 seconds to generate four images, but the iteration speed is increased to 3.3it/s, note that the CPU package power (average) is 13.4W, of which the NPU power accounts for only 1.4W!

▼The mystery of NPU

There is no comparison, there is no harm, and the AI energy efficiency gap between iGPU and NPU is really very different...... Ahem, it's not a matter of twice as much!

You must know that HWiNFO monitors the total power of the entire processor, including standby power consumption + CPU participation power consumption + AI computing power consumption, after deducting the first two, the third is the real power consumption of iGPU and NPU to run AI computing power.

Assuming that the standby power consumption is the same when Amuse generates the image twice, and the CPU participation power consumption is also the same, then the power consumption of the iGPU can be roughly estimated by NPU power = 1.4W, and the result is quite amazing......

When running AI computing power in the same scenario, the energy efficiency ratio of NPU is several times or even ten times that of iGPU! How fast and easy to save.

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6. Performance test

Beginning with unboxing and finally running scores, it may be the simple joy of installation. The default adjustment power of SER9 Pro is 54W, that is, PowerLimit Setting=Balance Mode in BIOS, and the adjustment parameters can be viewed through HWiNFO, the power wall (PL1/PL2) is 54W, and the temperature wall (Tjmax) is 90°C.

核显的显存照例从物理内存里固定预留+动态分配,默认预留4GB,相比SER8调个显存还要进BIOS,现在SER9 Pro倒是方便很多,直接在显卡驱动(AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition)就能调。

PS: This evaluation is based on the performance of the processor 54W power consumption, BIOS/Win11/GPU are the default settings, for reference only.

▼Cinebench R23

Based on the authoritative CPU benchmark software of the Cinema 4D special effects engine in the film and television industry, the single-core score is 1971, an increase of 13% compared with the Ryzen 8845HS; The multi-core score is 18769, which is 20% higher than that of the Ryzen 8845HS.

▼PCMark10

A typical productivity benchmark benchmark, with a total score of 7202, and the score of each sub-project falls in the range of 6900-15600, there is basically no shortcoming, and the three major projects are all around 10,000 points, among which the content creation field performs brilliantly, and it is worthy of being an all-round warrior.

In the PCMark10 benchmark score distribution chart, the SER9 Pro's benchmark score has surpassed 83% of the sample, which can be classified as a "gaming laptop in 2023".

▼V-Ray 6 Benchmark

The benchmark software based on V-Ray rendering technology has a CPU score of 20293, which is 33% higher than that of Ryzen 8845HS; The iGPU-CUDA score is 933, which is 29% higher than that of the Ryzen 8845HS, making it easy to facilitate content creation.

▼3DMark-Fire Strike

The DirectX 11 benchmark with a rendering resolution of 1080p is relatively easy and enjoyable, with an overall score of 9207, 9996 for the graphics card, 28644 for the physics project, and 3529 for the CPU&GPU overall project. The graphics card project is 24% higher than that of the Ryzen 8845HS.

The 3DMark-Fire Strike ladder chart also confirms the above conclusion, with the SER9 Pro's total score exceeding 35% of the sample, which is somewhere between an "affordable gaming computer" and a "business office notebook".

▼3DMark-Time Spy

DirectX 12 benchmark with a rendering resolution of 2K, with an overall score of 3994, 3596 for the graphics card and 10722 for the CPU. The graphics card project is 23% higher than that of Ryzen 8845HS.

In the 3DMark-Time Spy score ladder distribution chart, the total score of SER9 Pro exceeds 15% of the samples, which still has obvious advantages over "business office notebooks".

▼Steel Nomad Light

DirectX 12 pure raster benchmark with a rendering resolution of 2K, with an overall score of 3403 and an average frame rate of 25fps. As can be seen from the distribution chart of the same GPU, the performance release of the SER9 Pro is better than the standard level of the Radeon 880M.

▼ Black Myth: Wukong

It should be noted that the frame rate of "Black Myth: Wukong" is very sensitive to image quality settings, and modifying any of the settings may make the frame rate roller coaster, so here try to minimize the adjustment according to the default settings to reduce interference factors and present the most original performance of SER9 Pro.

1080p resolution/FSR resolution 75/Frame generation on/ray tracing off/Image quality level,The average frame rate is 52fps,95%The frame rate is >47fps,It's basically playable。

1080p resolution / FSR resolution 75 / frame generation on / ray tracing off / high image quality level, average frame rate 41fps, 95% frame rate > 37fps, high image quality frame rate drop by about 10fps, the pursuit of smoothness can appropriately reduce FSR definition.

▼Standby power consumption

Let's take a look at the no-load standby situation first, the front desk only turns on the sensor function of AIDA64 and HWiNFO, and only the Win11 default process in the background, after standing for a period of time, observe the average value of the sensor.

CPU package power: 3.9W

CPU temperature: 24.6°C

Hard disk temperature: 19°C

Fan speed: 1262rpm

▼CPU single bake

Continuing from the above scenario, AIDA64 enables the Stress FPU and runs the CPU for more than 24 minutes to observe the current value of the sensor.

CPU package power: 54W

CPU temperature: 72.4°C

CPU大核睿频:3.8GHz

CPU小核睿频:2.9GHz

Hard disk temperature: 27°C

Fan speed: 1713rpm

▼ iGPU single bake

The sensor function of AIDA64, GPU-Z and HWiNFO is enabled in the foreground, only the default process of Win11 is enabled in the background, and RUN is enabled for FurMark, and the iGPU is single-baked for more than 21 minutes to observe the current value of the sensor.

CPU/GPU封装功率:47.6W

CPU/GPU temperature: 61.5°C

GPU频率：2896MHz

Fan speed: 1603rpm

I have to say that the cooling system of the SER9 Pro is very powerful, the temperature of the whole machine is lower than expected, and there is no annoying noise even if the fan is at full speed.

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tail

SER9 Pro is a mini PC that spans generations, it iterates the processor to the new architecture of the Ryzen AI 300 series on the basis of the SER8 classic mold, with exquisite internal stacking and excellent cooling system, allowing Ryzen AI 9 365 to exert 54W powerful performance, releasing the infinite charm of the new architecture from CPU-iGPU-NPU, and officially creating the AI generation of mini PCs with the help of the explosion of NPU energy efficiency ratio.

It's a pity to say that the integrated metal body has a certain impact on the WiFi signal, so it is recommended to optimize the antenna components; RGB light strips may be added to the follow-up mold update to meet the personalized needs of lighting control; It is recommended to pre-install some practical AI tools, or provide fool-like deployment guidance to give full play to the value of AI small steel cannons. The standard dismantling tool needs to be improved.

Okay, that's all for this lesson, more black technology, stay tuned to "Kim is thinner"!