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The E350M1 Fusion board is a good release from ASRock. On a performance level it is comparible with the Sapphire Pure Fusion Mini 350 which we reviewed in February although the model we reviewed today is supplied without USB 3.0 support.
When we compare the new APU design against AMD's last generation Turion X64 X2 L510 at the same clock speed, the E350 is significantly faster. The Intel Atom D525 struggles to keep up with either, even with a clock advantage and hyperthreading enabled.
While the ASRock E350M1 product is a good performer, we can't help but compare it against the Asus E35M1-I Deluxe, which not only offers USB 3.0 connectivity, but is passively cooled, and therefore completely silent. The Asus board can accept DDR3 memory at up to 1600mhz which is well above AMD's official guideline ratings. We also managed to overclock the Zacate E350 processor to around 1.9ghz on the ASUS board.
While this might affect how we score the ASRock E350M1, it is important to bear in mind the price point achieved. The Asus E35M1-I Deluxe for instance is £140 in the United Kingdom while the ASRock board can be picked up for £75, which is almost half the price. In this case the Asus board offers a lot more, but you end up digging deeper into your wallet.
For those people looking for a no frills, low power system for general duties, or High Definition media playback, the ASRock E350M1 offers a tempting, high value for money package.
System Cost:
ASRock Motherboard = £75
250GB 2.5 inch hard drive = £30
Kingston DDR3 Memory = £50
Thermaltake Element Q case = £50
Total System price = £205
Pros:
- lowest priced Fusion board we have tested
- great performance for very little power requirement
- generates minimal noise
- great improvement on last generation
- faster than Atom platform
Cons:
- overclocking options are very limited
- memory support maxed at 1066mhz
- not passively cooled
- lacks USB 3.0 support
I honestly feel this is the best of them all, because of the price. I also dont think many media users will care about USB 3, so I always thought it was a weird inclusion in the first place.
No frills, but the price is great. ive found it for £70 in the UK, which is half the price of the asus board. Quite a saving, even if it isnt as nice.
Where did you find it for that price? I cant even find Uk stock at all.
Impossible to get fusion products over here. sucks.
hits a good price point, but the asus board has me spoilt for choice, looks so much better with a lot more options.
the passively cooled boards appeal to me more than these ones. those little fans are a failure waiting to happen
The system configuration mentioned at the end uses SO-DIMM memory, even though the review says the Asrock uses normal DIMMs. And why use a 2.5″ disk when the case supports 3.5″?
The SO-Dimm listed once was a typo. its regular memory used. fixed that.
The 2.5 inch drive was used because it was handy at the time, the case certainly supports both yes, so either could be used. Some people building this system might be using a smaller chassis and a 2.5 inch drive would be viable, perhaps even an SSD for quicker boot times. I think a lot of people might have spare 2.5 inch laying around. or perhaps its just me !