Small form factor (SFF) PC specialist Shuttle has rolled out a new compact PC and barebone system dubbed the XPC slim DH810. This sub-1.4 liter system packs in a tiny Intel H810 chipset motherboard, and is ready for your choice of Intel Core Ultra 200 series (Arrow Lake-S, LGA1851) CPU with up to 65W TDP, dual DDR5 SODIMMs, plus SATA and M.2 storage options. It is described as “semi-ruggedized” but we don’t see any related specifications or certifications shared by Shuttle.

With Shuttle’s assertion that this system is capable of handing any Arrow Lake-S chip up to 65W, you could conceivably spec it up to a very capable Intel Core Ultra 9 Processor 285. These are currently on a ‘limited time deal’ for $520 on Amazon.com. For the money you get a total of 24 cores at your disposal (8 P-cores and 16 E-cores), running at up to 5.6 GHz, and aided by 36MB of Intel Smart Cache. It also features four Intel Xe cores in the Arc iGPU (max 2.0 GHz), and a dedicated NPU for 13 TOPS AI boost.

Arrow Lake CPUs, like the one highlighted above are a good choice for edge applications which need a little extra processing power, and from Shuttle’s blurb it is indeed targeting such applications. Specifically, it highlights the potential use of the XPC slim DH810 in automation, surveillance, digital signage – as well as for general office computing. The presence of serial ports (COM ports) and dual Ethernet also hint at this device’s targeting of industrial markets. This device can also be VESA mounted behind a screen.

Shuttle doesn’t discuss the cooling system that comes built-into the XPC slim DH810 at any great depth, but we can see the chassis looks well vented, there are two 70mm system fans placed above a chunky heatpipe threaded heatsink that covers perhaps 70% of the motherboard area.

Popular PCs and components maker MSI has a curious new promotion for buyers of its barebones PC kits. The firm is attempting to lure budget buyers by offering to bundle a free 500GB hard disk drive (HDD) with its chassis, motherboard, and PSU combos. Who is going to be drawn in with the offer of a half terabyte of spinning rust in 2024?

The 500GB SATA drive is offered with a range of Intel and AMD barebone machines priced from $180 to $340. The lowest cost machine being the MAG Kit Intel H610 Barebone System based around the PRO H610M-G WIFI DDR4 motherboard, CHASSIS MAG FORGE 112R case and a MAG A650BN 650W PSU. You'll need to bring your own DDR4 RAM and an Intel CPU from the 12th to 14th gen, but at least you've got a drive to boot from, if that's one of your concerns. Personally, we'd utilize the onboard M.2 slot, or use a SATA SSD with the four SATA ports.

At the top end of the barebones range is the MPG Kit Intel Z790 Barebone System which is based around a Z790 GAMING PLUS WIFI motherboard for Intel 12 to 14th gen CPUs and DDR 5 RAM. We get a GUNGNIR 210R gaming case and an AG A850GL PCIE5 850W PSU. Lets not forget that we get to pair this beast of a barebones unit with our free 500GB drive!

According to MSI, "Your PC, Your Rules!" My personal rule since the Haswell era has been never to fit any HDDs in my desktops, and to upgrade any older device with an SSD. It was such a relief to get rid of the last HDD from my DIY desktop, maybe a decade ago, when I fitted a decent-capacity SSD to partner with my boot SSD. The last mechanical drive I had spoiled the almost silent performance I enjoyed with my cool running Haswell T-series chip and good-mannered Sapphire Radeon. Working on a nearly silent system into the small hours, the seemingly random ticking, clicking, and spinning up of the hard disk platters was, of course, unwelcome.

In addition to the spectre of irksome mechanical noise, consumer HDDs like the Seagate freebie that MSI is offering aren't great performers. Some might even see the 500GB Seagate Barracuda 2.5-inch drive as a waste of a SATA port, offering about half the transfer speed of a cheap 2.5-inch SATA SSD if you are lucky, and being far less responsive due to the mechanical technology's access times.

The utility value of a storage device with 500GB capacity is also diminishing, fast. That's only enough for two modern PC titles like CoD: Modern Warfare III and God of War: Ragnarok if you want to put these titles on a spinning drive for some reason. More and more titles (and applications) require SSDs as a minimum or recommended specification. One of the last remaining advantages of HDDs, their affordability in far higher capacities than SSDs, simply doesn't apply here.

This offer from MSI gave some of the team the opportunity to reminisce about the days when owning a system with an HDD of this size would make friends and colleagues green with envy.  Some of the older Tom's Hardware editors recall HDDs that offered just 10MB of storage and were built like bricks. We are also aware of older and much physically larger devices - with similarly meagre capacities - used by mainframe systems of old.

MSI's free 500GB HDD offer isn't a great deal. If you want the best deals on storage, we have a page dedicated to the best SSDs. But this paltry 500GB of spinning rust could be a useful option for builders on a budget, who just need to get a machine up and running. With 1TB NVMe drives going for very little money, you'd be best pushing your budget a little further for faster and double the storage.

Chinese PC manufacturer CWWK has released an interesting Mini PC design that mainly seems to be composed of an elevated heatsink and a sideways, open PCIe x8 slot. The CWWK Mini PC, spotted by Liliputing, is dubbed the "Magic PC" by its maker and has garnered attention for its unique design. 

Of note before proceeding is that the gap created by the stand at the bottom is the only protection provided for the motherboard beneath the heatsink, and of course, any PCIe extensions will also need to live in the open air. You'll want to take some precautions with your setup and environment if you plan on running just about anything this way. Liliputing recommends the usage of some kind of stand beneath any expansion cards you mount to this thing, and we agree with that assessment.

That said, the device certainly looks pretty unique and could end up turning out to be a fun pet project. It comes in Green, Black, and Blue color variations. You can also choose to buy it in a "barebones" configuration with just the chassis, motherboard, and CPU, if you have your own compatible RAM/storage/etc to use with it.

Additionally, you have three Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake CPUs to pick from (relevant AliExpress listings linked below):

• Intel N100 CPU — Starts at $214 for a barebones kit. The N100 is a 4-core, 4-thread 12th Gen CPU with a TDP of 6 Watts and a max clock of 3.4 GHz.
• Intel N200 CPU —  Starts at $261 for a barebones kit. The N200 is a 4-core, 4-thread 12th Gen CPU with a TDP of 6 Watts and a max clock of 3.7 GHz.
• Intel Core i3-N305 CPU — Starts at $320 for a barebones kit. The Core i3-N305 is an 8-core, 8-thread 12th Gen CPU with a TDP of 15 Watts and a max clock of 3.8 GHz.

As far as other specs go, the CWWK Magic Computer can be outfitted with up to 2TB SSD storage and up to 32GB of DDR4 RAM. The maximum RAM speed supported by any of the CPUs listed above is 4,800 MT/s, though the board itself apparently supports up to 5,600 MT/s.

If a mini PC design like this interests you, we recommend checking out the original listing. Beyond the details we've discussed here, there are some nifty graphics included showing different ways to use the PCIe slot, as well as an optional fan attachment for those who don't trust passive cooling like that.

Before you get too ambitious with this one, though, be mindful that that PCIe slot everyone's been talking about is only a PCIe Gen 3 x8 slot... restricted to x4 bandwidth. If you want to go mad with power and plug a GPU into this one, be sure that it's still a low-power design that can function on x8. Just as a general rule of thumb, don't expect to play anything above 60 FPS on this, regardless of the attached GPU— the bandwidth limitations are simply too severe for most modern cards to enable high frame rates.

It's the end of the line for the NUC Extreme line, an Asus spokesperson confirmed to Fudzilla. making the NUC 13 Extreme the last of its kind. Asus, which took over the NUC line from Intel, has started making proactive changes to the NUC lineup and based on how things are looking like currently, the company trimmed this lineup down to NUC, NUC Pro and the recently announced ROG NUC.

This decision makes sense for a few reasons, one being the fact that ROG NUCs technically succeed NUC Extreme while having ROG-inspired designs, cooling and features. NUCs (whether it's made by Intel or Asus) devices are usually small, compact and well-packed with the best possible barebone options for different uses. The Raptor Lake-based NUC 13 Extreme looks anything but compact with desktop CPU options ranging between Intel Core i9-13900K, Core i7-13700K and the Core i5-13600K in an Intel Compute Unit with a triple slot for a graphics card and a lot more function inside its 14-liter case. In comparison, the ROG NUC looks more compact but relies on mobile graphics cards.

Asus has a prebuilt PC lineup including the 10-liter Asus ROG C22H with up to an  Intel Core i9-14900KF and RTX 4090 GPU while providing tool-free design. The NUC 13 Extreme is still sold through certain retail outlets depending in some regions. 

The State of Mini PC Barebone Market

The barebones market is competitive, but is fragmented in certain regions sold through local retailers and online regional sellers. This is where Asus has an advantage, as a company that sells globally. Since its takeover, Asus has been selling Intel NUC SKUs and covering its warranty. Now, it is inevitable Asus will begin upgrading the currently available NUCs with more variations. 

Meanwhile, companies like Gigabyte have Brix lineups and ECS has been making mini PCs for different types of users and industries, though none of them have gaming-specific barebones, yet. Zotac has been making barebones mini PC for many years, such as the Magnus One. 

We recently visited Cooler Master's headquarters in Neihu, Taipei, as the team prepared to send piles of hardware to Las Vegas for CES 2024. The company discussed the latest trends in the PC market, including a broad industry move to support motherboards that have all of the connections on the rear and the rise of more powerful passive power supplies. The company had all of its latest products, and more, on display at its headquarters.

It is easy to know when you have arrived at the Cooler Master HQ — pulling up at the curbside in a taxi, you immediately see the substantial office block, which has been built to look like a colossal passive CPU cooler. Though we arrived and left in the daytime, we were informed  that the building is lit up with RGB at sundown.

Entering the building, which has been Cooler Master’s HQ for nearly two years, you are greeted with an impressive atrium. On one side is the reception desk; on the other is a staged set of Cooler Master hardware highlighting PC cases, pre-builts, an immersive Orb X setup, and more. 

Right in front of you is a chandelier-type arrangement, which turns out to be an interactive artwork dubbed the Cyclonic Bloom. If you look closely, this sizable installation is made from articulated Cooler Master fans, and they also feature lighting. A touchscreen console in front of the Cyclonic Bloom lighting feature allows visitors to change lighting and animation presets.

After being greeted by our Cooler Master contacts, our first stop, naturally, was the Cooler Café to meet with executives from various key departments and to enjoy some refreshments and beef noodles. Interestingly, Cooler Café is open to the general public, though employees rightly get a discount on food and drink. The café also features free-to-play arcade machines, a pinball table, and other geek-friendly distractions.

You may wonder how a humble PC “cases and cooling” company can afford such a prestigious HQ. The answer surprised us. We were given the impression that the Cooler Master that we know as PC enthusiasts and DIYers is just a small cog in a big machine that has extensive business interests in industrial solution areas such as AI and cloud computing, 5G telecoms, automotive and renewables, and smart manufacturing. 

Some of the images below, from the firm’s fifth-floor exhibition area, show that Cooler Master heatsinks and fans turn up in all sorts of unexpected places like automobiles, e-car chargers, refrigeration devices, and, of course, servers.

Cases (CPT = Case, Power, Thermal)

One of the most important consumer-facing divisions within Cooler Master looks after PC system case design and development and oversees power and thermal operations. The managers in this department were proud to showcase three existing and new designs, namely the Ncore 100 Max, which is a Mini ITX tower with pleasing aesthetics, the Qube 500 Flatpack DIY case design, and a traditional but imposing PC tower case called the TD500 Max. 

You might have seen these devices before at Computex, for example, but the Ncore 100 Max will actually hit retail in January, and the TD500 Max should be purchasable soon, in 2024. The Qube 500 Flatpack cases are already available to purchase in three colors, and you might even find them discounted at Amazon.com, for example, priced from $85 at the time of writing.

We examined each product's design, features, and construction during some hands-on time. The Ncore 100 Max is quite large and heavy for a Mini ITX case, but it still has a small footprint and is probably pleasing to the eye for those with PCs in view in their living space. 

To minimize the footprint, it has to be quite tall for those who might want to fit a long triple-slot GPU. It can fit up to 3.9 slots wide GPUs, but the case side expansion option beyond 3.2 slots wasn’t ideal in the test sample, as it seemed to encroach on the back panel connectors. This $379.99 product isn’t just a case; you also get an SFX 850W PSU plus a 38mm radiator liquid cooler and riser cable in the box.

Cooler Master’s TD500 Max is impressive thanks to the capacity, flexibility, PSU shroud with built-in screw-keeper, and pre-routed cables, making this an airflow-friendly mid-tower case for DIY. Moreover, it seems very easy to build a very slick and tidy PC from this foundation which again features a pre-installed 360mm / 38mm liquid cooler and 850W Gold-rated PSU. Cooler Master doesn’t have pricing to share at this time, though. 

Cooler Master has interesting ideas about the latest and upcoming PC case trends and some thoughts about trends that are sliding out of fashion.

The departmental managers told us that several trends are in the ascendancy: aquarium-style cases with lots of glass, integrated display cases, high-end showcase chassis, plus designs with tasteful RGB lighting. Case trends on the wane include designs featuring ‘old school’ RGB, classic towers – due to modern component sizes, and pure workstations due to the host of attractive alternatives now available.

Cases: the back-plug tide is coming in

The positive trend predictions also include back-plug motherboard-compatible cases. Bruce Kao, the general manager of the CASE BU, had quite a lot of thoughts to share about the impending wave of back-plug motherboards. Asus calls these the DIY APE motherboards, MSI refers to them as Project Zero motherboards, and Gigabyte calls them Project Stealth motherboards. 

Kao says that supporting back-plug motherboards will be very important in 2024. Cooler Master has over 100 case SKUs in its portfolio, and it would require a lot of work to re-tool for both traditional and back-plug motherboards. However, starting from CES 2024, all-new case designs will support all the latest ATX / mATX size back-plug motherboards from Asus, MSI, Gigabyte, et al.

Cooler Master is enthusiastic about making cases for the new back-plug motherboards as it is believes the PC build process will be made easier by the new DIY paradigm. Moreover, the simpler, cleaner, more beautiful, and improved airflow precipitated by back-plug motherboards is expected to reignite interest and consumer spending in PC DIY.

Cases: materials

We also talked about case design and materials. Today’s case and system customer wants more colors and customization options than ever. Cooler Master sees this trend, and you can already get more colors and select premium materials with some of its wide range of cases and systems. This movement can also be seen with rival brands, and it is a broad industry trend.

During our tour, we saw some interesting work being done with case materials and finishes. Based on what we saw, more exteriors featuring leather, wood, and bamboo alongside traditional PC case materials like metal, glass, and plastic are coming. There is also some momentum behind adopting more eco-friendly materials. Lastly, we are glad to see that imaginative materials won’t be limited to prestige-level products.

Power

The Power team wanted to show us some new and upcoming PC power supplies from Cooler Master. There appeared to be several trends pushing forward PSU development at the company, and these were: quieter and passive PSUs, delivering more watts for silent and SFF builds, offering more 12VHPWR connectors, and providing white versions of new and upcoming PSUs.

We reported on the Cooler Master X Silent models and X Mighty PSUs in early November. However, now we have more in-depth information about the trio of PSUs from this family, dubbed the X Silent Edge Platinum (850W and 1100W), the X Silent Max Platinum (1300W), and the X Mighty Platinum (2000W).

Some hands-on time with the fanless Cooler Master X Silent Edge Platinum 1100W, with its substantial metal cooling block threaded with heat pipes, really brought home its weighty design. It is claimed to be the first fanless 850W / 1100W PSU for totally silent computing. As well as the innovative aluminum PSU case with heat pipes pictured, Cooler Master implemented some custom modularized thermal components, which it is keeping out of public view for now.

The identical-looking X Silent Max Platinum 1300W has a similarly thick aluminum case, but it eschews the heat pipes as there is a fan in the design. Cooler Master says it still earns the ‘X Silent’ moniker thanks to its Mobius sub-20dB high-pressure semi-passive fan. Again, we saw some key cooling components from the modularized thermal structure inside.

The final member of this family, the X Mighty Platinum, again hides an advanced thermal structure inside. A large semi-passive fan is employed here, too. Buyers of the X Mighty Platinum will have two 12VHPWR connectors/cables available. 

All the members of this family include common features such as a digital monitor interface, integration with the MasterCTRL software, 80 Plus Platinum certification, ATX 3.0 support, plus purportedly durable 12VHPWR cable(s) with 90-degree connector to one side. Moreover, all these PSUs have long warranties: 15 years for the Silent models and ten years for the Mighty ones.

Cooler Master’s V Platinum series power supplies are also set for a revamp with a crop of V2 models. On trend, higher-power models will be on the way, with 1600W, 1300W, and 1100W models. The cooling performance will be boosted with ultra-quiet ring-blade Mobius fans featuring high-pressure characteristics, oil-bearing construction, and anodized heatsinks. 

Higher power models in this range will also be graced with twin 12VHPWR connectors, as pictured. Also, the images show the bundled twin-pack of angled 12VHPWR connectors with these PSUs. The Cooler Master V Platinum V2 family all come with 12-year warranties.

As mentioned above, white PSU options are also set to grow. Cooler Master showed us some attractive new white versions of the 80 Plus Gold rated GX III Gold family and the compact and bijou V SFX Platinum and Gold series PSUs delivering up to 1300W and sporting fetching white attire. 

All these new PSUs also feature anodized heatsinks, said to boost cooling by up to five degrees Celsius, plus color-matched 90-degree 12VHPWR connector cabling. Cooler Master provides 10-year warranties with these PSU families.

CMIMX

Cooler Master’s CMIMX business unit is concerned with delivering more immersive experiences. At present, the unit seeks to succeed in its immersion goal without stepping into the world of AR, VR, MR, XR, and similar technologies that require users to wear a display on their face. This more traditional PC monitor-based philosophy remains for now, but a future step into XR isn’t ruled out as a matter of policy.

During our visit, we got to test immersive experiences with hands-on time and sat inside the latest Dyn X Dynamic Racing Experience. Playing F1 22 in this setup was indeed immersive, as Cooler Master had equipped the simulator suite with some of the best peripherals, sound, and haptic feedback.

Readers should expect to see some interesting enhancements to the Dyn X in the coming months. If you’ve thought about ways this product might be improved, perhaps Cooler Master has thought of them too…

The immersive experience when sitting in the Orb X Gaming Throne was quite a contrast, and it was interesting to hear that this futuristic computing station isn’t all about gaming; it is quite an attractive and very comfortable pod for getting work done. Cooler Master’s Orb X is thus marketed outside the gaming sphere, aiming to attract remote workers and luxury high-tech consumers.

The last product we saw with the senior marketing manager at CMIMX was the Throne X drum stool. This is something of a curiosity, as far as PC enthusiasts go, as it is a haptic stool to help musicians keep perfect time, like a metronome in your seat.

Advanced System Products

Cooler Master’s Advanced System Products business unit handles the firm’s pre-built PC products. Though the unit might be best known for the designs that make a big splash at trade shows, like the Shark X and Sneaker X, it also has some sober and carefully designed premium mainstream PCs in its portfolio, like the HAF5 Pro and Cooling X systems. 

The business unit divides its attention across three portfolio areas, like 'Make it Yours,' which is the mainstream portfolio of advanced systems, 'Be Different,' which is the portfolio focused on more artsy designs, and 'Be Excellent,' which is focused on Performance and B2B solutions.

Visiting the Advanced System Products department, we saw all the above-named systems and various cooling components on display. We heard from the Advanced System Products marketing lead about upcoming refinements to designs like the Shark X. It was also notable that the creatives in this department continued to work on crazy new designs – one of which we couldn’t photograph and share. Stay tuned for CES 2024 next month.

Among the well-known but extraordinary Shark X  and Sneaker X systems, we were intrigued to see a similar quality motorbike PC, which you can see in the photo gallery below. This isn’t a consumer product, though. We were told that the Cooler Master boss commissions custom PCs occasionally in designs that tickle his fancy, and this is one of those projects. It is nice to know that custom PC design appreciation goes right to the top of the company.

Our visit to the Advanced System Products BU ended with a look around and inside the Cooling X workstation. We saw this at Computex, and only one configuration remains for sale at US$6,999. 

In the flesh, it is incredibly rigid and very heavy, but it exudes quality and is pleasingly compact (SFX PSU, Mini ITX). Remember, this design uses custom liquid cooling for the CPU and GPU (an AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080), which attach to the thickly ridged aluminum sides to extract heat from inside the case. A pair of 120mm rear fans, positioned just above the 850W SFX PSU, pull air from the case.

Perhaps the Cooling X pre-built system didn’t make the splash it envisaged. The design team is convinced more interest can be spurred in this pre-built with a few spec changes and optimizations. Hopefully, with a refresh, they can democratize this design and perhaps edge it under $5,000.

Cooler Master interviews and personnel profiles

During our visit to Cooler Master HQ, we spoke to several of the people shaping the company and its most important products. To get to know some of the key people behind the brand, we asked two executives about their backgrounds, their interest in PC DIY and gaming, and the PC cases and components trends they expect to unfold in the coming months.

Carlos Villanueva, Head of Global Marketing

Carlos began his computer industry career in the media, working in the U.S. at outlets such as Fox, IGN, and MTV, but most recently, was in a role at electronics retailing giant Newegg. As a PC gaming enthusiast, Carlos is on the product side of the computing industry with Cooler Master as its Global Marketing Director.

The first PCs that Carlos owned were off-the-shelf Dell systems. In his early PC days, he replaced his pre-built systems with newer pre-builts when games started to get slow or too demanding. His head was turned in the noughties when he got into PC DIY. Carlos says that his first full pre-built system was completed in the Cooler Master Storm Trooper case. According to the Global Marketing Director of Cooler Master, the style and design of a PC are a high priority, and he will typically choose the case before any components.

Carlos predicts small form factor (SFF) systems will get stronger in the DIY segment, and consumers will grow more sophisticated with more diverse demands. Materials choices will be something that can help companies differentiate in 2024. Lastly, he predicts Cooler Master will continue to push PC experiences with systems like Sneaker X, Shark X, and more to come.

Bruce Kao, GM of CASE BU

Bruce has worked at other iconic PC brands, spending a large slice of his prior career as a product manager in the Asus ROG motherboard business unit, as well as developing various Asus ROG AIO liquid cooling series. After Asus, he worked for a spell as a Product Manager at Supermicro, working on the firm’s server products.

After completing an introductory few months at Cooler Master, Bruce became GM of CASE. Perhaps his introductory period provided some insight into possible synergies between Cooler Master departments. It probably isn't any coincidence that we are now seeing more full systems and barebone-style product bundles from Cooler Master.

While the GM of CASE at Cooler Master asserts he has been a “die-hard gamer” for as long as he can recall (with over 8,000 hours charted by Steam), he admits he wasn’t into PC building until he started working in the industry. In this chosen career, he felt duty-bound to deeply understand all the products in the businesses where he worked, and this drive became knowledge and experience. 

Of course, there was plenty of opportunity for PC building and refinement while working at Asus ROG. Before leaving Asus, he had certainly become a dedicated PC DIY enthusiast. Bruce’s PC-building skills were evident as he ended up being responsible for every showcase system built for prestigious trade shows like Computex, CES, and more.

Bruce’s product design philosophy is “I only make products that I want to spend money to buy.” This sounds like a no-nonsense foundation for products. But the GM of CASE also let it be known that he still frequently builds gaming PCs to work on innovations and refinements, which he hopes is reflected in all new Cooler Master brand products. 

In recent years, Minisforum has become well known as a purveyor of mini PCs but has expanded its portfolio to include motherboards. On its Weibo social media pages, the firm announced that its Eyertec AD650i Mini-ITX motherboards are now on sale (h/t VideoCardz). In July, Minisforum first showcased these motherboards at a company event in China.

It wasn’t a massive step for Minisforum to add motherboards to its mini PC and barebones systems portfolio. We note that boards like the new AD650i are available in an industry-standard Mini ITX form factor, easing the transition. Therefore, people can fit them in an extensive range of existing PC cases without limiting their plans to custom solutions.

Looking closer at the AD650i, it is evident that Minisforum uses a processor intended to be shipped in PCs such as laptops and AiOs. This is why the motherboard is bundled with a processor – it is soldered onto the PCB, like a laptop. Many Minisforum mini PCs use this modus operandi. We don’t know the CPU cooler fitting if you want to source your own, but the product comes with a low-profile heatsink and fan pre-installed as standard.

The Minisforum Eyertec AD650i is currently only available with the Intel Core i7-12650H. This Alder Lake mobile chip has six performance cores and four efficiency cores to deliver a 10C / 16T configuration. It has a max clock of 4.70 GHz, 24 MB of Smart Cache, and runs at a base power of 45W, rising to 115W at max turbo. The integrated graphics features 64 EUs running up to 1.40 GHz and offers Intel Quick Sync Video support.

Minisforum’s Weibo post suggests users looking to build a home server or NAS consider its AD650i closely. The reasoning behind this recommendation is clearly the sheer amount of storage options this mini-ITX setup provides.

If our understanding of the machine translation of the Weibo post (and diagrams) is correct, the AD650i offers a single M.2 SSD and twin SATA 3.0 HDD ports. An MXM card bundled with the board also provides connectors for up to three further M.2 2280 PCIe3.0 SSDs.

Buyers are left to buy and configure their own M.2 / SATA drives, which can be set up in RAID0, RAID1 and RAID5 modes. Another critical component left up to buyers to sort out are the memory modules, which apparently need to be DDR4-3200 rated.

Minisforum doesn’t write about the I/O panel support, but in the images, you can see the rear I/O panel has connectors for a Wi-Fi antenna, USB 4 (40 Gbps) Type-C, 2x USB 3.2 Gen2, 2x USB 3.2 Gen1, 2x HDMI, 2.5G LAN, and 19V PSU. Meanwhile, there is a front panel header for USB 2 and 3.2 Gen 1.

The only current advertised outlet for the Minisforum Eyertek AD650i is the firm’s TikTok store, where the board sells for 2599 Chinese Yuan (about $355).

A mini PC packing an off-roadmap Alder Lake-N chip has been spotted by Liliputing. The new Intel Processor N95 chip was found in a mini PC sold on AliExpress with a barebones version available starting at $190 and a fully populated model (32GB RAM, 1TB storage, and Windows 10 or 11 activated) for under $350. What is this mystery N95 processor? We have dug around to find out.

If you are looking for a quiet and compact PC which will be used for light workloads, Intel’s Alder Lake-N processors have recently started to appear in barebones and pre-built systems. These Intel 7 fabbed chips all feature four Alder Lake ‘Gracemont’ efficiency cores (4C/4T) running at up to 3.7GHz, and accompanied by Intel UHD Graphics with 4K/60 Hz support for up to three displays.

If you click though Intel’s Ark database you will find just two of these processors are supposed to be in the family; the Intel Processor N100 and Intel Processor N200. However, some searching of the database paid dividends and surfaced a specifications page for the Intel Processor N95. Putting all three chips in Intel’s comparison tool made it a cinch to see that the Intel Processor N95 was somewhat different.

The most immediate difference visible is that the N95 has a TDP of 15W, significantly higher than the 6W of the other chips. However, its max turbo clock at 3.4 GHz is tied for last place with the N100. Many other specs are the same until we hit the graphics section, where we see that the iGPU on the Intel Processor N95 runs significantly faster at 1.20 GHz, vs 750 MHz for the other members of the Alder Lake-N family. It has the disadvantage of fewer EUs though; only 16, compared to 24 and 32 for the Intel Processor N100 and N200, respectively.

The Intel Processor N95 thus looks like some spare silicon that Intel couldn’t get to run as efficiently as the other Alder Lake-N chips but saved them from e-waste by upping the TDP and selling them to Chinese OEMs for mini PCs and suchlike.

Within the AliExpress mini PC, the N95 chip is cooled by a ‘copper fan’. Other components in the 113 mm x 106 mm x 42 mm (4.4 x 4.2 x 1.7-inches) chassis include a DDR4 SO-DIMM slot, PCIe 3.0 M.2 2280 and M.2 2242 slots for up to two SSDs and built-in Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 4.2. The ports selection is adequate with 2x HDMI 2.0, a 2.5GbE port, 4x USB 3.2 Type-A ports, as well as an audio jack and 12V/4A DC-input. This particular mini PC weighs 240 grams (8.5 ounces) and can easily be fitted to the back of a monitor or a wall.

Earlier in the week Liliputing also spotted the similar size, spec and feature-packing Morefine M9 mini PC with 6W Intel Processor N100, though it still featured a cooling fan. The Morefine M9 is a $199 barebones offering at AliExpress.

Mechanical keyboards aren’t cheap (though you can find some decent budget-priced mechanical keyboards if you look), and custom mechanical keyboard kits are a money pit — there’s no other way to put it.

No matter how “worth it” a keyboard kit feels, spending $500 or even $863 on a custom keyboard kit is tough — especially when plenty of mass-produced mechanical gaming keyboards feel good and won’t break the bank. But there are some custom keyboard kits that truly stand out, and show us why keyboard enthusiasts are willing to spend more on custom kits over pre-built planks.

The IRISLabs JRIS65 is one such stand-out: A 65 percent gasket mount barebones mechanical keyboard kit with a gorgeous exterior in a range of colors, spectacular build quality, and excellent value — starting at $165 (with certain colors topping out at $180).

Specs

Design of the IRISLabs JRIS65

The JRIS65 is a gasket mount barebones mechanical keyboard kit that comes with almost everything you need to get started with your first board  except switches, keycaps, and stabilizers. The JRIS65’s starting price of $165 is pretty generous to begin with, but I would have appreciated a set of clip-in Cherry stabilizers, which are included with other similarly-priced custom kits such as the CannonKeys Bakeneko.

The JRIS65 may not come with stabilizers, but it does come with just about everything else, including a carrying case, IXPE foam, PCB tape, gasket jackets/socks, shims, rubber feet, PCB, POM plate, screws, poron plate and case foam, a coiled Type-C to Type-A cable, a cleaning cloth, a clear sheet to protect the chrome finish on the weight, and a silicone battery compartment cover if you get the wired version (the wireless version just comes with a battery).

Gasket mount mechanical keyboards have grown in popularity over the last year, but many of them barely meet the mark. Most gasket mount boards take poron foam pads, slap them onto the switch plate and call it a day — which works, to a degree, but can be a bit disappointing. However, the JRIS65 does things differently by adding flex cuts to the PCB as well as two different build methods.

The JRIS65 can utilize either gasket socks or jackets; after trying both, I much prefer the latter. The gasket socks wrap around the tabs on the PCB, like the name entails, whereas the jackets just go on the edges. While the socks are the same material, I found that the socks provided a firmer rebound. IRISLabs also only included nine gasket socks (10 are needed), so when I tested them I had to use a set of jackets on one of the tabs.

Now that I have the internals out of the way, we need to discuss the exterior of the JRIS65 because it is gorgeous. The bottom case of the JRIS65 features a steel chroma PVD weight, which meshes beautifully with the anodized pink chassis. If you’re not a fan of pink, the JRIS65 will also be available in E-white, yellow, black, milky white, maroon, titanium grey, navy blue and a few multi-colored options. The rainbow chroma PVD weight isn’t your only option here either, as IRISLabs also offers this board with anodized aluminum, featuring black, silver, and gold. More options, along with plate materials can be found in the Geekhack thread.

Like most custom boards, the JRIS65 features QMK and VIA support, allowing you to explore your wildest dreams in key configurations.

Assembling the JRIS65

Assembling the JRIS65 was pretty simple; I only hit two bumps in the road. I decided to use the following configuration: case foam, PCB, case foam, switch plate, and gasket jackets instead of socks. The JRIS65 did include two other pieces of foam, but I didn’t deem them necessary. My review model was pink, so I decided to use my C3 Equalz Banana Split switches, which matched the case perfectly.

Since my review sample shipped with the incorrect amount of gasket socks, I used the jackets on the remaining gasket tab (it’s the same material, so it’s close enough). Because the socks covered the entire tab, I found that the sound and bounce was too tame for my liking. The jackets, on the other hand, felt more responsive and satisfying to type with. After trying both builds, the socks came off but the jackets stayed on.

Installing the switches was easy enough, but the flex from the POM switch plate made switch installation a bit clumsy. I recommend that you keep fine nose tweezers nearby in case switch pins end up bending.

Because the JRIS65 utilizes a daughterboard, a JST cable is needed — and boy, was it a pain to connect. The JST cable was oddly short and the installation was so awkward that I didn’t want to take the board apart again. However, once the board was assembled, all of my frustrations were thrown out the window because it was worth the hassle.

Typing and Gaming Experience on the IRISLabs JRIS65

Despite being a gasket mount board, the JRIS65 had less bounce than others that I’ve tried, such as the CannonKeys Bakeneko — but that’s okay. It’s hard to explain, but the typing experience felt very controlled and the flex wasn’t overwhelming. Each keystroke had the right amount of bounce and, well, it’s just so satisfying to type with.

After taking the JRIS65 apart, I installed the new Drop (Gateron) Holy Panda X’s, along with its new DCX profile keycaps. While typing on the JRIS65 was already very enjoyable with linear switches installed, the tactile bump from the Holy Panda switches added some oomph to the typing experience.

Again, the overall typing experience with the JRIS65 felt controlled, and managed to perfectly bridge the gap between bouncy and stiff.

The JRIS65 doesn’t have an overwhelmingly high polling rate, nor does it have RGB — this keyboard wasn’t exactly designed to participate in a Valorant tournament. However, it is a mechanical keyboard kit: with the right switches, it can still play ball. Because it’s a barebones kit, you can use any MX-style switch you want — whether it’s something fast, such as Kailh Speed Silvers, or heavy, such as Gateron Oil Kings.

My game of choice was Call of Duty: Vanguard, since the new zombies map was recently released. The JRIS65 worked fine in-game, but I wouldn’t pick this over a gamer-oriented 65 percent keyboard such as the Asus ROG Falchion NX.

Software for the IRISLabs JRIS65

Like most custom mechanical keyboards (both kit form and not), the JRIS65 is supported by open-source firmware/software QMK/VIA. QMK is a bit dated and requires fairly extensive coding, but VIA is more accessible, and is one of the best keyboard configuration softwares for remapping keys, customizing layout, and recording macros (as well as configuring lighting, but the JRIS65 has no RGB).

My full-time job consists of a lot of data entry within Excel, so it’s a bit hard to get to know a board when I’m working. However, because VIA is so quick and easy, I set up a numpad in the second layer. Was it practical? Not really, but it was better than the standard number row. The JRIS65 has onboard memory and can store up to four profiles in QMK/VIA.

Bottom Line

The IRISLabs JRIS65’s starting price of $165 leaves you with enough bread to buy more expensive switches or caps, but, aside from the C3 Equalz Banana Splits, I built mine using relatively affordable parts. My keycaps are GMK Peach Blossom clones (I missed the group buy, OK), which I bought on Amazon for $45, and the stabilizers are Cherry clip-ins — which are killer, once modded. This ends up being less than $300 for an amazing custom keyboard.

The custom mechanical keyboard hobby, with its long group buy wait times and not-insignificant prices, isn’t for everyone. But if you’re looking to get started, the JRIS65 is a beautiful, well-built, and relatively affordable custom barebones kit. However, if you’d rather stick with something pre-built, Keychron’s Q-series, which includes the 65 percent Keychron Q2 and the 75 percent Keychron Q1, is packed with enthusiast features and is relatively affordable.

