Gigabyte, one of Taiwan's top IT companies, is best known for its motherboards and graphics
cards. Much like
Asus, it has tried to diversify beyond PC components into ready-built
products such as laptops and even accessories. However, at least in India,
Gigabyte hasn't
had nearly as much success breaking out of its mould. The company's relatively low-key
approach means that few people even know that it sells a line of mini PCs.
Building on Intel's
NUC concept, it's just about palm-sized but has a surprising amount of
flexibility and power. If you don't want or need a full-sized PC tower but still need more than
Look and feel
The Brix S is a neat little palm-sized black box with a glossy top. It's subtle enough to not
stand out, while still looking interesting. You could place one of these on your desk - it's small
enough to fit on the pedestal of some LCD monitors - or mount it in a variety of ways
including hanging it off the back of a monitor or TV. It's smaller and less obtrusive than
many routers and desktop hard drives, and could easily be mistaken for an accessory.
However, it does require an external power brick which is around the same size as the ones
which come with mainstream laptops. You'll also have to deal with wires when you need
external devices such as hard drives. At least you can use Wi-Fi and Bluetooth input devices
without any dongles, making the Brix S suitable for spaces where cable clutter would be a
problem, such as a living room.
There's a Gigabyte logo towards the back of the top, and a power button nearer to the front
which glows blue when the device is switched on. The front panel has two USB 3.0 ports and
a 3.5mm audio socket so you don't have to reach around the back just to plug in a pair of
earphones. There are two more USB 3.0 ports on the back, along with a Gigabit Ethernet
port, a Mini-DisplayPort, an HDMI output, a DC power inlet, and a Kensington lock slot.
That last touch is important, since a thief could just unplug one of these and slip it into a
bag or jacket pocket.
We would have liked at least an SD card slot, and maybe USB Type-C keeping future devices
in mind, but the Brix S does have a lot of flexibility the way it is, especially the ability to drive
two displays simultaneously. You get a VESA mounting bracket and two bags of screws in
the box, so you won't have trouble installing a hard drive and getting started. However, drivers
are supplied on a CD which is pretty much useless - Gigabyte could easily have tossed in a
small USB drive instead.
Specifications
Gigabyte sells multiple versions of the Brix S in India, with the most important difference
being the CPU, which is soldered down and cannot be upgraded. You add your own
RAM and storage, so you aren't limited on those fronts at the time of purchase or later on.
As its name suggests, the BXi3H-5010 is based on an Intel Core i3-5010U CPU, which is
essentially a 15W laptop processor based on the 5th generation 14nm Broadwell
architecture. It's soldered to the Brix's tiny motherboard and requires a cooling fan.
The CPU has two physical cores with Hyper Threading, and runs at 2.1GHz but does not
support Intel's Turbo Boost tech feature which pushes clock speeds up when possible.
Intel's HD 5500 GPU is integrated, and should do well for basic needs. You can run two
displays, but resolution support isn't the same across both outputs; only the mini-DisplayPort
can handle 4K at 60Hz while the HDMI port tops out at 2560x1600 unless you don't mind
the refresh rate dropping. Barebones PCs don't usually need to push such high-res displays,
but it's worth noting if you're thinking of HTPC usage with a 4K TV.
You have to add your own RAM and storage - the Brix S has two laptop-style SO-DIMM
DDR3L slots which lie flat against the motherboard, and each can handle low-power
modules of up to 8GB. On the storage front, you can take advantage of a low-profile
mSATA slot on the motherboard as well as a 2.5-inch SATA bay on the lid. This is a
surprisingly flexible arrangement, and so you can have a speedy SSD to boot from
as well as a high-capacity hard drive for storing lots of files.
The Brix S is more upgradeable than a similarly configured laptop, and you have the
pleasure of using a large monitor and a regular desktop keyboard and mouse. It's also
incredibly portable. You'll have to factor in at least another Rs. 5,000 for a reasonable
amount of RAM and storage, plus the cost of a monitor, keyboard, mouse, and OS license
if you don't already have them. You could also pay more for the models with a Core i5 or
Core i7 processor. If you like what Gigabyte has to offer with the Brix S, keep in mind
that Asus, Zotac and Intel itself have similar products on offer, so shop around and
choose the one that's right for you.
Price: Rs. 22,500 (Core i3)
Pros
- Small and unobtrusive
- Looks good
- Flexible RAM, storage and connectivity
- Easily upgradable
Cons
- Slightly convoluted setup process
