Mini-desktops like Intel’s Next Unit of Computing (NUC) are pretty good at being small, but they’re not exactly powerhouses. They use Ultrabook-ish parts, so you get Ultrabook-ish performance. The NUC doesn't consume a lot of power and it's pretty good for general use, but not for heavy lifting.

That’s why Gigabyte’s Brix Pro is interesting. It’s a lot like the NUC in that it’s a tiny, barebones desktop PC, but it includes a fast, desktop-class, quad-core CPU, the best graphics Intel can give you, and a separate 2.5-inch drive bay suitable for a standard SSD or a big hard drive for all your media. Intel sent over a high-end Brix for us to test—it won’t be right for everyone, but Gigabyte has squeezed a lot of hardware into this little box.

Meet the Brix Pro

Specs at a glance: Gigabyte Brix Pro GB-BXi7-4770R OS Windows 8.1 x64 CPU 3.2GHz Core i7-4770R (Turbo Boost up to 3.9GHz) RAM 8GB 1600MHz DDR3 (supports up to 16GB) GPU Intel Iris Pro 5200 (integrated) HDD 256GB Intel 525 series mSATA SSD Networking 433Mbps 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, Gigabit Ethernet Ports 4x USB 3.0, 1x mini DisplayPort 1.2, 1x HDMI 1.4a, DisplayPort, audio Size 4.5” x 4.4” x 2.4” (114.3 x 111.8 x 61.0mm) Other perks Kensington lock Warranty 1 year Price $649.99 (barebones), $1,119.97 with listed components and software

Gigabyte sells a whole bunch of different Brix boxes. Most are smaller, more NUC-like PCs that rely on Ultrabook chips and integrated graphics, but the “Brix Pro” models are slightly larger systems that use faster CPUs, beefier GPUs, and a 2.5-inch drive bay. This particular Brix model that includes an integrated WVGA projector (!) is obviously an exception, but most fall into one of those two camps.

The model we’ve been sent is a GB-BXi7-4770R, the fastest Intel-based Brix Pro system that Gigabyte makes. The barebone kit will set you back $650 compared to $390 for the high-end Haswell NUC, but your $260 buys you some substantially upgraded components: a quad-core i7-4770R running at 3.2GHz (3.9GHz Turbo) and the Iris Pro 5200, the very best of the Haswell integrated GPUs and the same one used in the base 2013 iMac. It’s also got a combination 802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.0 module installed already, while you have to bring your own to use the NUC. This saves you a little over $30, though it's a 433Mbps 802.11ac adapter instead of an 867Mbps one. The Brix has two antennas, so upgrading to a more capable card should get you better speeds if you want them.

If the extra performance sounds good but the extra cost doesn’t, the GB-BXi5-4570R still gets you a quad-core CPU, Iris Pro 5200, the integrated Wi-Fi card, and the same-sized chassis (in an eye-catching race car red, no less). The CPU and GPU are both clocked a little lower and you lose Hyperthreading, but at $500 it’s probably the model that will deliver the most extra performance for your money. Finally, there’s a new “Brix Gaming” model on its way with an AMD APU and dedicated GPU, but we don’t know anything about pricing or availability yet (we’re working with AMD to get our hands on one).

The Brix Pro and the NUC have a similar footprint, but the Brix is about an inch taller (which doesn’t sound like a big deal until you consider that the NUC is only 1.4 inches tall in the first place). The Brix power brick is also much larger, unsurprising given its more powerful components. The black model is actually a bit more attractive than the NUC to our eyes—it’s got a little more style than Intel’s box, but it’s not ostentatious and would look perfectly unassuming on a desk or in your media center.

Since the Brix is a barebones PC kit, you’re on the hook for your own RAM, hard drive, and operating system—you’ll spend around $180 for a 128GB mSATA SSD and 8GB of DDR3 RAM, plus another $100 for an OEM license of Windows if you need one. Intel included a 240GB Intel 525 series SSD with our Brix that costs about $300 all by itself, but you can buy 240GB SSDs from Crucial and others for around half that if you'd like.

The Brix also has a 2.5-inch drive bay that will fit a 7mm or 9.5mm laptop HDD or SSD, something also offered by certain NUC models. This gets you some more flexibility—you could buy a smaller, cheaper SSD to use as a cache alongside a larger, cheaper HDD, or you could just have a big secondary drive installed to give you more room for games or video files.

These photos and captions will walk you through the insides of the Brix. Overall, it's very similar to the NUC—if you buy a Brix you'll need to be comfortable installing RAM and mini-cards, but anyone with a Phillips head screwdriver and working hands ought to be able to get it together.

Andrew Cunningham

Andrew Cunningham

Andrew Cunningham

Andrew Cunningham

Andrew Cunningham

Andrew Cunningham

Andrew Cunningham

With great power comes great power consumption

The NUCs and the smaller Brix models all use dual-core, Ultrabook-class Ivy Bridge and Haswell CPUs designed primarily for thin-and-light laptops where battery life is a major concern. As a result, these desktops sip power where others guzzle it.

The Brix Pro is a little more like a traditional desktop workstation in this regard. It's using a desktop CPU with a 65W TDP, so it's hardly surprising that the device consumes more than twice the power of a 15W Ultrabook chip in most scenarios. These power consumption figures are for a Brix with an mSATA SSD, two 4GB sticks of RAM, and the included Realtek Wi-Fi card installed. Putting in a 2.5-inch 5400RPM Western Digital Blue drive added about four or five watts to these numbers, though that amount will vary depending on what you're doing with the drive.

Activity Haswell NUC Ivy Bridge NUC Gigabyte Brix Pro Off/Hibernated 0.5W 1.6W 0.3W Sleep mode 1.1W 2.1W 1.7W Idle at desktop 6.4W 10.8W 14.0W Watching YouTube in Chrome 9.0W 14.0W 21.0W Running Bioshock Infinite benchmark 38.0W 31.0W 80.0W Running Prime95 CPU torture test 29.7W 26.6W 84.0W

The Brix still does fairly well here, and the power it consumes is commensurate with the amount of performance it delivers. If you're considering the Brix Pro primarily for use as an HTPC, these power consumption figures should give you pause—the standard NUC is more than capable of playing back video from both streaming and local sources, and the version with a 2.5-inch drive bay will give you room for more internal storage if you have lots of media to store locally.