GB-BXBT-1900 barebones mini-PC (add HDD/SSD, RAM, and OS) $84.99 AR @ Newegg

[VirtualLarry]

I received my units today. Installed a 300GB SSD, and an 8GB GSkill DDR3L-1600 RAM stick into it. Then I booted Linux Mint 17.3 off of a USB.

The built-in WiFi doesn't work so well. It seems to work fine for like 2 minutes, then it completely seems to cut out. I don't know if it's a Linux driver problem (since it's initially supported out of the box with Mint 17.3), or if I just got a bum card. I upgraded to kernel 4.4-22, and it still has the problem. That was the newest kernel listed in Mint's Updater thingy.

I was using a USB N150 adapter with an antenna, for the Mint setup, since it couldn't complete on its own with the built-in WiFi.

Still, that started slowing down, so I went to a wired connection finally. That seems to work fine.

 

[balloonshark]

Mine does the exact same thing Larry. One of the newegg reviews posted a fix but I'm just not that familiar with linux to know what he is talking about.

Pros: Quad core processor, tiny size, 1 USB 3.0, 2 USB 2.0, VGA, HDMI, good sound. Coupled with 8 gig RAM, a washable keyboard, wireless mouse and monitor makes a great kitchen computer.
A great deal at the price.


Cons: Be aware that the Realtek wireless (RTL8723BE) requires conf file editing to function well in Ubuntu or Mint.
Create /etc/modprobe.d/rtl8723be.conf
Add a line that reads:
options rtl8723be fwlps=N swlps=N swenc=Y disable_watchdog=Y
Save it.
It will behave correctly after rebooting.

Other Thoughts: The wifi issue is not a device problem but a software configuration problem in Linux.
You're welcome.

There was also another review talking about it not liking some kernels.

Pros: smaller in size than expected
easy to put together (relatively)
boots straight to usb (no bios necessary)
comes with newest F7 bios

Cons: Minor - must install sata cable to drive before placing in cage - not in instructions but should be.
Minor - sata cable presses on case side causing slight bulge - not significant

MAJOR: Major issues with complete system hangs/lockups under linux kernels. pre 4.0 kernels dont have gpu acceleration which this cpu requires. 4.0 Kernels freeze/hang random. 4.2 + kernels hang/freeze random. Only 4.1 kernel is somewhat problem free, but this is caveat emptor. this box is low cost so spending 50-70% more on an OS is rediculous. Getting ready to go through RMA process if i cant get a working kernel. Intel was made aware 2 YEARS ago about this issue with bay trail chips... but since LInux doesnt line their pockets with cash - a la Microsoft.... well here we are 2 years later. The build would have gotten 4 stars if it was usable without an os for build quality but unfortunately its ability to run $less OS is necessary for it to be a good price.

Other Thoughts: Im so fed up with Microsoft ruining the market for everyone else. Gigabyte - great product but useless as a low cost box without ability to run a linux kernel.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Hmm, I left my Brix J1900 running Linux Mint 17.3 Cinnamon, and went into the other room, and when I came back to it, I tried moving the mouse, then I turned on my HDTV monitor, and all I had was a black screen.

Tried switching the HDMI switcher ports, tried unplugged the HDMI cable from the Brix and back in, no go.

The Brix had a blue glow, so it was turned on, it didn't shut off.

Also, when I was testing it out, before I put it behind my monitor, I "Shutdown" Linux, and it booted back up again for some reason. Then when I selected "Shutdown" from the login screen, I got a black screen with a mouse cursor and it wouldn't shut down again. I had to force power-off.

Granted, I'm using a "used" Intel 300GB SATAII SSD, but I doubt that's the problem? Media wear-out indicator is at 99, out of 100. So it's only 1% worn out.

Edit: It froze up while I was using it, in Linux Mint 17.3, with kernel 4.4-22. So I said screw it, and put Win7 on it. It didn't want to boot the USB stick for some reason, not sure why. Had some issues, but they seemingly resolved themselves.

