Gigabyte Makes a Mini PC Dubbed 'Brix'

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Gigabyte is looking to take on Zotac's ZBOX nano line with "Brix."

During a Gigabyte "NEW IDEA" Tech Tour 2013 event in London, the company previewed a device called Brix, a mini PC that packs "the same power as a tower PC." The Inquirer believes Gigabyte is shooting to compete with Raspberry Pi, as the company said there will be "only one main competitor," but the specs are more in line with Zotac's ZBOX nano line instead.

Pushed as an ultra-compact HTPC, Gigabyte's Brix will offer a choice of four CPUs: the Celeron 1007U, the Core i3-3227U, the Core i5-3337U, or the Core i7-3537U, depending on your budget. It also provides one mSATA slot for SSDs, and two SO-DIMM slots for up to 16 GB of DDR3 RAM. Nope, this is definitely not a Raspberry Pi competitor.

In addition to those specs, the Brix mini PC features a USB 3.0 port on the front and a USB 3.0 port on the back. Also on the back is an HDMI output port, mini DisplayPort output, and a Gigabit Ethernet port. Wireless network connectivity is handled by a mini PCIe card mounted within the aluminum and high-gloss plastic chassis.

According to the Brix display notes, the device supports dual displays for a high productivity environment, and is served up as a complete bundle with the Wi-Fi module installed and a power cable. VESA mounting brackets are also included.

So far it's unknown when Brix will be available here in the United States, but Gigabyte product specialist Isabel Goy told The Inquirer that the device is expected to launch in the UK within the next few months. Like Raspberry Pi, the company is pushing Brix to be used in schools as well as for personal use and in businesses.

Currently, pricing is also unknown at this point, but as a reference, Zotac's barebone ZBOX nano with a dual-core Intel Celeron 867 CPU clocked at 1.3 GHz and on-board Wireless N connectivity (ZBOXNANO-ID61-U) ships for $199.99 USD.

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Kevin Parrish
11 Comments Comment from the forums
  • nukemaster
    I would guess the competition is the Intel NUC
    Reply
  • salgado18
    I would so like one of those with a mainstream graphics card, even mobile version.
    Reply
  • dman3k
    My guess is Tom's has never heard of the Intel NUC...
    Reply
  • internetlad
    I wonder if they worked hard on this, or if they just shat brix
    Reply
  • JOSHSKORN
    But can it run Crysis? Yes/No? Why/why not? Yes I'm seriously asking.
    Reply
  • riklaunim
    Stop comparing it to Raspberry Pi. This has nothing to do with using it in schools just because it's small. Raspberry is "used in schools" to teach programming and hardware fun with GPI/I2/SPI and other pins & outputs at a much lower price than Intel NUC or Gigabyte Brix
    Reply
  • nukemaster
    10668083 said:
    But can it run Crysis? Yes/No? Why/why not? Yes I'm seriously asking.
    Chances are it will RUN, but very badly unless you turn down the settings allot.
    Reply
  • christop
    Kinda cool it the price is good..
    Reply
  • goodegg
    As far as I can tell, no storage. It's got an mSATA connection, but those cards aren't free. To put any kind of local storage on it, it'll likely double the price. But I suppose the point of this is to run programs and content over a network. But then you'll need enough RAM to run it. And then it's STILL another add-on box to a terminal somewhere. I'm not sure I see a mainstream use for a product like this.
    Reply
  • The qualifications of the computer not withstanding, this is a name (Brix) I would not have chosen. When you get a BSOD it will be like 'Well What Did You Expect?'. What were you thinking Gigabyte?
    Reply