Taiwanese tiny-PC company Shuttle has announced via its EU site a new model in its XPC Barebone line, capable of accepting Intel Xeon W processors, sporting four Ethernet ports, and the first Shuttle PC compatible with error-correcting RAM.

The SW580R8 isn't going to win any prizes for its name, but it's innovative in other ways. Extremely compact, as is the Shuttle way, the case comes with just the motherboard and PSU included - it's up to the customer to provide their own CPU, RAM sticks and graphics. It's small, but not as small as some we've seen.

The included chipset is Intel's W580, a product aimed at workstations and capable of housing Intel's 10th and 11th gen Xeon W processors, which in their Rocket Lake incarnation have six or eight hyper-threading cores, turbo speeds up to 5.3GHz, and draw up to 125W. Of course, you don't have to accept this much processing power; however: anything down to a Celeron G5905 can also be fitted.

The Xeon W chips all come with an Intel UHD P750 integrated GPU, but the case can accommodate a PCIe 4.0 x16 dual-slot AIB. There are four RAM slots, for a maximum of 128GB of ECC RAM, and a plethora of ports, including one HDMI 2.0b, two DisplayPort 1.4, four 10Gbit USB 3.2 plus a 5 Gbit USB 3.2 Type C. There are three USB 3.2 and four USB 2.0 Type-A ports too, audio around the back, and four Ethernet sockets (two of which are 2.5Gbps and the others plain old gigabit). One supports vPro and AMT, Intel's Active Management Technology, which can provide remote management even when the PC is switched off.

Inside, you can fit six drives by exploiting every port, and the case comes with a cooling system designed to keep it all cool. Accessories include wireless upgrade kits, an installation frame for hard drives, and an uprated 850W power supply should the built-in 500W unit prove insufficient. This is a small black cube with a lot of power inside, measuring just 33.2 x 21.5 x 19.0 cm (13 x 8.5 x 7.5 inches).

The recommended price is 483 Euros, which converts to $495 thanks to the current closeness of the two currencies. The case should be available from specialist retailers imminently.

EVGA's open air PC case, the E1 Chassis Frame, is now ready to purchase. The company first took the wraps off its E1 design back in January. In brief, it is an open-air case made of carbon fiber, with the motherboard suspended via steel cables. 

This kind of design and innovation doesn’t come cheap, but the starting price of $1,600 for the most basic kit (the chassis and a VGA vertical kit) is pretty breathtaking. EVGA isn’t scared of premium pricing — other EVGA E1 kits with more system components included are priced as high as $4,999.

It's worth noting that the E1 series is created with premium materials. EVGA says that the E1 structure is built entirely with 3K plain weave carbon fiber. This is, apparently, the same material used to construct high performance supercars, because it has an excellent combination of light weight (chassis weighs 2.76lbs) and strength. It looks pretty good too — you might mistake the frame for polished tubular steel from a distance, but the underlying woven carbon fiber becomes evident up-close.

There are three EVGA E1 kits on sale. In the intro we highlighted the ‘cheapest’ kit, dubbed the EVGA E1 KIT 2. EVGA’s fullest offering costs $4,999 and is called the EVGA E1 Bare Bones. Paying this much and still getting a barebones system is definitely...extraordinary. On top of the initial $4,999 outlay for the top-end kit, you'll also need to buy (or migrate) a CPU, memory, storage, and an operating system. 

Potential purchasers of the $4,999 EVGA E1 can check out expansion options by pondering over our EVGA Z690 Dark KingPin E-ATX motherboard review from earlier this month. This well-rounded overclocking–focused motherboard should satisfy most enthusiasts as long as they don’t care about RGB (it’s Dark), and as long as three M.2 storage sockets are sufficient.

Another big-ticket component in the EVGA E1 Bare Bones model is the GeForce RTX 3090 Ti KingPin GPU. We have yet to get this premium overclocking GPU in the labs.

Those interested in the EVGA E1 kits can make their orders today, but even for the simplest and cheapest model there is said to be a build-to-order lag of three to four weeks. This delay is a little strange given these are all self-assembled products. EVGA is currently bundling a premium shipping case with the $4,999 kit; the company claims this bonus would normally cost $800.

The Viper v2 Pro is the latest mouse offering from Razer. It builds off its predecessor,  the Viper Ultimate, and streamlines the design with esports players in mind. Things like the side buttons and side grips have been optimized, while other features such as RGB lighting have been stripped away altogether in the name of lightness. Previous highlights, such as the optical sensor, mouse switches, and even the battery, have been improved. In addition, the Viper V2 Pro has a multitude of new intelligent functions via the Razer Synapse software. 

Virtually everything about the Viper v2 Pro is an improvement over the previous Viper Ultimate, easily making it a contender for our best gaming mouse list. However, despite the functionality of the Viper v2’s weight-saving measures, something about its lightness and material makes the mouse feel a little cheap. 

Razer Viper V2 Pro  Specs

Design of Razer Viper V2 Pro

The Razer Viper V2 Pro is similar in appearance to its Viper Ultimate Wireless predecessor sans the lighting, with an all-matte black design akin to Razer’s DeathAdder line. However, a few key things, including the lighting within the tri-skelion branding, have been jettisoned to make the mouse lighter. For instance, there are only two buttons on the right side of the mouse, removing the other two buttons on the left for ambidextrous users. The small compartment underneath most Razer’s mice used to store the 2.4GHz proprietary dongle has been removed and was replaced with an adapter that can hold the USB-shaped dongle. However, a button to cycle through the mouse’s 30K DPI is located underneath and also serves as the power button.

There’s no grip on the side of the mouse, but there are varying pieces of grip tape that come in the package for people that prefer some customization. There are two wide grips for each side of the mouse and two slimmer grips, one that is rounded with three edges and another with five edges like the Batman symbol. Although using these grips improved how the Viper V2 Pro felt in my hand, I disliked the materials used. They smell like an Auto Zone as soon as you open its packaging. And after applying the sticky grip to the mouse with the surgeon-like precision, they feel like tire rubber grinding against your thumb in practice. The grips peel off like snakeskin and are not fun to interchange on the fly.

A grip really should have been a part of the ergonomics of the Viper V2 Pro. The material used for the mouse is quite slippery, and a contrasting material would make my hold feel more secure. Unfortunately, these grips don’t feel nearly as premium or part of the overall design as the built-in grip on the DeathAdder V2. 

The Viper V2 Pro is only 1.49 inches (37.8mm) tall, and its height may be a hindrance for folks with larger hands who prefer a claw grip. I could only rest my meaty claws comfortably on the mouse with a palm grip.

The Razer Viper V2 Pro weighs an astonishing 58g, cutting 16g from the original Viper Ultimate Wireless. While I understand the functionality behind the featherweight design, the mouse may feel too hollow to use daily outside of esports purposes, where swift motion is paramount. 

Below the wheel is an LED light that blinks and changes color depending on the status of the Viper V2 Pro. The status indicator blinks red twice in repeated intervals when the battery is less than 5%. From there, the light pulses orange, yellow, and finally a static green once it's fully charged. When cycling between DPI, the LED light changes accordingly to indicate each setting. Red is 400, green is 800, blue is 1600, cyan is 3200, and yellow is 6400 DPI.

Performance of Razer Viper V2 Pro

The Razer Viper V2 Pro charges via the threaded USB-C to USB-A cable included in the package. It can also connect wirelessly via its 2.4-GHz USB-A dongle. The Razer Viper Pro has six programmable buttons, one fewer than the Viper Ultimate, and two fewer than the original Razer Viper 8K. Razer also upgraded the 5G Advanced Optical Sensor to a 70G sensor.

Razer boasts that the Viper V2 Pro is the first gaming mouse to track accurately on glass. And although I can’t say if its “world’s first” claim is true or not, the mouse can absolutely track well on just about anything, including my glass table. I was able to use the mouse on everything from my bedsheets to my sweatpants with no difference in performance.

The Razer Viper V2 Pro has extremely snappy optical switches, introducing its Gen 3 switches that promise 20 million more clicks than previous designs. The switch zones are generously large and tactile, ensuring you’ll never click down on a switch by mistake. When playing BioShock Infinite, every click felt like the squeeze of a trigger in Booker’s hand. The scroll wheel also felt much more tactile and ridged on the finger than the scroll wheel on the DeathAdder V2. When I used both mice to scroll, the ridges on the Viper V2 Pro felt satisfying on my finger, and like I had more control over the wheel’s motion. I seamlessly switched between guns in Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, and I smoothly cycled through the three guns fast and with precision. 

Although I usually prefer playing games with a mouse set around 1600 DPI, 3200 DPI feels amazing. I played Mass Effect: Legendary Edition on my 48-inch LG CX and everything felt responsive, movements were snappy, and it made my firing that much more effective in-game. I quickly changed my perspective over and over, going in circles, and never encountered microstutters. However, the maximum 6400 DPI sensitivity felt like overkill. My movements were all over the place, I couldn’t focus my line of fire, and there was no precision to be found under these circumstances. It doesn’t seem useful in any practical circumstances, but then again, I’m no esports player. 

On the subject, the two side buttons are hair-trigger sensitive. Although I can see situations where that sensitivity would be useful, it felt like I could press one by mistake when I meant to press the other. The DeathAdder’s side buttons are bigger and more defined. When I click them, they need more pressure to confirm inputs, whereas the buttons on the Viper V2 Pro were thinner and easier to push with my thumb.

Although the lightweight design of the Razer Viper V2 Pro bothers me in practical use, it does serve for faster movements in-game. Paired with an extremely high DPI count and very responsive optical switches, the Viper V2 Pro could be a game-changer and a determining factor in your playing efficiency, especially if you often play competitively. However, at the same time, the folks who need a bit of density to their gaming mice may be thrown off entirely by its lack of weight or built-in grip.

Synapse 3 Software on Razer Viper V2 Pro

Razer Synapse 3 is a finicky program that you’ll need to install to utilize the Hypershift function, which allows you to apply shortcuts and dual functions to its seven buttons. You’ll also need Synapse to utilize the Hyperspeed Multi-Device Pairing function. This allows for improved latency across wireless Razer products akin to wired connections. The performance tab of the Viper V2 Pro’s settings lets you adjust the DPI on the fly by choosing one of its five settings. You can even change each setting’s X/Y axis at your discretion and reduce the number of settings from five down to two. The polling rate can also be adjusted from its default 1000 Hz, to 500 Hz, down to 125 Hz.

The next tab is for mouse mat surface calibration, which allows you to adjust the tracking distance of the optical sensor. There’s also an Asymmetric Cut-Off function you can enable to adjust the lift and landing sensitivity of your mouse if it's having tracking trouble on whatever surface it's touching. However, I never had much need for it, since the mouse tracked well on every surface I encountered.

Finally, a power tab allows you to tweak wireless power-saving and make the mouse sleep after being idle for anywhere between one and 15 minutes. There’s also a low-power mode that will enter such mode after the battery percentage hits whatever number you set.

Bottom Line

The Razer Viper V2 Pro is a strong choice for a gaming mouse, depending on how you intend to use it. I can only recommend this mouse to serious competitive gamers or those that are part of the esports community. Only they would be able to appreciate and notice the performance enhancements the mouse delivers. Even then, I would not recommend it as an all-purpose mouse. This is something you whip out during competition exclusively, as its lithe frame and ergonomics may throw off non-competitive players. 

That being said, for the price of $150, I wish the separate grips were of better quality, or better yet, part of the overall design. The optional grips made my hold feel better when grasping the mouse, but the friction of its material began to annoy me during use. 

Something like the DeathAdder V2 would much better serve an all-purpose gamer who wants a mouse that is usable throughout all aspects of their computer life. It’s much cheaper, feels more dense , and has a max 20K DPI setting.

Small form factor and embedded PCs specialist Shuttle Computer has launched a new barebones PC, ready for a 12th Gen Intel Core Alder Lake processor of your choice (up to 65W). The new Shuttle XPC Slim DH670 measures just only 190 x 165 x 43mm, and 1.3 liters capacity. It uses laptop DDR4 memory, and you can expand the storage using the two M.2 slots and one 2.5 inch drive.

One of the first things you will decide, if you take the plunge and buy one of these barebones, is your choice of processor. You are limited to a maximum of 65W TDP, to fit within the thermal capacity of the design. In other words this is the limit of Shuttle's heat-pipe cooling system with smart fan. That isn't the only restriction, you will also have to pick a processor with integrated graphics (so, not an F suffixed part). Having laid out those provisos you can still fit a chip with up to 16C/24T and which has Intel UHD graphics capable of supporting up to 4K/60P and up to four separate displays (2x HDMI 2.0b, 2x DP).

For memory you have two SO-DIMM slots for adding DDR4, up to a maximum of 64GB at 3,200 MT/s. Storage expansion comes via a single SATA 6.0Gbps interface for a 2.5 inch device, and an M.2 2280 (which we presume is a PCIe 4.0 x4 slot). One of the smaller M.2 2230 slots is present too, with a type E connector most commonly purposed for a Wi-Fi and Bluetooth card. This is the limit of the internal expansion options you will use, everything else, including the power, will dangle from one of the ports.

For its diminutive stature Shuttle has added quite a few ports to the XPC Slim DH670, both front and back. You can refer to the ports table below for exactly what is featured.

The unit is powered via a19V DC jack on the back panel. Shuttle provides a 120W PSU to plug into this in its barebones kit. Another feature of note is the twin RS232 connectors, most commonly used for serial connections (typically machinery still found in some workplaces.)

A couple of specs we haven't mentioned yet, that should be highlighted are the use of the H670 chipset from Intel, and the onboard Realtek ALC662/897/888S High Definition Audio solution. 

Shuttle hasn't shared any pricing details for its XPC Slim DH670 Alder Lake barebones but it says that it is "coming soon."  

The specs of the motherboard in Shuttle's new barebones appear at first glance to line up pretty closely to the Asus Pro H610T ITX which hits retail this week. However, a comparative inspection of thee small form factor motherboards shows the size and layout of the two boards varies quite significantly, and the port selection is different too. Shuttle's barebones aims more at "enhanced imagery in digital signage, design automation, kiosks, FIDS (Flight Information Display System), and other text- and graphics-intense applications." but this doesn't mean it can't be the home of your small form factor build.

One of the best parts of the mechanical keyboard hobby becoming more mainstream is the ever-growing amount of great DIY kits available at affordable prices. The “entry-level custom” scene is increasingly vibrant, but it’s not so crowded that truly remarkable options can’t rise to the top. That’s exactly what we find today with the Zoom65 by Meletrix.

Meletrix is a sub-brand of Wuque Studio, a community darling made popular with smash hits like the Ikki68 Aurora. Its stated mission is to bring “enthusiast-level mechanical keyboards to everyone” by delivering high-end features at accessible prices. The Zoom65 is its first keyboard out of the gate and is out to impress. 

Unlike most custom keyboards, the Zoom65 comes with everything you’ll need to get typing right out of the box: switches, keycaps, stabilizers, and a braided cable with a long coil are all included. It also features extras like multiple layers of high-quality PORON foam to fine-tune both the sound and feel of the board. It goes head to head with other great options like the Keychron Q2, but manages to be a more complete, higher-quality package.

Best of all, it’s planned to be an in-stock item, replenishing every 1-2 months after the first drop later this month. There’s no need to wait for 6-12 months for a group buy like most other custom keyboard kits. If you have a budget of around $175, the Zoom65 is the keyboard to buy.

Meletrix Zoom65 Specs

Design of the Meletrix Zoom65

The Meletrix Zoom65 is a keyboard aimed at enthusiasts, and prospective enthusiasts, on a budget. Its design and features veer much closer to higher-end custom keyboards and especially the latest flagship keyboard from its parent-company, Wuque Studio, the Mammoth75. It features a two-part aluminum case, a polycarbonate plate, hot-swappable switches, and layers upon layers of high-quality PORON foam. 

The unboxing experience isn’t quite as fancy as with the Mammoth, but still manages to impress. The keyboard comes in a large box that opens to reveal a velvety, semi-hardback travel case. The velvet finish is unique and the case appears custom-made, which is a very nice touch at this price. Inside, the keyboard is wrapped in a protective sleeve. An inner pocket holds the plate and PCB, as well as the braided USB cable (which also features a long coil for improved aesthetics on your desk). You’ll also find a bag of Jwick linear switches, WS Aurora stabilizers, and all of the hardware you’ll need to complete the build process.

The other box carries the keycaps and layers of PORON foam for the case and various components. The keycaps are Olivia-themed, modeled after the popular GMK set that’s been a mainstay within the enthusiast community since its release. They’re made of doubleshot PBT plastic for improved durability, and Meletrix was careful to point out that this keycap set was authorized by the original designer, Olivia, herself.

This might seem like a small touch but is indicative of the level of attention Meletrix paid when designing this keyboard and the marketing that surrounds it. Cloned keycap sets can be taboo within the mechanical keyboard community because the original designers don’t receive any commission from their sale, and are typically not even asked for permission before their designs are used. Meletrix did ask, and while these are not Olivia keycaps and are not made by GMK, their original manufacturer, they look nearly identical. There are some minor inconsistencies in legend weight if you look closely, though.

The case, available in white or black, is made from solid aluminum, giving it a nice weight (just under three pounds built). It’s painted with an electrostatic process. Note that this is not e-coating like what is found on more expensive keyboards, but instead helps to ensure a smooth, consistent, finish at a reduced cost. Around the back is an aluminum weight colored to look like brass and engraved with a picture of a telescope gazing into a starry sky. It looks great, in my opinion, and the white and gold contrast beautifully.

As you might have guessed from the name, the Zoom65 employs a 65-percent layout. There is no Function Row or Number Pad, but it keeps dedicated arrow keys for gaming and productivity. Along the right side are three navigation and editing buttons and a small rotary encoder, colored to match the brass weight on the back. The navigation buttons are, curiously, Delete, Page Up, and End. While these are remappable (I would much rather have had Page Down instead of End), there are no alternate keycaps in the box to replace them, so you’ll have to remember what you have there instead.

Inside its chassis, the Zoom65 is crafted to match the Mammoth75. It features a soft polycarbonate plate, made even more flexible by a series of flex cuts between the alpha rows. Beneath the plate is the PCB, which has matching flex cuts and hot-swappable switch sockets for easy installation and changing of switches. It also supports multiple layouts, including split Spacebar and Backspace. The design is intended to allow the keyboard to flex slightly underneath every keystroke to create a softer typing experience. It works impeccably. 

Between the PCB and plate, and inside the case itself, are layers of PORON foam. PORON is a high-quality (and more expensive) foam option that works exceptionally well for custom keyboard builds. It dampens keystrokes and deadens any ping or reverberation that might otherwise ring through the aluminum case. At the same time, it manages to be exceptionally soft, which supports the flexible design of the plate and the PCB. 

The Zoom65 is a double-decker foam sandwich. Between the plate and PCB is a layer of plate foam used to dampen typing sounds. Between the PCB and switches is a thin layer of PORON switch film, employed purely to improve the acoustics of the board and deliver its signature, poppy sound. Below, in the cavity of the bottom case, two layers of foam are stacked together to create a level surface below the PCB and ensure it doesn’t sound hollow when typing on the higher keys where the case is taller.

The Zoom65 uses a gasket mount mounting structure, so along the inner rim of the top and bottom cases are additional strips of PORON foam. These sandwich the edges of the plate, isolating it from the metal of the case and delivering its own level of flex when pressed on. The gaskets are thick and effective, though rather oddly sized, switching from short to long seemingly at random. 

This foam structure is nearly identical to the Mammoth75 and is downright surprising to find at this price point. The design here not only serves to soften the typing experience, making it almost cushiony, but also tunes the acoustics to create a typing sound that makes you want to keep typing even when you’re done with your work for the day. More than once, I found myself trying to beat my high score at TypeRacer into the early hours of the morning.

Any complete package wouldn’t be complete without stabilizers, and the Zoom is no exception. It comes with a set of WS Aurora stabilizers and they’re just as excellent as on the Mammoth75, albeit in black and white instead of Fog. These stabilizers have excellent tolerances, so rattle is minimal with even moderate lubing. 

Meletrix even went so far as to include a set of Teflon tabs to save users cutting band-aids for the Holee Mod, a mod where strips of band-aid are inserted into the stab to eliminate rattle: it’s cumbersome, tedious, and a giant pain, but works, so enthusiasts do it. It is a surprisingly considerate add-on and something I haven’t seen any other keyboard kit include. Meletrix also includes a set of PORON stabilizer pads to cushion the bottom outs of the larger stabilized keys.

Like many custom mechanical keyboards, the Zoom65 doesn’t support any software of its own. Instead, all programming is handled through VIA or QMK. This software suite has been embraced by enthusiasts due to its exceptional programmability and how it operates through firmware instead of requiring its own software suite. It’s free to use but does take a bit of time and effort to learn.

As a whole package, the Zoom65 is exceptionally well done. Meletrix has designed a keyboard that draws directly on the experience of Wuque Studio. The final product is one that looks, feels, and sounds exceptional. Add in a great set of switches, stabilizers, and eye-catching keycaps, and you could be forgiven for thinking this came from a mature brand and were $100 more expensive than it actually is.

Assembling the Meletrix Zoom65

The assembly process is very similar to that of the Mammoth75, but I found it to be slightly more difficult when it came to mounting the switches. The big steps include: lubing and mounting the stabilizers, placing the foams, attaching the plate and PCB, mounting the gaskets, installing switches, screwing it all together, and then installing keycaps. It isn’t overly difficult but is complicated enough that you’ll want to consult the build guide to make it as easy as possible. It took me about 90 minutes from start to finish, lubing switches not included.

Having built the Mammoth75 not long ago, I was able to appreciate just how similar the two builds were. The Zoom65 was actually simpler in that it had cut-outs for the stabilizers in the switch film out of the box. Attaching the foams was a little more complicated, however, as nothing was pre-attached. Where the Mammoth had its plate and PCB foams stuck to their respective parts, the Zoom required these be manually positioned like most other keyboards. All in all, very similar.  

Mounting the switches to the PC plate was much more challenging, however. Perhaps it was because the build guide for the Zoom65 recommended installing the switches before mounting everything into the case, but the flex cuts in the plate caused it to bend under the switch instead of snapping into place. I had to use a screwdriver to pull the plate up into place for many switches. It’s a result of the board’s added flexibility and something I’ve run into on other polycarbonate keyboards, but it made installing switches take much longer.

Typing Experience on the Meletrix Zoom65

Note: As always, take typing tests with a grain of salt. They are colored by the recording equipment used and should only be used to give a general idea of the sound of a given keyboard. In this case, the microphone makes the keyboard sound slightly sharper than it does in real life and some of the scratch is generated by my fingertips on the keycaps. In person, the board sounds softer and slightly poppier than is represented here. 

Since it was designed by the same team as the excellent Mammoth75 and has so many similarities in its construction, it should come as no surprise that the typing experience on the Zoom65 is excellent. I’ve been lucky enough to try many great keyboards, and this is easily the best I’ve used under $200.

Like the Mammoth, the Zoom65 benefits from all of that foam. There is absolutely no ping whatsoever despite the all-aluminum case. Typing sounds are dampened to eliminate reverb but not so much that you can’t hear the character of the Jwick switches. The switch film also enhances the sound, acting as a kind of low-frequency filter, making the keys sound extra poppy when typing normally. 

So much of the custom keyboard experience is about sound and feel, and it’s a nuanced experience. Typing quickly creates a sound that’s somewhere between those magnetic stress balls and popping bubble wrap. It’s a very satisfying sound that made me want to keep coming back for repeated typing tests.  

Much of this character can be attributed to the Jwick black switches used. Jwick switches are produced by JWK, the brand behind Durock’s popular POM switches, NovelKeys Silks, C3 Tangerines, and the ever-popular Alpaca switches. Like those switches, the Jwicks are linear, so there’s no click or tactile bump, and they come pre-lubed from the factory. They’re a bit heavier than your typical MX-style red switch, which actuates at 45 grams, and have a spring weight of 63.5 grams. It can take time to get used to it, but the added weight helps to reduce typos, making them more useful outside of gaming.

It would have been nice to see some additional options for fans of lighter or tactile switches, but limiting the options is one of the core ways Meletrix has been able to keep the price as accessible as it is. Since the keyboard is hot-swap, it’s easy to swap them out for other options, too. Once it’s built, swapping switches can be done in as little as 20 minutes and can completely change the feel of the keyboard while still retaining its overall character.

Typing on these switches feels great. I chose to lube mine, but even stock I found them to be very smooth. With proper lubing, the sound and feel are enhanced further. Jwicks are a low-cost switch but are one of the best budget options on the market today, so including them here is a smart move that will likely prove very popular.

Like the Mammoth, there is visible flex when typing. Most gasket mount keyboards flex when pressed, depressing the foam strips around the outer edges. Since the Zoom65 uses flex cuts between the alpha rows, the keys are able to flex directly around the finger instead of the entire plate. There’s less movement than the Mammoth75, and a bit of creak from the switches in the PC plate when forcefully pressed, so it's not something I consciously noticed moving while typing. It did create a soft typing experience that did visibly move, however.

The Zoom65 is a very conventional keyboard when it comes to ergonomics. It uses Cherry profile keycaps and a standard 6.5-degree typing angle. It should feel comfortable to most users without a break-in period, so switching to it from most other 65-percent keyboards (and most other sizes, once you’re used to the compact size) should be seamless. The front height is somewhat high at 0.9 inches, so you may want to use a wrist rest, which isn’t included. Testing my speed in MonkeyType, I consistently maintained my average speed of about 110 WPM.

Gaming Experience of the Meletrix Zoom65

The Zoom65 isn’t designed to compete with the best gaming keyboards, but can be used for gaming without difficulty. It doesn’t have any gaming-specific features but is configured to be a good choice for gaming, as long as you don’t need features like macro keys or syncopated RGB. But, like any good tool, a gaming keyboard needs to feel good in your hand, and this one certainly does. 

The biggest assets the Zoom65 has for gaming are its layout and programmability. The 65-percent form factor is a great choice for many games. The compact form factor allows you to keep your keyboard and mouse hands closer together, improving ergonomics. It also allows for bigger mouse sweeps for high-sensitivity shooters. Likewise, the 65-percent layout maintains dedicated arrow keys for games that need them and the three extra navigation keys can be remapped to core skills and macros. 

Apart from its physical form factor, it’s also extremely programmable. You won’t find advanced gaming features like timers to flash RGB when your cooldown expires or the ability to easily program intricate, key-combination laced macros, but you’re easily able to remap keys and create up to four separate layers of keymaps in VIA or sixteen using the QMK Configurator. 

That means you can keep a unique layout for multiple games, similar to how profiles work on most gaming keyboards – with one key difference: changes made in VIA apply to the firmware, not software. That means that they can be carried to any PC without the need for software and regardless of any security policies that might be in place.

Software of the Meletrix Zoom65

The Zoom65 doesn’t require any software to run but does rely on QMK and VIA to make the most of its functionality. QMK is an open-source firmware, allowing users to write and implement their own custom code. Since many users will just want the basics of remapping keys and assigning macros, VIA simplifies the process by implementing a GUI and instantly applying changes without the need for flashing. 

VIA is a powerful toolset and makes remapping keys simple. You simply click the key you want to reassign and then click the key or function you want there instead. This includes media controls, macros, and even basic Windows shortcuts, like File Explorer or launching your Browser. It also means that the volume wheel can take on additional functions, like scrolling web pages or scrubbing a timeline.

One of the most powerful aspects of the software is its ability to navigate the different layers of keymaps. By default, the Zoom65 uses its Function key to access the second layer of keymaps, but the fun begins when you decide to get creative. For example, VIA allows you to send one command when a key is tapped and another when it is held, giving it dual functions. You’re also able to set them to open a layer for a single press and automatically revert to the base layer after it’s executed. It’s cool stuff, provided you’re willing to take the time to learn it, which sometimes requires looking up keycodes for individual buttons you might want to send. 

In general, VIA is quite user-friendly and straightforward, but it’s not without its challenges. If you want to program a macro that does more than send a line of text, you’ll need to type in the individual keycodes into a long string. There’s no Record button here to make recording a quick macro mid-game realistic. Though the Zoom65 doesn’t support it, there’s also no way to program in custom RGB effects beyond the stock presets and static colors. If you’re used to the plentiful options of Razer Synapse or Corsair iCUE, VIA will seem pretty barebones.

Bottom Line

The Zoom65 is an incredibly full-featured package for the $179 cost of entry. Looking at the rest of the market, it’s honestly surprising that Meletrix is able to sell the keyboard at such an affordable price. This is especially true when you consider that it includes everything you’ll need out of the box, including a nice braided and coiled USB cable and even an exceptionally nice travel case. It checks nearly all of the boxes enthusiasts look for and makes smart sacrifices to keep the price as accessible as it is. 

Assembly is a bit more difficult thanks to that flexy polycarbonate plate and takes upwards of an hour to complete, but a pre-assembled version will be available later this year for only six dollars more. I would recommend that option just for the time savings, but there’s something to be said for building it yourself and feeling the final product of your hard work day in and day out. 

If you’re looking for something with a more premium case, the Mode SixtyFive is a solid option but at a significantly higher price. For more flex, the Keychron Q2 delivers. It doesn’t sound or feel nearly as nice out of the box, but boy does it bounce. You could also build your own custom keyboard with cherry-picked parts, but by the time you’re done with something similar in quality to the Zoom65, you’ll probably be spending nearly as much if not more for the privilege.

Each of those options has a caveat. That’s because even though there are a handful of areas where other keyboards might one-up it, the Zoom65 packs everything into a single, impeccably-designed package for a bargain price. In truth, this kit is much more of a “Mammoth-mini” than a counterpart to its biggest competitors, the Keychron Q2, Q1, and GMMK Pro. The Zoom65 is an outstanding debut from Meletrix and the best keyboard you can buy at this price today.

PCs and components maker ASRock has designed a couple of interesting new 8 liter barebones systems ready for your choice of 12th Gen Intel Core Processors (Alder Lake-S, ADL-S), or AMD AM4 socket APUs or CPUs. ASRock's DeskMeet B660 is the firm's new barebones for Intel ADL-S, and the DeskMeet X300 works with modern AMD Ryzen 2000 series or newer APUs and CPUs. Both barebone systems share the same case / design, and despite their compact footprint are able to fit discrete graphics cards up to 20cm in length. As barebones systems, in addition to your choice of CPU, you will also have to bring along your own DDR4 RAM and storage.

The ASRock DeskMeet B660 and X300 have a lot in common, as you may have already noted from our intro. To be clear these 8 liter barebones are Mini ITX based systems, but ASRock asserts that it has put work into optimizing the melding of motherboard, chassis and power supply. Such systems and components synergy is one of the charms of barebones systems, and rightly so. Thanks to design synergies, the benefits of this barebone are claimed to be minimal cabling, improved cable management, and improved airflow.

One of the key attractions of the ASRock DeskMeet series are that they allow users to fit their choice of discrete GPU up to 20cm in length, should they wish to go down this route in their build, or at a later date. At the time of writing, the most powerful GPUs that could fit in the sub-20cm constriction of the DeskMeet is probably the MSI GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Aero at 17.2cm in length, requiring up to 200W. On the topic of power, these new barebones come with 500W PSUs and the CPU/APU you choose should have a TDP of 65W or lower.

Mini ITX systems are sometimes the hardest to work on, due to the obvious constraints, so barebones systems, and the extra thought put into such foundational system designs, are particularly welcome.

Drop has been in the mechanical keyboard game for years now, but its new, RGB-focused Carina kit is so overpriced that you’d be forgiven for thinking this is the company’s first time stepping away from its e-commerce roots. Yes, the Carina is cute, but its $140 to $160 cost (depending on which plate you buy) does not justify its poor stabilizers and extremely frustrating remapping process. 

Drop Carina Mechanical Keyboard Kit

Design

Drop has many keyboards under its belt, but none of them are like the Carina. The Carina features a 60 percent footprint, plate-mount stabilizers, the choice of an aluminum, brass or even a copper plate, and of course a transparent frosted acrylic case.

Unlike almost all barebones kits, the Carina also comes completely disassembled, which makes it the perfect accessory for Ikea fans but a bit of work for everyone else. 

Smaller form factor mechanical keyboards have become more popular lately, with prebuilt clackers like the Razer Huntsman Mini and the Corsair K65 Mini serving the non-kit space. Even so, the Carina felt a bit too small for me at times, which I will elaborate more on in the typing section.

The thing that stands out the most once the Carina is fully assembled is the frosted acrylic case, which looks beautiful when RGB is enabled and provides a deeper sound profile.

Drop has done something I’ve never seen before with any keyboard here, in that the Carina has two USB-C connectors. This little gesture allows for cleaner cable management whether your PC sits to your left or right.

Assembly

I mentioned this earlier, but the Carina does not come even the slightest bit assembled. While it was easy for me to assemble, it was a bit hectic having to deal with so many more bare parts than on the usual barebone kit. Fortunately, there are more than enough tutorials on how to build a mechanical keyboard, like ours written by my colleague, Christopher Coke.

A keyboard coming disassembled, like C-3PO in The Empire Strikes Back, does have its benefits. For example, it can help you avoid problems like stabilizer rattle. While this might be a con for many people, I appreciated having that level of control. Assembling stabilizers is very easy to do: just align the stabilizer wire (that you hopefully dipped in dielectric grease to keep the wire dry and corrosion-free) with the stabilizer housing and boop, they’re assembled. Still, some people may not be too keen on doing this.

Typing Experience

Typing with the Carina was very nice; I am not a big tactile switch fan, but the Holy Panda switches Drop sent with my review kit feel butter-smooth and sound very clacky, which is fitting for tactile switches, especially when combined with the brass plate. Still, these switches will cost you an extra $85 for all 70.

Like I mentioned before, the acrylic case provides a deeper sound profile, but it comes at the cost of hollow-sounding keystrokes. Drop could have easily avoided this by creating a specific sheet of foam to fit the back of the PCB without covering the SMD LEDs. Alternatively, it could have used a silicone layer like Novel Keys does with its NK65.

I view 60 percent keyboards as the smallest form factor you’d want for everyday productivity because you lose out on so many keys, but still have enough to game and get work done in a pinch. Coming from a tenkeyless board, I found myself missing dedicated arrow keys. I know that I can use layers, which I did, but I never felt completely at home when doing so.

Smaller areas will benefit from the Carina’s size, though. My desk is very small, as my bedroom is a bit bigger than a sardine can, so my space is very cramped and using bigger keyboards on my desk is hard at times. The Carina freed up a lot of space on my desk, which made typing over long periods of time more comfortable by allowing me to fit my wrists on my desk more than I can on the 75 percent layout board I usually use. That board, by comparison, extends to the end of my desk and leaves my hands hanging off the edge if I want to type on it.

The keycaps I used this time around were the Drop + Marvel Thanos keycaps. I have said this in the past about Drop keycaps in the past and I will say it again— they are without a doubt the highest quality keycaps I have ever used, but the MT3 shape isn’t too ideal for me. In other words, the keycaps are double-shot ABS and feel fantastic to type with, but they’re a bit too tall for me.

Along with the keycaps, Drop included a set of its Holy Panda switches with my review unit, which carry a lot of clout behind them and according to Drop are “the most tactile switches in the world.” In my experience, the Gazzew U4T Boba switches hold that belt, thanks to their winning combo of affordability, performance and reputation. With that in mind, these switches are still not bad at all. They’re just expensive, with a price of $85 for a set of 70 switches. Drop doesn’t provide information on their actuation force, but they do mention that the Holy Pandas carry a spring of 67g, which is in my comfort zone.

