Half the size of some graphics cards, this tiny PC is packing a GTX 760.
Miniature PCs used to be tiny systems with correspondingly tiny power, but that’s no longer true: this latest small form-factor PC from Cyberpower is packed with top-class hardware.
Star of the show is Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 760 – a full-fat graphics card that’s somehow been squeezed into this tiny chassis. There are two versions of the GTX 760, and Gigabyte has opted for the version with a narrower 192-bit memory bus but a more generous 3GB of RAM. That’s not enough for this machine, though – that memory amount has been doubled by Gigabyte, so it’s got 6GB in tow.
The GTX 760 is clocked to 823MHz with an average boost level of 888MHz, and it’s got 1,152 stream processors to play with. The end result is a GPU capable of churning through 1,896 GFLOPS – more than twice the number on offer from the Iris Pro you’ll find inside the Intel-powered Fang system from Cyberpower.
It’s a potent part. In our BioShock and Grid tests the BRIX’s average frame rates were easily playable, and it runs smoothly in Battlefield 4 at the game’s highest settings, too. Only in Metro: Last Light did the GTX 760 struggle, but we hit near-playable performance by deactivating anti-aliasing. It’s a far cry from
the Fang, which only ran games smoothly once we’d dialled down the quality.
The inclusion of a discrete GPU means there’s no room for a Core i7 processor. Instead, this machine relies on a Core i5-4200H, a dual-core chip clocked to 2.8GHz. It’s got fewer cores and less pace than the Fang’s CPU, so it’s no surprise that it’s more than twice as sluggish in the Cinebench test.
Interior access works in the same way as the Cyberpower system: remove four screws from the base, and you’re in. The underside of the motherboard is easily accessible, and has empty memory and mSATA sockets for upgrades. On the other side of the blue PCB are copper heatsinks, and Gigabyte has added two small fans to draw away hot air. Those aren’t included on the cheaper system, and mean that the BRIX’s chassis is 27mm wider.
It’s more striking too, thanks to its exterior colouring. Nvidia’s familiar shade of green mixes with black mesh and plastic, with a metallic Gigabyte logo on the lid.
This machine also includes four USB 3.0 connectors, and the rear houses a Gigabit Ethernet socket and a single mini-DisplayPort connector. There isn’t an HDMI socket, though – instead, you get two mini-HDMI ports, with one adaptor included in the box. On the inside there’s dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi.
The discrete GPU makes the BRIX a better small formfactor gaming option than the Fang, but it comes with a couple of caveats. The processor is a sluggish mobile part, and the Brix is consistently loud. And, as ever, a full-size desktop will go further if space-saving isn’t a priority. Despite that, we’re impressed that Gigabyte has crammed a GTX 760 inside such a tiny enclosure. Worth considering if you’re after a gaming PC for the smallest of spaces. Mike Jennings
Vital Statistics
Price £849
Manufacturer Gigabyte
Web uk.gigabyte.com
CPU: Intel Core i5-4200H, 2.8GHz
Motherboard Gigabyte M4HM8AP
Memory 8GB Crucial DDR3
Graphics Nvidia GeForce GTX 760
Storage 1TB Seagate HDD
Warranty 3 years