GIGABYTE Unveils BRIX PRO Mini-PCs with Tiger Lake-U
by Ganesh T S on September 29, 2020 9:30 PM ESTIntel's Tiger Lake launch was focused on ultrabooks and notebooks, as various SKUs with TDP ranging from 7 to 28W were launched. The performance of Intel's low-power parts (U- and Y-series) have been good enough to land them inside small and ultra-compact form-factor systems. These systems have become a big hit in the market (not least, Intel's own NUC systems) since they gained prominence in the early 2010s. Vendors such as ASRock, ASUS, ECS, and GIGABYTE also jumped on this bandwagon to market 'NUCs' under their own branding. GIGABYTE was one of the early ones to do so with their BRIX series of mini-PCs. These SFF and UCFF systems find applications in multiple areas including content creation, productivity, and gaming, as well as embedded systems applications such as digital signage.
Intel's Tiger Lake-based NUCs (Panther Canyon and Phantom Canyon) are an open secret in tech circles. ASRock Industrial's Tiger Lake NUCs such as the NUC BOX-1165G7 have also been hinted at in Intel's marketplace - a retail follow-up to the embedded market-focused iBOX 1100 and NUC 1100 solutions. GIGABYTE, however, became the first vendor to officially announce Tiger Lake-based mini-PCs targeting the retail market with the launch of the GIGABYTE BRIX PRO. Three models (BSi3-1115G4, BSi5-1135G7, and the BSi7-1165G7) are being introduced. Their specifications are summarized in the table below.
GIGABYTE BRIX PRO (Tiger Lake-U) Lineup | ||||
Model | BSi3-1115G4 | BSi5-1135G7 | BSi7-1165G7 | |
CPU | Intel Core i3-1115G4 2C/4T 1.7 - 4.1 GHz (3.0 GHz) 12 - 28 W (28W) |
Intel Core i5-1135G7 4C/8T 0.9 - 4.2 GHz (2.4 GHz) 12 - 28 W (28W) |
Intel Core i7-1165G7 4C/8T 1.2 - 4.7 GHz (2.8 GHz) 12 - 28 W (28W) |
|
GPU | Intel® UHD Graphics for 11th Gen Intel® Processors (48EU) @ 1.25 GHz | Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics (80EU) @ 1.3 GHz | Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics (96EU) @ 1.3 GHz | |
DRAM | Two DDR4 SO-DIMM slots Up to 64 GB of DDR4-3200 in dual-channel mode |
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Motherboard | 3.5" SBC | |||
Storage | SSD | 1x M.2-2280 (PCIe 4.0 x4 (CPU-direct)) 1x M.2-2280 (PCIe 3.0 x4 or SATA) |
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DFF | 1 × SATA III Port (for SATA DOM? No space for 2.5-inch drive?) | |||
Wireless | Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201 2x2 802.11ax Wi-Fi + Bluetooth 5.1 module |
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Ethernet | 1 × GbE port (Intel I219-V) 1 × 2.5 GbE port (Intel I225-V) |
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USB | Front | 4 × USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A | ||
Rear | 2 × USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A | |||
Thunderbolt | 1 x Thunderbolt 4 (Type-C Rear Panel) | |||
Display Outputs | 4 × HDMI 2.0a 1 × DisplayPort 1.4 (using Thunderbolt 4 Type-C) (Only four simultaneous display outputs are supported) |
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Audio | 1 × 3.5mm audio jack (Realtek ALC255) | |||
PSU | External (135W) | |||
Warranty | Typical, varies by country | |||
Dimensions | Length: 196.2 mm Width: 140 mm Height: 44.4 mm |
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MSRP | ? | ? | ? |
THe Tiger Lake-based BRIX PRO eschews the NUC form-factor (approx. 4"x4" / 100mm x 100mm) for a 3.5" single-board computer one that is popular in embedded markets. The motherboard's actual dimensions are 5.75" x 4" (146mm x 102mm), and the system's dimensions come in at 196.2mm x 44.4mm x 140mm. At 1.16L in volume, it is still a compact machine. The Tiger Lake-U processors in the BRIX PRO units are configured to run at their maximum cTDPup of 28W.
One of the unique aspects of the units is the availability of 4x HDMI 2.0 ports - each capable of driving a 4Kp60 display. In addition, a Thunderbolt 4 port (with a display output capability of 8Kp60) is also available. The system can drive four of those five display outputs simultaneously. Segments of the chassis are metallic, allowing for the Wi-Fi antenna to magnetically clasp to it.
The Tiger Lake-U processor can be configured with different PL2 values depending on the power delivery circuitry. GIGABYTE believes that the robustness of its board design, coupled with the 135W external power adapter can sustain upwards of 70W for the PL2 setting.
Retail availability of the new BRIX PRO units is expected in November 2020. Pricing hasn't been announced yet. GIGABYTE also hinted at the possibility of UCFF BRIX systems sporting Tiger Lake-U processors reaching the market soon.
Source: GIGABYTE
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sorten - Wednesday, September 30, 2020 - link
Of course the CPU can draw more than its TDP. 15W for an SSD? Typical is closer to 5W at peak.Spunjji - Wednesday, September 30, 2020 - link
That's more like peak sustained - this has a PCIe 4.0 4x M.2 slot, too, and those go much higher on peak instantaneous power draw.Lord 666 - Tuesday, September 29, 2020 - link
Need to know if there is an option for TPM.ganeshts - Wednesday, September 30, 2020 - link
Yes, there is an Infineon TPM on the board.eastcoast_pete - Wednesday, September 30, 2020 - link
Interesting, however, some previous Brix systems have been really noisy (fan noise); these could make for nice HTPCs if they stay quiet enough.yeeeeman - Wednesday, September 30, 2020 - link
Intel is slipping on their timeline more and more each year. Ice lake launched in August last year with actual, but scarce, availability in September. This year, tiger lake launched in September and availability is at best October if not November.Jorgp2 - Wednesday, September 30, 2020 - link
Lol, that's some nice shillingPixyMisa - Wednesday, September 30, 2020 - link
That's quite a large case for a system that can't fit a 2.5" drive. Nice selection of ports though.damianrobertjones - Wednesday, September 30, 2020 - link
"These systems have become an big hit"'a' bit hit.
ingwe - Wednesday, September 30, 2020 - link
The gaming scenario with an eGPU is something I am very interested in and will likely pursue instead of a true desktop in the future. Seems like a good balance of upgradeability (and power) while keeping a small size.