Even though the switches and keycaps felt great, the stabilizers are no better than the ones you’d find in a prebuilt gaming keyboard, where performance comes first and acoustics second. The only upside to these stabilizers is the fact that they come disassembled, so you can modify them prior to installation or just throw them in the trash.

For the most part, typing with the Carina could’ve been superb thanks to the Holy Panda switches and the Drop keycaps, but is severely hindered by the cheap stabilizers.

Gaming Experience

The most prestigious gamers typically prefer either tenkeyless or full-size mechanical planks as they allow for dedicated arrow, macro and media keys, which is why we don’t see many 60 percent gaming boards in our best gaming keyboards list. With that said, as I mentioned above, we still have the Razer Huntsman Mini and the Corsair K65 RGB Mini, which are mainstream 60 percents and prove that there is somewhat of a gaming market for little boards. 

The difference here is that the parts I received with the Carina are not built with gaming in mind. You can use your own switches, of course, but the Holy Panda switches that Drop clearly wanted me to use with this board aren’t optical. The keycaps Drop sent me also aren’t shine-through, which is a bit of a shame given that the keyboard base is. 

In the typing experience section, I talked about how I felt more comfortable over long periods of typing with the Carina in comparison to bigger boards, and the same can be said about gaming with the Carina.

My buddy and I went on an expedition to defeat the Forsaken on the new Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War zombie map, which is the name of the final boss you must defeat after completing a laundry list of tasks prior to reaching the final fight. After about three hours of grinding, I never felt like I was at a disadvantage when using the Carina when gaming and my carpal tunnel-plagued left hand didn’t kill me, so gaming over long periods of time with the Carina was actually very impressively comfortable.

Software

It bothers me that a company like Drop has yet to create its own software for configuring its keyboards, because it has so many at this point. Unfortunately, remapping keys and adjusting the per-key RGB still must be done first on Drop’s website, then implemented on your PC via a sloppy solution that requires you to write your own code. Remapping keys on Drop’s site is easy enough, but to actually implement your changes on your board, you need to compile them and then go into the Windows Command Prompt and do some coding. You can follow Drop’s tutorial or watch one of the multitudes of tutorials from QMK on YouTube to do this, but it’s still an unnecessary layer of extra work, especially for such an expensive board. The worst part about this is that you have to go through this process for typical functionality because the right Alt key is by default where the right Fn key should be. And this isn’t just me; this has been a common issue amongst other Carina users.

Bottom Line

On the outside, the Drop Carina is very pretty, but the cheap stabilizers, exhausting remapping process and steep price tag leave it outclassed by competitors like the KBDFans Tofu. The Carina isn’t the only place where you can get a frosted acrylic case and a 60 percent size, after all. One can make the argument that, because this is a barebones kit, it has a unique appeal in needing to be built from the ground-up rather than just needing switches dropped in it like most other barebones kits. I do appreciate the level of control you get from how unassembled this kit is out of the box, but not everyone will. And the end result is still just a PCB that needs to be flashed, stabilizers that should either be given a lot of extra care or just thrown in the trash and the need to spend about $70 extra to buy a set of decent keycaps and switches.

When you join any hobby for the first time, you might scratch your head and wonder where you’re supposed to start. You might wonder if you should spend more money on higher-quality gear out of the gate or start small with the cheaper stuff. Fortunately, Akko’s Mod 001 gives beginner keyboard enthusiasts a premium skeleton for a pretty decent price. 

Mod 001 Barebones Keyboard

Design

The Akko Mod 001 is a sandwich mount TKL mechanical keyboard barebones kit that comes equipped with all the essentials that we’re used to from most barebones kits, like 5-pin support, RGB and plate-mount stabilizers. The difference with the Mod 001 is that two thick aluminum pieces make up a good portion of the keyboard’s top case and provide a unique design because of their deviating colors. 

The model I received was in Akko’s Neon colorway, but there really wasn’t anything bright about it. The product page shows the kit as being purple and pink, but in person, it comes off more like it’s navy blue and crimson red, resembling a tacky ‘90s ski jacket.

Despite the website’s misleading photos, I equipped the kit with the Drop + Marvel Infinity War Keycap set in the Thanos colorway, and that splash of deep purple definitely made the keyboard look much better.

The Mod 001 top case is largely composed of two thick pieces of aluminum, giving the board a heavier than usual feel compared to other tenkeyless options. The Mod 001 weighed in at about four and a half pounds (2kg), doubling the Epomaker GK108S, which is a full-size kit. 

The USB-C cable connects on the case’s rear, but the fit was a bit tight for me. Every time I connected the board to my Glorious coiled cable, I wound up having to wiggle it into the socket a bit. That’s something to think about if, like me, you want to use a cable with a thick connector.

You would think that something with the name Mod 001 would allow you to modify the SMD LEDs on a per-key basis, but think again. That isn’t the case here, but you can adjust the RGB using Akko’s software, called Akko Wired Manager. This technically doesn’t have official support for the Mod 001 yet, but you can still make some small unofficial tweaks under another keyboard’s name. 

The mounting style Akko uses for the Mod 001 is interesting as it is a sandwich mount. Sandwich mount keyboards are held together by screws that are screwed in from under the case, which is both good and bad. The good part is that by doing this, it provides a uniform sound profile amongst the board, but the tradeoff is that disassembly is a bit convoluted if you want to take the keyboard apart. 

When I took the Mod 001 out of the box, I looked around the board for screws to take it apart, but none were to be found and it turns out that they are hidden underneath the rubber bumpers under the case. This requires the bumpers to be ripped off in order to access them, which means you might need to buy replacements if you break them in the process.

Assembly of the Mod 001

Assembling the Mod 001 was very simple. All I had to do was drop my switches and keycaps in and voila, I was good to go. If you’re like me and want the best acoustics possible, though, you will also need to lube the stabilizers, because these come very dry out of the box. But because they are plate-mounted, they’re easy to take out.

At this point in the review, I could usually go on and on about how the kit can be improved or modifications that can be done to better your experience, but there isn’t much to do besides lube the stabilizers because Akko did it all for you. This kit works great as it comes.

Typing Experience on the Mod 001

One of the things that separates the Mod 001 from most other barebones kits is the fact that it comes with sound dampening foam already installed. I think we need to give Akko a round of applause here because the chunky aluminum case just screams case ping, but there wasn’t any present here at all. While the specifics of your experience will depend on which switches and keycaps you install, this kit sets you up for a smooth and quiet experience.

Gaming Experience on the Mod 001

The Mod 001 is a barebones kit, and because of that, it doesn’t need all the fancy features you might find on great gaming keyboards like the Wooting Two HE or the other best gaming keyboards. However, that doesn’t mean it can’t be equipped with gamer-y parts, like fast switches. I will say, should you decide to go that route, you will be the coolest member in your platoon because the Mod 001 is a very cool-looking board and the 5-pin support on the PCB allows for any Cherry MX nature switch to work with it.

When it came to testing the Mod 001 in-game, I ended up putting it through the wringer by using it to defeat the Forsaken in the new Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War zombies mode. Here, it performed like any gaming keyboard while having more bling than the other grunts in your platoon. Another TKL board I had been using at the time of this review was the Razer Huntsman V2, and while that has more gamer features like an 8,000 Hz polling rate, the Mod 001 didn’t feel inferior in performance at all.

Software

At the time of this review, the Mod 001 doesn’t officially have it’s own software. However, the SMD RGB LEDs can be adjusted using Akko Wired Manager. When connected to the software, the Mod 001 will show up as the Akko 5108, which is a full-size keyboard. Even though the keys cannot be remapped, the RGB can be adjusted, just not on a per-key basis.

Akko did not tell us when official software support would be coming.

Bottom Line

The Akko Mod 001 is fantastic, especially for the price of $130, because despite being so cheap, you still get a funky colorway, a thick aluminum chassis that is well-dampened and 5-pin switch support. While I’m not a fan of how Akko displays the color of the board on their website, I can look past that because at the end of the day, this kit is fantastic for the price and with the right keycaps, like the ones I used, you can have a really special board. The software needs to be fixed, but otherwise, using this kit is smooth. I would really like to see Akko continue to bring more barebones kits like these to the market because this kit is generous and simple and I can easily recommend it, especially to beginners who can’t quite nail down the right quality to price ratio.

Micro Center has partnered up with Asus to provide a new PC Builder Tool that gives novice PC builders an easy way to assemble the parts for a new gaming PC by doing most of the part selection for you. More importantly, it's a way to guarantee getting an RTX 30-series graphics card, one of the best graphics cards, though at a rather high price. Think of it as another form of bundling, similar to the Newegg Shuffle, but without the lottery aspect.

You have the option of choosing one of three tiers: Value, Performance, and Ultimate. There are options for either Intel or AMD platforms on each tier. However, each system comes configured as a barebones system, meaning it's missing the CPU, Storage, RAM, and even the OS. You will have to add those system components separately, which quickly bumps up the price. You can also have Micro Center build the system out for you for $200, if you select all the extra components and OS, or you can do it yourself.

Effectively, what Asus and Micro Center are shipping to you is a DIY barebones kit, or potentially a complete system. What's interesting about this idea is that you can choose the major system components yourself, from a limited selection. The included parts naturally all come from Asus, but you can pick the CPU, RAM, and storage. But on the downside, these options aren't selected for you by default, and you have to pay full price for the OS. That's something the best prebuild desktops and DIY kits like NZXT's BLD kits already do.

It'll be interesting to see how this strategy plays out. Micro Center does have a different build tool that allows a far greater selection of components, but that may not guarantee you a graphics card. We suspect this is a way to get new GPUs into the hands of DIY PC gamers who are trying to put together a new system. But that could mean fewer standalone GPUs for sale, which could make it even harder to grab a GPU on its own from Micro Center if some of the company's graphics card allocation gets prioritized toward Asus' barebones systems — or at least, most of the Asus graphics card allocation.

Graphics Card Pricing Strategy

With how serious the graphics shortage has become, and the rather horrible GPU prices for cards being sold online, we priced out each build to see if Micro Center is giving you a price that's close to MSRP on the graphics card. Spoiler alert: It's absolutely not.

The barebones systems are by no means cheap and start at $979 for the AMD Value kit, and $999 for the Intel version. Each build comes with Asus-themed components, so the Value build for example includes an Asus Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Dual V2 graphics card, TUF Gaming 650W Bronze PSU, and an Asus TUF GT301 tempered glass ATX chassis. You also get either a Z590-A Prime motherboard for Intel builds (starting at $1,000) or a B550-F ROG Strix Gaming motherboard for AMD (starting at $980).

Pricing things out, we found that Micro Center is charging around $575-$600 for the RTX 3060 Ti graphics card. That's $200-ish over Nvidia's base MSRP, though Asus cards often get sold at a premium, though the company's "Dual" line of graphics cards is about as barebones as you can get. There's no RGB and very little in the way of other extras. If we weren't in a severe GPU shortage, these would likely be sold at Nvidia's base MSRP.

The performance PC steps things up a bit by going with a GeForce RTX 3070 KO V2 graphics card, Asus ROG Strix 240mm RGB liquid cooler, Asus TUF Gaming GT 501 RGB case, and a 750W TUF Gaming Bronze PSU. The Intel option includes a Z590-E ROG Strix motherboard and starts at $1,700, while the AMD build includes an Asus B550-F ROG Strix motherboard and starts at a far less painful $1,500.

Unfortunately, graphics card pricing with the Performance setup is pretty rough. Based on our estimates looking at the other components, Micro Center charges a whopping $950–$975 for the Asus RTX 3070 KO. The KO line at least isn't quite as far down the pecking order, as it does include some RGB lighting and a modest overclock, but that's still basically double the theoretical Nvidia RTX 3070 MSRP.

The Ultimate trim level is Micro Center's highest offering in the lineup, giving you a Z590 ROG Maximus XIII Hero for the Intel version, an Asus ROG Ryujin 240 RGB AIO liquid cooler, a tempered glass RGB GX601 ROG Strix gaming case, and an ROG Strix 850W Gold power supply. For the graphics card, you get one of the fastest GPUs around, the ROG Strix RTX 3080 Ti — the triple fan variant, not the RTX 3080 Ti ROG Strix LC that we recently reviewed.

The total price for the barebones kit comes to an eye watering $3,499.99. For the AMD platform, the Z590 board gets swapped out for an Asus X570-E ROG Strix gaming motherboard — no Crosshair X570 Hero, unfortunately. That system starts at $3,299.

Based on those components, we can get a good estimate of the graphics card price, and it's a doozy. According to our calculations, Micro Center is charging users a whopping $2,330 for the Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti ROG Strix found inside this model. Granted, it can be a bit difficult to find those cards in stock, but Newegg currently has it listed for $2,178.88. And you don't even need to buy other parts alongside it.

Here's our price estimates for the various kits, based on the cost of the other components when purchased online (not necessarily from MicroCenter), with the GPU covering whatever's left. In short, despite guaranteeing customers that each Asus barebones kit will come with an Asus RTX graphics card, the prices are borderline outrageous for the mid-tier Performance and top-tier Ultimate builds. You might even be better off buying an RTX 3080 Ti or RTX 3070 from a scalper on eBay for a lower price (maybe).

The Value kit is more reasonable with a cost of "just" $100-$200 over MSRP. However, you are still getting one of Asus' lowest-end RTX 3060 Ti models, making this offer quite distasteful. And don't forget that these are barebones kits, meaning you need to pour an additional $400-$800 to make the systems usable with a good CPU, memory, storage, and operating system.

It reeks of greed, in other words. Newegg's Shuffle already left a sour taste in many potential shoppers' mouths, and MicroCenter's Asus Build options are effectively just as bad, if not worse. You also have to pick up the PC at the store, which means it's still limited to people who live near a MicroCenter.

But don't worry: You can only order one system from MicroCenter (per month), to ensure everyone can get a chance at a graphics card. That's the same deal as purchasing a GPU on its own, likely at a better price, provided any are in stock. And that's what we would recommend you do, assuming you can find a card that's in your budget.

If you want to choose your own switches and keycaps but don’t want the logistical hassle of sourcing all the different components you need to build a keyboard from scratch, barebones kits like the GMMK Pro can be a huge convenience. At the premium price of $169, the Glorious PC Gaming Race's kit comes with a number of high-end features including an aluminum chassis, a rotary knob, hot-swap sockets that support 3 or 5-pin switches and a 75-percent layout that makes it more compact than a tenkeyless design, but still has all the important keys. 

Glorious also promises the flexible typing experience and noise consistency of a gasket mount and uses stabilizers it calls GOAT (greatest of all-time). However, the gasket mount doesn't feel like one and the stabilizers are the exact opposite of what their name implies, creating painful noise and usability issues you shouldn't have to deal with on any keyboard kit, let alone one this pricey. 

Glorious GMMK Pro Specs 

Design of Glorious GMMK Pro 

We often see either full-size mechanical keyboards or tenkeyless mechanical keyboards on the market and our list of Best Gaming Keyboards, but the 75-percent design of the GMMK Pro is more compact than all of them. Like a tenkeyless keyboard, 75-percent designs have a number row, function keys, arrows and even home, end, page up and page down keys, but they pack the keys in tighter and usually exclude a few of the less-important ones such as pause and scroll lock.

The more I use 75 percent keyboards, the more I realize how perfect of a size it is. The GMMK Pro is 13 x 5.25 x 1.25 inches (330 x 133 x 32mm) which is noticeably narrower than Glorious's tenkeyless GMMK keyboard (14 x 5.1 x 1.4 inches, 356 x 129 x 35.9mm). I have a pretty small desk, so I don’t really like using keyboards when they are bigger than they need to be. Note that there are no flip-out feet on the GMMK Pro so you can't angle it up higher.

The case is composed entirely of CNC aluminum and it is heavy, weighing in at over three pounds without switches and keycaps. I didn’t mind the weight of the GMMK Pro, because it complements the back of the case, which has “Glorious” engraved in block lettering and just looks great. On the downside, it picks fingerprints very easily, which might be why Glorious also sent me their keyboard cleaning kit. 

The GMMK Pro is loaded with RGB lighting. The PCB is equipped with per-key SMD RGB LEDs, which are south-facing, so you won’t run into any issues with Cherry profile keycaps.  And though I’ve never been a big fan of colorful lighting, I like how both the left and right side of the case have an addressable RGB strip that is diffused well, reminding me of a luxurious limousine minibar.

There are a ton of eye-popping, RGB preset animations embedded in the Glorious Core software, including Kamehemeha, which is a Dragon Ball reference, Ping Pong and of course one that’s called Glorious Mode, because it’s beautiful and vibrant. I preferred the look I achieved when I configured the colorway to match my GMK Laser keycap set and that’s the thing with this software and Glorious’ RGB implementation; it almost encourages me to want to use RGB more and more.

On the rear end of the case is a single USB Type-C port that is used to connect the keyboard to your PC. The GMMK Pro comes with a six-foot braided Type-C to Type-A cable that is very nice, but if you want to go the extra mile, you can opt for the $49.99 Glorious Coiled Cable. I tested one with the GMMK Pro and really loved the quality of the braiding, which makes me wonder if Glorious hired artisans to make these by hand.

It’s never good to cheap out on your plate and Glorious did not cheap out here. The stock plate is aluminum, like the rest of the case and to my surprise, it didn’t scratch when changing switches at all. For those who want to do more modding, Glorious also offers polycarbonate and brass plates you can swap in, I say it’d be your best bet to leave it. Taking apart the GMMK Pro to remove the place requires a lot of unscrewing. 

Perhaps the GMMK Pro’s most unique feature is its rotary knob, which can be pressed like a joystick. And, if you can code with QMK, an open-source firmware that runs on the keyboard, you can modify the encoder to do other things, aside from volume adjustment. The rotary encoder looks very different from knobs on other mechanical keyboards, like the dial on the Das Keyboard 4 Pro, where it looks like it’s falling off of the board or the bulbous red encoder on the AOC Agon AGK700 which sticks out like a sore thumb from the middle of the top. 

Assembling the Glorious GMMK Pro

Assembling the GMMK Pro was very easy, because it’s hot-swappable and supports any 3 or 5 Cherry MX-compatible switches. I just popped some switches and keycaps in and plugged the keyboard in and It worked. 

However, while every key worked, the stabilizers were not lubed enough, which made me have to prematurely take apart the keyboard and lube the stabilizers, but we’ll discuss that more below.

Typing Experience on Glorious GMMK Pro

As a barebones kit, the GMMK Pro’s typing experience is heavily dependent on the switches and keycaps you use. I appreciated the 75% layout, but found that the stabilizers leave much to be desired and the gasket mount is a mixed bag. Only after I did serious modifications, which a user shouldn't have to do, did the typing experience become a good one.

Usually with barebones kits, we receive plate-mounted stabilizers, but not in this instance, because with the GMMK Pro, we get their screw-in stabilizers, or as Glorious calls them the GOAT (Greatest of all Time) Stabilizers. However, they don’t live up to their name. 

My GOAT Stabilizers were not lubed enough, so much so that I was having return issues with my spacebar and delete key. These might be the worst-sounding stock stabilizers I have ever used. I was legitimately getting annoyed by how much rattle there was in the stabilizers; they might as well just use clip-in stabilizers at that point. I couldn’t listen to it anymore, so I took the keyboard apart and lubed the stabs appropriately.

Originally, the sound was terrible, because the rattle from the stabilizers was ear-piercing, but after tuning the stabilizers, that improved the sound so much that it sounded like a totally different keyboard, but with a name like GOAT stabilizers and a $169 price tag, they should be perfect out of the box.

Even after removing and lubing these stabilizers, I was still bothered by the rattling, so I did the plumber’s tape mod, which is when you wrap the ends of the stabilizer wires in plumbers tape that removed all rattling, but with the name GOAT, I shouldn’t have to do any modifications. I recommend that you go ahead and toss these stabilizers and get a set of Durock V2 Stabilizers or C3Equalz Stabilizers. Considering that the GMMK Pro is pricey on its own, you shouldn’t have to replace the stabilizers. 

Because the GMMK Pro is a gasket-mount design, it’s supposed to do two things differently than most other mounting styles, which is to provide some flex when typing (for those who like it) and provide a more uniform sound profile amongst the entire board. Disappointingly for gasket fans, there really isn’t any flex. 

You can use any 3 or 5-pin switches you want with the GMMK Pro, but Glorious sent me a few sets of their new switches, Lynx, to test it with. The Lynx are Glorious’ new linear switch and feature a bottom-out force of 60g.The switches utilize a POM stem, polycarbonate upper, and nylon lower, which is the same as their tactile counterpart, the Glorious Panda.

The Lynx are available in both lubed and un-lubed variants, lubed pricing at $34.99 per 36 switches and $24.99 for unlubed. The ones Glorious sent me came pre-lubed and originally, I felt like the factory lubing wasn’t that great, but after breaking the switches in, they’re actually great. 

To avoid the possibility of having to take apart the GMMK Pro, I initially installed a set of Kailh Box Pink switches, which are very clicky and their noise kind of balanced out the sound created by the ticking stabilizers, but not enough to avoid the chore of taking the board apart and lube the stabilizers, because at the end of the day I was still having return issues.

After I had heavily-tuned the stabilizers, the GMMK Pro sounded great when paired with the Lynx switches but, I wanted to see how it’d sound with my Alpaca V2 switches, which are a bit deeper pitch than the Lynx and because I use the Alpacas in my daily driver at the moment, I applied Deskeys switch films to the lower housing to really test the sound and it sounded lovely. 

GMMK also sent along a set of its new GPBT keycaps, which are PBT and Cherry profile. They are not double-shot, but they feel really nice and between the black case and Black Ash colorway they give off a Frank Miller The Dark Knight Returns, Batsuit vibe. 

What I didn’t like about the GPBT keycaps is the Enter key, which says “Ascend.” To be fair, I wouldn’t mind that if it were included as an extra Enter key, but this is the only option for an Enter key on this keycap set, so you’re stuck with it. Otherwise,  they look pretty sharp, but I don’t really like how the legends are in the middle of the keycaps, I prefer them to be offset, like most other Cherry profile keycaps. 

In the end, my typing experience with the Glorious GMMK Pro was good, but I needed to, and I emphasize "needed" to do some work because taking apart the GMMK Pro is not a simple task and if you’re new to the hobby of mechanical keyboards then the immense amount of screws needed to take apart the board and the difficulty lining up the RGB diffuser between the plate and PCB will deter newcomers. Considering that this is a barebones kit, you should not have to take it apart to get a decent experience. 

On the brightside, the 75 percent layout is nice to see because the overall mechanical keyboard market is flooded with full-size and tenkeyless boards and the barebones market typically goes down the road of 60 percent.

Gaming Experience on Glorious GMMK Pro

The GMMK Pro has some gamer-friendly features you’ll see on a gaming keyboard, like an adjustable polling rate from 125 MHz to 1000 MHz.I don’t play many first-person shooters,, but I did play Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and I tend to snipe a lot, so I need to be quick and the Lynx switches were responsive, but not too light, like a Cherry MX Red.

Software on Glorious GMMK Pro

Like most enthusiast-level mechanical keyboards, the GMMK Pro is compatible with QMK, an open-source keymapping software that lets you customize your keyboard’s layout whether you want to disable the Windows key or configure a certain key to turn your PC off. I don’t use QMK often because I find it to be a bit pointless unless I am using a split keyboard that relies on layer swapping.

In case you don’t like QMK, the keyboard also uses Glorious Core, which provides plenty of functionality. With Glorious Core, you can adjust the keyboard’s RGB settings, create custom macro keys and adjust the polling rate. One of the things I did was set my END key to open up Discord, so when I hit the END key, Discord pops up in a new tab in Google Chrome. The GMMK Pro also allows for up to three profiles, which is a good amount, this pretty big layout, so a majority of what key inputs you may need are already there. 

Bottom Line

With its snazzy aluminum design, compact layout, helpful dial and powerful software, the GMMK Pro has a lot going for it . . . at first glance. But, the out-of-the-box experience with rattling stabilizers that don't even return properly, is a huge problem for any keyboard, let alone one with this kind of price tag. After labor-intensive modifications, I was able to fix the problems, but consumers shouldn't be expected to do this kind of surgery and relubing to fix stabilizers that are called the GOAT.

Barebones keyboards are supposed to provide a helpful bridge between the simplicity of buying pre-built keyboards and the complexity of building your own unit from scratch. The price you’ll pay to build it to its entirety and the modifications you’ll have to make to it begs the question, “Why buy this?” With its build-quality issues, Glorious does not lay out a nice welcome mat for those looking to get into the hobby of building mechanical keyboards. 

If you’re looking for a premium, hot-swappable 75-percent keyboard, the Keychron Q1 is worth considering, because it’s available either with switches and caps for around the same price as the GMMK Pro or about $20 cheaper as a barebones kit. However, neither the GMMK Pro nor the Q1 feels like a true, gasket-mounted keyboard so, if you really want one that has that flexing feel and quiet sound, consider the Ikki68 Aurora. If you want a premium look and don't mind doing major surgery to the stabilizers, the GMMK Pro could serve you well, but if you were doing that much work, you might just want to build from the ground up. 

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT launched on August 11, 2021, and today we have the Gigabyte RX 6600 XT Eagle. My mom had a saying that she used to quote to me whenever I stayed up late playing computer games: You can't expect to soar with the eagles if you run around all night with the turkeys. Never mind that turkeys sleep at night, and I usually responded with a joke about aspiring to be more like an owl than an eagle. Gigabyte's Eagle GPUs on the other hand are oddly placed at the value end of the spectrum, which is not what I normally think of when people reference the majestic birds, but let's see how it compares to the competition. Will it be one of the best graphics cards, or will it hang out with the turkeys?

The Gigabyte RX 6600 XT Eagle comes with AMD's reference clocks, which I find rather surprising for a triple-fan cooler. If you want the factory overclocked models with some extra bling, that would be the Gaming and Gaming Pro line, which have substantially higher MSRPs. I picked up the base model Gigabyte card at Micro Center on launch day for $380 (plus tax), opting to save my pennies rather than splurging on the Gigabyte Gaming OC ($470 MSRP) or Gigabyte Gaming Pro OC ($500). Initial stock was good, at least by 2021 metrics, but most places are now back to being sold out and waiting for additional shipments, which often amounts to a few hundred cards a week for a larger chain. (That's what a Micro Center employee suggested, at least, saying they typically got about two dozen cards per week — and there are 25 locations nationwide.) 

Here are the specs for the three different RX 6600 XT cards we've tested. The Gigabyte Eagle sticks with AMD's reference clocks, the Sapphire RX 6600 XT Pulse comes with a minor 23 MHz factory overclock, and the ASRock RX 6600 XT Phantom Gaming OC (which AMD provided for the launch review) has a slightly higher 69 MHz factory overclock. That should mean at best about a 3% difference in performance, though there's more to a graphics card than just pure performance — at least for some people. If you want a quieter card, or something with a bit more flash, the Eagle falls short.

Getting those extras can cost quite a bit, however. The Phantom Gaming is priced over 30% higher than the Eagle and Pulse cards, and blinged out models from Gigabyte and Sapphire (e.g., the Gaming Pro OC and Nitro+) carry similarly high prices. Honestly, I find it difficult to justify the expense on what is ostensibly a mainstream card. In a normal market, we'd be looking at RX 6700 XT cards for $500 — something the RX 6600 XT can't hope to compete with in performance. But of course, the market remains anything but normal right now.

Over the past two weeks since it launched, the Radeon RX 6600 XT has followed the well trodden path of other recent GPUs in our GPU price index, selling out quickly and then showing up on eBay at inflated prices. While there are a few retail models that start at AMD's base $380 asking price, most are listed at $450–$550. Checking sold listings at eBay, the average price for the RX 6600 XT right now sits at $637, and that includes plenty of minimum spec models like the Gigabyte Eagle. More desirable GPUs like the RX 6700 XT and RTX 3060 Ti average $835 and $935, respectively. The theoretically direct competition comes in the form of Nvidia's RTX 3060, which has an average price on eBay of $715. That's to AMD's advantage right now, as the RX 6600 XT generally beats the RTX 3060 (even though it has less VRAM and memory bandwidth), though Nvidia takes the lead if you factor in ray tracing and DLSS performance. 

MORE: Best Graphics Cards

MORE: GPU Benchmarks and Hierarchy

MORE: All Graphics Content

Gigabyte's packaging for the Eagle doesn't really convey the fact that you're getting a barebones reference card. The card itself looks like the Eagle logo should light up in blue, but it doesn't. It's basically the same PCB design as the higher spec Gigabyte cards, but without any RGB or factory overclock. The three fans measure about 78mm in diameter (Gigabyte says 80mm, but our measuring tape told a different story), and unlike higher end fans, there's no integrated rim. There's certainly room for a slightly larger fan, and the impact of using smaller fans can be seen in both the cooling and noise levels we'll get to later.

The Eagle measures 289 x 112 x 38mm and tips the scales at 674g (those are both our measurements), which is longer but shorter and slightly thinner than the Sapphire Pulse. The ASRock Phantom by comparison weighs 898g and measures 306 x 131 x 47mm, easily the largest of the three RX 6600 XT cards. If you have a sufficiently-long mini-ITX case, the Gigabyte Eagle might be a good fit, but again, check the cooling and noise results later in the review as you'll see it doesn't stack up that well against the other cards.

About the only real differentiating factor between the Eagle and the other cards is that it includes two HDMI 2.1 ports. While nearly all gaming monitors still tend to prefer DisplayPort 1.4 — it can do 4K at 144 Hz with DSC, and FreeSync / adaptive sync is more commonly supported over DP — HDMI 2.1 technically offers superior specs. You can read more about DisplayPort vs. HDMI, but either one should be sufficient for typical gaming use, particularly on a 1080p display, AMD's target for the RX 6600 XT. If you want to use the card with a TV, dual HDMI 2.1 ports might be more useful, but then you'd really need to run a multi-monitor setup with TVs to need both ports, as finding any gaming monitors with HDMI 2.1 support remains difficult. 

MORE: Best Graphics Cards

MORE: GPU Benchmarks and Hierarchy

MORE: All Graphics Content

As with the Sapphire RX 6600 XT Pulse review, our test hardware remains unchanged other than using the public 21.8.1 AMD drivers. We have the same 13 games, tested at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K using 'ultra' settings. Technically, we use the ultra preset on most of the games, but a few (like Final Fantasy XIV, Horizon Zero Dawn, Red Dead Redemption 2, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider) use a different name or don't have presets. The important bit is that we use the same settings in each game, then we test each resolution three times, discard the first result, and take the higher of the second two runs (after checking for anomalous results). Here are the galleries of all three resolutions, with comments on the results below.

1080p Gaming Performance

1440p Gaming Performance

4K Gaming Performance

There's very little to discuss here. Technically, the Gigabyte Eagle came in as the slowest of the three RX 6600 XT cards, which makes sense considering it has the lowest boost clock. The individual test results do vary a bit between runs, though, and so it didn't place last in every single test of every single game. Similarly, the ASRock Phantom delivered the best performance overall, but the actual cumulative advantage over the other cards was miniscule — it was 0.3% faster than the Eagle at 1080p, 0.6% faster at 1440p, and 0.5% faster at 4K. The largest margin of victory was 3%, which definitely isn't something you'd notice in normal use.

When you consider that the ASRock card has 3% higher clocks and uses about 10% more power (that's on the next page), the tightly clustered results are even more telling. Eschewing bling and larger fans likely keeps power requirements a bit lower on the Gigabyte and Sapphire cards, and the RX 6600 XT runs cool enough that it really doesn't require a massive heatsink. In short, you're better off shopping for an RX 6600 XT card based on price, features (i.e., RGB lighting), and availability rather than worrying about how much faster one card might be compared to another.

Of course there's always overclocking, and better cooling might help eke out a few extra MHz and fps if you're pushing the GPU to its limit. We haven't done in-depth testing of overclocking on these GPUs, largely because it requires quite a bit of time for a relatively small payoff in terms of performance. Most GPUs can run about 5–10% faster than factory stock with a bit of effort, but that also means pushing up power use and fan speeds. We'd rather focus on the out-of-box experience instead of quibbling about final performance figures that are all still within 2% of each other.

MORE: Best Graphics Cards

MORE: GPU Benchmarks and Hierarchy

MORE: All Graphics Content

We've run our normal suite of Powenetics testing to check the GPU power consumption and other aspects of the cards. We used Metro Exodus at 1440p ultra and FurMark stress test at 900p for these results. The difference between the Gigabyte Eagle and the other two RX 6600 XT cards are more pronounced here than in our gaming benchmarks, and anyone concerned with noise levels will want to pay attention. Let's start with power.

The Gigabyte Eagle occupied the middle ground between the Sapphire Pulse and ASRock Phantom. It's pretty close to AMD's official 160W TDP, but ended up using just a bit more power than that — 166W in FurMark and 162W in Metro Exodus, not that 5W or less really matters. Most likely, the VRMs and power circuitry differences on the cards account for the minor differences in power use.

Average clock speeds on the Gigabyte card are basically tied with the Sapphire Pulse in Metro but slightly lower in FurMark. We put more weight on the gaming result, however, as FurMark can cause cards to behave a bit differently — some throttle more based on firmware settings, others ramp up fan speeds more to cope with the added power, etc.

This is where things become more problematic for the Gigabyte Eagle. While the core temperature was lower than the Sapphire card in FurMark, by 2C, and none of the RX 6600 XT cards ran particularly hot at a maximum of 70C (21C ambient), the Gigabyte card ran 2C hotter in the gaming test. But that's only the first part of the story, as temperatures and fan speeds are directly linked.

And here's the real problem. The smaller fans on the Gigabyte Eagle, combined with a relatively lightweight heatsink, ultimately required substantially higher RPMs to keep the card from overheating. Where the ASRock and Sapphire cards both land around 1300 RPMs in Metro and FurMark (give or take), the Gigabyte card runs the fans at over 2100 RPM. As you'd expect, that results in more noise, and the difference is clearly audible when using the cards — though even the Gigabyte card doesn't get particularly loud compared to extreme GPUs that can draw 350W or more in power.

We measured noise levels using an SPL meter, at a distance of 15cm. That focuses the microphone on the GPU fan noise rather than other sources like case or CPU fans. Ambient noise levels for testing were 33 dBA, and like most other modern GPUs, the fans on the Gigabyte card will stop spinning when GPU temperature falls below about 55C. Interestingly, where the ASRock card fully halts the fans between loops in the Metro benchmark, and the Sapphire card dips down to under 1000 RPM, the Gigabyte card takes longer to return to cooler GPU temperatures and as a result the fan only dipped slightly below 2000 RPMs. While actively playing games, the fans stabilize at around 2200–2300 RPM.

Fan noise for the Gigabyte Eagle was 44.4 dBA while gaming, about 7dB louder than the ASRock Phantom and Sapphire Pulse. Again, that's not incredibly loud — RTX 3070 Ti and above tend to land at 50 dB or more — but it's clearly more audible than the other two cards. If you're hoping to build a near-silent gaming PC, we definitely recommend the Sapphire as a better option, which also generally cools better and runs just as fast, for the same nominal price.

