Gigabyte BRIX Gaming UHD Mini-PC Review

1. Introduction2. Packaging and Bundle3. Gigabyte BRIX Gaming UHD4. Testing Methodology and Configuration5. SiSoft Sandra6. CinebenchR157. Handbrake Video Encoding8. Storage Bandwidth Testing9. 3DMark1110. 3DMark11. Grid Autosport12. Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor13. Grand Theft Auto V14. Doom (2016)15. 4K Gaming Capability16. Thermal Dynamics17. Acoustics Performance18. Power Consumption19. Closing Thoughts20. View All Pages

Gigabyte's BRIX line of barebones PCs are typically small and low-powered – at least, when compared with a mini-ITX desktop system, for example. However, the new BRIX Gaming UHD aims to change all of that. Gone are the integrated graphics and low-power processors, and in their place we find a desktop-grade 4GB GTX 950 and quad-core i7-6700HQ with Hyper-Threading. With that level of hardware in such a small package, it will be interesting to see how the BRIX Gaming UHD performs.

Of course, Gigabyte have been a bit sneaky with their marketing of the BRIX Gaming UHD. We have reviewed the GTX 950 and it is a decent card for HD gaming, but it is by no means a 4K-ready gaming GPU if you want to play modern AAA titles. It is capable of outputting to four 4K displays, yes – but it cannot run the latest games comfortably at that resolution. Think of it as a PC equivalent to the PS4 Pro – 4K-capable and potentially adequate for less-demanding titles, but possibly not an ideal solution for the more GPU-intensive games. Still, we put the BRIX UHD through its paces and see how it performs.

Specifications

• Dimension: 2.6L (220 mm x 110 mm x 110 mm)
• Motherboard Size: 100 x 150 mm
• CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-6700HQ, 2.6GHz / 3.50 GHz
• Chipset: Intel® HM170 Chipset
• Memory: 2 x SO-DIMM DDR4 slots 2133 MHz, max. 32GB
• LAN: Gigabit LAN (Intel i219LM)
• Audio: Realtek ALC255
• Video: NVIDIA GeForce GTX950, supports NVIDIA Discrete Technology (featuring Quad displays: mini DP x3, HDMI x1 Output)
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950
• Graphic memory: Graphic DDR5 4GB
• Wifi Card: Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC Intel 8260
• HDMI Resolution (Max.): 3840×2160 @ 60 Hz
• Mini DP Resolution (Max.): 3840×2160 @ 60 Hz
• Expansion Slots: 1 x M.2 slot (2280_storage) PCIe /SATA, 1 x M.2 slot (2280_storage) PCIe (CPU directly), 1 x PCIe M.2 NGFF 2230 A-E key slot occupied by the WiFi+BT card
• Rear I/O: 1 x HDMI, 3 x Mini DisplayPort, 3 x USB 3.0, 1 x RJ45, 1 x DC-In, 1 x Kensington lock slot, 1 x Head phone Jack, 1 x Microphone Jack, 2 x USB 3.1 (1 x USB type C)
• USB 3.1: Asmedia
• Storage: Supports 2 x 2.5” HDD/SSD, 7.0/9.5 mm thick (2 x 6 Gbps SATA3)
• Power Supply: Input: AC 100-240V Output: DC 19.5V 9.23A

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