MSI Cubi 2 Plus vPro Skylake mini-STX PC Review
by Ganesh T S on April 27, 2016 8:05 AM ESTNetworking and Storage Performance
Networking and storage are two major aspects which influence our experience with any computing system. This section presents results from our evaluation of these aspects in the MSI Cubi 2 Plus vPro. On the storage side, one option would be repetition of our strenuous SSD review tests on the drive(s) in the PC. Fortunately, to avoid that overkill, PCMark 8 has a storage bench where certain common workloads such as loading games and document processing are replayed on the target drive. Results are presented in two forms, one being a benchmark number and the other, a bandwidth figure. We ran the PCMark 8 storage bench on selected PCs and the results are presented below.
The Samsung SM951 NVMe drive performs similarly in both the Cubi 2 Plus (Core i3-6100T) and the NUC6i5SYK (Core i5-6260U). The SATA-based Mushkin Atlas Vital 250GB SandForce SF2281 drive performs admirably when the storage subsystem score is considered, but, its SATA interface unfortunately pulls down the storage bandwidth numbers compared to the PCIe NVMe drives.
On the networking side, we restricted ourselves to the evaluation of the WLAN component. Our standard test router is the Netgear R7000 Nighthawk configured with both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks. The router is placed approximately 20 ft. away, separated by a drywall (as in a typical US building). A wired client (Zotac ID89-Plus) is connected to the R7000 and serves as one endpoint for iperf evaluation. The PC under test is made to connect to either the 5 GHz (preferred) or 2.4 GHz SSID and iperf tests are conducted for both TCP and UDP transfers. It is ensured that the PC under test is the only wireless client for the Netgear R7000. We evaluate total throughput for up to 32 simultaneous TCP connections using iperf and present the highest number in the graph below.
In the UDP case, we try to transfer data at the highest rate possible for which we get less than 1% packet loss.
The numbers are very good for a single-stream 802.11ac card. This is probably due to good antenna placement inside the unit and the fact that the chassis is completely made of plastic.
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close - Wednesday, April 27, 2016 - link
So Cubi 2 Plus vPro barebones costs under $300 with Intel Core i5-6500T? It looks like it's blowing any barebones NUC out of the water. Am I missing something?NUC5i5RYKis ~$350 on Amazon.
cfenton - Wednesday, April 27, 2016 - link
It sounds like 'barebones' in this case means it doesn't come with the CPU. The final page of the review says "In the North American market, MSI plans to offer only the barebones version (no CPU / hard drive / memory)."So, unlike a NUC, it sounds like you have to supply the CPU.
Ratman6161 - Wednesday, April 27, 2016 - link
On their previous models the CPU was included and I assume the same will be true with these (as is typical in this form factor). See: https://us.msi.com/product/barebone/Cubi-Mini-PC-K...ganeshts - Wednesday, April 27, 2016 - link
No, CPU is not included in the $210 / $270 cost.The difference is that this is a socketed system, while the Cubi-Mini uses BGA processors (Broadwell-U) that are soldered.
Think of the Cubi 2 Plus vPro as a motherboard + chassis + power supply combo.
close - Thursday, April 28, 2016 - link
Ok, I get it now. So add $250 for the CPU (if you want the vPro).Ethos Evoss - Friday, April 29, 2016 - link
that's bullsht mini pc's always must come with cpu ..Ian Cutress - Wednesday, April 27, 2016 - link
From the final page:Final Page:
"In the North American market, MSI plans to offer only the barebones version (no CPU / hard drive / memory). The Cubi 2 Plus will be sold to the channels and have an approximate MSRP of $210 with a 2-year warranty. The vPro model will be a build-to-order one, priced at (from) $270 with a 2-year warranty. "
Typically a 'barebones' system means chassis, motherboard, integrated WiFi and power supply only. If the 6500T is $247 alone, the whole unit plus CPU won't be $270 for sure. The unit as tested was $683, so $270 for the barebones, $247 for CPU, some for 2x8GB SO-DIMM and some for 250GB SSD, comes to $683 total.
For volume sales, the vPro model is most likely going to be sold through system integrators who will kit the units out as per the customer specifications and provide a support package on top.
close - Thursday, April 28, 2016 - link
I missed the "No CPU" part. It sounded like a killer deal with basically a $250 CPU that comes bundled with free MoBo , case and PSU :D.Ethos Evoss - Friday, April 29, 2016 - link
I have Msi Cubi celeron 128gb 8gb and am happy.. just for 250$BrokenCrayons - Wednesday, April 27, 2016 - link
The load power consumption is rather high. Isn't the PSU only rated at 90W?