The fan speed as a percentage was 54% on the Gigabyte card. Just to see how bad things might get (e.g., in a hotter testing environment), we set a static fan speed of 75% as well. Once we did that, the Eagle noise level was 62.1 dB, compared to 60.0 dB on the ASRock Phantom and 54.1 dB on the Sapphire Pulse. We don't expect these cards to normally get hot enough to require such fan speeds, but it's yet another point in favor of the Sapphire card.

MORE: Best Graphics Cards

MORE: GPU Benchmarks and Hierarchy

MORE: All Graphics Content

Superficially, the Gigabyte Eagle looks like it should be just as capable as any other midrange GPU. It has three fans and a dual-slot configuration, and with a TDP of only 160W we would expect it to run cool and quiet. Performance ended up being nearly identical to the other two cards, though technically it did come in last place out of the three RX 6600 XT models we've tested, but the fans tell a different story. They work harder, and as a result generate more noise.

If you can't find any other RX 6600 XT cards in stock, the Gigabyte Eagle should still do fine. We also haven't tested every one of the dozen or more RX 6600 XT cards that are presently launched in the U.S. market, and some might be even worse than the Eagle when it comes to fan noise. But if you have the choice between something like the Sapphire Pulse and the Eagle, we'd pick the Pulse every time.

It feels like Gigabyte just cut a few too many corners on the RX 6600 XT Eagle. Slightly larger fans could move more air and generate less noise. Integrating a rim like the Sapphire Pulse would also improve static pressure and cooling. Gigabyte makes a point of having the middle fan spin clockwise while the two outside fans spin counterclockwise, saying this reduces turbulence, but the net effect on cooling wasn't better than competing designs. What's more, Gigabyte appears to use the exact same "3x80mm Windforce 3X cooling system" on its higher-end Gaming and Gaming Pro models. Those do add a bit of RGB bling to the package, but I can't help but question using these same fans with higher GPU clocks on "premium" models.

The Gigabyte Eagle isn't a bad card, but it does seem uninspired. It will get the job done, just like other budget RX 6600 XT models. Will it do so in a better fashion than the competition? Probably not. It's time to update the fans and heatsink to get back to parity with the competition, because right now, the dual-fan Sapphire Pulse comes out ahead and doesn't cost anything extra.

MORE: Best Graphics Cards

MORE: GPU Benchmarks and Hierarchy

MORE: All Graphics Content

For some people, no PC tower is too big, especially if you want all of the airflow and every bell and whistle you can get. But there are other schools of thought, like those from people who like small form factor desktops or want to fit something with the power of the best gaming PCs on their desk.

The Intel NUC 11 Extreme Kit takes a bit from both schools. It is a small, 8-liter size that takes up very little space. But with Intel's Compute Element, you can still upgrade your PC, adding more storage and RAM (though the latter uses components designed for laptops). And this design can fit longer, full-sized GPUs, so it's less limited on that front than Intel's older model, the NUC 9 Extreme Kit (Ghost Canyon). Perhaps the biggest compromise is that Intel is using 65W CPUs, while desktop versions can go up to 125W.

But the barebones kit starts at $1,150 ($1,350 as tested), and that's before you bring your own RAM, storage, operating system and graphics card. For hobbyists who like small PC's, it's a winner, but you're paying a heck of a premium for it.

Design of the Intel NUC 11 Extreme Kit (Beast Canyon)

I thought the NUC 11 Extreme Kit looked sleek — handsome even, for a PC — until I turned it on and there was an RGB skull.

Intel's latest gaming desktop in miniature uses an 8-liter chassis that houses Intel's Compute Element, a power supply and has room for up to a 12-inch, dual-slot, 350W graphics card.

In many ways, the NUC 11 Extreme Kit, code-named Beast Canyon, takes after the previous NUC 9 Extreme Kit (Ghost Canyon) model with a black plastic chassis and mesh side panels. The top has a honeycomb shape around more mesh to let hot air escape.

Then there's that annoying skull. Intel desperately needs to change this logo. This time, it's in RGB lighting on the front panel, above the power button.

If you were really into crafting, you could replace that skull with anything you like. Intel provided me with instructions to use either a silk screen or a vinyl cutter to make an "RGB mask" that replaces the one with the skull. For most people, they'll just change it to their preferred color or turn off the lighting in software.

On the front of the case, below the skull and power button, there are a pair of USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A ports, an SD card slot and the headphone jack.

On the back, you'll see the ports from the new Compute Element. There are six USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI 2.0b and a 2.5G Ethernet jack. If you have a GPU in your unit, you'll see those ports there, too.

Air comes in through the mesh panels and the back (inside, a special airflow guide moves air that comes in from the back directly into the Compute Element's blower intake). It's expelled out the top through a trio of 92 mm fans.

 At 14.06 x 7.44 x 4.72 inches, this PC is a bit larger than its previous design, but also fits more GPUs and still fits very easily on a desk. The Corsair One a200 takes up less desk space, but is taller at 7.87 x 6.93 x 14.96 inches. Both are smaller than mid-towers like the iBuypower Element CL Pro (18.1 x 18.1 x 8.5 inches).

I really like this size. It kind of reminds me of an eGPU box, except that it's got a whole system in it. It fits perfectly on a desk, and is far smaller than my mid-tower that takes up far too much room in my tiny apartment.

Intel NUC 11 Extreme Kit (Beast Canyon) Specifications

The following table shows the specs we tested with. However, some of the items on the list are those you would need to provide yourself such as RAM, a GPU, storage and an operating system. Specific components are below, but yours may vary.

Teardown and Upgradeability for the Intel NUC 11 Extreme Kit (Beast Canyon)

Similar to its predecessor, the NUC 9 Extreme Kit, the NUC 11 Extreme Kit fits into a very small case. And while you can upgrade it in many ways similar to a desktop, the process is a bit different here.

To start, you have to loosen four captive Phillips head screws on the rear of the case. On our unit, one of them had a sticker to show if the box had been unscrewed, which left an unseemly void mark on the case.

With the screws loosened, you can carefully pull the back part of the chassis and separate it from the rest of the computer.

Then, the side panels can be separated, too, simply by pulling them off of the system.

On the side with the GPU facing you, there are two markings that say "pull." Easy enough. Pull there, with just a bit of upward force, to flip the top open and reveal the three 92 mm fans.

On the back, there's a retention screw in a bracket. This gives you access to the screws holding components that take up PCIe slots. To get the GPU out, you need to remove those screws first (in our case, it was a two-slot card, so two-screws.) If you're going to remove the GPU, you also need to unplug the 8-pin PCIe connector and release the PCIe latch. The latter part is difficult in this small space. I fit a spudger behind the card to trigger the mechanism and free the GPU, though you may be able to go under it.

If you're going to get into the Compute Element, you'll first need to take out an air guide that fits into the slot between the GPU and the CPU. This piece of plastic is also screwed into the case in a PCIe slot, so that's another screw to keep track of, but otherwise it just pulls right out. On the previous model it was just a piece of paper, so this feels less flimsy.

Now, you're facing the Element with its golden skull (Intel and the gaming skulls! They're everywhere!). There are two captive screws on the Element itself, so loosen those. You can pull the shroud down (be mindful of a cable connecting the fan to the unit). Then, you'll have access to the SSD slots (you'll see two empty slots in our images) as well as the SODIMM slots for the RAM.

The left two SSD slots can use 42mm or the more common 80mm SSDs, while the right-most slot only uses an 80mm drive.

If you actually want to remove the Element, it gets slightly more complicated. (Be sure not to have the Element shroud open when removing it). On the back of the unit, with the Element facing away from you,) there's a small hole giving you access to the PCIe lock for the Compute Element. Use your spudger or finger (I could fit one through) to unlock it.

Back at the Element, you'll need to pull the high-density cable straight out from the front, being sure not to twist it. Then, you have to remove the 8-pin power cable, to the right of the high-density slot. It's a little jammed in here, so take your time. It's a modular power supply, and I found it advantageous at this point to detach the CPU and GPU power cables so I could see the board. (In retrospect, maybe I should have done that earlier.) There's one more small cable to remove, with an adapter on it plugged into several other cords. You'll also need to detach the antenna cables plugged into the top of the card.

Once that's all done, you can remove the screw in the back of the case that holds the Element in. You can lift it out of the slot and remove it from the case, but it won't come straight out. You'll have to turn it a bit like a boat to get it out.

Why would you remove the Compute Element at all? For future upgrades. If at another time, Intel releases a new Element with a faster CPU and support for more/better RAM or storage, you could slot that in here.

When you're done, you can go in reverse, slowly piecing the rig back together. I needed some patience, especially plugging parts back into the motherboard, but if you don't take the Element out, it's fairly easy retracing your steps.

Gaming and Graphics on the Intel NUC 11 Extreme Kit (Beast Canyon)

We tested the NUC 11 Extreme Kit with an Intel Compute Element utilizing an 8-core/16-thread Intel Core i9-11900KB. Typically, that's all that would come in the box, and you would bring your own RAM, storage and GPU. In this case, Intel outfitted the desktop with 16GB of HyperX Impact DDR4-3200 RAM, a 500GB Sabrent Rocket PCIe Gen 4 SSD, and an Asus Dual GeForce RTX 3060 OC.

Since we had a whole system, we tested it as such. But keep in mind that the gaming performance of this system will rely heavily on the parts you choose, especially your GPU. This longer NUC can fit longer, full-size graphics cards.

We haven't seen much in the way of RTX 3060 pre-builts, so here, we're comparing to the iBuypower Element CL Pro (Intel Core i7-11700KF, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070) and another small desktop, the Corsair One a200 (AMD Ryzen 9 5900X, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080). In many of our benchmarks, the NUC 11 Extreme Kit proved ready for 4K gaming, though the competitors show you could do better if you use a more powerful GPU.

While I was testing the Extreme Kit, I took Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 for a spin. I could game at 4K on this lightweight title, hitting between 85 and 90 frames per second on the maximum preset (at 1080p, it ran between 180 and 200 fps).

On the Shadow of the Tomb Raider benchmark, the NUC 11 Extreme Kit reached 84 fps at 1080p on highest settings, but was unplayable at 4K. You'd have to turn down other settings. Both the iBuypower and the Corsair One outperformed in 1080p and were playable at 4K on the same settings, thanks to beefier graphics.

The same thing happened on Grand Theft Auto V's benchmark on very high settings. It ran at 91 fps at 1080p, but wasn't playable at 4K, while more powerful graphics cards had no problem.

When it came to Far Cry New Dawn, things looked up. The NUC's 3060 was just a few frames away from the iBuypower at 1080p and ultra settings. It was also above that 30-fps playability threshold at 4K, albeit not as close to the competitors as it was at the lower resolution.

On Red Dead Redemption 2 (medium settings), the NUC didn't hit an ideal 60 fps at 1080p, but was close and still playable even at 4K.

Borderlands 3 (badass settings) was punishing. While the NUC hit 73 fps at 1080p, it ran at just 28 fps at 4K, below the competitors.

We also ran our gaming stress test, which consists of running the Metro Exodus benchmark on loop for 15 runs on the RTX preset. It hit an average frame rate of 54.7 frames per second, consistent throughout the gauntlet. The CPU hit an average clock speed of 4.16 GHz and an average temperature of 67.3 degrees Celsius (153.1 degrees  Fahrenheit). The GPU hit an average 51.58 degrees Celsius (124.84 degrees Fahrenheit).

Productivity Performance on the Intel NUC 11 Extreme Kit (Beast Canyon)

The Compute Element within the NUC we tested uses a top-of-the-line Intel Core i9-11900KB, and Intel added 16GB of RAM and a 500GB SSD. The latter parts come at an extra cost, and just like our gaming tests, the parts you ultimately pick may have an effect on the scores you see in your own usage.

On Geekbench 5, an overall performance test, Beast Canyon earned a single core score of 1,692, in range of its contemporaries, and a multi-core score of 9,410 - beating out the iBuypower Element CL Pro (Core i7-11700KF), but falling short of the Corsair One a200 and its liquid-cooled AMD Ryzen 9 5900X.

The one weakness we saw was in our file transfer test. NUC 11 Extreme Kit transferred almost 25GB of files at a rate of 386.43 MBps, far behind both other desktops.

The NUC and the iBuypower were close on our Handbrake test, in which we transcode a 4K video to 1080p. Intel's desktop took 6 minutes and 28 seconds, just ahead of the iBuypower. The Corsair One a200, with a more powerful GPU and more cores, tore through the test in 4:44.

Software and Warranty on the Intel NUC 11 Extreme Kit (Beast Canyon)

The NUC 11 Extreme Kit doesn't come with any software. While we reviewed it with Windows 10, because it's a barebones kit, it doesn't come with an operating system at all. You'll have to bring your own. Luckily there are ways to get Windows 11 for free or cheap.

Intel did send an early build of one crucial app: the Intel NUC Software Studio. It serves as a performance monitor, and, perhaps more importantly for some, controls the RGB lighting. The software will ultimately be available in the Microsoft Store for download when the NUC 11 Extreme Kit ships.

The one big change I made? I turned off the skull on the front, leaving all of the lighting on the bottom. Intel really needs a nicer logo for these gaming-grade NUCs.

Intel backs the NUC 11 Extreme Kit with a three-year warranty.

Intel NUC 11 Extreme Kit (Beast Canyon) Configurations

The NUC 11 Extreme Kit comes as a bare-bones PC, with the Compute Element, CPU and the chassis.

We tested the NUC11BTMi9, with an Intel Core i9-11900KB. A second unit, the NUC11BTMi7, uses an Intel Core i7-11700B. The primary differences are a 0.1 GHz difference in clockspeed and a 4MB difference in cache, both favoring the Core i9. Both are 8-core/16-thread processors at 65W, rather than the 125W you’d get from a full desktop Core i9-11900K.

Intel provided an "expected" price of $1,150 for the Core i7 model and $1,350 for the Core i9, starting to ship in the third quarter of this year with more availability in Q4. It warned, however, that distributors may change prices.

While we reviewed this kit as a full computer, Intel filled it with a GPU, RAM and SSD, which added a lot to the cost. That's primarily due to the RTX 3060, which is still going for premiums during an ongoing component shortage. But keep that in mind when considering this system. It ultimately costs $2,541.93 with the extra parts, which is very expensive for a desktop of this power. Even if the GPU were selling at retail price, you'd likely be able to get similar power for less in a more standardized case.

Some early listings for the system suggested a model with an Intel Core i5, but Intel doesn't plan to sell one.

Additionally, Intel will be selling the Compute Elements separately. It will be $780 for the 11th Gen Core i7 and $980 for the Core i9, so you could plug them into other systems that accept the Compute Element, such as the NUC 9 Extreme Kit (Ghost Canyon) or Razer Tomahawk. The I/O is slightly different, however, so that's something you may need to get used to (the 9th Gen ones, for instance, had dual Ethernet jacks).

Bottom Line

Like its predecessor, the NUC 11 Extreme Kit uses Intels' Compute Element technology to dramatically shrink down the size of a gaming desktop to something almost anyone can fit on a desk. I love this size.

Despite the 65W processor, the artist formerly known as Beast Canyon can hang for productivity, though benchmark scores and anecdotal performance will all change based on what components you put in it. And that's the downside here, because the NUC 11 Extreme Kit, even barebones, is really expensive.

It also has, you know, a huge RGB skull. But at least you can turn that off.

This is only Intel's second Compute Unit. Part of the future of this assumes that Intel will keep making them so that you can upgrade. But the fact that we've seen a second one shows at least some confidence there.

There are other small PCs out there, or you can build one in a mini ITX case. (Zotac hasn't updated the Mek Mini in awhile). The Corsair One a200 impressed us, but that one is also very pricey. But if you want a barebones kit, this is a nice option, albeit one that requires a lot of cash.

Sometimes it’s nice to have a peripheral that lets you just plug and play. Peripheral software can be tedious and annoying, and if a product works superbly out of the box, an app can become both unnecessary and burdensome. When it comes to the best gaming headsets, it’s particularly hard to find a satisfying plug-and-play package. And many audiophiles prefer the ability to tweak and tune to their preference or current environment.

The EPOS I Sennheiser GSP 600 (series of headsets ($219 MSRP as of writing) comes in three colors: GSP 600, GSP 601 or, the version pictured throughout this review, GSP 602. The cans are built with superior quality and comfort, and active noise cancellation is also impressively executed. But the cans forego software in favor of simplicity, and the audio quality isn’t strong enough on its own to go tweak-free. There are some thoughtful design choices here and there, but the GSP 600 taste likes decent bourbon priced like fine scotch. 

EPOS I Sennheiser GSP 600/601/602 Specs 

Design and Comfort 

The GSP 600 series sports a closed-back design that will be familiar to most gamers – angular, with large earcups and a thick, adjustable, but non-removable boom arm. 

Our review unit came in the blue and orange colorway and is dubbed the GSP 602 model. Here, the earcups are navy with a white EPOS logo stamped on the base of the hinge of the sturdy black headband. The cushioning contrasts with the color scheme’s darker hues. It’s bright orange, and made me wish for a more muted, complementary options. Some gamers may love this retro-futuristic color scheme but I am not one of them. 

Thankfully, you can also get the cans in black with red accents or white with black accents and a touch of gold. And if you want more variety, the earcup covers are replaceable. EPOS sells them in black and brown. 

Depending on your preference and colorway, looks may or may not be this headset’s strong suit. But comfort definitely is. The headband is padded at the top with a comfortable foam, and the earcup cushions are a thick, fake leather material that really hugs the ears. The fit is tight without feeling like a squeeze, and adjustments are easy to make via pushing or pulling on the earcup hinges. At no point during long sessions did the GSP 600 wobble – nor did it feel like it was clamping down too tightly on my head.  

The controls on the GSP 600 are extremely simple, kicking off the headset’s barebones more stripped down approach. On the right earcup is  a large volume wheel that’s beefy and offers plenty of resistance – a slight bump isn’t going to move the wheel. Meanwhile, the left earcup holds the boom arm for the mic, which also doubles as the mic’s on/off switch if you move the arm up or down. A satisfying click can be heard when the mic has been turned on or off. EPOS and Sennheiser did an admirable job of keeping the controls easy and intuitive to use.

The headset connects to a PC via a split 3.5mm jack and can also connect to consoles via a single 3.5mm jack.  Offering only 3.5mm connections fits with the ‘keep it simple’ design ethos, but offering essentially one connectivity type feels like a handicap, rather than decluttering. That’s especially true when there’s already more than one detachable cable and connector included. We’d love to see a USB Type-A or USB-C option here. Having more options isn’t a bad thing.

Audio Performance 

The GSP 600’s audio performance is a bit of a mixed bag. Frequency response is specced for 10-30,000 Hz and features the same emphasis on low-end boost common in many gaming headsets. Without dedicated software to make adjustments, that has to be accepted, unless you want to spend time with a third party equalizer.  

There are some situations to which the GSP 602’s voicing is extremely well-suited, such as bass-heavy music, movies with explosive action sequences and gaming that doesn’t rely on positional audio However, when applied to listening experiences that don’t play well with this EQ curve, the GSP 600 is simply average. When I compared a hip hop track to a rock one on the GSP 600 the difference was notable. The hip hop track benefited from the enhanced bass, and the rock track sounded muddy.  

This voicing can be problematic for gaming, as well, depending on your genre of choice.  For games where there is a lot going on aurally, like the DOOM and Battlefield series, and the success of the player is largely dependent on reading positional audio cues, detail can be lost in the headset’s booming bass. This can be mitigated with an equalizer, but, again, there isn’t one made specifically for these cans. 

There’s also no virtual surround sound included with the cans. While this won’t be a major issue for more casual players and those who tend to think virtual surround adds an artificial quality, we’ve encountered successful uses of virtual surround sound that proved advantageous. And more and more gaming headsets, including many in the GSP 600’s price range, are making this an option. 

On the other hand, games with more sparse soundscapes, think  horror outings like Outlast or the Resident Evil series, sounded clean and crisp without sacrificing aural weight. 

Something the GSP 600 series does extremely well is provide a buffer against outside noise.  The earcups provided great noise isolation. There were  no external distractions from gameplay.

Microphone 

The GSP 602’s mic is also decidedly middle of the road.

For one, bass response is pretty muted. This helped combat boom and the popping sound that can come with ‘b’ and ‘p’ sounds. But my natural baritone voice sounded a bit on the thin and frail side.

Noise cancellation, however, was slightly above average. The mic tuned out ambient room and street noise to the point where it is barely noticeable. Clicky mechanical keyboards, on the other hand, were quite audible, due to the mic’s increased emphasis on mid to high frequency response.  

There’s certainly nothing offensively bad about the GSP 600 series’ mic, but I expected more than an average gaming mic from a name as storied in high end audio reproduction as Sennheiser.

The mic on the headset is specced for a frequency response of 10-18,000 Hz.

Features and Software 

The GSP 600 has no software or drivers; it’s a completely plug and play experience.  While it is convenient to not have to configure anything, you also have to love the mic and audio quality you’ve got. The out-of-the-box sound quality is good, but I still missed having the ability to tweak performance to my liking. 

Bottom Line 

The EPOS I Sennheiser GSP 600 series of headsets strives to offer a high-end audio experience for gamers in an easy-to-use package. It nearly succeeds. but there are some significant hurdles in the way of its path to greatness.  

On the positive side, the headset is thoughtfully designed. Controls are simple, intuitive, sturdy and well-placed. The GSP 600 is also extremely rugged, despite its plastic frame. Build quality is definitely a cut above average gaming headsets, and great care was taken to ensure the earcups provide maximum audio isolation. The GSP 600 also has an incredibly snug and comfortable fit that belies its bulky frame and makes it great for long gaming sessions.

Unfortunately, these positives are counterbalanced by what can best be described as a stubborn lack of flexibility. In endeavoring to simplify higher end gaming headsets, EPOS and Sennheiser boxed their product into a corner, especially with no tweaking software available. Simple sounds convenient until it becomes apparent that the default voicing of the speakers isn’t ideally suited to all game genres and uses. A flatter frequency response would have done wonders. And the mic, while above average, does little to make the case for its namesake’s pro audio heritage.

What you ultimately get is a well-made but stubbornly average gaming headset. Currently the GSP 602 colorway we reviewed and white GSP 601 are selling at $219, but we’ve seen the black version on sale for as low as $140. 

This leaves the GSP 602 in a strange position. There’s very little reason to be recommended over more versatile products from competitors like the HyperX Cloud Core and SteelSeries Arctis 7 (both wireless), which are both price-competitive with the GSP 600 series, even at its aforementioned discounted price. Those offerings deliver better sound and more flexibility.

While the GSP 600 is not bad by any stretch of the imagination, it’s hard to recommend buying more for less.

AMD has been steadily creeping into what once was mostly Intel’s territory for years now, first with desktop CPUs and then with laptops. Now the company’s Next Unit of Computing (NUC) Mini PC team better watch their backs. Because ASRock’s 4X4 BOX-4800U mini PC, powered by AMD’s top-end mobile Ryzen 7 4800 CPU, is impressively speedy, and comes equipped with a cadre of next-gen connectivity. If you’re after a capable desktop in a tiny 4.3 x 4.6 x 1.9-inch form factor, you’ll be hard-pressed to find anything better.

Just know that gaming performance is limited to lower settings with the integrated Radeon Vega graphics. And while the $599 price doesn’t sound too bad, you’ll have to provide your own storage, RAM and operating system. If you have room for a larger desktop, you can get a much better deal — or at the very least, better performance -- by opting for one of the best gaming PCs. The 4X4 BOX-4800U does, though, come with a VESA mounting bracket, so you can mount the system behind most (or at least many) monitors for a tidy DIY AIO solution.

Also, just as we’ve seen with other 4800U-based devices throughout the year (like Lenovo’s Yoga Slim 7), the 4X4 BOX-4800U can be tough to find in stock. ASRock tells us that the stock of the system it’s supplied to Newegg has sold out very quickly. So keep an eye out for it if you’re after the best possible performance (you can sign up to be notified of new stock at the link above). But if you can get by with a bit less CPU and GPU grunt, the company will also offer up a 4x4 BOX-4500U (for $429) and a 4x4 BOX-4300U (for $339). So if you don’t need 16 threads and a CPU that clocks above 4 GHz, there will be other Ryzen-based options, which (if the history of other 4800U-based products is any indication) should have much better supply. But note the Ryzen processors on those lesser models lack multithreading, and have lesser integrated graphics.

ASRock 4X4 BOX-4800U Specifications

As noted earlier, the top-end $599 Ryzen 7 4800U-powered ASRock 4X4 BOX doesn’t come with storage or RAM (and neither do any of the lesser models). ASRock sent along some for testing, in the form of a 512GB NVMe P300P512GM28 M.2 SSD ($60) and two 3200MHz PSD432G32002S SODIMM sticks ($110 each), both from Patriot. If you add a full-priced license for Windows (although there are ways to get Windows 10 for free or cheap), that puts the total price at $1,018 as of this writing.

For that price, you could of course build a desktop that’s much more capable at gaming or high-end productivity. So what you’re paying for here is for high-end Laptop-like performance in a very small package. That said, if you don’t need quite as much performance, the lesser 4500U and 4300U models might be worth considering.

Regardless of which model of the 4x4 BOX you opt for, you get fairly impressive IO for a system this compact. The front is outfitted with a headphone/mic combo jack, two USB-C ports and a USB-A port. All of these are speedy USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) ports.

Around back, there’s the barrel connector for the external laptop-like 90W power brick, a pair of USB 2.0 ports (handy for your keyboard and mouse) and DisplayPort and HDMI ports for video. Also here is a lock slot and a pair of Ethernet jacks -- one 1Gb and one 2.5Gb, both powered by Realtek.

Despite being tiny, the chassis is well vented with mesh windows on both sides and vents at the back, above the ports.

Of course, you’ll have to install your storage and memory and an operating system before getting the ASRock 4x4 Box up and running. This process should be very familiar to anyone who’s ever set up an Intel NUC.

To get into the 4X4 BOX-4800U, you’ll need to remove four Philips-head screws embedded in the feet on the bottom.You can then pop the underside off to get access to the storage and RAM slots. Adding the M.2 drive and a pair of SODIMM sticks is pretty much the same here as you would do in a laptop, just in a more confined space.

The Intel AX200NGW Wi-Fi 6 module comes pre-installed in a slot below the NVMe SSD M.2 slot, so you’ll install the SSD atop it. If you want to add bulk storage or a SATA SSD, there’s a mounting tray for a 2.5-inch drive in the base of the chassis, and a SATA data/power combo cable is pre-attached to the small motherboard.

With our ample 64GB of RAM and (comparatively) modest 512GB SSD installed, I proceeded to install Windows 10 -- or at least I tried to. When installing off my trusty flash drive, I kept running into an error about a missing driver. Eventually, after investigating the issue, it turned out the simplest solution was to use an optical disc for my Windows install.

So I dug a spindle out of the back of my closet, pulled a portable DVD burner from a drawer and burned a Windows installation disc, which solved the missing driver complaint and had me booting into windows within (several) minutes. Then I began installing programs, benchmarks and games to see just what this little Ryzen box was capable of.

ASRock 4X4 BOX-4800U Performance

Since we don’t often test standard-sized NUCs, or barebones systems in general, we don’t have anything reasonably similar to compare the 4X4 BOX-4800U against for a full set of benchmarks. But to give you some sense of where things stand, we’ll be running some of the same tests we ran on Intel’s NUC 9 Extreme. While technically a NUC, that machine is much bigger (though still compact, at 9.4 x 8.5 x 3.8 inches) than the ASRock Ryzen box. The NUC also has a higher, 45-watt TDP Intel Core i9-9980HK CPU compared with the Ryzen 4800U, which is configurable between 10 and 25 watts. But both processors have eight cores and 16 threads, though the Intel CPU also has a higher top speed of 5GHz (compared to 4.2 on the Ryzen 4800U). But as we’re about to see the higher speed and thermal envelopes don’t always add up to a major advantage for Intel.

In Geekbench 4.3, the AMD Ryzen 4800U-powered ASRock box scored 27,253 in the multi-core test, compared to 30,176 for the 9980HK in the Intel system. That’s a little over a 10% advantage for Intel.

In our Handbrake test, it took the NUC 9 Extreme 7 minutes and 44 seconds to transcode our 4K video to 1080p, with the ASRock 4X4 BOX-4800U just one second behind (7:45).

When it comes to gaming, we have to abandon our NUC 9 Extreme numbers, as that (comparatively larger) system was tested with a dedicated RTX 2070, a fairly powerful previous-gen Nvidia card that added $420 to the $1,640 barebones price of the NUC as tested.

While the smaller ASRock 4X4 BOX-4800U doesn’t have room for dedicated graphics, its Vega 8 integrated GPU is still up for some gaming with AAA titles, so long as you keep your settings low.

In Borderlands 3 at 1080p and low settings, the game’s built-in benchmark ran at 30 frames per second (fps). If you step down to 720p, that jumps to a much-smoother 50.1 fps. We also ran the Shadow of the Tomb Raider benchmark, and saw not-quite-playable frame rates of 27 fps at low settings at 1080p. But stepping down to 720p, the frame rate was smoother at 40 fps.

In short, while you shouldn’t consider the ASRock 4X4 BOX-4800U a gaming rig, it will be able to play many modern games at low settings, which is more than can be said for most older Intel-based NUCs. That may soon change though, when Tiger Lake NUCs arrive with Intel’s new Xe graphics.

It’s also worth noting that, unlike a few tiny AMD-based machines of the past, the ASRock 4X4 is surprisingly quiet under load. You can hear the fan spin up and down occasionally if you’re near the system, but fan noise was never louder than a low whir during our testing. What was far more distracting was a green LED inside the system that blinked brightly and often through the mesh side panel. But it turns out that was an activity light on the SSD. If the SSD you choose has a similarly bright light, at least the system is small enough that it;s easy to move it to a place where the blinking is less of a bother.

Conclusion

Just as we saw with Lenovo’s Yoga Slim 7 laptop (which features the same CPU), the top-end Ryzen 7 4800U is an impressive slice of silicon. ASRock manages to slip it into a tiny desktop that’s full of speedy connectivity with the 4X4 BOX-4800U. But like most 4800U-equipped devices we’ve been promised this year, it’s tough to find in stock. ASRock told us that lesser models should be available on Newegg and elsewhere in the coming weeks, if you don’t need multithreading or quite as much graphical grunt.

If you can find it in stock, ASRock’s Ryzen 4800U-powered mini PC packs a performance punch, while bringing along fast USB 3.2 Gen2 ports, 2.5GbE and Wi-Fi 6. Lesser models will bring the same connectivity prowess. The Ryzen 4000-based 4X4 line overall looks to be an exceedingly capable (and quiet) mini PC option for productivity or digital signage. But like Intel-based NUC’s, they’re expensive once you add the requisite RAM, storage and OS.

Zotac just announced the ZBOX M Series MA621 Nano, a small form factor (SFF) barebones system powered by AMD Ryzen processors.

Specs include a Ryzen 3 3200U dual-core CPU clocked at 2.6G Hz with a boost frequency of 3.5G Hz, support for 32GB of RAM up to 2,400 MHz and, for storage, a single M.2 SATA slot, plus a 2.5-inch hard drive / SSD.

In terms of I/O, the MA621 Nano is pretty loaded. The mini PC comes with four USB 3.0 ports (1 in the front, 3 in the rear), mic and headphone jacks, an SD card reader (that supports SD/SDHC/SDXC formats), 2 gigabit Ethernet ports. For video output, you get both DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.0.

Still, considering Zotac announced the MA621 Nano today, it's disappointing to see it arrive with only  a 3rd Gen Ryzen option. Ryzen loves high-speed memory, but you don't get support for the best RAM at 3,200 MHz. However, for much of the target audience this system should be fast enough.

If you are looking for a simple, SFF barebones that gets the basic, like video playback and word processing done, Zotac's latest should be worth a look. Plus, with its dual Ethernet ports it can serve in more professional environments.

No word on pricing or availability yet, but we expect to see it on shelves soon. 

There’s a contingent of the PC community that loves small, space-saving systems. With the NUC 9 Extreme Kit (formerly known as “Ghost Canyon”), Intel has paved the way for a new form factor that can be even smaller than Mini-ITX. It is powered by the Compute Element -- a PCIe-based module with an 9th Gen Intel mobile chip inside. In theory, this paves the way for high-end systems that are smaller than ever before. It’s sold as a barebones kit, so you’ll have to bring your own RAM, SSDs, operating system, and, if you want, a discrete GPU, which pushes the i9 version we reviewed far past its base $1,639.99 price tag. 

That makes the NUC 9 Extreme Kit fit for a specific type of person: one who wants their gaming desktop to be as small as possible, and isn’t worried about paying for it. But if it catches on, the Compute Element could become one of the biggest changes to PC building we’ve seen in decades. 

Design

For a desktop with an Intel Core i9 and an RTX 2070 (as it shipped to us), the NUC 9 Extreme Kit is tiny. Honestly, it would be adorable if it weren’t adorned by skulls on both sides.

The chassis’ outer edge is made of black plastic, with metal mesh sides. The front panel has a white light ring around the power button, but is otherwise unadorned beyond its ports: an SD-card reader, two USB 2.0 Type-A ports and a 3.5mm headphone jack. 

The mesh side panels feature, besides the aforementioned skulls, a honeycomb pattern. Air comes in through the metal mesh and is expelled from the top, which is covered in vents. 

On the back are all of the ports attached to the Intel Compute Element, which powers the NUC. There are 4 four USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A ports, dual Ethernet, HDMI, a pair of Thunderbolt 3 ports, optical audio and a lock slot. If you have a GPU like our review unit does, the video ports will also be there.

I adore how small this thing is. At just 9.4 x 8.5 x 3.8 inches (238 x 216 x 96mm), it can fit on virtually any desk, as well as in an entertainment center plugged into a TV. Something like this is really perfect while I’m confined to my New York City apartment with a tiny desk.  It’s a lot of power for such a small device. The Zotac Mek Mini is slightly larger at 10.3 x 10.2 x 5.4 inches, while one of our favorite prebuilts, the HP Omen Obelisk, is comparatively massive at 17.1 x 14.1 x 6.5 inches. 

Specifications

Teardown and Upgradeability 

Upgrading the NUC 9 Extreme is unlike doing so on any other desktop. This is the first machine on the market with Intel’s Compute Element, so it’s not a matter of everything simply being plugged into the motherboard. The chassis is small, so it requires some patience, but the only tool you’ll need to get inside is a Phillips-head screwdriver. When you get in there, you see how unorthodox this design truly is. 

To open the NUC, you need to remove two screws from the rear, near the top, which lets you slide off the top. That includes two fans, which are connected by some contacts. 

Once those were out, we were able to lift out the side panels. After that, there’s a crossbar, held in by another two screws, on the left side to be removed. 

Our unit had an 8-inch Asus Dual GeForce RTX 2070 Mini inside (the dual refers to two fans, not two 2070 GPUs), so that had to be removed. You unplug the power cable from the card, remove two screws that secure the GPU to the case and then lift it out of the PCIe slot on the baseboard. There are two PCIe slots on the board that sit above the power supply (one PCIe x16, one PCIe x4), though the GPU in our unit was a dual-slot card.

With the GPU out of the way, you’re at the Compute Element. If you want to update storage or the RAM, there’s no real reason to lift it out.

The door on the Element is blocked by a paper “air guide,” so you need to hold that back. The door itself is held in place by two screws that need to be removed. Then you can lift the door off, though be careful because a cable attaches to the fan, which is a part of the door. 

