Sapphire Pure Fusion Mini 350 Review (featuring ThermalTake Element Q)

The Pure Fusion Mini 350 motherboard is an exciting new release from Sapphire. This range of products heralds a new age for AMD – one which calls for a very low power overhead while enabling the end user to enjoy high definition media content and accelerated video functionality.

When compared against the last generation Turion X64 X2 L510 at the same clock speed, the E350 APU is clearly superior. The higher clocked Atom D525 is also noticeably slower, even with hyperthreading enabled.

This system we built today was primarily focused around generating the lowest possible price point we could. We know that many people contemplating a Fusion build will be wanting a physically diminutive, quiet, low cost system to sit right next to their high definition television set.

KitGuru Sapphire Pure Fusion 350 System:
Sapphire Motherboard = estimated £85 inc vat.
250GB 2.5 inch hard drive = £30
Samsung 4GB DDR3 1066mhz SO-DIMM = £50
Thermaltake Element Q case = £50
Total System price = £215

So for just over £200 you could have a similar system connected to your high definition television at home. Obviously you could push the performance and capabilities further by adding other extras, such as a discrete graphics card, bluray optical drive and Solid State Drive for improved system response and boot up time.

The real strength of this system is when used as a media center. Our HQV image quality testing highlights that the HD6310 graphics are capable of outputing exceptionally high quality video. In a living room environment, by simply adding a remote, or a wireless/bluetooth keyboard it would serve well as a versatile ‘general use' platform for the whole family. Power drain is also very low, so you won't be painfully surprised with a high electricity bill next quarter if you leave this system on 24/7.

We also feel the Thermaltake Element Q is one of the better, more attractive, low cost chassis for a Fusion system build. The fact that it won't add any noise to the final build is certainly the icing on the cake. The Element Q pairs up with the Sapphire Pure Fusion Mini 350 motherboard with both earning our ‘Worth Buying' Award.

KitGuru says: We really like the new AMD fusion platform, it runs very cool, demands little power and serves perfectly as a low cost 1080p capable media center. The Sapphire board is well built and remained rock solid through all our testing. Highly recommended.

Become a Patron!