Sapphire EDGE HD3 Mini PC Review

I review a wide range of high powered components every month and it is always refreshing when I get the opportunity to look at the opposite end of the spectrum. The Sapphire EDGE HD3 Mini PC really is an intriguing system, offering enough processing power to play back 1080p media content and to handle general tasks, such as Microsoft Office, net browsing and even light Photoshop work.

Many of the systems in our offices demand around 200-300 watts of power, meaning the Edge HD3 is ten times more efficient. If you were able to replace ten to twenty ‘office' systems in an business with Sapphire EDGE HD3's then the power savings over the course of a year would certainly rack up. In this tough economic climate this should not be underestimated.

The EDGE HD3 has full support for Windows XP, Vista and 7, and you would be able to use it with a server based operating system for home, or small office duties. I tasked the machine throughout the last week and found it was surprisingly capable in a variety of areas. It is very appealing to know that the system requires less than 20 watts when idle, and therefore won't add a huge amount to your electricity bill every quarter, even if you left it on all day, seven days a week.

By comparison a high end gaming system in our office, with an overclocked Core i7 3960X EE and two GTX590's consumes over 900 watts of power and I wouldn't want to be leaving this on 24/7, thats for sure. Want a reality check? The EDGE HD3 consumes 45 times less power under full load.

It goes without saying that the EDGE HD3 is not suited to heavy tasks. 3D rendering, and video encoding are not a forte of the low power design. It might seem obvious, but using applications such as 3D Studio Max with a E450 APU are a painful experience. This is compounded by the very poor performance from the 2.5 inch 5,400 rpm Samsung HM321HI drive. If so desired the system could always be taken apart to accommodate a Solid State Drive. The overall cost of ownership will rise significantly however.

This system absolutely excels as a high definition media device, not only because of the low power demand at the socket, but thanks to the HD6300 graphics and the latest drivers, the image quality is class leading, as detailed in our HQV Benchmark testing earlier in the review.

Sapphire claim that the product will be released shortly at around £300 inc vat in the United Kingdom. At this price it is very hard to fault, although be aware you need to factor in the cost of the Windows Operating System if you don't already own a copy.

Pros:

• Almost silent.
• Tiny power drain at the socket.
• decent performance for a majority of tasks.
• Looks great.
• It really is small!

Cons:

• very slow hard drive installed.
• not ideal for more serious duties, such as 3D rendering or video encoding.
• Need a copy of Windows XP, Vista or 7 to get it up and running.

Kitguru says: A fantastic, low power system with a multitude of uses, especially as a 24/7 ‘always on' device.

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