Inside there are two M.2 slots (one of ours was filled with a Kingston KC2000 1TB SSD). The one on the left fits M.2 modules up to 110 mm in length, while the one on the right can fit a module up to 80 mm.

On the right side of the module are two SODIMM slots. Ours came with a pair of 8GB HyperX Impact RAM (16GB in total). Interestingly enough, it was a 3200 MHz pair, but Intel shipped it running at 2666 MHz.

The kit typically comes empty, so you will need to provide the RAM and storage if you purchase this NUC.

But there’s room for another SSD beneath the Compute Element, so we took that out, too. You remove one screw securing it to the case, and then disconnect the audio, Wi-Fi antenna, USB Type-C, front panel, fans and the 8-pin power connection. The Wi-Fi is particularly easy to remove, with two pins that simply lift out of the Element. Then you can unlock the PCIe slot and lift the Element out. 

There’s a heatsink covering the third M.2 slot, which is held down by two screws (this slot can fit modules up to 110mm. When you remove that, you can add more storage. Ours came filled with a 380GB Intel Optane 905p SSD. 

At this point, the teardown is essentially complete. The case, Compute Element and GPU are all separated. The pre-installed 500W Flex ATX power supply, however, is still in the case. To get everything back together and working, we had to effectively “build” the PC, reattaching the components and cables. 

Gaming and Graphics

The NUC 9 Extreme can fit an 8-inch GPU. In fact, it’s the first of Intel’s NUCs to fit a discrete GPU, period. In the case of our review unit, the graphics card was the Asus Dual GeForce RTX 2070 Mini OC. I took it for a spin by playing Control at 1920 x 1080 with the high settings preset and medium ray tracing preset. The game fell just short of 60 fps, typically hovering between 54 and 59 fps. The exception was on the Astral Plane, a level with an all-white background, in which it went up to 93 fps. 

On the Shadow of the Tomb Raider benchmark (highest, 1080p), the game ran at 105 fps on the NUC 9 Extreme, beating both the Mek Mini (RTX 2070 Super) and Omen Obelisk (RTX 2080 Ti). This may be due to updates and patches in between the tests as well as differences in cooling. The NUC dropped 39 fps at 4K. 

When it came to Grand Theft Auto V (1080p, very high), The NUC 9 Extreme played the game at 89 fps (27 fps at 4K), falling behind both the Mek Mini and the Omen Obelisk. 

On Hitman (1080p, ultra), the NUC ran the game at 124 fps, but still fell behind the Mek and the Omen. It played the game at 64 fps in 4K. 

The NUC beat the Mek again in Far Cry New Dawn (1080p, ultra), playing the game at 98 fps to the Mek’s 89 fps. The Obelisk out performed the NUC, at 105 fps. At 4K, though, the Mek Mini eked out a few more frames than the NUC.

To stress test the Ghost Canyon NUC, we ran Metro Exodus 15 times on a loop at the RTX preset. The game ran at an average of 56.3 frames per second and was largely consistent across the 15 runs. It had an average CPU speed of 4 GHz with an average CPU temperature of 74.3 degrees Celsius (165.7 degrees Fahrenheit). The GPU ran at an average clock speed of 1595.1 MHz and an average temperature of 63.8 degrees Celsius (146.8 degrees Fahrenheit).

Productivity Performance 

The Intel NUC 9 Extreme Kit (Ghost Canyon) uses a mobile processor. Our Compute Element came equipped with an Intel Core i9-9980HK “Coffee Lake” processor. Our review unit came with 16GB of HyperX Impact RAM, a 380GB Intel Optane PCIe NVMe SSD and a 1TB Kingston KC2000 PCIe NVME SSD. Because this is a barebones kit, performance will vary based on the parts you use.

But this is a desktop, and that’s what we’re comparing it to. Other mini PCs use desktop CPUs, like the Zotac Mek Mini and its Intel Core i7-9700. We’re also comparing it to a desktop i9 in one of our favorite prebuilts, the HP Omen Obelisk (Intel Core i9-9900K).
 

On Geekbench 4.3, the NUC 9 Extreme earned a score of 30,176, surpassing the Mek Mini (27,156) but losing out to the Omen Obelisk (34,167).

The NUC 9 Extreme took 3 seconds to transfer 4.97GB of files, a rate of 1,696.4 MBps. That’s the same as the Omen Obelisk, but the Zotac Mek Mini was just a tad behind at 1,272.3 MBps. 

It took the NUC 9 Extreme 7 minutes and 44 seconds to complete our Handbrake test, which transcodes a 4K video to 1080p. The Omen was faster (5:31), and the Mek Mini fell behind at 8:18. 

Software and Warranty 

The NUC 9 Extreme Kit doesn’t come with any software. In fact, it doesn’t come with an operating system. While our review unit had Windows 10 Home preinstalled, you’ll need to bring your own if you buy the barebones kit. Fortunately, there are ways to get Windows for Free or Cheap. Intel claims support for Windows 10 and “various” distributions of Linux.

Intel covers the NUC 9 Extreme Kit with a three year warranty. 

Is There a Future for This? 

Perhaps the biggest question about the Compute Element is whether or not we’ll see them with future processors. Will there be Elements with 10th Gen processors? What about the eventual 11th or 12th Gen? Putting the CPU on an external card could make the CPU in this NUC as upgradeable as the GPU--but only if Intel keeps churning out new Element cards. 

As we saw in our teardown, it’s not that difficult to remove the Compute Element from the NUC 9 Extreme Kit. It’s designed to come out. This is a desktop, and many enthusiasts like to upgrade their rigs with new CPUs, as well as RAM, storage, etc.

So the question when spending this much on a barebones rig is if Intel will continue to support the platform. Others are on board for this generation: the Razer Tomahawk and Cyberpower Nox will both have room for full-size graphics cards. HyperX also showed up at CES 2020 with a case that looked very similar to the one on the NUC 9 Extreme.

Intel told Tom’s Hardware in a statement that “we have begun development on the 2021 products and are actively defining the 2022 products. Our goal is to help our partners and customers have an easy drop-in solution to upgrade performance with each refresh cycle.” 

It also promised that upcoming NUC Compute Elements will offer backwards compatibility with “carrier boards, meaning customers will not need to redesign boards when upgrading. This may help reduce E-waste, since the whole system will not need to be recycled. Instead, only the Compute Element will be replaced.”

Configurations 

The NUC 9 Extreme Kit with Intel Core i9-9980HK costs $1,639.99 at B&H and doesn’t come with RAM, storage, a discrete graphics card or an operating system. Our unit, which came fully kitted out with 16GB of RAM, a 380GB Intel Optane PCIe NVMe SSD, a 1TB PCIe NVME SSD, Asus Dual GeForce RTX 2070 Mini OC GPU and Windows 10 Home, adds up to $2,816.67.

Intel has announced similar barebones Ghost Canyon NUCs with Intel Core i7-9750H and Intel Core i5-9300H processors, but we’re not yet seeing those on sale. Specialist site SimplyNUC is taking pre-orders for each configuration, with 8GB of RAM, a 128GB SSD and “free OS installation,” starting at $1,199 for Core i5 and $1,299 for Core i7. These don’t have discrete GPUs.

Intel told us the i7 and i9 models should ship within the next month, with the i5 model shipping somewhere in the next three months.

Bottom Line 

It’s truly impressive how small the Intel NUC 9 Extreme Kit is. The design, with the Compute Element and a built-in mobile processor, is radically different from what one expects from a desktop. To some it may even be, well, extreme.

While we tested the “Ghost Canyon” system with RAM, storage, Windows 10 Home and even a discrete RTX 2070 GPU made specifically for small cases like this. But when this i9-9980HK configuration goes on sale, the barebones kit without any of those things will cost around $1,639.99 (less for the i5 and i7 model). You can get a powerful desktop that’s fully set up for less than that. To turn this into a fully functional gaming PC, you need more than $1,100 in parts. And that’s using a CPU that is already a generation old.

For $60 more than the Ghost Canyon NUC, you could buy the Zotac Mek Mini with a Core i7-9700 and Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super and all of the other parts you need. However, you can’t upgrade the CPU or GPU in that PC (they’re effectively locked in the chassis), so in some ways that’s even less upgradeable. You could also build a nice little Mini-ITX machine for the price, though that will be larger than this.

If size isn't an issue but you want a prebuilt machine, something like the HP Omen Obelisk could be had for cheaper than a fully packed NUC. When maxxed out with a Core i9-9900, 32GB of RAM, an RTX 2070 Super and  7TB of storage, it's almost $2,500 — still cheaper than Ghost Canyon as we reviewed it. But that's also far larger and most of its storage is traditional spinning HDDs.

If you’re a gamer or a creative type with space at a premium, this form factor is sure to excite you. If space is your primary concern and price is no object, this is for you. But you’re also betting on a new platform in the Compute Element. If Intel continues to support it, this could be an enduring new PC form factor, and one that is fairly simple to upgrade or even build.

As it stands, as the first generation of the product, the Intel NUC 9 Extreme Kit makes for a very pricey, space-saving PC with an innovative format that you can customize with parts to your liking. But you have to be willing to pay a premium to be among the first in this PC form factor experiment.

It looks like a slightly beat-up NIntendo GameCube, but it can run Smash Brothers. No, not Super Smash Bros. Melee from 2001 -- the more recent Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii. Yes, it looks like an obsolete gaming console, but it can also play Far Cry 5 and Fortnite. That's because this GameCube was modded by a YouTuber known as Tech by Matt and turned into a sleeper gaming PC.

Shared on YouTube and spotted by The Gamer, Tech by Matt employed an AMD Ryzen APU and other PC components to turn an old GameCube in to a PC build that specializes in packing modern power into modest chassis, rather than the best PC cases, often taken from pre-built computers. It's primary focus is emulation, eSports and looking perfectly retro (is the early 2000s 'retro' yet?). 

Instead of flaunting RGB, sleeper gaming PCs are about looking as unassuming as possible, nd making machines that outperform expectations. Matt specializes in this kind of build, and his latest experiment is a direct hit to PC gaming elitists.

Half case mod and half cannibalization, the GameCube sleeper PC is complete with working controller ports. Built inside a modified GameCube case, space is at a premium, meaning that while its power is leagues above an actual GameCube and  it can technically run more modern AAA games, it’s not going to run games smoothly at 4K specs anytime soon. Still, it's a unique approach to playing both your old favorites and your less demanding recent titles.

Components

Parts for the build are half original and half salvaged from the ASRock DESKMINI A300W. Original parts are an AMD Ryzen 3 3200G, 16GB of laptop-style SODIMM DDR4 RAM, a single 500GB NVMe SSD and a 50mm fractal design fan. Parts salvaged from the ASRock DESKMINI include an “almost comically small” A320 mini-STX motherboard, a cooling fan, an M.2 Wi-Fi card and a 150W power brick. 

Matt also bought a broken, slightly scuffed up (for that rough aesthetic) GameCube off eBay, along with a generic USB Gamecube controller adapter and a Gamebit screwdriver for removing the GameCube’s proprietary screws.

Tallying these parts together, we estimate a total cost of $420 for this build, though Matt mentioned that you could upgrade the Ryzen 3 to a Ryzen 5 if you want, and that the motherboard has room for another SSD. However, the parts listed suited his needs.

The Building Process

Matt’s task was split into two parts: disassembling the GameCube and building the new PC. 

For disassembly, Matt first used the GameBit screwdriver to open up the GameCube, easily removed the controller port and back panel, unscrewed 12 Phillips head screws to take out the combined side fan and power button. Then, with a bit more unscrewing, he was able to take out the disk drive, mainboard, power supply and a “few more metal pieces.” For the most part, Matt reported this was the easier part of the project, though he noted that the GameCube’s original heatsink had “a ridiculous amount of thermal paste.”

Assembly was trickier, especially because Matt wanted to use the GameCube’s original controller ports and power button in the new build. This meant hollowing out useless space-consuming indents that Nintendo left for expansions and cables from the GameCube’s bottom, making a custom metal tray to fill in the holes they left behind, installing his own motherboard standoff, and modding the original side fan bracket to fit with his new fan. 

Matt also had to solder jumper cables to the original power button to plug into the new motherboard's power slot, as well as solder the Gamecube’s original controller port board to his adapter’s board, then connect the adapter’s board to his motherboard’s USB slots. He also considered adding a top-loading disk drive to the system, but abandoned the idea as fitting a disk drive into the case would have interfered with the power button, eject button and original disk drive hinge mechanism.

It’s more work than we make it sound like, and definitely enough to bump up the system’s cost a few hundred dollars if you don’t already have the tools and materials to do it, which include a dremel, soldering iron with cutting tip and low grit sanding wheel (Matt's video provides detailed instructions).

At the end of the build, though, Matt achieved what almost looks like an untouched GameCube from the outside, with enough power inside to run the Dolphin GameCube/Wii emulator and eSports titles without issue. 

He didn't provide any emulation stats, but after testing the system with The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Super Smash Brothers Melee and Super Smash Brothers Brawl, he said they all “ran perfectly fine.” Fortnite, meanwhile, averaged 60 frames per second (fps) at 1080p on the game’s relatively low competitive settings, while CS:GO was able to reach an average fps in the lower 100s at 1080p on its own similarly low-spec competitive settings.

The PC...console...system...can also run more graphically intensive AAA games, though Matt warned that it “isn’t really meant for AAA gaming,” as it was only able to hit an average frame rate of 25 fps on Far Cry 5’s low settings. Matt also tried to emulate The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild on the machine, and while the game didn’t crash, he did run into enough lag spikes to render it borderline unplayable. He noted, however, that Breath of the Wild is notoriously difficult to emulate, meaning that the system itself might not be behind these problems.

For someone like me, who’s recently gotten into emulating my GameCube and Wii collection on Dolphin to take advantage of its higher resolution options and convenience features, like save states, this is an appealing nostalgia build. It’s also more portable than your typical gaming PC, and the GameCube case even gives it a cute handle for carrying to your next LAN party.

Matt’s still taking requests for games to emulate on it, so stop by his YouTube channel if you’d like to see him try your personal favorite.

There's a wide range of inexpensive cases available this Cyber Monday, but this DIYPC case stands out as one of the lowest-priced models at $39.99. That's all-time low pricing from its standard $69.99 price point, but the case comes with surprisingly  strong capabilities. 

The case comes with a 4mm-thick tempered glass sidepanel, measures 17.88 x 8.40 x 15.60 inches, and the steel frame weighs in at 12 pounds. The front panel has an angled LED light strip that runs up its face, but these RGB lights only have manual control, so you won't be able to sync up with the motherboard utilities that come with most modern ATX/Micro-ATX/Mini-ITX motherboards supported by the case.

 The case comes without fans, which we would expect given its ultra-low price point, but the image above shows the eight possible mounting locations for 120mm fans. You can also drop a 240mm radiator into the front of the case.  

The case has two USB 2.0, one USB 3.0, and audio in/out ports on the upper front and ha a magnetic dust filter for the top-mounted cooling solutions. The case can support two 3.5" drives, along with three 2.5" SSDs. 

DIYPC covers the case with one-year warranty. If you're interested in other case deals this Cyber Monday, check out our Best Cyber Monday Tech Deals.

DeskMini A300 Design Features

Most of us can think of a few places where a tiny PC might come in handy. The first AMD-based Mini STX (a tiny 147x140mm motherboard form factor that supports socketed CPUs) desktop from ASRock, the DeskMini A300 offers users a combination of AM4 (Ryzen and presumably Athlon) processor support and relatively expansive storage in a reasonably priced package (about $140 / £151). Our biggest problem is figuring out which of those many places we’d like to put a compact PC would be best for this potentially fairly versatile AMD-based model.

Barebones PCs go back as far as any of us have been involved in the business. The combination of case, power supply, and motherboard was once used by discount merchants to foist their cheapest hardware upon value-seeking neophytes. Barebones systems eventually grew to encompass custom-designed high-end configurations, but the basic definition remains: You’ll have to pick your own processor, memory, and storage.

Roughly the size of a full-sized power supply, the DeskMini’s uncanny resemblance to a point of sale (POS) terminal boils down its shape, front-panel design, and mini VESA mount. The hardware gets a little more interesting, as there are no legacy serial or parallel ports for those old security dongles often required in the POS market. Builders instead get support for AMD’s AM4 CPUs up to 65W, along with whatever onboard graphics and memory support these CPUs provide. Of course, there being no room for a dedicated graphics card will cut down your CPU options quite a bit. Details on what's supported can be found in the specs table below.

ASRock DeskMini A300 Specifications

ASRock’s official dimensions don’t include the affixed security tabs, so our measurements differ from theirs. Another exception is that you may be seeing the price for the Wi-Fi version (A300W), since the more-basic version we tested wasn’t in stock at the time of this writing. The Wi-Fi version includes an Intel AC-3168 Wi-Fi module and installation hardware that the builder must install themselves, and likely adds $10 to the retail price.

Designed to lay either on its bottom or right side, the DeskMini A300 has only two USB ports on its front (one Type-C at 5Gb/s) and two on is back (one USB 2.0). The front panel also has the case’s only two audio jacks, headphone and microphone, while the back adds DisplayPort 1.2, HDMI 2.0, and a WUXGA-compliant analog video connection. An RJ-45 for Gigabit Ethernet, a power jack for the 19V adapter, a Kensington Lock slot, and two security cable tabs are also on the back, while the previously-mentioned mini VESA mount is found on its right panel.

ASRock says that its included CPU cooler is optional, but with only 46mm of mounting space (we measured 48mm with our CPU installed), alternatives are limited. Every kit we’ve seen has included this option, which has a 70x15mm fan with raised corners that extend frame depth to 20mm. Other system-specific small parts include four self-adhesive rubber feet that are sliced around the edges to peel away from the scrap and backing, to be fit on recesses on either of the two supported sides, and two SATA cables with special notebook-style motherboard ends.

The included AcBel 120W power adapter certainly shouldn’t become overloaded by a system that supports only a 65W CPU, two SATA drives, two SODIMMs, and two M.2 SSDs.

ASRock DeskMini A300 Enclosure

Photo Credits: Tom's Hardware

MORE: Best Gaming Desktops

MORE: How To Build A PC

MORE: All PC Builds Content

Internal Hardware and Installation

Four screws secure the DeskMini A300’s motherboard tray and back panel to its outer casing, which slips off like a sleeve. Located directly behind an unused beep-code speaker header, a nine-pin header connects a proprietary cable for the power button and activity LEDs to the bottom-front corner of its A300M-STX motherboard.

Front-panel ports and jacks are permanently affixed to the A300M-STX motherboard. Other connectors include dual CPU fan headers in the lower-rear corner, a USB 2.0 header in the upper-front corner, dual SODIMM slots, a Key-E slot for notebook Wi-Fi modules, and a PCIe x4 M.2 slot for NVMe SSDs.

Buiders who would like to add a second M.2 drive will need to remove the motherboard, as its slot is located on the board’s underside and covered by the two 2.5-inch drive trays that are integrated with the motherboard tray. Motherboard removal is also required to access the screw holes of the two 2.5-inch drive trays that cover the second M.2 storage slot, though the proprietary SATA headers for the included 2.5” drive cables are accessible via the oval hole seen above.

Hoping to find some way to push our CPU past its stock settings, we attempted to install our lowest profile wide cooler, the Gamer Storm Gabriel by DeepCool. The heatsink only fits in the orientation shown, and its 20mm-thick fan was 13mm too thick to clear the casing, so we used the clip-on cooler provided within the DeskMini A300’s installation kit.

ASRock A300M-STX Motherboard Features

Photo Credits: Tom's Hardware

MORE: Best Gaming Desktops

MORE: How To Build A PC

MORE: All PC Builds Content

DeskMini A300 Firmware and Test Hardware

Dwelling in the enthusiast market has given us little exposure to AMD’s A300 Promontory chipset, so we really didn’t know what to expect of overclocking functionality. The DeskMini A300 lacks any CPU multiplier control, but does allow full DRAM overclocking within the limits of the CPU and motherboard stability, and offers similar flexibility to the APU’s integrated Radeon RX Vega graphics controller.

The system’s A300M-STX motherboard has only two DRAM voltage settings, 1.35V and 1.20V. And while either of those would get our memory to its DDR4-3000 rating, neither of those settings would keep it stable at higher settings. We also tried DDR4-3800 and DDR4-4000 modules from G.Skill and Corsair to no avail, so this appears to be the limit of board stability. Similarly, our graphics processor topped out at 1500 MHz using 1.20V, where 1.25V couldn’t push it to our next-higher 1600 MHz setting.

Users unable to reach their desired DRAM overclock are welcomed in firmware to optimize timings instead, via the A300M-STX’s expansive Timing Configuration submenu.

The A300M-STX’s CBS menu is similarly lacking in overclocking features, but users can choose a few power settings to optimize for better performance or lower power use.

The motherboard’s “Tool” firmware menu provides SSD Secure Erase and Instant Flash firmware updating, and its H/W Monitor menu offers manual fan configuration in addition to the expected factory-programmed curves.

How We Test

Unable to match the DeskMini’s exact configuration for a performance comparison, we built our comparison system using ASRock’s own Fatal1ty B450 Gaming ITX/ac as the baseline motherboard, and the DeskMini’s tiny CPU heatsink and fan as the baseline cooler. Differences include the larger board’s larger DIMMs and PS2 form-factor (aka full ATX) power supply, the later being the lowest-capacity 80 Plus Gold rated unit we had on hand.

Test Hardware

Here’s how the DeskMini A300’s A300M-STX overclock settings compare to those of the B450 Gaming ITX/ac.

Photo Credits: Tom's Hardware

MORE: Best Gaming Desktops

MORE: How To Build A PC

MORE: All PC Builds Content

Benchmark Results and Final Analysis

We tested both boards at DDR4-2400 defaults, then enabled XMP and tested again. Since the comparison B450 Gaming-ITX/ac’s modules had tighter DDR4-2933 timings, it was then manually configured to match the DeskMini A300’s DDR4-3000 16-18-18-43 configuration.

Synthetic Benchmarks

The DeskMini A300 and the B450 Gaming-ITX/ac run neck-and-neck through 3DMark at DDR4-2400, and again at DDR4-3000, with both showing noticeable improvements. Things also seem likewise competitive through a slew of Sandra tests and even Cinebench and Compubench, though the latter gets a bigger push from the faster memory setting.  PCMark’s Creative score is the one place the B450 Gaming-ITX/ac stands out, but it’s difficult to determine the cause since nothing is askew in other tests.

3D Games

The B450 Gaming-ITX/ac gets a slightly better DDR4-3000 bump in F1-2015, which could indicate the use of better advanced memory timings. Performance differentiation in other games is insignificant.

Timed Applications

Less time means better performance in our non-gaming workloads, where the DeskMini A300 stands up to its Mini-ITX cousin in most metrics and even wins a few. The B450 Gaming-ITX/ac stands out in our longest tests, 7-Zip and Handbrake, and that combination likely indicates that it’s holding the CPU closer to its max frequency a little longer.

Power, Heat and Efficiency

The DeskMini A300 draws much less power than the B450 Gaming-ITX/ac, but the greatest problem with the bigger systems score is that it starts out with very poor idle power. While that could indicate a board that doesn’t make effective use of AMD’s power-savings, the tendency for inefficiency to taper off under higher loads is more likely indicative of its power supply having poor low-load efficiency.

Thermal measurements are impacted by the DeskMini A300’s small enclosure, so we took it out and measured temperatures a second time, in open air.

The open-air comparison doesn't help the B450 ITX/ac’s temperatures; they aren’t lower at all. Instead, we see that the CPU appears to pull more power when installed in the Mini ITX board, which is then turned into heat. So maybe the power supply chosen for that board isn’t so bad at low loads.

Even with the smaller casing keeping the DeskMini A300 toasty under heavy loads, it draws far less energy than its larger cousin. Since performance differences were far smaller, the result is far greater efficiency. DDR4-3000 increased the DeskMini A300’s performance far more than its power draw, giving this configuration the greatest efficiency by a rather large margin.

Overclocking

Since the DeskMini A300 didn’t have the overclock settings of its B450 cousin, and since it couldn’t use the overclock settings it had for memory, we decided to see what we could do with the APU’s integrated Radeon RX Vega graphics instead. Remember from our firmware description that it topped out at 1500MHz, up 36% from the stock 1100MHz.

The one game and setting that least-needed the extra performance of an overclocked GPU got the most benefit from this experiment: F1 2015 at our Medium preset. Other benchmarks crave faster memory, which is rather unfortunate given the board’s inability to push any of our high-speed SODIMM memory past DDR4-3000.

In case you’re wondering, we didn’t have much luck overclocking the CPU on the B450 Gaming-ITX/ac either, though it did push its memory to the board’s DDR4-3466 setting at 1.35V, thereby increasing Sandra Memory Bandwidth from 33.8GB/s (DDR4-3000) to 38.9GB/s (DDR4-3466).

But What About Noise?

The DeskMini A300’s sole fan is the 70x15mm unit that came with its CPU cooler. Our meter read 46 decibels (A-weighted) at 1/4-meter, dropping only to 44.7 decibels when mounted inside the case. Subtract 12 decibels to get an approximate SPL for the industry-standard one-meter distance, and you’re looking at around 33db under heavy load. While systems like these rarely encounter a load high enough to force full fan RPM, that occasional high noise level could lead to occasional work disturbance.

Final Thoughts

Though it resembles something a store employee might use to check out paying customers, ASRock’s DeskMini A300 is designed for the improved performance and storage mandated by the consumer market. Unfortunately, the lack of any rear-panel audio jacks makes it more of a professional office system than a general purpose “home office” PC. The scarcity of rear-panel USB ports has a similarly negative impact on home users. Digital audio available through its integrated HDMI 2.0 support could instead make it an attractive set top box, but only if your loads are low enough to avoid turning its somewhat noisy fan up to eleven.

Photo Credits: Tom's Hardware

MORE: Best Gaming Desktops

MORE: How To Build A PC

MORE: All PC Builds Content

Update: ASRock clarified the system comes with a 120W power brick. We adjusted the text accordingly.

ASRock's suite at CES 2019 held a rare gem for small form factor enthusiasts: A new DeskMini A300 Series system that comes with an A300-STX AM4 motherboard that the company claims is the world's smallest. Surprisingly, the diminutive barebones system will retail for only $119 when it comes to market next month. 

ASRock's DeskMini A300 is yet another product in the company's line of DeskMini SFF systems, which also includes Z390 and B360 systems that come with MXM GPUs.

The A300 model comes with a custom A300-STX motherboard that adheres to the micro-STX form factor, meaning the board only measures 5-inches x 5-inches. Shrinking down the board to such a small size required eliminating a PCIe slot, and the board also doesn't support MXM graphics cards. That means you'll need an AMD processor that comes with integrated graphics, which limits your options to AMD's Raven Ridge and Bristol Ridge processors, albeit with a 65W TDP limitation.

Considering its small size, the board comes packed with quite a bit of connectivity. The board includes two M.2 sockets that support SSDs with the 2280 form factor, with one socket on the top of the motherboard and the other tucked away on the bottom. It also has two SATA 6Gb/s ports for traditional storage devices.

The two SO-DIMM memory slots support up to DDR4-2933 with Ryzen and DDR4-2400 with A-series processors. Display outputs consist of HDMI (4K @ 60hz), DisplayPort, and D-Sub. The board also sports USB 2.0 and USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-A ports on the rear I/O section and two additional USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-C and Type-A ports on the front of the board. There are also accommodations for an M.2 Wi-Fi + Bluetooth module.

The board resides in the 1.9-liter DeskMini chassis that measures 155 x155 x 80mm. A 120W power brick feeds the five-phase power delivery subsystem through a rear DC-in jack, but the brick isn't as large as some of the beefier 225W models that come with GPU-equipped DeskMini models. The limited power budget, not to mention the limited cooling options in such a small case, takes overclocking off the table.

The barebones system comes without memory, storage, or a CPU, which explains the low asking price. ASRock also sells several accessories separately, like VESA mounts, low-profile CPU coolers, Wi-Fi ac kits, and audio cables. The DeskMini A300 comes to market next month.

Introduction & Product Tour

ASRock updated its Deskmini barebones mini PCs to a Z370 platform, and it’s one of the most capable and versatile systems of its kind. The Deskmini is the ultimate enthusiast mini PC with support for 8th generation (Coffee Lake) Intel desktop processors, options for GTX 1060 (in Taiwan) or GTX 1080 (in the United States) graphics, and more total storage drive capacity than any other mini PC we’ve ever seen. The GTX 1080 version sold in the U.S. will run for $1,529.99, while the GTX 1060 model we tested is around $900 USD (if you go by Taiwanese pricing). The new Z370 Deskmini is worth every penny if you need a seriously small form factor and like to build your own PC.

Specifications

Exterior

The ASRock Deskmini Z370 GTX isn’t designed to attract the eye - it could easily hide behind your attached display with its petite 213 x 154.5 x 81.9mm chassis. You certainly wouldn’t expect something this small to house a motherboard capable of supporting desktop processors and GTX 1060 or 1080 graphics, and the black steel and aluminum construction gives the tiny wonder a sturdy base and a clean, sleek look.

You could place the Deskmini horizontally, but the left, right, and top panels are all ventilated, and I preferred to leave them exposed by setting the PC upright. This gives the components inside considerable airflow and in theory, better cooling capability (which is critical at this small size). However, you have to start assembling the barebones PC before you even open the case - the rubber feet at the bottom panel that stabilize the upright chassis need to be peeled and attached (you’ll see the grooves where they go in each corner) before you place it anywhere.

The front panel features a black brushed aluminum finish with two off-center silver inlays that span from the top to the bottom of the device. The ports on the front panel are centered in between the two stripes and consist of  a USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C port and a Type-A port, as well as two audio jacks (one mic-in, one headphone-out/mic-in combo). The left side panel’s edge also has two USB 2.0 ports  that use a header on the motherboard.

The back panel doesn’t offer much more USB connectivity, with only four USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A ports. But the Deskmini can connect multiple displays via and HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.4 and a mini-DisplayPort from the GPU or an HDMI 2.0 port on the motherboard.

Interior

As a barebones device, the ASRock Deskmini comes without a CPU, memory, storage or an operating system, so you’ll have to buy and install your own. To get to the components, you’ll have to remove the four Phillips-head screws at the back edge on the top and right side (two on each side) and slide the ventilated aluminum panel away from the front. The Deskmini’s Z370M-STX micro STX motherboard comes with a GPU (GTX 1060 or GTX 1080) pre-installed with a custom air cooler attached to the MXM card (this is much more commonly found in laptops). However, the board is also available by itself sans graphics.

You can access the Z370 motherboard’s LGA 1151 CPU socket and two DDR4 memory SODIMM slots without any further disassembly, but you’ll have to remove two screws (one on each side of the motherboard), unplug the front panel I/O cables and slide the board away from the front panel to get to the storage and Wi-Fi interfaces on the other side.

The opposite side of the device hides an impressive amount of storage interfaces. There’s a total of four M.2 slots - one for a Key-E WiFi module (which is included but not preinstalled) and three for 2280-sized storage devices. Two of the three M.2 slots support PCIe 3.0 and SATA 6GB/s drives, and the bottom (three-lane) interface can be equipped with a PCIe 3.0 x4 SSD or an Intel Optane memory module if you want to use the Z370 chipset to cache a secondary 2.5-inch HDD (why make a boot volume from an Optane-cached HDD with all that M.2 space?). Speaking of which, you can fit two 2.5-inch drives above the M.2 storage.

Software And Accessories

The ASRock Deskmini is shipped with a driver disk that also features RGB LED control software for the motherboard’s 4-pin RGB header, which helps if you want to install a flashy LED strip (not included) to illuminate the interior components. Since you have to install the operating system yourself, bloatware is not a factor.

ASRock provides a plethora of hardware to install your M.2 and 2.5-inch storage devices and Wi-Fi module (included). This includes two SATA power and data cables and the Wi-Fi antenna cables, both of which you need to install and run yourself. The antenna mounts can be installed by punching out two of the perforated holes at the back panel of the chassis, and the two 2.5-inch drives are attached with a combination of notches and screws.

MORE: Best PC Builds

MORE: How To Build A PC

MORE: All PC Builds Content

Benchmark Results & Conclusion

Comparison Products

We compared the ASRock Deskmini to a few recently reviewed barebones mini PCs, including the Zotac EN1060K-U barebones PC and the Gigabyte Brix Gaming VR. All of the systems in our tests feature a GeForce GTX 1060 6GB MXM graphics card, and the key differentiator between them will be CPU and cooling performance, the latter of which is critical for small form factor gaming PCs.

Test System Configuration

Because this is a barebones PC, we had to install the CPU, memory and storage on our own. We loaded the Deskmini with a Core i7-8700 processor (provided by ASRock) and our usual barebones components, including an 8GB (2 x 4GB) kit of Kingston HyperX DDR4-2400, a 256GB Toshiba OCZ RD400 M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD, and a 1TB Seagate HDD (to store the games). Since memory and storage are variable based on what you put in, we left out our storage and memory tests..

Fire Strike & Time Spy

The ASRock Deskmini  unsurprisingly dominates the Fire Strike and Time Spy benchmarks compared to the EN1060K and the Brix Gaming VR, because we used a more recent, powerful CPU. The i7-8700 we tested easily outperforms the the mobile i7-7700HQ inside the Zbox and Gigabyte systems. The Deskmini also takes top honors with graphics performance, indicating that its cooling performance is on point (the CPU and GPU never throttled or exceeded 75 degrees Celsius).

Cinebench R15

Performance in Cinebench R15 is entirely based on the CPU performance, which we know will vary based on what the user installs. However, the Core i7-8700 we used performs as you’d expect against the less-capable competition, with strong single, multi-threaded, and OpenGL rendering performance.

CompuBench

The Deskmini continues its dominance in the CompuBench Video Processing and Bitcoin Mining tests. Whereas the Video Processing test is again indicative of the CPU’s superior performance, the Bitcoin Mining results speak to the Deskmini’s GPU acumen.

PCMark 8 & PCMark 10 Extended

The Deskmini finished our productivity and synthetic tests strong with massive leads over the competing systems in  PCMark 8 and PCMark 10 Extended benchmarks. This can be attributed to the more powerful CPU, speedy storage, and memory performance, so the results will vary based on your configuration. However, we tested all the barebones PCs in the field with the same RAM and storage, so the gains are purely from the CPU in this case. PCMark 8 tests Microsoft Office and Adobe Creative workloads with the actual application, whereas the PCMark 10 results are purely synthetic.

Gaming Benchmarks

The ASRock Deskmini finds itself at the top of the performance heap among the other barebones mini PCs in the field. The GTX 1060 is adept for gaming at 1920 x 1080, but 4K will be tough to achieve with top-tier AAA game titles (Rise of the Tomb Raider, GTA V, The Division). However, you could still  play at 3840 x 2160 with older games (Bioshock Infinite, DiRT Rally) if you are willing to sacrifice  eye candy.

Configuration Options

The Deskmini Z370 appears in two forms, both of which are barebones PCs that come without a CPU, memory, storage, or an operating system. We tested the GTX 1060 version of the device (priced at around $900 USD, based on Taiwanese pricing), but ASRock said it has no definitive plans to release it in the US. However, there is also a GTX 1080 model for gamers that want the best GPU performance arriving, but the company has yet to announce pricing or release details.

The Bottom Line

The ASRock Deskmini is the king of the barebones mini PCs, offering more M.2 storage and 2.5-inch bays than any other system of its size. It’s also the ultimate enthusiast platform with options for GTX 1060 and 1080 graphics and a completely DIY approach, as you have to source and install your own CPU, storage, memory and OS.

