Final Thoughts

Although there'south no avoiding the fact that the Cadre i5-3337U isn't upwards to snuff with Intel'due south desktop chips, often falling behind fifty-fifty the Pentium G2020, the Gigabyte Brix is pretty snappy for a system that measures only 4.5 x 4.24 x i.18". Both the i5-3337U and the G2020 are based on Ivy Bridge and characteristic two cores with a 3MB L3 enshroud. They differ in clock speed and number of available threads.

The Pentium G2020 is set up at ii.9GHz and lacks HyperThreading which limits it to two threads, while the i5-3337U runs at just 1.8GHz just can jump to 2.7GHz with Turbo Heave and supports four threads courtesy of HT. These configurations made for some competitive results between the two parts, though information technology'southward worth noting that the G2020 is still pretty deadening by desktop standards, so even if the i5-3337U was consistently faster -- and it isn't -- it would be a small victory in the grand scheme of things.

Although they may share performance margins, the i5-3337U'southward value comes into question when you consider the fact that the G2020 is much cheaper at $70 versus the i5'southward manufacturer suggested price of $225. Every bit nosotros mentioned earlier, Intel's NUC systems have witnessed limited enthusiast interest and nosotros fear the Brix will suffer a similar fate because it'due south $420 up front sans RAM, SSD and Bone.

Dedicated TechSpot readers may recall a recent article in which we detailed the process of building a modest grade factor gaming, and that makes for a timely comparison to this barebones kit. If we crammed 8GB of RAM, a 128GB SSD with Windows eight, the Pentium G2020 on an Asrock Z77TM-ITX into the fanless Akasa Euler chassis, it would cost $620. You could even do a similar i5 Haswell build for under $750.

In improver to being cheaper and faster, selecting each component provides more than options all around, not to the lowest degree in customizability and connectivity. As a drawback, the Akasa Euler is larger, only you can still mount it to the dorsum of a monitor and hibernate information technology from view if that'south a priority -- inappreciably a deal billow. If you insist on fugitive building a system from scratch, we'd likewise seriously consider buying a laptop over the Brix.

An i5-3337U-powered laptop tin can be had for less than $750 and that price includes everything you need for a complete experience: an integrated display, input hardware and an operating arrangement. Notebooks too come with a battery which is obviously useful for mobile calculating, but it can also serve as an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) when the notebook is docked with full-size peripherals.

For its size, the Brix's functioning managed to impress a few of my tech-savvy friends, just that doesn't necessarily brand it a practical pick. After all, who needs a pocket-sized desktop computer? The point of such a machine becomes moot when its master advantage isn't really relevant. Monitors typically bridge 24" these days and that's big enough to hide just about any ultra-compact PC.

With such high pricing, NUC barebones systems yet don't seem quite ready for primetime. That isn't to say nobody should own a Brix -- just non those who can't directly benefit from its impressively diminutive body. Although the automobile is fast plenty for general use, we'd be fools not to recommend ane of the better value options over Intel/Gigabyte'south solution to small-course-gene computing.

Pros: Decent everyday performance in a ridiculously compact bundle that's at least somewhat customizable equally yous outfit the barebones kit with your own RAM, SSD, Wi-Fi module and Bone.

Cons: Poor value compared to similar desktops/laptops, particularly afterward you factor in the cost the above-mentioned parts. Our build would accept toll $750, which is hard to justify in our opinion.