GIGABYTE BRIX GB-BXi7-4500 Review: Intel Core i7 in a UCFF PC
by Ganesh T S on October 9, 2014 7:00 AM ESTFinal Words
After putting the GB-BXi7-4500 through our mini-PC evaluation routine, we are glad that we decided to not let the unit fall off our radar. GIGABYTE builds upon Intel's NUC ecosystem successfully by presenting an i7 alternative to consumers. Performance shows improvement for almost all workloads compared to the highest-end Intel NUC. In our exploration of the building blocks for these UCFF PCs, we are also happy to bring out Plextor's PX-128M6M as a very credible and high-performing competitor for the storage slot.
Pretty much the only downside of the unit is the bundled 802.11n WLAN component. Given the high-end CPU in the system, GIGABYTE should have treated it on par with the BRIX Pro and the BRIX Gaming units and included a 802.11ac mPCIe card. The BIOS is UEFI-based, but pretty barebones. The only interesting configuration available in the BIOS is the ability to set the performance mode (the default that we tested out with was balanced). Configuring a lower performance mode may prevent the fan from making too much noise in certain situations.
The pricing of the Core i7-4500U makes it attractive for high-end ultrabooks, but the BXi7-4500 manages to get it to the consumer in a UCFF PC at a reasoable price ($490, when Intel apparently sells the CPU alone for $393). All in all, GIGABYTE has managed to deliver the right balance of price, power, size and thermal / acoustic design in the GB-BXi7-4500.
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dakishimesan - Thursday, October 9, 2014 - link
One other thing – even though the Mac Mini is 7.5 in.² as opposed to the 4.5 in.² of this computer, the Mac Mini has an integrated power supply.Samus - Friday, October 10, 2014 - link
I do agree the mobile i7 is a waste of money. It always has been. It's super shady how Intel promotes their ultramobile i5 and i7; they're nothing like their desktop equivalent.It's funny that Baytrail is the only true quad-core (physical) ultramobile CPU Intel has.
dakishimesan - Thursday, October 9, 2014 - link
Over the last couple of years, the ultra-compact form factor (UCFF) has emerged as one of the bright spots in the troubled PC marker.dgingeri - Thursday, October 9, 2014 - link
Most importantly: can it run WoW and STO at a decent framerate?Wilco1 - Thursday, October 9, 2014 - link
So how is it possible for a CPU with a claimed 15W TDP to use 30W extra from idle to full load???MrCommunistGen - Thursday, October 9, 2014 - link
I assume there are a number of factors involved. In no particular order:1. Power measurements are at the wall so we're accounting for PSU efficiency as well
2. With Intel's Turbo, as long as the thermals aren't out of control, the CPU can exceed its TDP
3. The CPU isn't the only component that can draw more power when the system is under heavy load. The obvious component that comes to mind is the system fan. In a system with power consumption this low, fan power draw becomes relevant.
MrCommunistGen - Thursday, October 9, 2014 - link
I meant to explicitly state that I did not intend for my 3 bullet points to be taken as an exhaustive list...Mentally ballparking the numbers, these factors seemed to add up well enough to account for the extra 15W over TDP. My thought process basically stopped there.
Wilco1 - Thursday, October 9, 2014 - link
You're right there are other aspects besides the CPU but eg. the D542050WYKH also has a CPU with a claimed 15W TDP and it also has a fan, memory, turbo, power supply inefficiencies etc, and yet it manages to use 10W less. So how do you explain the difference?mmaenpaa - Thursday, October 9, 2014 - link
It would be nice to see review of GB-BXA8-5545 with the same components. I believe the barebones version (no memory & no SSD) is about 250$.http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx...
Markku
bleomycin - Thursday, October 9, 2014 - link
Maybe I missed it but there was no mention of fan noise or bios fan control options? I have a 2nd generation i5 brix and would never buy one again due to the non-existent bios fan controls. I have to use speedfan under windows or fancontrol under linux to keep this thing within reasonable audible limits just for running xbmc. My nuc systems handle all of that just fine in the bios.