If we recall what sizes the first computers reached, it is hard to believe that quite compact devices fit on our desktops. It can be said that even ATX form factor enclosures are small systems.
Time goes by, and developers no longer need large boxes to install productive hardware there. Now there are enough small "boxes" like Gigabyte BRIX Gaming. We will consider the mini-PC GB-BXi5G-760 and a couple of new models from this manufacturer.
System
Of course, compact platforms appeared long ago, and they no longer surprise an experienced user. But every year new items attract attention.
The model is similar in design and size to the previously released Steam Machine platform . The company introduced this “box” to its customers in order to introduce them to the operating system. The model was very similar to the Gigabyte BRIX Gaming GB-BXi5G-760. Only she got a processor more powerful, with integrated graphics.
Equipment
Before us is a large box of black. It has a lot of graphic elements. There is a PC image, logos and the name of the device family. All important information about the technical component of the device is indicated on the front. It is duplicated and translated into several languages.
There are many additional accessories in the box. There is a power supply with a capacity of 180 watts. For ease of use, there are several adapters. In the box is a metal bracket. It is needed in order to install the system unit on the wall or hide it behind the monitor.
Since there is a combined audio jack on the case, an adapter has been added, which so often is not enough for laptops. It was a surprise that the drivers for the system were installed on a USB flash drive, which also lies in the box.
Appearance
The manufacturer approached the “boxing" creatively. Before us is the Gigabyte BRIX Gaming 760 in black and light green. This choice is clear. Since a computer of this size becomes completely inconspicuous, it must be highlighted with at least colors. As a result, we have before us a conditional 1 liter cube, which is outwardly bright and “cheerful.” Its dimensions are 60 x 128 x 115 mm.
On top of the cube is covered with a glossy black lid. She is beautiful, although she keeps dust and prints on herself. But interestingly shimmers in different lighting conditions. A power button was placed on top and painted silver. In the upper left corner left their logo. When the “box” is active, the power button is highlighted in blue.
Interfaces
The front panel is similar to the color of gadgets from NVIDIA. Black and light green elements are well combined and complemented by perforation. On the front, there are two USB 3.0 connectors, as well as a combined audio jack. There is an adapter in the box that converts the port to a standard one: with a hole for the microphone and headphones separately.
The back side of the box has acquired a large number of slots, which are necessary for full work. There are immediately three independent digital video outputs. All of them work correctly at the same time. For them, there are adapters in the box.
There is also a place to connect the power supply and Internet connection cable. Nearby you can find a couple more USB version 3.0.
At the right end you can see a large perforated mesh. Through it, fans of the cooling system are noticeable. The left end is also occupied by perforation and light green glossy panel. Through the grid, a noticeable radiator.
The bottom of the “box” has rubberized legs - to prevent slipping on the work surface and eliminate vibration.
"Inside"
The review of the gaming mini-computer Gigabyte BRIX Gaming GB-BXi5G-760 should touch on the “insides of the box”. The bottom cover calmly unscrews. Having lifted it, we notice a payment with all system.
That the user can get here is good. So, on your own it is easy to get on the platform to conduct maintenance.
Before us is the already known barebone-system. It has no RAM and drive. On the one hand - an extremely unpleasant moment. On the other hand, there is an opportunity to independently complete the system, guided by personal preferences.
The amount of RAM can be raised to 16 GB. The motherboard accepts SO-DIMM memory modules that we find on laptops. There are two slots for the system to work with dual channel mode.
You can immediately notice the presence of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth modules. Nearby is an empty mSATA hole for the hard drive. The platform accepts a version of the hard drive for laptops - 2.5-inch drives.
You can consider the reverse part of the "motherboard". On it we notice a copper radiator with a soldered core. There is a fin for the chip. One tube is responsible for the heat sink.
The board itself is represented by a compact blue textolite. Its dimensions are 10 x 10 cm. Food operates through a two-phase circuit. For a network connection, a gigabit LAN controller was installed. There is a built-in sound system Realtek.
At the very bottom of the Gigabyte BRIX Gaming GB-BXi5G-760 is a separate PC graphics subsystem. It also features a separate passive-cooled PCB.
Cooler
In order for the graphics accelerator to work without overheating, a cooling system is implemented. It consists of a massive radiator with copper fins. A stream of air passes through them, which is circulated by two fans.
This radiator turned out to be larger. He acquired three copper heat sink tubes. Tremopaste is applied to the core, through which the cooling system contacts the chip and memory.
Technical component
The head of the PC was the Intel Core i5-4200H chip. It runs on two cores, with four-thread processing technology. This is the Haswell mobile crystal. It consumes 47 W and produces a frequency of 2.8 GHz in the usual mode, and in accelerated mode - 3.4 GHz.
The specifications for the Gigabyte BRIX Gaming GB-BXi5G-760 say that there is a discrete graphics card GeForce GTX 760 inside. If we test the accelerator, it turns out that it differs from both its desktop model and the mobile version.
