GIGABYTE Launches BRIX Gaming Mini PC Barebone

[Cristian_25H]

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd., a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, today announced the launch of its latest addition to the GIGABYTE BRIX series of ultra compact PC kits, the GIGABYTE BRIX Gaming. Packing an AMD A8-5557M APU together with an AMD Radeon R9 M275X discrete graphics processor, the GIGABYTE BRIX Gaming has gaming performance that belies its compact size.

"The BRIX Gaming offers a real desktop PC experience in a compact form factor that end users now expect from a GIGABYTE BRIX device," commented Henry Kao, Vice President of GIGABYTE Motherboard Business Unit. "We're very excited about the continuing evolution of the desktop PC, challenging the notion that smaller PC design means abandoning performance."





GIGABYTE BRIX Gaming: Desktop Performance in Miniature
The BRIX Gaming compact PC kit is literally small enough to sit in the palm of your hand (measuring a mere 59.6 mm x 128 mm x 115.4 mm) and features a high-performance AMD A8-5557M APU plus a dedicated AMD Radeon R9 M275X graphics processor. The BRIX Gaming includes support for both mSATA SSD and standard 2.5" SATA hard drive installation - ideal for storing the latest 3D gaming titles while enjoying a fast and responsive OS install on SSD. The GIGABYTE BRIX Gaming features both Mini DisplayPort and HDMI ports on the rear panel, enabling support for simultaneous dual display connectivity.

The BRIX Gaming takes the performance you would expect of a full tower gaming PC, in a compact form factor that is much more suited for the living room. Gaming enthusiasts traveling to LAN events, parties and contests and will also enjoy having a gaming rig with incredible portability.

AMD Radeon R9 M275X
Accompanied by 2 GB of GDDR5 memory, the AMD Radeon R9 M275X is a discrete graphics processor that offers superb 3D gaming and GPU-accelerated application performance. The AMD R9 M275X supports the latest graphics acceleration technologies including Microsoft DX11.1, Shader Model 5.0, OpenGL 4.1. The AMD R9 M275X also supports the latest OpenCL 1.1 standard providing GPU-accelerated performance in general purpose applications.

By employing a discrete, fully programmable GPU, the BRIX Gaming is ideal for tackling processor-intensive media editing and encoding applications. Today's GPU accelerated applications leverage the multi-core design of the GPU to greatly improve overall processing performance - this makes the BRIX Gaming well suited to creative professionals using media editing and encoding applications.

A Flexible, Compact DIY PC Kit
The BRIX Gaming is sold as a DIY PC kit, shipping with a Wi-Fi Mini PCIe module pre-installed, requiring only SO-DIMM system memory and a choice of either, or both mSATA SSD or standard 2.5" hard drives. The BRIX Gaming maintains the DIY PC ethos, giving users the flexibility to independently choose preferred operating system, integrated storage and system memory configurations.

USB 3.0 and Network Connectivity:
The GIGABYTE BRIX Gaming integrates four USB 3.0 ports (two front, two rear), ensuring ample connectivity for peripherals, storage devices and more. In addition to including a Gigabit Ethernet port, the GIGABYTE BRIX Gaming also includes a Mini PCIe module offering IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi and the latest Bluetooth 4.0, providing connectivity for low power Bluetooth devices and peripherals, as well as allowing users to easily connect their mobile devices.

VESA Support:
Bundled with a VESA bracket, the BRIX Gaming can easily be mounted behind a monitor or HDTV making it discreetly hidden from view. This offers a simple and elegant way to turn any VESA-compliant display or TV into a full-featured PC or digital signage unit.

For more information about the GIGABYTE BRIX Gaming please go to:
http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4930#ov

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[Assimilator]

M275X = 7750

 

[NC37]

And then you see the prices of mSATAs and you scream...WTH!!

It is so lovely how SSD prices have gone down so much yet mSATAs are just locked at overpriced.

 

[RT2284]

And then you see the prices of mSATAs and you scream...WTH!!

It is so lovely how SSD prices have gone down so much yet mSATAs are just locked at overpriced.

You can pick up a Crucial M500 120GB for $80. 240GB for $140. Source: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BQ8RFAI/?tag=tec06d-20

 

[rpsgc]

For its size, the specs are not terribly bad.


EDIT: It only supports up to 1600MHz memory? Gigabyte you disappoint me. It's an APU for crying out loud, it needs the bandwidth of these babies

 

[NC37]

You can pick up a Crucial M500 120GB for $80. 240GB for $140. Source: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BQ8RFAI/?tag=tec06d-20

So they got rid of the smaller capacities, raised the base price and justified it because most use those as OS install cards instead of cache setups.

Sigh...I really should have just got the 1TB + SSD cache options when I ordered my 580. Would have saved me a lot of hassle. Course I never would have thought mSATAs would have stayed so high. Prices were just then starting to drop on SSDs.

 

[Pakin]

For its size, the specs are not terribly bad.


EDIT: It only supports up to 1600MHz memory? Gigabyte you disappoint me. It's an APU for crying out loud, it needs the bandwidth of these babies

You don't need faster RAM as it has a discrete GPU. The benefits would be marginal + not easy to find faster than 1600Mhz DDR3L modules

 

[Pakin]

M275X = 7750

If these specs are shared by all the R9 mobile series with little tweaks like different memory and speed configuration then it will be a lot faster than a 7750:

http://www.amd.com/us/products/notebook/graphics/r9/Pages/amd-radeon-r9-m200-series.aspx#2

 

[erixx]

And He said: "Let there be Steamboxes of all kind" And there were Brixes, Zboxes and wot not.

 

[Deadlyraver]

And He said: "Let there be Steamboxes of all kind" And there were Brixes, Zboxes and wot not.

There's a power struggle present that settles in between Dedicated PCs and Standalone solutions. SteamBox acts as a middle ground between console and PC users in order to bridge what is between, but the market it enters is so vast in applications there's a moderate chance it can get tanked by the competition.

The BRIX acts as a Standalone solution. SteamBox however is unable to fulfill those needs unless if the consumer is able to make a compromise from a dedicated solution.

 

[erixx]

Of course, but SteamOS, being Debian based, may let the user install applications, so at least it is more than the typically short legged console.
Anyway, what do I think of the Brix? If someone is not into hardware modding, upgrading, etc. it is quite nice to have such power in a small form factor.

 

[Deadlyraver]

Of course, but SteamOS, being Debian based, may let the user install applications, so at least it is more than the typically short legged console.
Anyway, what do I think of the Brix? If someone is not into hardware modding, upgrading, etc. it is quite nice to have such power in a small form factor.

When I saw the specs, I basically thought of it the same way. I want to transport my hardware at times in LAN parties and it just irritates me when I have to ship a mid tower everywhere or buy an uber-expensive laptop. This will fit snug in a soft bag and has specs similar to consoles. XD