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Gigabyte Brix gets Broadwell refresh

by on07 February 2015


Three 14nm SKUs so far

Gigabyte’s Brix series of mini-PCs and barebones is getting some fresh Intel silicon in the form of 14nm Broadwell processors.

The update comes as no surprise, as Gigabyte has a habit of updating Brix products on a regular basis, sometimes even beating Intel’s NUC in terms of new features. Intel announced Broadwell-based NUCs a few weeks ago, but so far only the Core i3-5010U is available in Europe – and availability is rather limited.

Overclockers.co.uk is now listing three new Gigabyte Brix models, including a Core i3-5010U model (Brix GB-BXi3H-5010). However, Gigabyte also has three much more powerful models – the Brix GB-BXi5H-5200, based on the Core i5-5200U, and the Brix GB-BXi7H-5500, powered by a much beefier Core i7-5500U processor. As we pointed out last month, new Broadwell parts don't feature spectacular base clocks, but their Turbo clocks are substantially higher than on comparable Haswell-based parts. 

All three models share the same chassis and much of the hardware, so you’re looking at two DDR3 SO-DIMM slots, a single mSATA 6Gbps port, one 2.5-inch drive bay, and an M.2 10Gbps port, used by the WiFi/Bluetooth module.

Broadwell Brix models also feature four USB 3.0 ports, HDMI 1.4a and mini DisplayPort 1.2 video outputs, S/PDIF via mini Toslink, 802.11ac wireless and Bluetooth 4.0.

While the Core i7 and Core i5 models offer a lot more CPU muscle, all three processors share the same Intel HD Graphics 5500 GPU, 3MB of cache and a TDP of 15W. The price difference between these versions and the Core i3 model is substantial and many consumers may find it hard to justify. The Core i7 version is listed at 454.99 GBP, the Core i5 SKU costs 344.99 GBP, while the Core i3 unit goes for 291,99 GBP. Overclockers.co.uk is currently taking pre-orders and none of them are available yet.

Keep in mind that this is just a single listing and the prices aren’t official yet, but Intel’s NUC with an almost identical spec seems a bit cheaper, as the Core i3 model can be ordered for 250 GBP in Britain or 299 EUR in Germany.

Last modified on 07 February 2015
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