ASRock presents an excellent PC product for a discerning PC hardware enthusiast by offering the Deskmini as a barebones PC that you equip with your choice of components. And you’d be hard pressed to find many cases that support the Z370M STX micro STX motherboard, even if you wanted to go the pure DIY route. You’d also have a difficult time finding a chassis this small that can pack as much storage space in it as the Deskmini. Simply put, it’s a true hardware enthusiast’s barebones PC.

You’re going to pay significantly more for the Deskmini than you would for a regular case, power supply, graphics card, and motherboard after all is said and done. However, your home-made system won't be as small, and for an enthusiast, the extra cash is worth the end result - a sleek and tiny powerhouse gaming PC.

MORE: Best PC Builds

MORE: How To Build A PC

MORE: All PC Builds Content

Introduction & Product Tour

Shuttle is known for its small form factor (SFF) barebones gaming PCs, so we were surprised to receive a fully configured mini PC with an Intel Core i7 processor and a Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 graphics card. The Shuttle X1 is one of the smallest systems (barebones or configured) we’ve seen with true gaming chops. But can this minuscule machine make good on its promise of VR-ready gaming performance? It’s time to put the X1 to the test.

Exterior

The Shuttle X1 features a box-like chassis (5.6 x 5.6 x 3.4”) with a steel frame and a plastic top panel. The lid sports the company logo and sharp red accents. The design is typical for a PC marketed as a gaming device, except it’s considerably small. The size makes it an ideal pairing for a living-room TV or sitting on a small desk with a monitor.

The bottom and side panels sport vents to dissipate the heat, with the bottom vent acting as an intake with fan behind it. Copper heat sinks are visible through the vented side panels. (We’ll see what those are for later.)

The front panel I/O consists of the power button, an SD card reader, and two USB 3.0 ports. The backside of the X1 is more generous with its USB connectivity, with a USB 3.1 (Gen 1) Type-C, two USB 3.0, and four USB 2.0 ports. You can connect your monitor (or multiple displays) with a DisplayPort 1.3 interface and three HDMI 2.0 ports. An RJ-45 port (powered by a Realtek RTL8111G gigabit Ethernet NIC) will connect you to the internet, but the X1’s integrated 802.11ac Wi-Fi antenna is nowhere to be found. (There’s a good reason for this, so read on.)

Interior

The chambered interior makes accessing the primary components (CPU, GPU) difficult for the end user. The bottom panel sports four screws (one at each corner) that will free the metal base from the rest of the chassis to reveal the aforementioned intake fan and copper heatsink. They cool the GeForce GTX 1060 3GB MXM graphics card with two copper pipes and a small heatsink that exhausts the hot air out of the side panel.

A small circuit board with the bottom half of the rear panel I/O is also visible in the chamber, with two of the HDMI ports and the DisplayPort interface exposed. The Intel Core i7-7700HQ processor and HM175 chipset reside in the center chamber (between the top and the bottom) of the device, and end users aren’t meant to toil with it, or the bottom half of the machine.

The top panel can be detached to access the memory and storage by removing the four screws along the top edges of the side panels. To get to the screws, you first have to remove a magnetic sticker that hides them, which may require a small screwdriver to pick it off. Once the screws are out, the top panel lifts out, but it won’t go far. That's because the entire panel is an 802.11ac Wi-Fi antenna, attached to the Intel Wireless AC 3165 M.2 module with thin wires. You should take extra care when opening this panel so you don’t accidentally pull out the cables.

Another metal panel blocks access to the storage and memory, but removing the four screws (near each corner of the device) will set it free from the chassis. However, the metal panel also acts as a drive cage should you want to add a 2.5” storage drive to the system (which we would highly recommend). Any such additional storage was not included in this particular test model. We added our own HDD to get our game library loaded for testing, but we weren’t fond of the procedure, which involved a SATA connector with a tiny cable, and an even smaller retention clip to insert the cable into, requiring many attempts. (Thanks, giant hands.)

Once you are inside, the memory and primary SSD storage are easy to find. The 16GB (2 x 8GB) kit of DDR4-2400 is plenty of memory for a serious gamer. Although the 2,400MHz speed is standard for the CPU, the CAS latency (17-17-17-39) is less common than the usual CAS 16 kits found in many OEM systems. However, the off-brand memory (Goldkey, to be precise) should be adequate for gaming and light productivity workloads. A 256GB SATA 6GB/s Phison PS3111-S11 SSD is seated in the M.2 slot, and the mid-size capacity is ideal for a boot drive with a few light games on it.

Software & Accessories

The Shuttle X1 comes with Windows 10 Home 64-bit installed, with no bloatware or trial software to speak of cluttering up your low-capacity SSD. However, Shuttle includes a driver DVD in case you want to start over with your system by switching to a bigger SSD or an Intel Optane setup (say, with an Optane M.2 module and high-capacity 2.5” HDD). The external 180W AC adapter is adequate for the mobile components inside the X1.

MORE: Best PC Builds

MORE: How To Build A PC

MORE: All PC Builds Content

Synthetic & Productivity Benchmarks

The Shuttle X1’s Core i7-7700HQ and GeForce GTX 1060 3GB MXM graphics card put it into a similar box as other mini PCs (barebones or full systems) we’ve tested in both form factor and pricing, so we compared the X1 to the recently reviewed Gigabyte Brix Gaming VR and Zotac ZBox Magnus EN1060K barebones PCs. These mini PCs fall into a similar price category as the fully configured Shuttle X1 after purchasing the required storage, memory, and OS.

We also included the metrics from our H270 test bench, which is loaded with an Intel Core i5-7500, a Zotac GeForce GTX 1060 6GB graphics card, and a 16GB kit of Kingston HyperX Fury DDR4-2133, all running at stock settings. Although we anticipate that it will easily outperform the mobile-GPU-equipped systems in single-threaded CPU workloads, we’ve included it to show how much performance it costs you to get something much smaller, and how much multithreaded performance you could gain with more cores in a mobile Core i7 CPU. It will also give us baseline storage and memory-performance metrics to compare against the X1. (We excluded these benchmarks in our barebones-PC reviews.)

Comparison Products

H270 Test System Configuration

The Brix Gaming VR sports the same CPU as the Shuttle X1 (a Core i7-7700HQ), so it should provide comparable performance in CPU-intensive workloads. The Zbox sports a desktop Core i5-7500T, which will showcase the advantages of Hyper-Threading in the Core i7-equipped systems. However, the Zotac and Gigabyte offerings each sport a 6GB version of the mobile GeForce GTX 1060 MXM graphics card, which will put them ahead of the Shuttle X1’s 3GB GTX 1060 in games with settings that put a heavy load on the frame buffer.

3DMark

The Shuttle X1’s strengths and weaknesses are on full display in the 3DMark Fire Strike and Time Spy benchmarks, where the X1 manages to land itself between the Brix and Zbox in the 1080p (Fire Strike) and 1440p (Fire Strike Extreme) tests. Although the Shuttle X1’s CPU performance nearly matches the Brix and pushes it to a higher overall score against the EN1060K (and even exceeds the Physics score of our desktop H270 system’s Core i5-7500), the performance of the X1’s GTX 1060 3GB graphics card lags behind the GTX 1060 6GB GPU-equipped barebones systems.

At 4K (Fire Strike Ultra), the X1 is shuffled to the bottom of the heap as the bottleneck shifts to the GPU. Although the 3GB GTX 1060 inside the X1 sports the same clock speeds and CUDA core count (1,280) as the 6GB counterparts in the Zbox and Brix, the halved frame buffer has a negative impact on the graphics performance, especially as you turn up the resolution and any VRAM-hungry settings or effects.

Cinebench R15

The Shuttle X1 performs much better when the graphics card isn’t involved, with better scores than its most apples-to-apples competitor, the Gigabyte Brix Gaming VR. Both systems sport a Core i7-7700HQ, but the X1 pulls ahead in Rendering (both single- and multi-threaded) and OpenGL Shading portions of the Cinebench R15 tests, thanks to better thermal performance, an attribute we noted the Brix seemed to lack when we reviewed it a few months back. The X1 is simply able to maintain its peak CPU turbo frequency (which boosts in lightly threaded workloads) for longer durations because the thermal limits aren’t throttling it back down.

The multi-threaded Rendering results may put the X1 slightly ahead of the similarly equipped Brix, but the scores are nearly identical because the CPUs operate at the same base frequency without variation when all the cores are engaged.

CompuBench

Bringing the GPU back into play returns the Shuttle X1 to the back of the line in the CompuBench tests. Whereas the 6GB MXM GTX 1060-equipped systems (the Zbox and Brix) are within a small margin of each other, the smaller frame buffer of the X1’s 3GB GTX 1060 GPU puts a considerable dent in the performance, falling short by over 13 FPS and 53 MHash/s in the Video Processing and Bitcoin Mining tests, respectively (compared to the next competing system with 6GB of VRAM).

Storage Test

We didn’t benchmark the storage performance of the Gigabyte and Zotac barebones systems because we used the same hardware in each of them (and you have to buy it yourself), so we only compared the performance of the X1’s 256GB Phison PS3111-S11 SATA M.2 SSD to the 480GB Kingston HyperX Savage 2.5” SSD in our H270 test rig. The X1 is speedy, but it doesn’t have the fastest flash on the market, with the smaller-capacity Phison SSD falling significantly behind in 4K random and 128K sequential read and write performance at QD2. However, average consumers wouldn’t see much of a difference so long as it’s fast.

Sandra Memory Bandwidth

We also didn’t test the memory performance of the barebones systems we’ve reviewed, so the H270’s 16GB kit of Kingston HyperX DDR4-2133 will be the only base comparison for the Shuttle X1’s 16GB (2 x 8GB) kit of Goldkey DDR4-2400 SODIMM memory. The faster RAM wins out, with the X1 edging out our test rig thanks to a higher frequency (2,400MHz). The higher CAS latency (17-17-17-39) of the X1’s memory doesn’t let it pull too far ahead of our reference system (which was tested with CAS timings set to 15-15-15-35), but it should provide slightly better performance in memory-bandwidth-intensive workloads.

PCMark 8

The Shuttle X1 is able to upend the Zotac EN1060K in the PCMark 8 Adobe Creative application benchmark, thanks to its faster (and Hyper-Threaded) CPU and RAM. (We tested our barebones systems with DDR4-2133 SODIMM memory.) But it falls far behind the pack in the Office application tests. This is likely due to the storage we used in the barebones reviews, a PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD with considerably higher random read/write performance than a SATA device. The slower SATA SSD inside the X1 has a considerable impact in word processing applications.

PCMark 10 Extended

The Shuttle X1 lands in a similar spot in the PCMark 10 Extended results, besting the Zotac Zbox and falling behind our H270 test rig (and by an even larger margin, the Brix). The CPU’s Hyper-Threaded cores give it the edge against the Zbox in every benchmark, and it even steals a win against the reference desktop PC in the Productivity section of the test. Similar to the 3DMark Fire Strike results, the Gaming portion of the test (which is just Fire Strike on a different scale) put the X1 ahead of the EN1060K, despite the smaller frame buffer.

VRMark

The X1 is sent to the back of the line once again in the VRMark Orange and Blue Room benchmarks. Although it scores well above the minimum frame-rate target in the less-demanding Orange Room test (and is therefore VR-ready), it still falls behind by a considerable margin due to the GPU’s 3GB frame buffer. None of the GTX 1060-equipped systems (regardless of memory capacity) is able to handle the Blue Room benchmark’s demanding detail and effect settings.

MORE: Best PC Builds

MORE: How To Build A PC

MORE: All PC Builds Content

Gaming Benchmarks

Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation

We couldn’t run the Shuttle X1 at the usual Crazy settings we use in our reviews in Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation; the 3GB version of the GPU isn’t privy to the same presets that everything from GTX 1060 6GB graphics cards and up can access. Certain settings are just missing, so we couldn’t turn it up to match the preset manually. However, we foresaw this being an issue when we first started with our mid-range barebones and mini PC reviews, so we took data for all the systems we’re comparing today at the much less demanding Standard preset with MSAA x8 enabled.

With less-demanding settings, the Shuttle X1 is able to perform within 5 FPS and 1.5 FPS of the competition in the Ashes benchmarks at 1080p and 4K, respectively. The performance gap between the 3GB and 6GB versions of the GTX 1060 is minimal at these settings, but the Shuttle X1 still lingers behind the pack.

Bioshock Infinite

Bioshock Infinite is one of the least-demanding games in our suite even at the highest possible settings, and the Shuttle X1 doesn’t perform far behind its similarly equipped competition, the Brix Gaming VR. The X1’s halved VRAM doesn’t significantly stunt its performance compared to the Gigabyte barebones, with only a 2.16 FPS difference in average frame rate at 1080p and a negligible 0.68 FPS margin at 4K.

DiRT Rally

The highest settings in DiRT Rally saturate the frame buffer, which makes the Shuttle X1 fall behind the pack by a higher margin than the previous in-game benchmarks we’ve run so far at 1080p. It still puts out a playable 47.76 FPS average frame rate, but it falls behind the 6GB GTX 1060-equipped systems by about 9 FPS or a little more. At 4K, the Shuttle X1’s GPU simply can’t handle the workload, and it bricks the game to an unplayable 12.5 FPS. Turning down the AA and details will obviously net better frame rates at either resolution.

Grand Theft Auto V

GTA V is another game that uses a lot of VRAM at the highest settings, causing the Shuttle X1’s 3GB graphics card to fall slightly behind the 6GB GPU systems in the field at 1080p. However, the frame buffer is fast enough to handle the extra eye candy at this resolution without hindering performance in a significant way, and the X1 musters a playable 35.62 FPS average frame rate without sacrificing any of the effects.

Turning up the resolution to 4K at these settings makes the game utterly unplayable, with the benchmark unable to record a proper run because it continuously stutters. It’s no surprise; at these settings, the game demands more than double the VRAM the X1 has at its disposal (a whopping 7,616MB). Although it’s entirely possible to get an ideal 60 FPS at 1080p or playable frame rates at 4K if you don’t mind sacrificing the effects, we excluded the 4K charts and didn’t test the X1 at a lower setting because we didn’t do so for the other systems we reviewed, which were at least able to complete a benchmark without stuttering at 4K.

Hitman

The X1’s smaller frame buffer similarly impacts performance in Hitman, with the Shuttle sample falling behind the next leading system by a significant margin at 1080p and 4K. Whereas the 6GB GTX 1060-equipped PCs in the field all average above 60 FPS at 1080p, the X1 can only muster 48.59 FPS with all the settings at max. Switching up to 4K makes it worse, with the X1 shorting the Zbox by more than double the 11.23 FPS average it manages to put out.

Rise of the Tomb Raider

Rise of the Tomb Raider is a demanding game with all the settings at the maximum, and the smaller VRAM capacity of the X1’s GPU doesn’t do it any favors in the benchmarks. Although the PCs with GTX 1060 6GB graphics cards are able to keep their average frame rate above a playable 30 FPS at 1080p, the X1’s 3GB of graphics memory pushes the average down by more than 10 FPS. At 4K, the game is unplayable at the highest settings unless you significantly reduce the detail and effect settings. We didn’t put it in a chart, but we were able to pull the X1 above a playable 30 FPS on the Low and Lowest presets at 4K.

The Division

The Division is decidedly less critical of the X1’s 3GB GTX 1060, with Shuttle’s fully configured mini PC only giving up 3.8 FPS to the barebones Zotac Zbox EN1060K at 1080p with all the settings turned up. The X1 is also able to complete the 4K benchmark with the details maxed without crashing or stuttering, and it falls behind the pack by just 0.8 FPS. However, none of the GTX 1060-equipped systems reached the 60 FPS promised land at 1080p, or the 30 FPS playable barrier at 4K. You’ll definitely have to turn down the effects if you want smooth gameplay.

Middle Earth: Shadows of War

The Shuttle X1 finishes our benchmark suite in its familiar position at the bottom of the charts, averaging 40 FPS and 17 FPS at 1080p and 4K, respectively, in the Middle Earth: Shadows of War tests. Once again, it trails the other mini PCs that sport GPUs with a higher memory capacity. Although the gap is a considerable 9 FPS at 1080p, the margin shrinks to just 2 FPS at 4K.

MORE: Best PC Builds

MORE: How To Build A PC

MORE: All PC Builds Content

Price Analysis & Conclusion

The Shuttle X1 is an astoundingly small and powerful mini PC that’s ideal for the living room, with adequate performance for VR and AAA games running at 1080p with high (or, sometimes, "Ultra") settings. Although Shuttle slaps "4K Ready" on the package, the X1’s Core i7-7700HQ and GeForce GTX 1060 3GB graphics card are not an ideal pairing for a 4K display if gaming is the goal. And we don’t recommend pushing the resolution past 1080p if you desire a smooth 60 FPS without sacrificing too much eye candy in new AAA games.

The chassis is the smallest gamer we’ve reviewed recently, and the abundance of slots and ports (USB, an SD card reader, and multiple display outputs) is uncommon for such a tiny device. The concealed Wi-Fi antenna under the top panel gives it an even smaller footprint compared to other mini PCs with exterior antennas, and we’re impressed with Shuttle’s compact design.

The tiny design doesn’t come without a few sacrifices. The most obvious (and detrimental) drawback is the static storage configuration, which consists of a 256GB M.2 SATA SSD. Most gamers will find themselves running out of space rather quickly if their library consists of anything more than a handful of games, and the low-capacity SSD is simply not a good starting point for a gaming enthusiast’s library. The speedy load times are welcomed, but the storage space (or lack thereof) is a downer.

The low total storage capacity can be remedied by installing your own 2.5” drive, and a 1TB HDD is a good investment if you intend to purchase the Shuttle X1. However, we aren’t fond of the procedure to install it. The top cover screws are each covered with a sticker; that may make it look sleek, but the residue that remains after you crack the seal isn’t attractive. The top panel and drive cage are easy enough to detach (more screws), but the SATA ribbon cable is delicate and difficult to connect to the motherboard (or, at least, it was for these large hands). We’d be much happier with an additional storage drive already installed to save us the trouble, even if it increases the price a little bit.

We’d also have liked to see a 6GB version of a GTX 1060 MXM graphics card installed instead of the 3GB model, mostly because the halved VRAM buffer means the X1 takes a significant performance hit when memory-hungry effects are enabled. The performance difference is so severe in some games that the Shuttle X1 can’t produce a stutter-free benchmark run with the usual all-maxed settings we use in our reviews at 4K (even though 6GB models can complete the tests). And some games downright restrict certain high-end settings with the less-powerful 3GB GPU. If getting that 6GB of graphics memory means adding another $50 to $100 to the MSRP, we wouldn’t even complain.

The mini PC market is starting to see more of these tiny gaming systems, and Shuttle has been an innovator in the SFF space for quite some time. The X1 is a marvel in its own right for the performance packed inside, and although it doesn’t meet all of our enthusiast expectations, it is still an adequate starting point for a new PC gamer looking for a compact design, VR-ready performance, and a plethora of USB connectivity.

MORE: Best PC Builds

MORE: How To Build A PC

MORE: All PC Builds Content

ASRock updated its DeskMini small form factor (SFF) barebones gaming PCs with the latest Intel Z370 chipset, giving users the ability to equip them with 8^th generation Intel processors.

The new DeskMini barebones mini PC features the same chassis and connectivity as the previous Intel B250 version of the device, with a steel and aluminum construction measuring in at 8.38 x 6.08 x 3.22” (a 2.7L volume) and a plethora of USB and display connectivity. There are five USB 3.0 ports (one front, four rear), two USB 2.0 ports on the side panel, and a USB 3.1 (Gen 1) Type-C port on the front.

Inside, the Z370 motherboard (which will also be available by itself) can be equipped with any 8^th generation (Coffee Lake) Intel processor and up to 32GB (2 x 16GB) of DDR4-2666 SO-DIMM memory, but ASRock claimed it can also support RAM speeds over 3,200MHz. The board has an extended form factor (ASRock added 2” to the micro-STX form factor) so it can accommodate an MXM GPU slot and more M.2 slots. Speaking of storage, the tiny PC can fit three M.2 2880 storage devices (two PCIe 3.0 x4/SATA, one PCIe 3.0 only), and two 2.5” SATA drives. There’s also a M.2 slot for an included 802.11ac WiFi and Bluetooth module, which you have to install yourself. You can also get online with the board’s Intel I219V Ethernet port.

The DeskMini comes in two flavors--one with a GTX 1060 6GB MXM graphics card and one with a GTX 1080. Each version of the DeskMini comes with the GPU already installed, but the motherboard is available sans graphics card. The GTX 1060 model has a 220W AC adapter, whereas the GTX 1080 version sports a 270W adapter.

Pricing and availability of the new DeskMini GTX1060 Z370 and GTX1080 Z370 are currently unknown, but the previous Intel B250 versions of the barebones PC have an MSRP of $799 and $1,599, respectively. However, we don’t expect the upgraded Z370 motherboard to add more than $100 to the price tag, so we’ll likely see the GTX 1060 and 1080 Z370 DeskMini barebones PCs going for somewhere between $850-$900 and $1,650-$1,700.

Introduction & Product Tour

Zotac’s Zbox Magnus mini-PC lineup packs everything from lean muscle machines to world-class weightlifters into its small boxes. The SKUs include Intel processors ranging from Core i3 to i7, and Nvidia graphics starting at GTX 1050 and going all the way up to GTX 1080. Today, we’re taking a look at the midrange, with a barebones offering of the Magnus EN1060K, a Core i5- and GTX 1060-equipped gaming PC that offers VR-ready performance in a small form factor for under $1,000.

Is this barebones box worth the bucks to outfit into a full configuration, or is it the value equivalent of a brick?

Specifications

Exterior

The Zbox Magnus EN1060K is the usual Zotac fare, with a ring embedded in the lid of a small, boxy chassis, measuring in at only 210 x 203 x 62.2 mm. The small form factor (SFF) gaming PC’s black-plastic and metal chassis isn’t much to look at, and an orange LED around the power button is the only major nod to aesthetics on the device.

Vents line the four edges of the bottom panel, allowing fresh air to flow over the components. The top panel has vents on three of the four edges (the front edge is solid), exhausting hot air up and out of the chassis, and a copper heatsink is visible through the vent on the back panel. Cooling is always a significant factor with SFF PCs, and we’ll see if Zotac’s EN1060K can dissipate the heat properly in our benchmarks.

Given its small case, the Zbox Magnus EN1060K-U offers ample USB and display connectivity. On the front panel, you get two USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports (one Type-A, one Type-C) capable of data transfer speeds up to 10 Gbps, in addition to two USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0 ports on the rear. Two DisplayPort 1.3 and two HDMI 2.0 ports give you plenty of options to connect a display (most likely a TV in your living room), and a card reader on the front panel makes it easy to transfer photos off of your camera.

The Zotac Zbox Magnus EN1060K-U also sports dual gigabit Ethernet ports powered by a Realtek RTL8168 controller, and a single antenna provides Wi-Fi connectivity via an Intel Wireless AC 3165 NIC.

Interior

As with all barebones PCs, you have to install some of your own components before you can boot the device. Zotac makes this process about as easy as it gets.

The rear edge sports two thumb screws that hold the bottom panel in place, and removing the plastic panel is as simple as sliding it away from the chassis with moderate pressure. There’s even a groove in the plastic into which you can place your thumb so that you can easily get a grip.

Zotac’s interior layout makes component installation a breeze, with the memory SO-DIMM, M.2, and 2.5” SATA drive slots all exposed and accessible without making you use any tools or remove more panels. The aforementioned Wi-Fi module (an Intel Wireless AC 3165) is positioned below the SATA connector, and a fan near the center of the device passes through the visible PCB to push air to the CPU and GPU, which are in the top half of the chassis. End users aren’t meant to toil with the primary components, and the lack of access to the processor and graphics keeps things simple.

Install the memory by lining up the grooves in the module and slot and pushing it in at an angle. Once it’s completely in, just push down toward the PCB, and the module will snap into place. The M.2 slot’s stud and screw are already configured for Type-2280 devices, so you just have to remove the screw, insert the drive at an angle, and tighten it back down to the stud.

The 2.5” drive tray can be removed by loosening the thumbscrew and pulling the plastic away from the PCB. You will attach your drive of choice using the four plastic pegs protruding from the tray’s inner sides, making sure to position the drive with the SATA connectors on the opposite side of the thumb screw hole. Replace the tray, slide the connectors into place, and tighten it back with the thumbscrew. We loaded the EN1060K with our usual barebones components (an M.2 NVMe SSD, an 8GB kit of memory, a 1TB 2.5” SATA HDD) that we’ll detail on the next page.

Software & Accessories

The Zotac Zbox Magnus EN1060K-U is a barebones PC, so it doesn’t come with an operating system or any software. However, the company gives you two options to load your drivers: a typical installation DVD, or a thumb drive. This is particularly useful, considering there’s no optical drive.

In addition to needing a Windows license key (about $100), end users of the barebones version will have to purchase their own memory and storage.  A minimalistic dual-channel kit of memory will cost you roughly $70; a moderate-capacity M.2 NVMe SSD goes for around $120; and a 2.5” HDD can run you $60 or so for 1TB of space. All said and done, you will spend anywhere from $350 to $600 (if you really go nuts) just to get the EN1060K-U up and running. There are ways to get in the door cheaper (even less RAM, less ambitious storage), but cutting costs will slice performance in ways we wouldn’t recommend.

MORE: Best PC Builds

MORE: How To Build A PC

MORE: All PC Builds Content

Synthetic & Productivity Benchmarks

We pitted the Zotac Zbox Magnus EN1060K-U against our H270 test bed, which is equipped with an Intel Core i5-7500 processor, an Asrock H270 Performance motherboard, 16GB of DDR4-2133, and a Zotac GeForce GTX 1060 6GB mini graphics card. The rig is powered by a 650W EVGA Supernova G3 PSU and housed in a Thermaltake Versa H22 mid-tower case.

Comparison Products

Test System Configuration

We also tapped into the data from our reviews of the MSI G25 Vortex 8RD and Gigabyte BRIX Gaming VR barebones PC. The Vortex features an Intel Core i5-8400 processor, 16GB of single-channel DDR4-2400, a 256GB SATA M.2 SSD for primary storage, and a GeForce GTX 1060 6GB MXM graphics card. The BRIX sports a mobile Core i7-7700HQ with a custom GTX 1060 6GB MXM module, but we tested it with the same components that we put inside the EN1060K-U (a 256GB Toshiba RD400 M.2 NVMe SSD, a 1TB 7,200RPM Western Digital hard drive, a two-4GB-stick/8GB kit of G.Skill SO-DIMM DDR4-2133 memory with a CAS latency of 15-15-15-35).

3DMark

The Zotac Zbox Magnus EN1060K-U fails to impress in the 3DMark Fire Strike and Time Spy synthetic gaming tests. The Core i5-7500T under the hood is to blame, as it just can’t compete with higher-clocked CPUs (our test bench and Vortex) with more processing threads (the BRIX). However, the EN1060K-U keeps up with its competition in the Combined tests, which are the best indicators of real-world game performance (it pushes both the CPU and GPU). It also manages a Graphics win against the BRIX in the Time Spy test (helped by exceptional thermals, observed at 69C).

Cinebench R15

Shifting focus to the CPU, the Cinebench R15 results paint a similar picture. The Core i5-7500T inside the EN1060K-U is simply not as powerful as a mobile Core i7 and its higher-clocked counterpart, the -7500 (which resides in our H270 test rig). However, it manages to upend the Gigabyte BRIX Gaming VR in the OpenGL test, falling just behind the MSI G25 Vortex 8RD and portending that the Zbox may make up for its CPU performance with some GPU horsepower.

CompuBench

The Compubench results give us a glimpse of the EN1060K-U's graphics proficiency, with the Zbox narrowly outperforming the Vortex with the GPU-intensive Bitcoin test and trailing it by only 0.05 FPS in the Video Processing benchmark. The Zotac offering also takes a lead on the BRIX, largely due to the thermal performance of each device. The BRIX trails the pack due to higher temperatures. (It topped out at 85C and would throttle slightly.)

PCMark 8

The Zbox Magnus EN1060K-U returns to the bottom of the heap in the PCMark 8 application tests; that is directly attributed to CPU performance. The Core i5-7500T inside the Zotac barebones offering just isn't as fast as the other systems in the field that sport higher-clocked processors. This is especially apparent when compared to the Gigabyte BRIX Gaming VR barebones mini-PC, in which we used the same storage and memory configuration as the Zbox.

PCMark 10 Extended

The PCMark 10 Extended benchmark shows much of the same results as our other synthetic productivity tests, with the EN1060K-U falling behind the pack thanks to its T-series processor. The Zbox comes close to catching up with the H270 test bed in the Productivity segment of the test, but the weaker CPU puts it behind the other systems in the field by several hundred points in all of the other benchmarks.

VRMark

As a VR-ready device, the Zotac Zbox Magnus EN1060K-U is able to perform well above the Oculus Rift's minimum requirements in the Orange Room test. However, it still falls slightly behind the rest of the pack due to the CPU. The Blue Room results push all of the GTX 1060-equipped systems to the limit, and none of them could handle VR with ultra-high textures and effects enabled.

MORE: Best PC Builds

MORE: How To Build A PC

MORE: All PC Builds Content

Gaming Benchmarks

Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation

Switching to in-game benchmarks, the Zotac Zbox Magnus EN1060K-U seems to fare better against its barebones competition, the Gigabyte BRIX Gaming VR. Running the GPU-focused Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation tests exposes the Zbox as contender, and the poor thermal performance of the Gigabyte offering puts the EN1060K-U in a more favorable light with real-world gaming workloads.

Bioshock Infinite

The Bioshock Infinite results tell a similar story, with the EN1060K-U pushing past the BRIX Gaming VR at 1920 x 1080 and 3840 x 2160. The CPU inside the Zbox gives it the lowest minimum framerate in the bunch, but the GPU performance is able to boost its average framerate ahead of its direct barebones competition. Bioshock is also the only game in our suite that is quite playable at 4K with GTX 1060-equipped systems, even with the highest settings enabled.

DiRT Rally

DiRT Rally is another game that doesn't rely much on the CPU for performance, and the EN1060K-U maintains its lead against the Gigabyte BRIX Gaming VR. Using the most-demanding settings at 1080p, the GTX 1060-equipped systems all fall slightly short of the ideal 60FPS average. At 4K, we're met with unplayable average framerates from all of the PCs in the field, but you can get there by reducing the AA, textures, and effects.

Grand Theft Auto V

The Zotac Zbox Magnus EN1060K-U takes its familiar position in the GTAV benchmark at 1920 x 1080, besting the Brix and falling behind the Vortex with an average framerate of 36.39 FPS. However, it still fetches the lowest minimum framerate at this resolution by a longshot, and you'll have to reduce the detail settings to get to a target 60 FPS. At 3840 x 2160, a GTX 1060 graphics card is brought to unplayable framerates with the eye candy at max, and the BRIX manages to push a slightly better average framerate than even the Vortex. That is a testament to the EN1060K-U's thermal performance.

Hitman

The Direct3D 12 version of the Hitman benchmark favors CPU performance, and it's because of this we see the Zotac Zbox Magnus EN1060K-U fall to the bottom of the chart again. This is particularly noticeable at 1920 x 1080, where the Zbox nets the lowest minimum framerate. However, it still averages above 60 FPS with all of highest detail settings enabled at 1080p. Turning up the resolution to 3840 x 2160 pushes the bottleneck to the GPU, and the Brix's lead over the Zbox is less pronounced. The EN1060K-U also manages to achieve a better minimum framerate than the Gaming VR at 4K.

Middle Earth: Shadows of War

Shadows of War is a great game to weed out GPU performance discrepancies, and the Zbox is shown in a more positive light by netting the same average framerate as the MSI G25 Vortex 8RD at 1920 x 1080 and 3840 x 2160. The Gigabyte BRIX Gaming VR was exhibiting poor thermal performance in our review, and it definitely can't keep up in a GPU performance showdown against the better-cooled Vortex and Zbox. At 1080p, you'll be able to get close to 60 FPS average with all the candy turned up, but if you want to game at 4K, expect to turn down the detail dials to get playable framerates.

Rise of the Tomb Raider

With all of the effects and details at their maximum, the Zotac EN1060K-U makes it past the 30 FPS mark with playable average framerates at 1920 x 1080 in Rise of the Tomb Raider. However, the eye candy cripples all of the GTX 1060-equipped systems in the field at 4K, with all of them achieving less than a 10 FPS average. Decreasing the settings will obviously net better performance, but the Zbox still triumphs over the BRIX with less than a 1 FPS lead.

The Division

The Zotac Zbox Magnus EN1060K-U ends our test suite where it started, at the bottom of the chart. The Division favors CPU performance using the DX12 API, and it's no surprise that the Zbox takes a backseat to the systems with better processors. However, the performance difference between the EN1060K-U and its direct competition, the BRIX, is negligible. It trails the Gaming VR by only 0.1 FPS at 1920 x 1080, and the Zbox ties the Brix at 4K.

MORE: Best PC Builds

MORE: How To Build A PC

MORE: All PC Builds Content

Price Analysis & Conclusion

The Zotac Zbox Magnus EN1060K-U is meant for the living room with its trim chassis design, and it’s priced right at $900. It offers excellent 1080p gaming and VR-ready performance for considerably less money than other barebones solutions (see the Gigabyte Brix Gaming VR, priced at $1,150). Although you have to purchase your own storage, memory and operating system, the reasonable price of entry can afford you better components (in both speed and capacity) without pushing the total cost too high.

The Zbox isn’t much to look at if tucked away in a niche, but that can make sense for a PC designed for the living room. (Our DVD players don’t light up like a Christmas tree; why should any other device in our entertainment center?)

There’s enough USB connectivity to attach an HTC Vive or an Oculus Rift, but you’ll have to do so from the rear panel due to the lack of an HDMI port on the front panel. This is by no means a deal breaker, but the feature has been making its way to many other SFF gaming PCs bound for the living room, and it seems like it’s the only thing missing from Zotac’s VR-ready GTX 1060-equipped Zbox.

Installing the components took all of three minutes, and we’re impressed with Zotac’s simplistic interior design. Even novices can easily figure out how to get it up and running with tool-less access that makes similar barebones products seem like a nightmare to configure. The USB thumb drive loaded with all the drivers is another small thing that goes a long way for first-time DIY consumers. It would be a tough order to find another SFF gaming PC with as small a footprint and simplistic a setup process as the Zotac Zbox Magnus EN1060K-U, and it’s one of the best designs we’ve come across in this segment.

The Zbox Magnus EN1060K-U does have a few drawbacks. The Intel Core i5-7500T processor inside is not the fastest Core i5 on the market, with a base clock of 2.7GHz and a max turbo frequency of 3.3GHz in lightly threaded applications. As such, it falls behind in CPU-intensive workloads against higher-clocked Core i5s (the Vortex and our test bench) and mobile Core i7 (the BRIX) systems. However, it doesn’t severely affect most game tests.

The gaming performance of the EN1060K is on par with the other GTX 1060-equipped systems in our charts, exhibiting exceptional thermal dissipation despite the appearance of having little to cool the components. We observed temperatures of 69C with prolonged usage, which is right behind the Vortex and its impressive cooling system (observed at 61C). The EN1060K-U handily outperforms Gigabyte’s GTX 1060 barebones offering because of its stable thermals, with the BRIX topping out at 85C (and throttling). This is apparent in our game results, where the ZBox upends the BRIX in almost every test.