The video card has 1344 computing units, which is almost 200 units more than the desktop version. The rasterizers decreased to 24, and the texture units grew to 112. The memory bus runs on 192 bits.
As a result, the analysis of the accelerator showed that it is almost identical to the previously known mobile version of the GeForce GTX 870M. Why the manufacturer did not indicate the model of a real graphic chip is a mystery.
GK104 indicates a frequency of 941 MHz, and in Boost mode - 967 MHz. Many owners noted that the advantage of this video card can be considered 6 GB of video memory, which operates at a speed of 5 GHz. If someone had a lot of this volume, you could consider a model with 3 GB.
New
But the model under review is not the only “boxing" of the manufacturer. In 2017, the company announced the Gigabyte Brix Gaming VR family. Obviously, this variation is aimed at game content.
Those who have already seen these models live, noted their very attractive appearance. All models in this family resemble Mini-ITX form factor enclosures. These “boxes” are slightly larger than the hero of the review. Their volume is 2.6 liters.
So far, you definitely can’t find out what is inside the Gigabyte Brix Gaming VR case. The announcement made it clear only that the air circulates in the "box" from the bottom up, and the system is quiet.
Several models were presented at once. Each is different "stuffing." Since these platforms are aimed at gamers, there is a good powerful hardware inside.
The basis of the family is the "motherboard" from the manufacturer. The chipset was the Intel HM175. There are "crystals" of the fifth and seventh generation from the Kaby Lake-H series. The user can purchase a system with an Intel Core i7-7700HQ or, as is the case with the Gigabyte Brix Gaming VR GB-BNi5HG6-1060, with a Core i5-7300HQ.
The graphics card GeForce GTX 1060 is responsible for the graphics inside the “box.” As a result, we have a well-balanced powerful gaming platform. All this is complemented by 6GB GDDR5 video memory. As in the case of the monitored PC, this will also have to buy a hard drive and RAM.
New Design
Appearance is worthy of a closer look. Gigabyte Brix Gaming VR GB-BNi5HG6-1060 is compact and stylish. The main part of the body is covered with matte black plastic. The upper part looks interesting. An orange border is placed around its perimeter.
There is a glossy panel on top, in the middle of which is a luminous company logo. Visually, it seems that this part "hovers" over the main one. This is due to the fact that the panel was placed on a small stand, and the LED backlight was launched at the edges. The remaining area of the upper part of the body is occupied by orange perforation, which has edges slanted inward.
If you turn the Gigabyte Brix Gaming VR GB-BNi5HG6, you will notice that we are not facing a rectangle, but a polyhedron. This happened due to the fact that on the back side we added an additional facet, especially for interfaces.
There were a lot of them for such a mini-PC. Above is a power button. Below are three USB 3.0 ports. Nearby is a pair of USB version 3.1. Only one works with Type-A, and the second with Type-C.
Below is the place to connect the Internet cable. There are openings for headphones and a microphone. Nearby, on one of the side panels, two HDMI and DisplayPort were placed.
A Gigabyte Brix Gaming VR computer based on Core i7 costs around $ 1,200, while its younger version with Core i5 costs about $ 1,050. To this cost, you can also add the cost of RAM and hard drive. Therefore, a mini-PC will cost a lot.
Modifications
The above models appeared in 2017, and earlier Gigabyte already showed interesting options for “boxes”. Looking at them, you can notice how the style of the company is developing.
For example, back in 2016, you could hear about other versions of this line of Gigabyte BRIX Gaming UHD. Outwardly, it is similar to the previous model, but more restrained, although stylish. Made in black and white.
Technically, it is also a system aimed at gamers. There are modifications with the Intel Core i7-6700HQ processor and Core i5-6300HQ. The video card is still used by one for all. In this series of “boxes”, it became the GeForce GTX 950. Since this model has an integrated discrete card, the dimensions significantly affected its compactness. But still, this option is significantly different from the standard ATX form factor enclosures.
Another mini-PC option was the Gigabyte BRIX Gaming GT. She was introduced at the beginning of 2017. Externally, the model was very attractive and unusual. It is difficult to call it “boxing”, because it got an oval shape.
On the upper part there is an LED backlight and two covers that open easily. After comes the unusual shape of the grid. From here, air begins its way into the enclosure.
The side edge has got a logo. On one side you can see the power button and interface panel.
Novelty announced in a single modification. Powered by Intel Core i7-6700K, and the famous GeForce GTX 1080 became the video card. The main advantage of this mini-PC is that it does not need to buy additional RAM and storage.
Inside, 32 GB of RAM is already installed, as well as two HDDs with a volume of 240 GB and 1 TB. You should not expect this version to be cheaper than 2 thousand dollars, since the hardware is almost top-end, and there are more than enough RAM and internal memory.
findings
These were the compact systems from Gigabyte. The BRIX Gaming family is diverse. It is presented in several series. In each of them there are modifications “cheaper” and “more expensive”.
Such mini-PCs look very cool, they remind space devices. The technical component is also well implemented. All systems are balanced and cope with many modern games.