ASRock VisionX 471D Review - Evolutionary Upgrades for a Powerful mini-PC
by Ganesh T S on January 26, 2015 6:00 AM ESTNetworking and Storage Performance
We have recently started devoting a separate section to analyze the storage and networking credentials of the units under review. 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 JMicron JMF667H performs exceedingly well with the IMFT NAND - actually, good enough to score the best numbers in PCMark 8's storage bench for both the score and raw bandwidth. Obviously, the SSD upgrade is a huge benefit over the pure HDD-based VisionX 420D.
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 VisionX 420D and 471D share the same Broadcom BCM4352 WLAN subsystem. It is a 2x2 802.11ac solution, and delivers better results compared to other 2x2 solutions such as the Intel AC7260 when used in conunction with the Broadcom-based Netgear R7000 router. Ideally, the 420D and 471D should deliver similar performance. The raw numbers are quite good for the 471D, but, for reasons probably related to antenna placement and system noise, they are a bit worse off compared to the 420D. On the subject of networking, it is also heartening to see the Intel I217-V Ethernet adapter enabling the Gigabit NIC.
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Zizy - Monday, January 26, 2015 - link
I don't see the point of this. Not good enough for fhd gaming, too expensive and power hungry for a HTPC.As for HTPC duties, what about testing 4K@60 and FHD@60 (both with H.265)? Not really needed now, but I would rather get something future proof, especially for this kind of money.
Daniel Egger - Monday, January 26, 2015 - link
I totally agree. My (Desktop-grade) Haswell Core i5 with 750 Ti OC uses less in Idle and only slightly more under FurMark load yet is a completely different beast allowing for Full HD gaming despite running very quietly and staying cool.heffeque - Monday, January 26, 2015 - link
If you want hardware h.265 4K60p, you'll have to wait until Carrizo comes around.MLSCrow - Monday, January 26, 2015 - link
I honestly believe that Carrizo, is going to be the greatest HTPC/MiniGamingPC APU when it comes out and probably the first AMD processor that is worth purchasing since the Phenom II. Granted, they aren't going to release a Desktop version strait away if ever, and instead are releasing a Kaveri update, which is, meh, imo, but whatever...I'm just waiting for Zen to shock the world with it's Intel dominating performance, until Intel copies it, puts more money into it, and produces a better performing product, as they always have.baii9 - Monday, January 26, 2015 - link
I believe Intel had the lead on hardware 4k decode for a while, so stick with igpu? :)kmmatney - Monday, January 26, 2015 - link
yes - this is pretty neat, but you can get a laptop with better specs at this price, and inlcudes a screen and it portable. This system doesn't really need such a high end processor.britjh22 - Tuesday, January 27, 2015 - link
I'm guessing this would actually be decent at FHD gaming, just not at the presets/detail settings that are used for AT's testing. I would really like to see a second detail setting for FHD be tested, as just because it fails at ultra settings doesn't mean it would at high/medium.boe - Tuesday, February 3, 2015 - link
I definitely want lot's of 4K goodness! I don't care if it makes it bigger use heat radiators and lose the fan. Offer a black model to match my other HT equipment as well. Offer a model without a disc player as I'm only using this to stream from a server.Rafterman - Saturday, February 21, 2015 - link
H.265 not really needed now, I would dissagree. AFAICS H.265(HEVC) is fast replacing AVC.ToTTenTranz - Monday, January 26, 2015 - link
The GPU's PCB seems to be risen above the motherboard's level.Is the M270X a MXM module? Can it be changed?