ASRock VisionX 471D (Intel Haswell) Mini PC Review

Introduction

I have reviewed a number of high performance small form factor PCs (SFF PCs), but today I have something a little bit different in store for our readers. ASRock has provided me with one of their VisionX series mini PCs. It's about two to three times the size of a small form factor PC such as the Intel NUC, but with a much more powerful feature set.

The VisionX series from ASRock is a mini PC with features closer to that of a high performance desktop rather than a notebook. While it's marketed towards being a home theater PC (HTPC), its specifications put it more in line with high performance desktop computing. With a quad-core Intel Core i7 CPU and a dedicated AMD R9 series mobile GPU, the VisionX isn't your average HTPC. Follow me as I venture through the world of the VisionX 471D.

Specifications

There are a few versions of the VisionX 471, however, today I am reviewing the D version. It carries an Intel Core i7 4712MQ CPU which features 4 cores and 8 threads with a 3.3GHz Turbo boost as well as an AMD R9 M270X (used to be called HD8850M) with 1GB GDDR5. Based on the Intel HM87 chipset, it features two SO-DIMMs that can support up to 16GB DDR3 (it comes with two 4GB sticks), a 256GB mSATA SSD, a 2TB HDD, and it has room for another 2.5-inch drive.

The device does ship with a DVD drive; however the B version of the product comes with a BD combo drive that supports Blu-ray, normal DVDs and CDs. It also features an HDMI port in the front that features mobile high speed link (MHSL) for streaming your portable device content onto a big screen. The VisionX also comes with wireless AC and Bluetooth 4.0 support, Bitstream support, and a MCE remote control in the box.

Pricing

The VisionX 471B costs $1049.99 on Newegg, and I couldn't find the VisionX 471D on sale. The only difference between the D and B versions is the optical disk drive, which on the B supports a Blu-ray combo drive, which costs a little more than the DVD drive in the version I have.