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Sapphire are keen to point out that they have several ranges of EDGE system available now. The high powered EDGE VS8 (AMD A8 4555m) is their fastest system and we were really impressed with the performance when we reviewed it back in December last year. The only weak link in the chain was the slow 5,400rpm 2.5 inch hard drive. Replacing this with a Solid State Drive totally transforms the system, no matter how basic the tasks may be.
The system we reviewed today is the latest in the HD range, following on after the AMD E450 powered EDGE HD3 which we reviewed in February last year. The dual core Celeron 847 is actually more of a direct replacement for the EDGE-HD system which was covered in our original article way back in March 2011. The ATOM processors are now end of life, so it makes sense for Sapphire to update this model, even if it is slightly confusing the way they keep switching between AMD and Intel processors in the HD range.
The EDGE HD4 makes most sense as a replacement for the EDGE HD System. The Celeron 847 processor is a significant improvement over the older ATOM processors, especially when we look at the throughput potential. Memory bandwidth is more than doubled between old and new platforms which has a positive impact on tasks such as video encoding and 3D rendering.
That said, I wouldn't recommend the EDGE HD4 for intensive tasks. Also, if you want to game, the EDGE VS8 makes much more sense, although the cost of ownership is greater.
The strengths of the Edge HD4 are based around the efficiency of the platform. It demands between 14 watts and 25 watts of power, which is such a tiny figure that it wouldn't have a negative impact on an electricity bill, even if this system was left on 24/7 all year.
The system is so tiny it can be easily slotted in behind a television set, or next to a monitor, without taking up desk space. When we factor in the low noise output, tiny power drain and diminutive size there are plenty of reasons why many people would opt for an EDGE system in their house.
Sadly Sapphire are ignoring feedback and all of their EDGE systems use horrifically slow 2.5 inch 5,400 rpm hard drives. With all the feedback over the years, we really shouldn't be mentioning this again. Cost really isn't a primary concern anymore either as a 320GB 5,400 RPM 2.5 inch drive can be picked up on Amazon.co.uk for £33 inc vat and a 60GB SSD is only £20 more expensive.
We don't have confirmed pricing yet in the United Kingdom but will update this review as soon as we can.
EDIT: 11th February: Pricing is now online at Overclockers UK. EDGE HD4 is available for £295.00.
Pros:
- Extremely small.
- tiny power drain at the wall.
- Good build quality.
- Supports XP, Vista, 7 and 8 OS
Cons:
- 5,400 rpm 2.5 inch HDD is painfully slow.
- Need to install the operating system and drivers, which includes bios boot changes. Newbies might find this too complex.
- Not ideal for gaming.
- budget extra for the operating system.
Kitguru says: A very practical PC with such a tiny footprint you can hide it almost anywhere.
Its a nice little system, but that celeron is a little weak, I was expecting a little more from Intel, even up to the A8 4555m performance, but AMD are all over Intel, with only a little more power demand at the socket.
I actually have the first EDGE and this seems like a decent upgrade. I might pick this up. any availability anywhere? cant find it.
Nice idea, I missed the A8 Edge first time around, that certainly appeals to me more than the celeron v ersion.
The power consumption is incredible, thats less than my light in the bedroom. Celeron is a bit gutless however, but for a media center id love it.
SSD for me of course.
I want to get the EDGE VS8 when I get the cash, i absolutely love the look of it. I will be putting Windows 8 on mine for media. This is also great, but its funny to see AMD walking away with low powered systems ! can’t say that in the high end.
that power consumption figure is crazy, that whole system is taking less than my processor. That is very tempting for a media center in my bedroom, as you could hide it behind the rear of the tv and use a bluetooth remote to get through the screen without a problem.
Why a 320gb 5,400 rpm drive? are they out of their minds. You can save money on the OS, but you have to buy the drive you will never want to use?
I think this review is too positive. that is some dire performance and there are many flaws with this range.
Firstly, the EDGE HD range was atom, then it moved to AMD E450, now its back at Celeron? Meanwhile they have the VS range which is trouncing this HD range, even if its more expensive – so far its only been AMD APU.
To confuse matters, Sapphire want you to save money on the operating system, yet they force you to buy the rubbish hard drive and some of them don’t have bare bones options as far as I can tell.
And why no Linux support? this would be ideal for linux users. I could probably locate some of the drivers, or get them to work, but they should make a linux version of this machine or help the open source market develope for it.
Hey Zardon, it’s been a while ! i was searching you to talk with you about some project.
can we talk in private when you have a moment ?
i hope that you didn’t forget about me 🙂
take care 🙂