Gigabyte Brix S BXi7H-5500 Broadwell Mini PC Review

The Brix S is fairly compact, and is definitely not as tall as the previous model. Since Intel was able to reduce power consumption with its new Broadwell chips, Gigabyte was able to reduce the size of the CPU/GPU cooling mechanism, which shaved about an inch off the height of the Brix. The Brix S is still a little bit taller than the Intel NUC however, and this is due to the fact that you can fit a standalone 2.5” HDD/SSD inside the lid of the enclosure.

The design of the Brix is simple and elegant – glossy black, all-around. It’s not overstated or understated, just cool-looking, in our opinion. The top cover features just a power button, while the front has a headphone jack and two USB 3.0 ports.

The rear of the Brix is loaded with ports, as it has two more USB 3.0 ports on the front for a total of four, a Gigabit LAN port, an HDMI port capable of handling 4K content (at 24Hz), and a mini DisplayPort that will let you stream 4K content at 60Hz. It also features a Kensington lock port and the plug for the included power brick and cable, similar to what you would get with a laptop. 

The chassis measures 1.33” tall by 4.24” wide and 4.5” long. It’s just a tiny bit taller than the NUC, but we certainly would not call it fat or unnecessarily large. Not only is this new Brix model a bit less tall than the previous model, but the ventilation holes in the side are also much smaller now as well. 

The Brix S comes with a VESA mount, making it the perfect machine to drop onto the back of an LCD.

Now let's take a look inside.