We may be nit-picking with this factor, but M.2 connectivity is limited in comparison to other barebones PCs we’ve encountered. A single slot appeals to standard users, but it wouldn’t have been difficult to fit another M.2 interface for more advanced consumers. (The PCB certainly appears to have some space for it.) The Zbox has some appeal to enthusiasts (we can’t build it that small and have to install our own components), and more storage connectivity would be a sweet incentive for those on the fence.

The Zotac Zbox Magnus EN1060K-U offers the best bang for your buck that we’ve seen in the SFF barebones PC segment by a landslide, coming in at $900 ($250 less than Gigabyte’s offering with the same GPU). Enthusiasts can always make the argument that you can build something more powerful for less money, but you definitely won’t be able to make it this small. Those same enthusiasts also likely have a powerhouse full tower PC sitting at their desk. Having an exceptionally priced SFF living-room gaming PC with enough power under the hood for excellent 1080p and entry-level VR gaming can give them the satisfaction of doing it themselves. Plus, you'll get better-than-console performance at a smaller cost and size than the competition.

MORE: Best PC Builds

MORE: How To Build A PC

MORE: All PC Builds Content

Introduction & Product Tour

Our recent Z270 desktop PC reviews put a focus on top-tier gaming machines leveraging the most powerful components available, with several of our review samples exceeding a price tag of $2,500. With the arrival of Intel’s 8^th generation Coffee Lake processors, the Z270 platform has seen its time in the sun. However, until H310 and H370 chipset motherboards arrive, 7^th generation Intel chips are still occupying many OEM product lines in the mid-range price tier.

With that in mind, we decided to take a look at a handful of these sub-$1,500 (and therefore still relevant) gaming rigs, specifically in the form of barebones mini PCs.

We’re familiar with Gigabyte’s BRIX gaming line—we took the Gaming GT for a spin a few months back, and we found the small form factor (SFF) gaming PC to be quite powerful at an exceptional price. Now, Gigabyte has an even smaller VR-ready machine: the BRIX Gaming VR barebones mini PC. Let's see if this Core i7 and GTX 1060-equipped game box can ride alongside its Gaming GT brethren in the halls of PC Valhalla.

Specifications

Exterior

The Gigabyte Brix Gaming VR is worthy of its name with its brick-like compact chassis, which takes form as a tall yet small 8.66 x 4.33 x 4.33-inch box that can easily find its place in your living room entertainment center. The casing is made of black metal and plastic, giving it a sleek look. The top of the device features an LED light that glows white and illuminates the ventilation around it. The bottom of the chassis is also ventilated, acting as an air intake, which forces fresh air to rise over the interior components and out the top.

From the front, the Brix Gaming VR is stoic and unblemished with a black plastic shroud, but the rear of the system sports a variety of connectivity options. There are two USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports (a Type-C and Type-A) capable of data transfer speeds up to 10 Gb/s and three USB 3.0 ports. This is enough USB connectivity to support both the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive VR HMDs, but in the case of the Rift (with Touch), you’ll be left with just one Type-A port to connect any other peripherals. However, you can also connect a keyboard and mouse via Bluetooth if you want to reserve the USB ports for VR devices, as the name of the PC suggests.

For display output, the Gigabyte Brix Gaming VR includes two mini DisplayPort 1.3 and two HDM 2.0 interfaces, making the device adept for multiple displays and VR HMDs. An Intel i219LM gigabit Ethernet port or Intel WirelessAC 8265 802.11ac WiFi will get you connected, and the overall design of the Brix Gaming VR makes a strong case for placement in your living room.

The Brix Gaming VR gets its power from a 180W adapter, drawing about as much juice as a laptop with its mobile components.

Interior

Under the hood, the Gigbyte Brix Gaming VR features an Intel Core i7-7700HQ processor clocked at 2.8 GHz with a maximum turbo frequency of 3.8 GHz in lightly threaded applications. The Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 6GB graphics card inside the Brix Gaming VR is an MXM card, and it should provide comparable performance to that of a full-fledged desktop GTX 1060 6GB graphics card.

As a barebones system, memory and storage (and an operating system) aren’t provided, but you can equip the Gaming VR with two DDR4-2133 SO-DIMM modules, up to two M.2 2880 devices (PCIe or SATA), and a 2.5” SATA drive (SSD or HDD). Ideally, a moderate-sized M.2 SSD and high-capacity 2.5” HDD would make for a sweet storage pairing in the Gigabyte Brix Gaming VR.

To get to the component slots, you have to remove the four screws at the bottom of the chassis and pop out the plastic part of the bottom panel. Slide the plastic part of the case upwards and away from the metal. With the innards of the Brix Gaming VR exposed, locate the side covered with the metal plate and remove the two screws holding it in place. Lift up and swing the metal panel away from the centrifuge (it has a sort of floating hinge) and carefully unplug the fan and power cables connected between the boards to allow the board to swing fully away from the device and give you access to the M.2 and memory slots.

We equipped the Gigabyte Brix Gaming VR with a 256GB PCIe NVMe SSD, a 1TB 2.5” 7,200 RPM HDD and an 8GB (2 x 4GB) kit of DDR4-2133 (we’ll detail the specific parts on the next page), and after freeing the removable board from the tiny chassis, installing the components is a breeze. The M.2 slots, mounting posts, and screws are easily accessible on the same board as the SO-DIMM memory slots, and both are equally easy to install using the instructions Gigabyte provides. Once the M.2 storage and memory are installed, return the board to its original position (making sure to plug in the fan and power cables) and secure it to the chassis with the screws.

The 2.5” drive bay is on the other side of this panel (where the large heatsink is located), and it can be accessed by removing the two screws on either side of it and lifting the tray up and out of the centrifuge. The SATA power and data cable is taped to the nearby heatsink. Secure your 2.5” drive of choice in the metal tray with the provided screws, plug in the SATA connector, and replace the cage to the chassis. Finish up by screwing down the drive bay, sliding the plastic shroud back over the exposed components, and reattaching the bottom panel.

Software And Accessories

The Gigabyte Brix VR doesn’t come with an operating system or any software, with the exception of the driver disk. You’re on your own when it comes to obtaining a Windows installation, and that easily adds at least $100 to the bill. Combine that with a minimalist kit of memory ($70), a moderate capacity M.2 NVMe SSD ($120), and a 2.5” HDD ($60), and you will spend somewhere around an additional $350 just to get the Brix VR up and running. You could equip the device with even less ambitious components (just an HDD, even less RAM), but the cost savings would impact performance significantly.

MORE: Best PC Builds

MORE: How To Build A PC

MORE: All PC Builds Content

Synthetic & Productivity Benchmarks

We compared Gigabyte's Brix Gaming VR to the recently reviewed MSI G25 Vortex 8RD, which also features a custom MXM GeForce GTX 1060 6GB graphics card and delivers a desirable small form factor. It uses an Intel Core i5-8400 CPU. The Gigabyte Brix Gaming VR also falls into the same sub-$1500 price point as the Vortex (after you add storage, memory, and an operating system). We also made a new H270 platform equipped with an Intel Core i5-7500 and an ASRock H270 Performance motherboard to see how a similarly equipped desktop with a locked CPU would perform against Gigabyte’s sample with a locked mobile CPU. You can see the full specifications of our H270 test platform below.

Comparison Products

H270 Test System Configuration

We also tapped into the data from our Z270 test bench, which is equipped with an Intel Core i7-7700K clocked at the default frequencies. We anticipate the Brix Gaming VR should fall in line somewhere between the two reference systems in CPU-intensive tasks. Both of our desktop reference systems were tested with a Zotac GTX 1060 6GB mini graphics card, which sports Nvidia’s stock clock rates. This should provide an adequate baseline to compare with Nvidia’s mobile counterparts.

Z270 Test System Configuration

For these barebones system reviews, we used the same set of storage and memory for testing. This includes an 8GB (2 x 4GB) kit of G.Skill SO-DIMM DDR4-2133 memory with a CAS latency of 15-15-15-35 and a 256GB Toshiba OCZ RD400 M.2 NVMe SSD. Since these components affect a variety of our synthetic benchmarks, we excluded our usual Storage and Memory Bandwidth results, as they will vary based on what the end user ultimately chooses to put in a barebones PC. These parts will also affect productivity workloads where memory bandwidth and storage speed is a factor, but we still chose to include these metrics because we are using the same set of components across all of the barebones PCs we test.

3DMark

The Gigabyte Brix Gaming VR performs in the same ballpark as its similarly equipped desktop competition in the 3DMark Fire Strike and Time Spy benchmarks, but it falls noticeably behind its direct competition, the MSI G25 Vortex, in the graphics portions of the tests. This is likely the result of lower peak GPU clock rates, with the Brix throttling back to the base clock rate fairly often thanks to temperatures reaching up to 85°C. However, the Gaming VR manages to net better CPU performance than our H270 test rig (equipped with a Core i5-7500), and it narrowly trails the Vortex's Core i5-8400, showing that Intel's 8th-generation, six-core desktop CPU has better multi-core performance chops than the previous generation's mobile i7 offering.

Cinebench R15

With CPU performance under the microscope in the Cinebench R15 benchmark, the Gigabyte Brix Gaming VR performs similarly to what the 3DMark CPU tests laid out, lagging behind the pack in single-threaded and OpenGL workloads. Again, the Gaming VR bests our H270 reference system in the multi-threaded portion of the test, with the hyper-threaded quad-core i7-7700HQ under the hood beating the Core i5-7500's four cores.

CompuBench

The Gigabyte Brix Gaming VR clearly has a slight GPU disadvantage compared to the G25 Vortex, falling behind the MSI-branding competition in the CompuBench Video Processing and Bitcoin Mining tests. Although the margin is small, it continues to point out a performance gap between Gigabyte's MXM GeForce GTX 1060 6GB graphics card and MSI's custom MXM card.

PCMark 8

Performance in the PCMark 8 application benchmarks are a mixed bag of results for the Gigabyte Brix Gaming VR. It falls significantly behind the other GTX 1060-equipped PCs in the field in the Adobe Creative test, but it manages to outpace the H270 reference system in the Microsoft Office application workloads. Storage and memory-intensive workload performance (especially Adobe software) will vary depending on what you install in your barebones Brix, but we can confidently say that the Gaming VR performs slightly behind other options.

PCMark 10 Extended

The PCMark 10 Extended results give us a more varied look at specific productivity workload performance, and the Gigabyte Brix Gaming VR is able to finally lift itself out of the bottom slot in the chart by outperforming our H270 reference system. The Brix Gaming VR still falls behind the H270 rig (and other GTX 1060-equipped PCs) in the Gaming test, but a close score in the Essentials benchmark, and comfortable leads in the Productivity and Digital Content Creation portion of the test gives the Brix a higher overall score. Again, our particular storage and memory setup has a significant impact on this, and your choice of hardware may prove better or worse in these particular workloads.

VRMark

VRMark tells a similar gaming performance story. The Gigabyte Brix Gaming VR falls behind the desktop GPU-equipped competition and the MSI G25 Vortex 8RD. However, the Brix exceeds the minimum recommended performance for the Oculus Rift in the Orange Room test. Pushing the detail settings higher with the Blue Room test crushes all of the GTX 1060-equipped systems in the field.

MORE: Best PC Builds

MORE: How To Build A PC

MORE: All PC Builds Content

Gaming Benchmarks

For this particular review, we excluded 2560 x 1440 test results. We did this because the mobile GPU would not run this resolution in full screen mode (although we could have run the tests with windowed resolutions), and these systems are meant for the living room, where 1080p and 4K TVs are more common.

Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation

The Gigabyte Brix Gaming VR starts the gaming benchmarks at the bottom of the heap, trailing the MSI G25 Vortex 8RD in average framerates by about 14% in the Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation tests at 1920 x 1080 and 3840 x 2160. This benchmark is known to stress the CPU more than the GPU, but the results indicate that the Brix Gaming VR is behind the pack on both fronts.

Bioshock Infinite

The Bioshock Infinite results are less damning, with the Brix Gaming VR coming in behind the G25 Vortex in average framerate by 4% at 1920 x 1080 and by 3% at 3840 x 2160. Bioshock is also acceptable to play at 4K, with all of the GTX 1060-equipped systems netting above a 30 FPS average with all the settings at maximum.

DiRT Rally

Again, the Gigabyte Brix Gaming VR performs just slightly behind the G25 Vortex in the DiRT Rally benchmarks, highlighted by lower minimum framerates at 1920 x 1080 and 3840 x 2160. The desktop CPUs inside the competition simply achieve better peak clock rates, and the Brix Gaming VR is more on par with a similarly equipped laptop (which still isn't too shabby).

Grand Theft Auto V

The slight CPU disadvantage of the Brix Gaming VR once again places it at the bottom of the chart. GTAV is especially taxing with the detail settings at maximum, and all of the GTX 1060-equipped PCs struggle to achieve above a 30 FPS average at 1920 x 1080. It's unreasonable to expect playable framerates at 4K without drastically reducing the eye candy.

Hitman

Similar to Bioshock Infinite, the Gigabyte Brix Gaming VR fares better at 1920 x 1080 in the Hitman benchmarks, achieving an average framerate above a desirable 60 FPS (65.6 FPS to be exact). Turning up the resolution to 3840 x 2160 doesn't do any favors for the mobile GPU-equipped PCs in the field. Whereas the desktop samples are able to achieve just under a playable 30 FPS average at 4K with all the settings at maximum, the Vortex and Brix Gaming VR trail them by a few FPS. The Brix only falls behind the Vortex by less than 1 FPS, but both systems require less demanding settings for playable framerates at 4K.

Rise of the Tomb Raider

Rise of the Tomb Raider is another hardware-heavy title that brings all of the GTX 1060-equipped systems to single-digit framerates at 4K. However, at 1920 x 1080, the Gigabyte Brix Gaming VR is able to average above a playable 30 FPS with all the details and AA and their highest settings. Once again we see the Brix trail the Vortex, but with the GPU clearly being the bottleneck, this disadvantage is much smaller than we've seen in other games.

The Division

We see more of the same results in The Division, with the Brix achieving a 47.2 FPS average framerate at 1920 x 1080 with the highest settings. It again falls behind the Vortex (by 3.5 FPS), and although we see better average framerates in this game at 4K than some of the others we've tested, it's still highly recommended that you turn the detail and AA dials way down if you want to play at 3840 x 2160.

Middle Earth: Shadows of War

Our newest game in the test suite gives a great indication of GPU performance (both of our test rigs with different CPUs achieve the same average framerate), and the Brix Gaming VR again falls behind the Vortex in Middle Earth: Shadows of War. The difference between Gigabyte and MSI's MXM GTX 1060 is small, but the slight GPU memory overclock of the MSI G25 Vortex (along with better observed thermals) puts the Gigabyte a few FPS behind it in the majority of our GPU-intensive tests.

MORE: Best PC Builds

MORE: How To Build A PC

MORE: All PC Builds Content

Price Analysis & Conclusion

The Gigabyte Brix Gaming VR is one of the smallest gaming PCs we've ever tested. It's about the size of a Google Home or Amazon Echo, and it packs considerable gaming horsepower. The Intel Core i7-7700HQ processor and GeForce GTX 1060 6GB graphics card will get you in the door for VR gaming and will provide excellent framerates in many AAA game titles at 1920 x 1080. However, you may have to back down the details to get the most out of Gigabyte's SFF gaming PC. 4K gaming is not the ideal intent for the Brix Gaming VR (or any other GTX 1060 equipped PC).

Size is the primary consideration factor for the Gigabyte Brix Gaming VR. It doesn't get much smaller than this. The tiny chassis can easily find a home in a living room entertainment center, and at full load the sound is comparable to a full-sized desktop PC at idle (it's not noisy). As a barebones PC, there is also an appeal to enthusiast consumers looking for an ultra-compact PC that requires a bit of technical knowledge to use (you have to install your own memory, storage, and operating system).

The chassis is easy to open, but we thought accessing the component interfaces (M.2, SATA, memory SO-DIMMs) was a bit awkward (the included instructions were also of little help). The best advice we can offer is to mind the attached cables when removing the main panel to install RAM and M.2 storage; our review sample's main power cable clip (attached to the removable panel) was broken (presumably from a prior review) from what appeared to be too much pressure on the cable when the board is pulled away to expose the interior. We were able to reattach it and use the device, but it's important to detach all the visible cables as you delicately open the system.

The compact design and quiet fans don't come without drawbacks. There's not much USB connectivity to go around. With only four Type-A ports, you'll have a problem connecting an Oculus Rift with Touch unless you opt for a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse.

Another serious issues is thermal performance. We observed GPU temperatures reaching 85°C (the maximum operating temperature before it throttles), which resulted in lower peak sustained clock rates compared to the direct competition, the MSI G25 Vortex (which also features an MXM GTX 1060). As such, the Brix Gaming VR falls behind the pack ever so slightly in our GPU-intensive benchmarks. That performance drop appears to be the price of ultra-compact PC gaming.

At $1,150, the Gigabyte Brix Gaming VR comes in at an attractive price on paper, but you'll spend anywhere from $250 to $600 more to add your own memory, storage, and OS (depending on how crazy you get with your memory and storage performance and capacity). This brings your total cost of ownership more in line with what the competition is asking for its fully assembled SFF PC (the G25 Vortex, priced at $1,500). Consequently, the Gigabyte Brix Gaming VR doesn't have as strong of a price-to-performance ratio as its base pricing may suggest. If performance is your primary deciding factor, there are other options in this price point that offer better thermal (and therefore, GPU) performance.

MORE: Best PC Builds

MORE: How To Build A PC

MORE: All PC Builds Content

LAS VEGAS, NV -- Intel revealed a new NUC barebones kit featuring Intel and AMD’s lovechild of an SoC.

The new Intel NUC8i7 comes in two different models. The HVK is the top end of the stack and features an unlocked 8^th generation (Kaby Lake-R) Intel Core i7-8809G processor, which sports a 100W TDP and can reach a 4.2GHz Turbo frequency at stock settings. The Radeon RX Vega M GH graphics inside the -8809G is VR-capable and reaches a peak clock rate of 1,190MHz, but it also features an unlocked core clock and can be given a performance boost (if the thermals allow it).

The NUC8i7HNK is more conservative, with an Intel Core i7-8705G processor that operates at a 65W TDP and can hit a 4.1GHz Turbo frequency in lightly threaded applications. Overclocking isn’t an option with the locked CPU multiplier. The Vega graphics are also somewhat stunted compared to the HVK – the RX Vega M GL graphics reach a peak frequency of 1,011MHz, and it can’t be overclocked. Intel didn’t slap the “VR-capable” tag on this version of the new NUC.

Both of the new NUC kits feature two SODIMM memory slots that support up to 32GB (2 x 16GB) of DDR4-2400 SODIMM memory running at 1.2V. For storage, users can equip the NUC8i7 with up to two M.2 2880 SSDs (SATA or PCIe). Additional storage and peripherals can be connected via three USB 3.1 (Gen 2) Type-C ports (two of which support Thunderbolt 3 connectivity), a USB 3.1 (Gen 2) Type-A port, and five USB 3.0 ports (four rear, one front). There’s also an SDXC card reader.

The new Intel NUC8i7 also sports ample display connectivity, with two mini DisplayPort 1.3 and an HDMI 2.0 port on the rear panel. The rear TB3 interfaces also support DisplayPort 1.2 connectivity, and the front HDMI 2.0 port makes it easy to connect a VR HMD.

Intel also packs plenty of networking options into the NUC8i7, with dual gigabit Ethernet ports (powered by an Intel i219-LM and i210-AT NIC) and wireless-AC connectivity (via an Intel Wireless-AC 8265 module). The device is powered by a 230W AC adapter and can be mounted to the back of a VESA-capable display.

The new Intel NUC8i7-HVK and NUC8i7-HNK will be available for $999 and $799, respectively, and they should hit store shelves this March.

Shuttle announced a new bare-bones mini PC with the ability to be overclocked with the push of a button. Meet the SZ270R9.

The Shuttle SZ270R9 is little more than a motherboard and power supply in a small cube-like chassis. The case itself is edgy and sports RGB LED lighting on its black plastic front panel. End users are required to equip the device with their own CPU, memory, storage, and a GPU, as well as loading their own operating system.

The device supports 6^th and 7^th generation 95W Intel processors (Skylake and Kaby Lake) with its Z270 chipset motherboard, with support for up to 64GB (4 x 16GB) DDR4-2400 memory. The SZ270R9 sports a unique CPU cooler, with four heat pipes making direct contact with the CPU and feeding to aluminum fins in the back of the device (away from the CPU mount) that dissipate the heat.  For storage, you can equip the SZ270R9 with up to four 3.5” or 2.5” drives (SSD or HDD), two M.2 2280 Type-M devices, or an M.2 2230 Type-A drive.

The Shuttle SZ270R9 also supports full-sized dual-slot graphics cards up to 280mm in length. However, a 500W 80 Plus Silver certified power supply limits the GPU ceiling to a GTX 1080, unless you want to run a more-powerful card with less than the recommended juice. You can connect the GPU using the SZ270R9’s 6-pin and 6+2-pin PCIe power connectors.

USB connectivity is abundant, with six USB 3.0 ports (four rear, two front) and four USB 2.0 ports. The motherboard also has its own display outputs, with an HDMI and two DisplayPort interfaces for integrated graphics, in case you choose to forgo a dedicated GPU.

Perhaps most interesting, the Shuttle SZ270R9 sports a push-button overclocking feature that will increase the frequency of your K-series CPU (and only unlocked K-series CPUs) with just one touch. Although Shuttle also offers overclocking software (and RGB lighting control software) for Windows 10, the one-touch solution will automatically select the optimized clock rate for the CPU without any further user interaction.

The Shuttle SZ270R9 supports 64-bit versions of Windows 7 and Windows 10, but the XPC overclocking and RGB lighting software is only supported on Windows 10. Pricing and availability of the new Shuttle SZ270R9 is currently unknown, but the company indicated it would be released to the wild soon.

ASRock announced that it upgraded its DeskMini 110 mini-STX barebones PC and H110M-STX motherboard for Intel's next-gen Kaby Lake processors.

The DeskMini 110 was the first commercially available PC based on Intel's mini-STX form factor. Asrock designed it to offer better performance than products of a similar size by supporting socketed desktop CPUs instead of soldered ultra-low power or mobile chips. The 1.92L case is just large enough to hold a motherboard, Intel's stock cooler, and a couple of 2.5" storage drives, along with two M.2 slots--one for PCIe Gen 3 (x4) SSD and one for an M.2 Key E device.

The H110M-STX is the motherboard ASRock squeezed into the DeskMini 110's case. Asrock announced the motherboard in July--not long after the DeskMini 110 became available--and designed it to fit inside other mini-STX cases. (Even though very few of those were available this summer.)

Here's how ASRock explained the philosophy behind DeskMini 110 and H110M-STX in a press release:

Consumers nowadays are seeking for a speedier computing experience. A faster PC without a bulky design is a critical condition to meet today’s most demanding computing environment. Ultimately, the ASRock’s Mini-STX products provide tons of upgradeability options with a tiny and compact design that can satisfy your need perfectly.

Now both products will receive BIOS updates to support Intel LGA 1151 socket-based processors. Intel introduced the socket with Skylake, and the company will use it for the upcoming Kaby Lake processors as well. Those processors are supposed to be more power efficient, have higher clock rates, and boast more aggressive Turbo Boost frequencies than their predecessors do and are expected to start shipping sometime in January 2017.

ASRock upgraded its 100-series motherboards to support Kaby Lake in October. The company did not say when it would release the BIOS update for the DeskMini lineup, but when it is, you'll be able to download it right from the ASRock website.

Update, 11/15/16, 11:30am PT: Corrected two specifications.

Introducing Luna Design's DNK-H

A Case By Any Other Name?

(Editor's Note: Luna Design is offering two versions of its DNK-H slim Mini-ITX case as a case/cooling/power combo, a barebones PC, or custom-configured PC. Contributing Editor Chris Miconi has combined performance, heat and noise measurements to evaluate it against alternative complete solutions).

The latest offering up on the testing block is a compact computer case from a small company most of you have probably never heard of. The DNK-H from Luna Design is an ultra-compact case designed to pack a reasonable amount of hardware. The company was kind enough to send us both versions of its case design, one of which was filled with hardware to be put to the test.

Specifications

Exterior

Luna Design offers the DNK-H as both a barebones case with a built-in power supply, CPU cooler, and WIFI antennas, as well as a pre-built system with a variety of different hardware configurations. The case we received happened to be packing an Intel Core i7-6700, 16GB of DDR4-2133MHz memory, a 256GB M.2 SSD, and a 1TB SSHD.

The DNK-H is available in both polycarbonate plastic as well as 5052-T32 aluminum and bears a bit of resemblance to Apple’s Mac mini in both size and external appearance. The plastic version of the case is available only in white, and feels very sturdy compared to what its appearance may lead you to believe. The aluminum version is available in silver and a goldish color that the company refers to as champagne, and feels every bit as sturdy as its plastic counterpart. 

The case features an extremely minimalist design with no external interface ports, save for those on motherboard. In fact, the only external features that break up the smoothness of the design are the power button and indicator lights on the front of the case, and the case’s name and ventilation holes located on top-rear of the case.

Both versions of the DNK-H come with a black polycarbonate plastic base, which acts as a mounting point for the case’s internal power supply, cooling fan, and other components. The base also has a number of ventilation holes, which help keep everything inside the case running cool. Finally, the bottom of the case features a built-in wall mount, though we would have liked a VESA mount as well.

The back of the DNK-H features a motherboard cutout for Thin Mini-ITX form factor boards, an input for power, and a pair of mounted connections for the WIFI antennas. Additionally, the motherboard included with our sample came with plenty of connectivity options including a pair of video inputs, a pair of gigabit LAN inputs, four USB 3.0 ports, and an optional 19V DC input.

Interior

Four screws secure two halves of the case. Inside you’ll find the built-in power supply and cooling fan, as well as a CPU heatsink, thermal paste, SATA power and data cables, a pair of WIFI antennas, and a power cable. The built-in power supply claims an 80 PLUS Gold rating and is capable of supplying up to 150W of power. Furthermore, the power supply is compatible with any Thin Mini-ITX motherboard which has a two pin 19V Molex connector.

The DNK-H’s CPU cooling system consists of a cooling fan built into the bottom of the case, providing the only source of air flow for its heatsink and surrounding components. The heatsink consists of a solid copper slug surrounded by an array of aluminum fins and is somewhat similar in design to the reference heatsink that accompanies Intel CPUs. Furthermore, it mounts to motherboards using a push pin design and is capable of handling up to 65W TDP. Intel’s standard for Thin Mini-ITX requires that all boards have the same mounting hole pattern regardless of socket. In theory that means that the heatsink should be compatible with both AMD and Intel boards, however Luna Design only officially supports Intel boards for the time being.

Exploring the inside of the pre-built case we find an Asus H110T Thin Mini-ITX motherboard mounted to what would be the top of the case during normal use. Also easy to spot are 2x 8GB SODIMMs of Kingston DDR4-2133MHz RAM and a 256GB M.2 SSD made by Lenovo, and hiding just beneath that is an Intel WIFI card. Under the DNK-H CPU heatsink sits an Intel Core i7-6700.

On the bottom, in addition to the cooling fan and power supply that come with the DNK-H, our pre-built version also came with a 1TB Seagate SSHD attached to the 2.5” drive mounting location.

Size Always Matters

In the realm of compact computers, size, along with how much gear a computer holds, are the two biggest decision factors. So for today’s review, we’ll be putting the DNK-H up against the latest iteration of Apple’s Mac mini as well as Intel’s flagship NUC.

The DNK-H is obviously the largest of the three systems in today’s review, but it’s also the cheapest and most configurable. Unlike its two competitors, the DNK-H has the largest selection of motherboards and CPUs, as well as storage, all while maintaining a reasonably small footprint.

MORE: Best Cases
MORE: All Case Content
MORE: In Pictures: 40 Unusual Computer Case Mods

Benchmarks And Conclusion

How We Tested the DNK-H

We ran the Luna Design DNK-H through our standard First Look suite, with a couple of extra tests added. Our standard test suite consists of PCMark 8, 3DMark Fire Strike, and Unigine Valley for the synthetic tests, as well as the built-in benchmarks in Bioshock Infinite and Metro: Last Light Redux for the gaming tests. Because compact systems are expected to be both cool and quiet, we’ve added CPU thermal testing and noise testing to the mix.

We put the DNK-H up against two other popular and similarly configured systems: Apple’s late-2014 Mac mini and Intel’s Skull canyon NUC.

Synthetic Benchmark – PCMark 8

For our first benchmark we see the DNK-H and the NUC trade blows as the DNK-H’s more powerful desktop CPU comes out on top in the Work test while the NUC’s Iris Pro GPU gives it a distinct advantage in the more GPU-bound Home and Creative tests. Meanwhile, we find Apple’s Mac mini in last place with its aging mobile CPU, which can’t keep up with the modern hardware found in the other two products.

Synthetic Benchmark – 3DMark Fire Strike

Similarly, both the DNK-H and the NUC score well in the CPU-based physics test, with the win going to the DNK-H for its desktop CPU. The limits of all three systems are also rather obvious here, with poor overall graphics scores due to the limitations of their CPU-based GPUs.

Synthetic Benchmark – Unigine Valley

Once again we see the same pattern, with the NUC’s Intel Iris Pro graphics taking a commanding lead over both the Intel HD graphics in the DNK-H and the aging Intel Iris graphics in the Mac mini.

Gaming Benchmark – Bioshock Infinite

The graphics punishment continues. The Intel NUC is the only system to come close to what we would consider a playable framerate at these settings. Meanwhile we find the other systems drowning in their own blood trying to keep up.

Gaming Benchmark – Metro: Last Light Redux

At this point, Metro: Last Light Redux puts the final nail in the coffin of all three systems, with even the NUC’s Iris Pro graphics succumbing to this benchmark's extreme graphics load.

CPU Thermal Testing

We conducted today’s thermal tests by running both Prime95 (small FFTs) and 3DMark 11’s Graphics Test 1 (extreme preset) for a punishing, full two hours on each system. Then we averaged Tcore temperature from each core to determine the CPU’s overall temperature, from which we subtracted the ambient temperature of the room to derive the final value. The room temperature for today’s tests was maintained at approximately 26°C (78.8°F).

Even after a full two hours of intense load on its 65W TDP Intel Core i7-6700, the DNK-H manages to maintain a somewhat high, but still quite acceptable overall temperature of 83.5°C, mainly thanks to its full-size heatsink and cooling fan. Meanwhile, even with lower TDP processors, the heat pipes and small cooling fans in the Mac mini and NUC leave them roasting with overall temperatures of 92.2°C and 93.6°C respectively.

Fan Noise Testing

Because compact systems should be both cool and quiet, we put all three systems to the test with our Galaxy CM-140 SPL meter. We measured the CPU fan noise of each system by placing the meter 0.25m away from the front left corner of each system, with the meter’s microphone pointed directly at the system’s case. The numbers were then corrected to the 1m industry standard – used by many loudspeaker and fan manufacturers – by subtracting 12 decibels.

All three systems are quiet enough at idle that they managed to push our sound meter to its limits by coming in just under its certified 32 dBA minimum. Short of placing your ear against one of them, you won’t be able to hear them under light loads. Under more intense loads we start to see a marked increase in fan noise. The same cooling solution that left the Mac mini roasting in our temperature test also makes it the quietest system of the three. Meanwhile, we see the DNK-H and NUC trading blows, with the win going to the DNK-H for its lower overall temperatures.

Conclusion

The compact system marketplace is full of options ranging from Apple’s Mac mini, to Intel’s line of NUCs, to fanless systems, and more. Each makes some sort of trade-off between size and features, and almost all carry a hefty price tag. Further complicating matters is the respectable number of Thin Mini-ITX cases on the market for builders looking to build their own systems.

Luna Design’s DNK-H is a great compact system, in the sense that you can either buy the case standalone and build your own system, or have the company build one for you. If you choose to have Luna Design build one for you, you get a great system full of parts that are guaranteed to work together, and if you choose to go it on your own, you still get a great compact case with lots of space, and a built-in cooling system and power supply, all of which is ready to build. Finally, the ability to use a desktop CPU instead of its mobile equivalent should place the DNK-H above a good bit of the competition, especially in the pre-built systems market which is dominated by less capable mobile processors.

Even though the DNK-H is a great system, it won’t be replacing your gaming desktop or laptop any time soon. As a whole, compact systems like the DNK-H usually don't fare well in heavy graphics workloads because they lack a discrete graphics card. Furthermore, the scarcity of desktop CPUs with on-chip, high-performance graphics, and that drop into an LGA socket, make gaming with the DNK-H even more difficult, even with lowered settings.

But at less than $80 for a case and under $1,000 for a pre-built system, the DNK-H is still an excellent buy for anyone who wants a product with a great price-to-performance ratio, as well as a great compact system with a respectable amount of customization.

MORE: Best Cases
MORE: All Case Content
MORE: In Pictures: 40 Unusual Computer Case Mods

Follow us on Facebook, Google+, RSS, Twitter and YouTube.

Introducing Aegis X

Though most PC hobbyists prefer to start from scratch, it’s hard to overlook the special features that manufacturers can enable by designing several parts as a complete package. The term “Barebones” refers to a motherboard with case and power supply, but these can be bundled either by the manufacturer as a custom unit or by a reseller using off-the-shelf parts. Even low-end ATX full towers are sometimes sold as Barebones kits. Finding a base configuration with special integrated features requires one to look beyond the term Barebones and into manufactured solutions.

Most of these custom designs use several standard form factor components to assure buyers that non-original replacement parts will fit, even if doing so sacrifices those custom features. Creative’s full-ATX Sound Blaster PC represents my first exposure to a manufacturer-optimized Barebones with its built-in Live Drive. Owners who wanted to replace the Slot 1 motherboard formed communities to figure out how to make its modified Live Drive cable work with the header found on Creative’s Sound Blaster Live discrete audio cards. Creative’s motherboard supplier saw the problem of stranded customers as an opportunity to sell an entire set of components at every minor upgrade, dropped out of the motherboard business, and switched its entire product line to propriety "mini barebones" PCs. Meanwhile, manufacturers who have remained in the motherboard business continue to offer their Barebones customers an easier upgrade path, at least most of the time.

MSI’s Aegis X for example is based on Mini ITX. Any of its components can be replaced with parts from other brands, though, as with the customized Live Drive mentioned above, doing so could force buyers to give up a couple features. The Type-C USB 3.1 10 Gbps port is primary of the two custom features since it uses a PCIe interface over a data cable to connect the daughter card upon which that port is mounted.

Highlighted by the backlit logo, a button that triggers a firmware function otherwise known as MSI OC Genie is the system's remaining proprietary feature. On the Aegis X it’s called “OC Mode” for “MSI Gaming App." Front panel Type A ports, as well as headphone and microphone jacks, all connect through industry-standard internal headers.

MSI’s Aegis X layout makes more sense when viewed from the rear, with its Mini ITX motherboard in the case’s upper portion and the power supply located in its lower portion. MSI delivered the Aegis X-001BUS with one of its own graphics cards, some drives, and a CPU: Retail buyers get only the case, power supply, motherboard, CPU cooler, and all the hardware needed to connect everything.

