Gigabyte BRIX i7-4500 Barebones Mini-PC Review (w/ G.Skill Ripjaws 1600MHz 16GB)

We measured the system's power consumption in a number of relevant scenarios. Idle values were measured after sitting at the desktop for 15 minutes. Load measurements were taken while converting an MKV file to MP4 format using Handbrake, representing a heavy but realistic work-load.

As well as load and idle measurements, we recorded the system's power consumption while playing a 1080P MKV movie and when running Dirt Showdown at 1920 x 1080.

Thanks to its use of an ultra-low voltage processor from Intel, Gigabyte's BRIX i7-4500 offers excellent power consumption figures. At no point during testing did we record a power consumption level higher than 28W. Idle power usage is equivalent to a single energy-efficient light bulb, meaning that the BRIX's users will not need to worry about large electricity bills.

By comparison, it would not be uncommon for an idling mid-range desktop graphics card to draw between 9 and 20 watts of power. And that's without the remaining system components factored in.

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