The shipping container that Gigabyte uses is very aesthetically pleasing in a subtle and understated way. However, its diminutive size does hint at exactly how small this unit really is! Equally important is the exterior of this box, t’is festooned with detailed information so that consumers can make an informed choice on if this is the right model, and form-factor for their needs.
The accessory list that accompanies this device is rather impressive. In grand total you will get a detailed installation pamphlet, various mounting screws, a VESA mounting bracket, and an installation DVD. It’s unfortunate that you will have to either use an external USB based DVD player or first rip the DVD to a flash drive in order to use said drivers and software on said disc! On the positive side, Windows 8.1 had all the necessary drivers and the only thing that does not work ‘out of the box’ is the wireless controller – which requires drivers that are on the DVD in order to function.
Gigabyte BRIX units can either be called pleasantly plump or scarily svelte. The first group would want it to go to Jenny Craig…and the second would want to force feed it a sandwich. It really just depends on your point of view and what you are looking for. On the one hand with dimensions of 33.9 x 107.6 x 114.4mm this NUC is noticeably bigger than a typical Intel NUC device and if you are looking for device you can slip through a (admittedly oversized) mail slot this model really is not going to fit your needs.
On the other hand this thing is still bloody tiny. To really put it in perspective, a full height dual slot video card is 111mm tall and about 40mm wide. So yeah this is a small device and most will find it down right tiny. Of course, even though it is ‘larger’ than what Intel envisioned when they created the NUC form-factor the Gigabyte BRIX is still easily mountable to the back of a monitor. Specifically it supports both the 75 x 75mm VESA and 100x100mm VESA mounting standards. In other words you can easily mount this little bad boy to the back of nearly any modern LCD TV and create an All In One system that Apple would be envious of!
The funny thing is that this device was actually made taller than it had to be, as Gigabyte has included four rubber feet on the bottom. Though to be fair these feet allow enough air gap so that the intergraded CPU fan can suck air in from not only the sides, but also the bottom of the device. Basically, air movement has been optimized so as to cool all the components without needing more than the one fan. Also on the positive side the monochromatic look makes for a rather stylish looking device that can easily blend into nearly any environment.
Since both sides are dedicated to helping the drive stay cool, Gigabyte had to move nearly all the various ports to the front and the back. The front of the device has a pair of USB 3.0 ports and a standard 3.5mm headphone/microphone jack. It is unfortunate that consumers will have to wait for the next generation of NUCs in order to get USB 3.1 abilities, but USB 3.0 devices are not only a heck of a lot easier to find, they are also a lot cheaper. Plus USB 3.0 is certainly more than even 4K video will need for real time streaming from an external storage source.
The rear of the device has that large exhaust slit and a small Kensington lock, below it a single row of I/O ports. While there may only be one row of them all the bases are nicely covered. Starting from the left there is the power port for the external power ‘brick’ adapter, followed by a full sized HDMI port, a Mini DisplayPort, the Gigabit Ethernet port, and then two more USB 3.0 ports.
In a very smart move the large silver power button is located on the top. Though Gigabyte has not included a secondary reset button, simply holding this power button down will cause the system to reset – just as it would on any Intel based system. Also on the top is the silver Gigabyte logo that honestly could have been excluded and maybe even helped make this an even more aesthetically pleasing device. Of course if you find it annoying, or simply want a more low profile looking device, a sharpie and some clear nail polish will cover it and the silver colored power button…and keep them covered for a long, long time. Just be careful to not let any nail polish splash around the button or you will have to break out the soldering iron and replace the switch – as this is not a mod covered by warranty.