The Aegis X motherboard includes a Killer Wireless-AC 1435 controller in addition to the Killer E2400 Gigabit Ethernet, thereby enabling Killer Doubleshot Pro support. There are no USB 3.1 10 Gbps ports in back, though the two USB 2.0 ports are handy for a keyboard and mouse. Yet even those ports come online too late in the boot process to gain access to firmware. Instead, we had to dig out an old-fashioned PS/2 keyboard to get the motherboard to recognize our striking of the Delete key in a timely manner.

Located in the lower section, a so-called 1U power supply is specified to deliver up to 600W. We’re not lazy enough to call it proprietary, since several manufacturers offer compatible units.

The installation kit includes a power cord, Wi-Fi antennas, software, and a right-angle HDMI patch cord. The patch cord connects your graphics device to an extension cable that runs from the case's rear to front HDMI port. That’s two patch cords (internal and external) in addition to the cable you’re planning to use: Most of us would rather run a single cable around the case to avoid this compromise.

Our customized configuration came with a CEE 7/5 (French) power cable. Retail US buyers should expect a Type B cable and none of the added parts (drives, graphics, etc) seen in previous photos.

MORE: Best PC Builds
MORE: How To Build A PC
MORE: All PC Builds Content
MORE: All Case Content

Inside The Aegis X

Once again we must remind everyone that MSI sent this barebones filled with additional components that it wanted to see displayed in our photos. Rather than show a buildup, we’ll show a tear-down as we remove the graphics, drives, RAM, and CPU that aren’t included in the Aegis X-001BUS base model.

Because the right side-panel is secured with a screw under the top panel, removing the top panel is the first step in building (or disassembling) the Aegis X. A single 2.5” tray is found here. Two empty 3.5” drive trays are located under the (included) Hitachi/LG model GUD0N 8x DVD burner.

Two screws hold a clamping bracket to secure a graphics card. Removing these allows the user’s graphics card to slide out of the Aegis X PCIe 3.0 x16 riser card.

Removing two screws atop and two screws aback the riser bracket gives builders easy access to the closed-loop liquid cooler (CLLC), a DDR4 SO-DIMM slot, and a PCIe 3.0 x4 M.2 slot. Both the DRAM and M.2 slots are empty in the stock configuration.

The other DDR4-SODIMM and M.2 slots are found on the back of the Aegis X motherboard. MSI delivered this system as they would like their buyers to build it, with dual-channel memory and dual M.2 cards in RAID 0.

Other than a couple front-panel features, the 92mm liquid CPU cooler is the closest thing MSI’s Aegis X has to a proprietary part. It’s interchangeable with the $85 Asetek 545LC, if you know where to find one.

Though we haven’t found a documented form factor, several manufacturers label their 100mm x 40.5mm power supplies 1U, with various lengths ranging from 190mm to 250mm. At 220mm long, the Fortron Source model FSP600-40UGSBE included by MSI is 80 PLUS Silver rated to 600W. Open-market replacements up to 500W are readily found at that length, and the base of the Aegis X has a little extra space at the front for those who’d like to try cramming in a longer unit. On the other hand, the included 600W part appears a little overkill. We can’t think of an easy way to cram more than 500W of components into a system this small.

Aegis X Firmware And Software

The Aegis X defies all of our expectations for MSI hardware by providing zero overclocking options in firmware. The company added an XMP button to publicly available update firmware after a little prodding, but even switching down from the DDR4-2400 defaults of our recently-reviewed Crucial Ballistix Sport LT kit to DDR4-2133 isn't an option. There are a few boot settings and a bunch of status screens however.

MSI’s famous OC and MFlash menu buttons are completely missing from Advanced mode, replaced with the Hardware Monitor and System Explorer buttons normally found on the other side of the screen on its retail boards.

The Hardware Monitor popup is a repeat from EZ Mode and, unlike MSI’s retail boards, lacks any adjustability. The System Explorer page is also limited to external connections rather than internal hardware, though pointing the cursor at any of the shown zones enables a popup to show what’s plugged in.

The Aegis X software load includes several MSI apps, but does not include MSI’s venerable Command Center software or even its Live Update 6. Both of those suites are unsupported.

MSI Gaming Center provides an index of most of its other utilities and licensed software, plus a direct control menu for its RGB case lighting effects.

MSI Dragon Eye provides video overlay of an unrelated feed while gaming. MSI mentions YouTube and Twitch as possible overlay video sources. The program includes hotkey functions to control the video feed and transparency control so it won’t conceal too much of your important game action.

MSI Gaming App offers limited control for enhanced turbo and power saving CPU modes. Its functionality is also dependent on the position of the front-panel turbo button.

MSI Recovery is the firm’s own brand hard drive backup suite. We used it and found that it mostly works, though we only found our 32GB thumb drives compatible. Several of our larger drives were incompatible, and the 27GB image meant that anything smaller than 32GB wouldn’t have the required capacity.

Killer Networking’s software allows users to set packet and stream prioritization. The presence of both Killer Ethernet and Killer Wi-Fi controllers allows Aegis X owners to enable Killer Doubleshot Pro mode.

MSI also adds PowerDVD 12 and temporary subscription service for Norton Security, WTFast, and XSplit Gamecaster/Broadcaster.

Setting Up The Comparison

It’s been a while since we’ve reviewed a barebones PC, and all of the old data uses older hardware. MSI Aegis X is thus compared to current hardware as both a motherboard and a case/power supply combo.

Comparison Motherboards

The design of MSI’s Aegis X presents somewhat of a challenge to case selection capabilities, as we haven’t tested a riser-card case specifically designed to cool gaming graphics cards since the original ASRock M8 of 2013. Nearly the same height as the Aegis X, Corsair’s Graphite 380T is the smallest gaming case we had on hand.

To help demo its Aegix X, MSI included a pair of Toshiba 128GB M.2 drives in RAID 0. Unfortunately, our comparison system doesn't have two M.2 slots. A recent upgrade in our test software suite made this the perfect time to switch to our new test drive, which is a single 256GB version of the drives MSI had included. Retail-boxed Toshiba NVMe M.2 drives come with a PCIe adapter card that we wouldn't need, and are sold under the OCZ brand.

MSI also included its GTX 1080 Armor OC for the demo, and with all those other changes to the system configuration I ran out of excuses not to upgrade. It's both more powerful and shorter than the GTX 970 we were previously using.

Comparison Cases

We used the same CPU cooler in both systems to make the thermal comparison as fair as possible, but how do we price that cooler if it’s not sold separately? Fortunately, the model it’s based on is available on eBay for $85.

Finished Test Configurations

We could have reduced our theoretical build tally by over $100 through the purchase of a lower capacity power supply, but re-using an old high-end unit that we already had on hand saved us actual money. New system builders could potentially get the ASRock/Corsair baseline configuration down to $400 if they chose a cheaper motherboard model as well, or even push overclocking potential on the expensive setup by starting off with a larger cooler. Of course they’d give up the slenderness of the Aegis X in the process along with a couple of its special features. Then again, we’ve recently seen the Aegis X at a promotional price of $360, and not everyone is die-hard concerning overclocking. Because of the plethora of pricing and configuration options, our conclusion will speak only in general terms concerning Aegis X value.

Test Results, Analysis, And Final Evaluation

Intel sets its Turbo Boost ratios differently depending on the number of CPU cores that are highly loaded, in order to maintain relatively strict thermal and power limits. Various manufacturers have added "Enhanced" boost ratio settings that force firmware to ignore the lower boost ratios, and pick the highest boost ratio no matter how heavy the load gets. The setting corresponds to the GamingApp "OC Mode" of MSI's Aegis X, and is enabled whenever the OC Mode button on the front of the case is deployed.

The ASRock comparison motherboard offers the same setting through firmware, under the label "Multi Core Enhancement."

Details of our hardware configurations can be found on the previous page of this review.

Synthetic Benchmarks

Since most real-world applications are hardly sensitive to a single, minor component performance deficit, synthetics are a much easier way to find any small flaws. We don’t see any noticeable differences in 3DMark or PCMark results.

Sandra Memory Bandwidth favors the Aegis X, and that difference is reflected in bandwidth-dependent Sandra Cryptography. Perhaps the system will also take a win where it matters, in one of our real-world application tests?

Gaming Performance

Though they might not be appreciable in actual game play, differences in Ashes frame rates at baseline speed are larger than I could have anticipated, particularly since both baseline settings are supposed to use Intel's standard Turbo Boost ratios. I could have blamed the difference in memory bandwidth, except that both systems perform similarly when using identical boost-ratio enhancements. F1 2015 is better known for being hampered by memory performance when set far below GPU limits, and its differences fall into line with the expectations set by Sandra Memory Bandwidth tests.

Timed Application Performance

Less is more concerning time to complete a task, yet neither of these gaming configurations stands out noticeably in most of our productivity tests. The 7-Zip benchmark can be impacted by numerous things including drive and memory performance, and it's the one place where the Aegis X makes a clean break.

Power And Energy Efficiency

Slightly lower power consumption at load gives the ASRock/Corsiar configuration a small lead in energy efficiency. Meanwhile, the Aegis X takes a performance lead that’s so small that only MSI would care to discuss it.

Temperatures, Noise And Acoustic Efficiency

I switched to the Crucial CT500MX200SSD1 drive and Gigabyte GV-N970G1 GAMING-4GD graphics card from our gaming case reviews to keep noise levels consistent with previous tests.

A big fan at the front of Corsair’s case helps to maintain a lower CPU temperature. While the Aegis X produces less noise on average, its small average temperature deficiency leads to a slightly lower acoustic efficiency score.

Final Thoughts

MSI’s Aegis X performs on par with custom configurations while being a little narrower and offering a couple small features. One of those added features, its overclocking button, doesn’t really compensate for its lack of manual overclocking options. Non-overclockers will find this a non-issue, and instead look at the front-panel USB 3.1, 10 Gbps Type-C port. And while that port might not appear to be a major advantage, the fact that this type of front-panel port requires a local controller has prevented it from becoming a standard on retail PC cases. Most builders must instead add this feature to a case using a drive bay adapter, yet cases this small usually don’t have a drive bay into which a builder can place that adapter.

We won’t give MSI a supremacy award simply for adding a front-panel port that most motherboards have on the back, but we can see the usefulness of the Aegis X as a complete package. And while we don’t have a similar Barebones configuration from which to extract any precise value analysis, we did see a page back that the Aegis X price is roughly typical for its component set. Lacking any value or supremacy awards, our stamp of approval is viable for a product that passes all of our tests without presenting any major competitive deficiencies.

MORE: Best PC Builds
MORE: How To Build A PC
MORE: All PC Builds Content
MORE: All Case Content

Thomas Soderstrom is a Senior Staff Editor at Tom's Hardware, covering Cases, Cooling, Memory and Motherboards. Follow him on Twitter.

Follow us on Facebook, Google+, RSS, Twitter and YouTube.

MSI first introduced us to the Aegis series with a barebones system that included MSI’s Silent Storm Cooling 2 and a B150 chipset motherboard. Then, Aegis X offered an upgrade to a Z170 motherboard, a better PSU, and liquid cooling for the CPU. Now, MSI has announced yet another Aegis-branded barebones system.

The new MSI Aegis Ti features a custom Z170 motherboard, an 850-watt Platinum-rated power supply, and support for Nvidia two-way SLI configurations (something the previous iterations were incapable of). It has a higher memory capacity than its predecessors, with support for up to 64 GB (4 x 16 GB) of SO-DIMM DDR4 (the other Aegis models have only two SO-DIMMs). The two M.2 slots support MSI’s Super Raid 4 (RAID 0) NVMe storage array. There’s also space for two 3.5-inch or one 2.5-inch drives.

A new version of the cooling solution, Silent Storm Cooling 3 (not to be confused with Silent Storm Cooling 2, or Silent Storm Cooling 2 Pro, or the original Silent Storm Cooling from the MSI Vortex), provides dedicated airflow for the graphics card(s) and power supply. Similar to the Aegis X, the Aegis Ti also features a liquid-cooling radiator for the CPU.

Aesthetically, we’re looking at the same barebones Aegis chassis as before. The biggest difference is the added space (and therefore, size) for a second GPU, but the overall design and layout remains the same. The front panel features a USB 3.1 (Gen 2) Type-C slot with up to 10 Gb/s data rates. There’s also two USB 3.1 Type-A ports; one is Gen 2, the other is Gen 1 (5 Gb/s). You can plug in your headset with a combo audio in/out jack, and an HDMI port on front is a considerate feature for a VR gamer. You can also press the Dragon button to instantly overclock the platform (though we aren't sure how much user setup is required, if any).

The motherboard’s rear I/O panel has four USB 3.1 Type-A (Gen 1) ports, four USB 2.0 ports, audio jacks and a P/S 2 port. The front panel’s HDMI pass through is on the back of the chassis in a space between where the graphics cards would go, making it easy to connect it to the GPUs. Internet connectivity is provided by a Killer LAN E2400 RJ45 gigabit Ethernet port and an onboard Killer Wi-Fi 1435AC adapter.

The MSI Aegis Ti barebones PC appears to be the king of the Aegis mountain, and it will arrive in mid-August starting at $649.99. Some assembly is required. However, the company undoubtedly has plans to sell a fully-featured Aegis Ti in the future (MSI did that with the previous Aegis barebones PCs), so if DIY isn’t your thing, hang tight. Preconfigured systems are likely coming.

ASRock’s Desk Mini 110 has been available for a while as the first commercially available mini-STX barebones PC. Now (although it is unlikely you will want to buy just the motherboard at this time), ASRock now plans to ship the Desk Mini 110’s H110M-STX board as a standalone product.

The H110M-STX motherboard is designed around Intel’s 5x5-inch mini-STX form factor. This allows companies to produce unusually compact desktop PCs, but at the expense of several connection options.

The H110M-STX doesn’t have any PCI/PCI-E connections, for example. There is an M.2 Key-E slot for a Wi-Fi card, and an M.2 Key-M slot for an SSD. As the Intel H110 chipset uses legacy PCI-E 2.0 lanes, ASRock decided to connect the M.2 Key-M slot directly to the CPU’s PCI-E 3.0 controller and bypass the chipset entirely. In theory, this should improve performance due to reduced latency and PCI-E 3.0’s higher bandwidth.

Due to the use of an external power supply, the board does not have traditional SATA ports. Instead, it uses a hybrid connection that combines power and data into a single cable. This allows the storage drives to be fed power directly from the motherboard. ASRock placed two of these connections on the bottom of the board.

The motherboard has fairly limited USB connection options, as well. There is a single internal USB 2.0 header on the motherboard. On the rear I/O panel, there’s just one USB 2.0 port and one USB 3.0 port. Over on the front of the board, there is an additional USB 3.0 port alongside a USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C port.

To conserve space, the H110M-STX uses DDR4 SO-DIMMs. Memory support is limited to 32 GB of DDR4 at 2,133 MHz. RAM timings are less restrictive and can be tweaked in the BIOS to try and reduce latency.

The board’s audio subsystem is powered by a Realtek ALC283 audio codec. There aren’t any audio connections on the back of the motherboard, but there is a mic input and an audio-out plus mic-in combo port on the front.

Aside from the ports listed above, there is just the power connection, a DisplayPort, an HDMI port, a VGA port and an RJ-45 port connected to an Intel i219v NIC.

Specifications

MORE: Best Motherboards

MORE: How To Choose A Motherboard

MORE: All Motherboard Content

Although ASRock will sell this board separately from the case, it would be a better idea to just buy the Desk Mini 110 for now because of the extremely limited selection of cases on the market. Eventually this issue will be resolved, but currently there aren’t any mini-STX cases available for purchase outside of the Desk Mini 110, and ASRock does not sell that case without a motherboard pre-installed.

Users should also be aware that the H110M-STX motherboard does not support CPUs with a TDP greater than 65 W. This essentially means it supports all current LGA 1151 Skylake CPUs except the i5-6600K and i7-6700K.

There is currently no word on pricing or availability. The H110M-STX motherboard will undoubtedly be priced lower than the Desk Mini 110, however, which currently sells for $139.99.

MORE: Best Deals

MORE: Hot Bargains @PurchDeals

Follow us on Facebook, Google+, RSS, Twitter and YouTube.

Who let the dogs out? In 2000, it was the Baha Men. In 2016, it's Corsair unleashing a couple of its own dogs. Along with the Lapdog "Gaming Control Center" (read: massive lapboard for living room gaming), Corsair announced the companion "Bulldog" barebones chassis. We saw the Bulldog at Computex, PAX Prime and CES along with the Lapdog.

The Bulldog hasn’t changed much since we last saw it. It’s a Mini-ITX case sporting a Hydro Series H5 SF liquid cooler for the CPU and an SF600 80 Plus Gold power supply, and it's available with a Gigabyte Z170N-WiFi Mini-ITX motherboard. Builders need to add their own CPU, memory, storage and graphics card.

Corsair offers the Bulldog without the motherboard for builders who already have one. This adds some degree of customization, but as of now, the Bulldog is still preconfigured with the H5 SF cooler and SF600 PSU. The 120mm radiator fittings allow you to attach all-in-one coolers to their graphics card, given you have an AIO bracket such as Corsair’s Hydro Series HG10 A1.

The Corsair Bulldog High Performance PC Kit is available for preorder at $399 with a Gigabyte Z170N-WiFi and $299 without a motherboard. If you’d like a custom Bulldog experience in your living room without the hassle of building the system yourself, complete systems will be offered with prices varying based on configuration.

Alexander Quejado is an Associate Contributing Writer for Tom's Hardware and Tom’s IT Pro. Follow Alexander Quejado on Twitter. 

Follow us on Facebook, Google+, RSS, Twitter and YouTube.

Shuttle announced a new small form factor (SFF) barebones PC that can store up to four 3.5-inch hard drives despite its limited footprint.

The Shuttle SZ170R8 features support for the latest Intel Skylake LGA 1151 processors, up to 64 GB DDR4-2133, and up to four 3.5-inch HDDs. The Z170 motherboard also sports a full-size M.2 slot for PCIe, SATA or NVMe SSD storage. In addition, the chassis can house up to one dual-slot graphics card in a PCIe 3.0 x16 slot, giving the SZ170R8 the capability to become a pint-sized powerhouse gaming system.

Without the addition of a dedicated GPU, the Shuttle SZ170R8 offers two DisplayPort interfaces and an HDMI port to connect a display. A gigabit Ethernet port will get you online, but you can also install a Wi-Fi card in the half-sized M.2 interface for wireless connectivity. The Shuttle SZ170R8 also has plenty of USB connectivity, with six USB 3.0 ports in the rear and two USB 3.0 ports in the front. There's even an eSATA port for additional external storage options.

The integrated Cooling Engine 2 features Shuttle’s Ice 2 heat pipe technology, which uses convection cooling to dissipate heat away from the processor. The copper tubes are coated in nickel for increased durability and are filled with distilled water to improve the thermal transfer from the CPU plate to the aluminum fins.

The Shuttle SZ170R8 is available now, starting at $449.99.

Derek Forrest is an Associate Contributing Writer for Tom’s Hardware and Tom’s IT Pro. Follow Derek Forrest on Twitter. Follow us on Facebook, Google+, RSS, Twitter and YouTube.

Hands-On And First Impressions

A week ago, if you told me that I could have a complete desktop experience in a $70 mini-PC smaller than the size of my hand, I would have scoffed. But today, I quite literally have in the palm of my hand the Remix Mini by Jide.

This is an ambitious product resulting from Jide Technology's successful Kickstarter in July 2015, which followed the company's successful crowdfunding campaign for the Android-based Remix Ultratablet. The initial goal for the Remix Mini was $50,000, and it hit that in just over an hour. Within five days it rocketed to $500,000.

At a glance, it's clear that the Jide Remix Mini isn't going to be incredibly fast. That's no surprise when you're paying $70. But at least you can upgrade a few components. For example, you can attach a USB splitter, increasing the number of connected devices. The microSD expansion card slot also supports up to 128GB, increasing the total storage capacity to 144GB.

In addition to its diminutive stature and price point, the Remix Mini also comes with Remix OS, the mini-PC's custom Android-based operating system.

Design And Features

The Remix Mini's design is unassuming, and perhaps this was Jide's intention. It looks like a smooth pebble with no discerning features besides the Remix logo on top.

There isn't even a power button; the system is turned on by tapping the top of the chassis. An almost unnoticeable green power LED sits at the very front of the Remix Mini.

Tapping the Remix logo while the system is on puts it to sleep, while using any connected input device or tapping the logo again wakes it up. At first, I hoped for some sort of tactile response while tapping the Remix Mini, either through a mechanical switch or pressure-sensitive bumper. But this would have affected the price, I'm sure. Another concern I had was that a poorly placed object could fall and put the Remix Mini to sleep. Not only is the Remix Mini unaffected by little accidents like that, it appears the touch sensor responds only to human touch. 

All of the Remix Mini's I/O is found in the back. From left to right, there's a DC power input, an Ethernet port, two USB 2.0 ports, a microSD card reader, one HDMI port and a headphone jack. The two USB 2.0 ports will accommodate keyboards and mice, while the headphone jack is sufficient for audio.

Benchmarks And Conclusion

Benchmarking the Jide Remix Mini required a unique approach. The hardware is powered by Remix OS 2.0, a custom operating system based on Android 5.1 Lollipop, so the synthetic metrics at our disposal are mobile benchmarks found on the Google Play Store. We went with AnTuTu, a familiar suite.

The Remix Mini is also a barebones mini-PC, and user experience is paramount, regardless of how well the system performs in a synthetic test. Normally, I use my personal machine as a media and entertainment center for streaming movies, playing music and browsing the Web. I wanted to see if the Remix Mini could satisfy that role, so for about one week I used it as my daily driver.

Synthetic Benchmark - AnTuTu

AnTuTu is one of the more popular mobile benchmarking applications that tests several facets of performance, including 3D, UX and CPU capabilities.

The Remix Mini scores 25,966 in AnTuTu. That's not an impressive result. It falls behind flagship phones released within the past couple of years. For comparison, Samsung's Galaxy S7 Edge and Apple's iPhone 6s score 134,599 and 133,781 in AnTuTu respectively.

Video Playback

And yet, you don't necessarily need a big AnTuTu score to enjoy your mini-PC. Using Netflix, I streamed a couple of movies and hour-long episodes from various TV shows with ease. YouTube videos similarly played back smoothly. Paying $70 isn't bad for a home theater solution that performs as-promised.

Music Playback

To test audio playback, I used Google Play Music, available on the Play Store. The Remix Mini ran through several hours of music streaming. Though I encountered the occasional hiccup from buffering, the experience was polished overall.

Web Browsing

To test web browsing, I used Google's Chrome browser, also found on the Play Store. Of course, this isn't a sophisticated use case, so browsing on the Remix Mini is much like perusing the Internet in a browser on Windows. You retain functionality like tab-dragging thanks to Remix OS 2.0. But the experience does feel cheapened somewhat due to the app's Android foundation. Websites like Facebook and YouTube automatically want to go to their mobile versions. Right-clicking doesn't work as you'd expect either; the OS supports long clicking the left mouse button instead.

Word Processing

I used Google Docs during my time with the Remix Mini. I try to make it a point to write each hands-on story I publish with the system I'm testing. Word processing on the Remix Mini is especially important since it's indicative of how well the custom Android 5.1 Lollipop-based distribution functions as a desktop operating system. Jide excels at creating desktop experiences featuring frequently-used keyboard macros like Copy, Cut and Paste.

Conclusion

The Jide Remix Mini is an ambitious little machine that achieves everything we expected of it. It can handle simple tasks like web browsing and word processing, which is about all you could hope for from a $70 platform. But it also proves to be a capable multimedia streaming device.

The Remix Mini isn't without faults, though. The biggest issue I had concerned browser functionality. Jide touts the Remix Mini's desktop experience, but my time with the system constantly reminded me that Remix OS 2.0 is still an Android-based operating system. I'm not trying to pick on Remix OS 2.0 here. Rather, the software is simply subject to the limitations of Android, an admittedly mobile-focused environment. Despite this, the Jide team delivers an OS that looks and feels like something we could get used to. And in time, we're confident that improvements to Remix OS 2.0 will make the Remix Mini shine even more brightly as a diminutive desktop platform.

Alexander Quejado is an Associate Contributing Writer for Tom’s Hardware and Tom’s IT Pro. Follow Alexander Quejado on Twitter. 

Follow us on Facebook, Google+, RSS, Twitter and YouTube.

MSI launched a brand-new barebones PC called the Aegis. The new case is designed from the ground up to offer ample space for full-sized GPUs and motherboards with easy access to upgradable components in a compact package.

We originally thought the Aegis was just a case, then we found an MSI product page that gave us only a few processor and GPU options (these were not barebones systems, but actually preconfigured Aegis PCs). However, we got some further clarification directly from MSI on what exactly comes inside the new Aegis barebones system.

MSI's Aegis barebones PC (which goes by Aegis-001BUS in the US market) features a B150 chipset motherboard that sports two SO-DIMM slots for up to 32 GB of DDR4 memory. The Aegis also comes with a 600-watt power supply. The only other included hardware is MSI's proprietary cooler, Silent Storm Cooling 2. However, this is why MSI calls it a barebones system, and the easy access to the components means you can install any CPU, GPU and memory kit of your choosing.

The Aegis's method of heat dissipation was first seen in the Vortex, and MSI has refined the concept for its new barebones PC. Silent Storm Cooling 2 produces three different airflow streams in the chassis, individually cooling the PSU, GPU and CPU. The Aegis also features Mystic Light RGB LED lights, giving the new barebones system the added aesthetic bonus of customizable lighting.

The Aegis can house two 3.5-inch drives and a 2.5-inch drive, in addition to one M.2 PCIe or SATA SSD. The slots for the 3.5- and 2.5-inch bays are easily accessible from the outside of the case, so you don’t need to open a panel to remove or replace your storage. It even has a built-in handle for easy transportation.

You can preorder the MSI Aegis at Newegg right now, bundled with a gaming keyboard, mouse and headset for a price of $399.99, until May 18.

Updated, 4/25/16, 8:46pm ET: A change was made to reflect new information on the included components, price and availability of the MSI Aegis.

Derek Forrest is an Associate Contributing Writer for Tom’s Hardware and Tom’s IT Pro. Follow Derek Forrest on Twitter. Follow us on Facebook, Google+, RSS, Twitter and YouTube.

If you've been eyeballing MSI's Nightblade systems, but wanted something with the new Skylake processors and accompanying chipsets, worry no more, for MSI just announced the Nightblade X2 and the Nightblade MI2. These are compact gaming-oriented systems, built in 16-liter and 10-liter enclosures, respectively.

The Nightblade X2

The new updated Nightblade system comes with Core i5 and Core i7 Skylake CPU options and can be filled with up to 16 GB of full-size DDR4 memory. It is based on the Intel Z170 chipset and comes with a handful of interesting features. For starters, you'll be able to equip it with up to a GTX 980 Ti graphics card, giving you an absolutely killer performance level from such a small chassis.

On the storage and connectivity side of things, the Nightblade X2 has room for one 3.5" hard drive, two 2.5" SSDs, and two M.2 SSDs. Wireless connectivity is handled by Killer Wireless AC and a Killer NIC, and on top of the usual rear I/O connectivity, we also find one USB 3.1 Gen2 (10 Gb/s, SuperSpeed+) Type-C port on the rear, and one USB 3.1 Gen1 (5 Gb/s, SuperSpeed) Type-C port up front.

All this hardware fits inside an enclosure that measures 346 x 277 x 176 mm and is powered by a 500 W 80-Plus Silver power supply.

The Nightblade MI2 Is Smaller; Is It Also Better?

Not quite. Sacrifices did have to be made in order to achieve the tiny 10-liter capacity for the Nightblade MI2, but they all make sense. It comes with the same CPU and memory support, but sits on a B150 chipset, and "only" has support for up to a GTX 970 graphics card. Why? Well, because MSI wasn't able to fit a proper SFX power supply in the system and instead had to resort to a 350 W 80-plus Bronze custom unit. Obviously, you'd be a bit bonkers to try and power a GTX 980 Ti off of that, even though it should fit inside the case.

Aside from those differences, the Nightblade MI2 also has one 3.5" drive, but only one M.2 slot. It also comes with just one USB Type-C Gen1 (5 Gb/s, SuperSpeed) port on the front I/O.

Its exact measurements are 128 x 235 x 341 mm.

Pricing, Availability?

MSI did not announce pricing or availability just yet. Presumably, the units will be available pre-configured, and as barebone options, just like the original Nightblade systems, so prices will vary per configuration.

______________________________________________________________________

Niels Broekhuijsen has been with Tom's Hardware since 2012, and works as a Contributing Editor on the news team. He covers mostly hardware, components, and anything else that strikes his fancy. Outside of work, he likes to travel, cook, and fix things that are broken.

You can follow him at @NBroekhuijsen. Follow us @tomshardware, on Facebook and on Google+.

We first saw Corsair's Bulldog concept back at Computex, but back then it was still a prototype. Since that time, Corsair has been working on the barebones living room PC, addressing the feedback from the community. Now that Pax Prime has come, Corsair is using the opportunity to showcase the production version.

The first thing you'll notice if you look at the production version next to the original prototype is that it looks different. Corsair opted to remove the red accents on the chassis, and moved the feet from the side of the unit to the bottom. Part of the makeover is a new glossy front, which together with the aforementioned changes should make the PC fit in better with the rest of your living room hardware.

Very little changed inside the unit; it will come packed with a Mini-ITX Z170 motherboard, an SF600 600 W SFX power supply, and the H5 SF liquid CPU cooler.

The rest is left to you – you'll be able to pick the remainder of the hardware, which includes a CPU, memory, storage and graphics card. What this means is that Corsair has picked the backbone (er, bare bones?) for your system, and it's up to you to choose the performance-deciding factors.

Although Corsair hasn't specified which motherboard will come in the system, we do know that it will have two DDR4 memory slots, an LGA1151 socket for Intel's 6th generation Core processors, surround sound audio with an optical output, and 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.1 support.

For the graphics card, Corsair advises against using a stock air cooler and instead encourages you to use one of its HG10 graphics card brackets so that you can install a liquid cooling loop onto your GPU.

With the Bulldog PC, Corsair is aiming at delivering a living room 4K experience. Of course, not all configurations will make the system ideal for running games at 4K, but with the right hardware, it should work flawlessly.

The Bulldog systems are expected to hit towards the end of 2015, and will be available in two flavors: one with a motherboard, and one without. The unit that comes with a board will cost $399, while the plain version will shave $100 off that price. Considering the price of Mini-ITX boards, unless you plan on moving older hardware into the chassis, you'll likely be best off going for the unit that comes with the Z170 motherboard. Additionally, Corsair will be working with select partners to bring fully configured systems, too.

Follow Niels Broekhuijsen @NBroekhuijsen. Follow us @tomshardware, on Facebook and on Google+.

Private Internet Access Review And Reader Ratings

We asked readers to rate and provide commentary on 30 VPN services. PIA received, by far, the most reader ratings (170) from the Tom's Hardware audience. Its overall average rating was 4.39, which put it in second place. Given its popularity among our readers, and the fact that it scored less than .2 lower than TorGuard, it's probably a pretty good choice. In fact, the best choice.

Because we had so much reader feedback, however, we took careful pains to select the commentary that we deemed most helpful (see bottom of page). Readers really offered some good insights and some cautions. Verbatim reader ratings and comments appear at the bottom of this page.

Overall readers seemed to collectively think PIA was easy to use, had phenomenal speed, and a good price. Many readers commented on the breadth of client support, and the company's stance on privacy. On the down side, many readers commented on connectivity issues -- that it sometimes failed to connect, that it doesn't connect on reboot, that it randomly disconnects (and ungracefully at that). Also there were a few pleas for more countries supported, a complaint we didn't hear about the other services.

Features And Specifications

PIA (Private Internet Access) is blazing fast according to our testing and reader experience. But it stands out in many significant areas, including client support, its barebones setup, its encryption options, the lack of logging and its excellent price. Readers did complain about a variety of connectivity issues, and asked PIA to support more countries.

Supported Encryption

MORE: Best VPN Services Of 2015MORE: The Pros And Cons Of Using A VPN Or Proxy Service


MORE: Hide My Ass! VPN Service ReviewMORE: IPVanish VPN Service Review


MORE: TorGuard VPN Service ReviewMORE: VPN Services in the Forums

Interface And Setup

PIA might instantly grab your attention with its payment methods advertised on its home page. Unlike most other services, PIA accepts anonymous gift cards. Did somebody give you a Best Buy or Walmart card for your birthday? Psshhh! You don’t need more junk from them! Give yourself the gift of privacy -- anonymously -- from card sources ranging from Adidas to Williams-Sonoma. You can also procure a PIA “gift card” for someone, who then obtains PIA subscription time upon entering the card’s code.

Like other services, PIA offers Windows, Mac OS X, Android, iOS, Ubuntu and other device installers. We installed the Windows client, but it is not the pretty, many-tabbed toy that HMA! or IPVanish provides. Rather, it’s just a stripped-down settings window you can view in either Simple or Advanced modes. The former merely prompts for your username, password, start-up options and which of PIA’s 21 server regions you wish to connect with. The Advanced view adds pull-down menus for encryption, authentication and handshake methods, along with the note that PIA recommends you use the default settings (AES-128 / SHA1 / RSA-2048). It’s completely bare. No maps, nada. You have to check the system tray just to see if the PIA icon is green or red (active or not), although this icon also gives you a quick way to select from the full list of regional server locations.

PIA advertises a “massive network with 2091+ gateways” across “13+ countries.” It also claims to have “the most anonymous VPN service,” presumably thanks to its numerous encryption options and lack of logging. Like HMA!, PIA also supports port forwarding and disconnect protection, although we did not see a way to have PIA automatically and periodically change IP addresses. We do appreciate that PIA allows for five simultaneous devices. Especially at PIA’s prices, that’s pretty generous.

Test Results

While testing PIA's London location and selecting our usual London server, hosted by TreudlerGroup U.K., that server vanished from Speedtest.net's options for a few minutes. In that time, we selected a different London server, hosted by Namesco. This yielded a bizarre 180ms ping, 4.02 Mb/s download and 6.70 Mb/s upload. Aside from the strangeness of this exceeding our home ISP’s 5 Mb/s upload limit, the download number is half of what TreudlerGroup's server delivered minutes later — more proof that being able to select your server matters. If your VPN provider won't let you choose your server, at least make sure that they’ve got the performance to indicate that their auto-sensing processes are doing the job you want.

We got lucky in that PIA offers a Seattle location. The rest of the West Coast is a bit less specific. It turned out that our selection of "US California" actually pegged to San Jose, and "US West" mapped to Phoenix. Bingo -- a match for comparison to IPVanish. We scored again with PIA's Israel region, although our IP indicated a Haifa location rather than Tel Aviv, but that's close enough.

As for performance, the numbers speak for themselves. PIA blows HMA! and IPVanish out of the water. In particular, we remain baffled by how the Phoenix region can deliver downloads over twice as fast as our FiOS performance ceiling through that FiOS connection. That is some serious VPN wizardry right there. Overall, PIA about doubles the overseas performance of IPVanish, which, combined with PIA's pricing, lays IPVanish's claims of being the best deal around to rest. IPVanish is good, but not PIA good. For this, we can live without a snazzy client interface.

MORE: Best VPN Services Of 2015MORE: The Pros And Cons Of Using A VPN Or Proxy Service
MORE: VPN Services in the Forums

Five-Star Reader Ratings