GIGABYTE GB-BXi3-5010 barebones

[VirtualLarry]

Broadwell 14nm!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16856164025&leaderboard=1
$269, for a 2.1Ghz i3 "U" version

http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=5324

Seems to support Win7 32/64-bit, as well as Win8.1 64-bit.

 

[Kaido]

Oh my gosh, did they FINALLY get rid of the shiny top?! (I can't tell from the picture...has a reflection but also looks kind of matte...they scratch easily & get dusty!) I have just about every NUC & BRIX ever made, but I haven't bought any of the 5th-generation Core chip versions yet since they pretty much just came out. I'll put some on order!

My typical configuration is an i5 (since it's just a slightly slower i7, but saves a good chunk of money), 16GB RAM, and a 240GB SSD. Although I may have to consider the i7 now that they're using the 14nm Broadwill chips...oooh! I'm also curious how their higher-end models will fare noise-wise...I'd like to use more of the quad-core desktop chip versions (especially the green one with the GTX760), but they're way too noisy for a quiet office...the tiny fans are very annoying when they rev up (but the regular BRIX that use the notebook chips are nice & quiet).

 

[VirtualLarry]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16856164021&ignorebbr=1

For $289.99, this is the "H" model, with support for mSATA and a 2.5" drive.

I was mislead by the incorrect cut n paste of the specs on the non-H model that also mentions a 2.5" drive on the other model on Newegg.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I was thinking, I generally leave my PCs on 24/7. If these Brix units have a small laptop-style fan, will that wear them out in short time if I leave them on all of the time? I heard that the fan runs all of the time, I wish that they would offer a BIOS update, that didn't run the fan unless temps got above a certain value, especially with CPU in idle. That would extend the life of the fan.

Edit: I have a Zacate E-350 ITX rig, and at my old apt, I ran it 24/7 running BOINC, and it used to run the tiny 40mm fan 24/7 at max speed to cool it off. Fan died (actually burned/melted), about two years in.

I probably won't run DC on the Brix units, to preserve their lifespan (they really weren't built for that kind of load, I don't think), but I wonder about simply just leaving them on 24/7.

Edit: Would these Haswell i5 units be better? They have an Al housing, but I don't know if they have a fan or not.
http://www.hystou.com/products/fanl...ocessor-gigabit-lan-and-hd-graphics-1255.html

They're on sale for $208 + ship, and they take Paypal, apparently. They're cheaper than the Gigabyte Brix, but not as well-known a mfg. If they have entirely passive cooling (is that possible for a Haswell i5?), then they might be a better choice to run 24/7. Then again, my Foxconn NanoPCs were entirely passively-cooled, and they created temps that were damaging to the 2.5" SSDs I put in them, over time.

 

[Kaido]

I was thinking, I generally leave my PCs on 24/7. If these Brix units have a small laptop-style fan, will that wear them out in short time if I leave them on all of the time? I heard that the fan runs all of the time, I wish that they would offer a BIOS update, that didn't run the fan unless temps got above a certain value, especially with CPU in idle. That would extend the life of the fan.

I've had NUC's running 24/7 since 2012 without any issue; I think the fans are the same ones they put in laptops, so they basically last forever, and you can just replace them if needed. I've installed 50+ (primarily BRIX from Gigabyte) & I think I've only had maybe one or two that got toasty due to defective fans (either OOTB or over time).

I actually prefer having the fan on for exactly that reason - no passive heat cooking the guts. With stuff like the Baytrail-T series, with an adequate heatsink they never have a chance to cook since they run under 3 watts, but with the Core i chips, they definitely get pretty toasty if they're not actively cooled. The good news is that the fans aren't loud on the laptop-processor models, only on the true-quadcore desktop models. I've installed a dozen of the i5 & i7 desktop-chip units, as well as a few of the green GTX760 units, and they are pretty obnoxious in a quiet office environment. The fan noise makes me worry about longevity in those models, but so far - no issues on any of those at all. It reminds me of the high-CFM server fans - noisy, but they last forever! The thinner laptop-chip models are extremely quiet 95% of the time, and even fully revved-up, are still not annoying at all, which is very nice. All my users love them :thumbsup:

 

[Face2Face]

Intel also has their NUC version out as well - http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Computi...8&qid=1426711991&sr=1-3&keywords=NUC+i3-5010U

If they were the same price, which one would you purchase and why? I'm looking at the model with the the 2.5" drive bay.