Beelink GS-King X (Android + NAS) TV Box Review, S922X-H | ESS HiFi | 4GB RAM | ...

What's up fam, I hope you are all staying safe out there in these times. Welcome once again to another of my in-depth reviews, where I take you through a device and by the end, hopefully you are more informed and better equipped to make a purchase decision. This time around, it’s the Beelink GS-King X, the successor to the equally Beasty GT-King Pro (they share similar core specs). I've had the recently launched Beelink GS-King X for a couple weeks & has been my daily driver. Basically, Beelink attempts to fill a gap in the market for a decent MULTI-OS, but primarily Android OS powered box with NAS features. I mention MULTI-OS because the GS-King X, like it's siblings is also capable of dual-booting (possible triple-boot) between the android operating system and CoreELEC. In future updates, I’ll also try to confirm that like the GT-King & GT-King Pro models, the EmuELEC emulator also works on it.
Let’s kick off with its specs…

Specifications


So some veteran readers would have already noticed the similarities and differences between this here Beelink GS-King X & the GT-King Pro. Nevertheless, here are the main differences between both devices.

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Alright and before I get lynched by dedicated standalone NAS owners & community .. Let me quickly address the elephant in the room. Am I expecting this to completely replace the likes of QNAP, Drobo, Western Digital, Asustor & of course "allegedly" Mega boss of NAS systems.. Synology?... Nope! Why? Because I'm a firm believer that certain systems simply need to remain separate hardware in order to function at their best. Nevertheless, and having closely worked with Beelink for over a year (gosh it's been that long huh.. ), I'm willing to give this a chance to prove itself. And don't worry, this review as will all my reviews, remains independent & Beelink will be viewing my results at the same time as you are doings so. Especially since this is currently priced around the Nvidia Shield Pro territory. Those are big shoes to fill in there. So sorry Beelink, I'm going to whack this device for all it's got..Hope you brought your A game.. Sure there's the useful adoptable storage feature with most compatible boxes and mobile devices, Shield TV/Pro included. But let's remember that what sets this GS-King X apart from its competitors, is that this baby can house not one but two 3.5" hard disks, each slot can handle drives up to 16TB. So in addition to the Hopefully blazing fast 64GB internal storage, which can be further expanded by an additional up to 2TB for apps, games, etc.. You can also have an additional (Separate) 32TB of storage to store your data. All of which should be accessible through various means not limited to direct access, NFS, Samba, WebDAV, FTP, SFTP the bundled/dedicated Weline app, and a plethora of cloud storage service software. In my future reviews, I hope to be able to test most of them if not all, and report their transfer speeds. Also which is more friendly to setup and or just plain best to use with the GS-King X. I mean, it's still supposed to be a NAS device. I'll test P2P too, but as always, I've got to be cautious when reporting about it. So like ehem IPTV, If I don't speak much about it? but hint at it's goodness? Kindly understand it works and i don't want to get into legal issues regarding it.

Box & HW Images

So a little bit of history before we jump in... Back in 2016, HiMedia released their flagship Q10 Pro. Some here are fairly familiar about this legendary AV TV box. TBH, it handled Surround Sound formats like a champ thanks to HiMedia's proprietary tech. It had a single 3.5" HDD Bay which supported drives up to 6TB or 8TB, I'm not entirely sure at this point.. [@AVFAN] would you like to weigh in here? .. IIRC, it was the first such consumer device I interacted with...Although HiMedia has refreshed it's hardware, looks and software to better match today's 4K UHD HDR demands? its specs are considered quite obsolete d. Enter, this Beelink GS-King X to take such features & specs to greater height with beefier specs, promising faster & better performance.

Alright, customary intro/rant/history lesson done with, let's focus on the box & how well it can perform in your life.. Due to life, limited time & not wanting to compromise on my extensive testing style, I'm forced to split the full review into chunks. This being the first part in the series.. At this point I encourage you to watch my YouTube video below in its entirety for a more visual review. I show you how to cleanly remove the back cover to access the 2 3.5" HDD bays, how to prepare them with the hooks for insertion, what screwdriver set to use, etc.. I also go into more details in the video, explaining why I setup a certain way la and why you should too. Plus a couple tips and tricks that you can replicate on your device right now to make it faster as well. Else, this would be an even taller wall of text..

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Having used it for awhile, I've gotten used to its size just sitting there on my desk or the TV cabinet... Looking fierce and like it belongs. Definitely a topic starter for the uninitiated guests.. Cuz you know, it's size and that skull design. The box is VERY WELL built... I can't emphasize this enough, you need to feel it to fully appreciate the build quality. It's made of 3mm thick forged magnesium alloy. With every angle showing beautiful metal flow lines & premium craftsmanship.. But all these are moot without adequate air flow, especially with 2 spinning hard disks enclosed. Well, Beelink thought of that. So in addition to a powerful cooling fan, there are plenty strategically placed ventilation holes all around to provide what has been adequate airflow for the internals, successfully pushing hot air out of the device and protecting its valuable internals. Yep, if you are like me, your data is valuable & you don't want to even think you'll have to lose a drive or 2 from overheating. Hardware failure under normal circumstances? Well yeah..So RAID up!

There are two color states and Beelink has 2 special names for them. A TECHNICAL BLUE when it's powered & running and when it's in a standby state? It switches to ENERGY GREEN. This Energy Green color stays on as long as it detects power from the power adapter. For those who would prefer it off? Beelink will added a function to turn it off without having to pull out the cable or hitting the power switch.


Software Screenshots

Google Play Store
CPDT

CPU Monitor

PassMark Performance Test

Antutu V8


To end this Part one..Those IMO, are disappointing Antutu scores. Although, I'm more inclined to blame the Benchmark app itself rather than the box. I show why and explain in details why this is the case. Nevertheless, before the final conclusion of my full review? I'll run the Antutu benchmark tests again and hopefully, I get a smooth operation and befitting scores. Lastly, I have a slight suggestion for Beelink...Dear Beelink, if you going to make premium devices like the GS-King X & at premium pricing? Please fashion or ship such devices with a much better or premium remote than the bundled Flymouse RF controller with microphone.

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While it works "alright", accepts & sends voice commands accurately, the air-mouse functions leaves a lot to be desired. IMO, I'd like to see something along the likes of the Minix Neo A3 sporting more dedicated media buttons, decent air-mouse abilities, and a QWERTY keyboard on the other side. So in my review, I'll mostly be controlling the box with my trusty Logitech MK850 Performance keyboard & Mouse combo. It's a great wireless combo suited for higher performance & people who work with multiple devices and OSes. Here are 2 videos I have up.. One detailing how to connect it to an Android box via Bluetooth and the other my unboxing and honest first impressions on it.. Pardon the productions, I'm still getting the hang of these whole YouTube, Video shooting & Editing thingy .. If interested, Make sure to check them out. And don't worry, I'll push out a proper review on the Logitech MK850 High Performance Keyboard + Mouse combo..

Videos underneath spoiler


Official Beelink Website...GS-King X Product Page
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Beelink Youtube Page
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