Beelink EQ12 vs Beelink EQ13
| Field | Beelink EQ12 | Beelink EQ13 |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Intel N100 (N305 SKU available) | Intel N200 (Alder Lake-N) |
| Cores | 4C / 4T (N100) | 4C / 4T |
| Form factor | Mini PC | Mini-PC |
| Measured idle power | ~8 W idle wall-measured · Wall measurement (buyer's-guide aggregate) · source · 2025 | ~10.1 W idle (Windows, M.2 SATA SSD, display on) wall-measured · Wall meter · source · 2024-06-25 |
| ECC memory | No (DDR4 SODIMM, non-ECC) source · 2025 | No cited source — left blank. |
| NIC chipset | 2× 2.5GbE source · 2025 | 2× Realtek RTL8111/8168 (dual LAN) source · 2024-06-25 |
| RAM ceiling | 32 GB (2× DDR4 SODIMM) source · 2025 | 16 GB DDR4-3200 (single SODIMM) source · 2024-06-25 |
| IOMMU / passthrough | No sourced passthrough report yet. | No sourced passthrough report yet. |
| AMD reset bug | — | — |
| Price band | $180–230 | $160–220 |
| Proxmox fit (editorial) | good — Dual-2.5GbE N100, popular as a pfSense/OPNsense or small Proxmox box. Verify NIC silicon (i226 vs Realtek). | good — Dual-LAN N200 mini-PC idling ~10 W; capable Proxmox/pfSense host, though the Realtek RTL8111 NICs warrant caution for heavy virtualized networking. |
| Where to buy | Amazon Newegg eBay | Amazon Newegg eBay |
Frequently asked questions
Does the Beelink EQ12 or the Beelink EQ13 use less idle power?
The Beelink EQ12 idles at ~8 W idle (wall-measured); the Beelink EQ13 idles at ~10.1 W idle (Windows, M.2 SATA SSD, display on) (wall-measured). On the cited lower-bound figures, the Beelink EQ12 draws less. Idle varies with OS, 120 V vs 240 V mains and power tuning, so treat these as the third-party measured numbers, not a guarantee for your exact unit.
Beelink EQ12 vs Beelink EQ13: which has the better NIC for Proxmox?
Beelink EQ12 NIC: 2× 2.5GbE (rated unknown). Beelink EQ13 NIC: 2× Realtek RTL8111/8168 (dual LAN) (rated caution). Intel i226 is the chipset to want; i225 has a documented dropout history and Realtek RTL8125 works on Linux/Proxmox but not VMware ESXi. Confirm the silicon on the unit you receive with lspci -nn.
Which is the better homelab / Proxmox box, the Beelink EQ12 or the Beelink EQ13?
Beelink EQ12: Dual-2.5GbE N100, popular as a pfSense/OPNsense or small Proxmox box. Verify NIC silicon (i226 vs Realtek). Beelink EQ13: Dual-LAN N200 mini-PC idling ~10 W; capable Proxmox/pfSense host, though the Realtek RTL8111 NICs warrant caution for heavy virtualized networking. These are our editorial verdicts derived from the cited fields above — not a spec.
Cited public information, not purchasing advice. Idle draw depends on OS, mains voltage (120 V vs 240 V) and power tuning (powertop); onboard NIC silicon can differ between production batches of the same model — confirm with
lspci -nn before relying on a NIC or passthrough claim. Full per-model detail and every source on the model pages.