Performance has always been a question of size. No wonder that big desktop computers have been dominating the gamer scene for the past decades. With the ever rising demand for mobility this begins to change. Not only that the current generation of mini PCs fits in the smallest bag or narrowest industry rack, it also comes with a promising amount of graphic power, making use of mobile and even desktop versions of NVidia and AMDs hardware. Last week I ran tests on a Gigabyte Brix Gaming GB-BXA8G-8890 and a Zotac ZBox EN760 using the 3DMark Fire Strike benchmark. Here are the results:
Hardware
The Brix Gaming comes with an AMD Richland APU A8-5557M and an AMD Radeon R9 M275X. It fits in a 59.6 x 128 x 115.4 mm case. Cooling is provided by two fans. Although using only mobile components, the very small overall size will have those fans work hard, so I expect significiant noise. The Hardware Setup is completed by 8.096 MB DDR3L and a 256 GB SSD. With a price tag of round about 500 Euro (i.e. some $575) this is a real Budget piece of gaming.
The ZBox runs on Intel Core i5-4200U processor and a NVidia Geforce 860M, and should therefore be superior regarding performance. With dimensions of 51 x 188 x 188 mm the case is two times the size of the Brix. Using 16.192 MB DDR3L and 512 GB SSD we end up at 1.000 Euro (i.e. some $1.150), again factor two compared to its competitor.
Results: Thermal Management
The Brix can be run in two different modes, which can be configured in BIOS: An operation mode with the processor limited to 2.1GHz, and an turbo mode, allowing for the full 3.1GHz processor speed. This results in a higher power consumption of 95W compared to 85W in operation mode. Both exceed the ZBox value of 60W. Considering the smaller case dimensions, this obviously demands for higher throughput of cool air. And this yields the big disadvantage of the Brix Gaming: Noise. While the ZBox ranges between 32 – 35 db, the Brix far exceeds this in operation mode with 57 – 65 db, not to mention turbo mode with 68 – 72 db. (Measurements where taken 5 cm away from case while running 3DMark benchmarks.)
Results: Gaming Performance
On the other Hand the Brix Gaming makes a good impression when running the 3DMark Fire Strike benchmark. With the 3DMark example Notebook at 1479 and the example gaming Notebook at 3364, the Brix is well situated at 2354 in operation mode and 2517 in turbo mode. The ZBox yields 3398 in the test, comparable to the gaming notebook. (Tests were run on Windows 8.1, but Windows 10 yields at least on the Brix Gaming same results.)
Conclusion
The Brix is a real noise maker. So if you don’t stand this, don’t buy it. On the other Hand it Comes with a decent performance at a real budget price. And I like the fancy case. Being an amateur gamer who also likes to play titles that are two or three years old, and considering price and performance, I would always go for the Brix Gaming (again).