 

[balloonshark]

Glad you got it sorted. I've only tried mine with Mint 17.3 from a usb stick but didn't run it long enough for it to enter any power saving modes. I also was using an old vga monitor.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Well, it seems like it has problems with sleep mode in Windows 7 64-bit SP1 too.

I freshly installed Win7 64-bit SP1, installed the April 2016 "Servicing Update", then installed the "Convenience Rollup". Then I left it "Checking for Updates".

Well, I forgot to go into Power Options, and shut off sleep mode for the PC.

So when I came back to it tonight after a nap, I turned my HDTV monitor on, and moved and clicked the mouse.

Instead of seeing Windows 7, I saw the Gigabyte BIOS screen, and then I saw the Windows 7 "Did not start sucessfully" screen, with the option to "Boot Windows 7 Normally" highlighted.

So, it appears that it went into sleep mode, but didn't come out successfully.

If anyone else had had this problem, or knows of a fix, please let me know.

 

[Ranulf]

I'll have to try out the wifi myself now. I was using wired with Mint 17.2 the other day.

 

[Macgyversite]

ME/I/MYSELF have found that any WIN OS has problems with Sleep, Hybrid Sleep, Hibernate, and sleep timers in Power Options.

Thusly I use Me/I/Myself for those duties. They usually work well unless the Breathalyzer potential is exceeded and you wake up in your PC chair with the PC still on.......

 

[VirtualLarry]

Newegg put their ebay store listing for these devices back up, $99.99 + $3.99 ship.

I liked mine so much, I bought more.

Thought, I did have one of them restart, while I was running F@H on 3 cores, running WU on one core, had both the internal WiFi, and a USB AC1200 WiFi dongle running, connected to a USB hub, and then I went into Network and Sharing, Change Adapter Settings, and disabled the internal WiFi. Near-instant BSOD.

Not sure why that happened, but whatever. Guess I'll be more careful shutting off network interfaces in the future.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I like these little units. They're not quite as "snappy" as a big-core Intel Celeron CPU, but they're acceptable to me. I'm using my third unit as a HTPC, in place of a "Wintel W8 Pro (w/Win10)" box. I much prefer Windows 7 to 10, although 10 is usable, in a pinch.

They're nice and quiet, even under load (Folding@Home on 3 cores).

I also ordered an Onda M3 (Haswell Celeron G1840, 120GB SSD, 4GB SO-DIMM RAM) from gearbest for $197.xx + $18.xx ship. We'll see how that one goes. Didn't really need it, but I thought I would try it.

 

[pbroussard]

I find 10 to have a much smaller install size and less overhead than 7, perfect for devices like this.

 

[balloonshark]

Did you install all of the drivers from Gigabyte's website for Windows 10? Or did you get a driver or two (like the chipset drivers) from another site?

http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=5118#driver

 

[pbroussard]

Ah, didn't mean to imply I've done it with this model, I have done it with several other atom based devices. In fact, I'm almost all in on windows 10, save for the van laptop.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Did you install all of the drivers from Gigabyte's website for Windows 10? Or did you get a driver or two (like the chipset drivers) from another site?

http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=5118#driver

I used the drivers off of the CD for mine (for Win7 64-bit), for most things.
01.Chipset *
02.Audio *
03.LAN *
04.Graphics *
05.MBI
06.TXE
07.USB3 *
08..Wifi & BT module *
09.USB Power-On Patch Win 8x

* I installed these, in order.

Then I downloaded the 4425 iGPU drivers from Intel, unzipped them, uninstalled the ones from the CD, rebooted, and installed 4425.

 

[balloonshark]

Awesome! Thanks Larry!

This little thing is pretty snappy. I can't wait to get it hooked up to my TV. It feels much more capable than the N3050 2GB RAM netbook I have.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I just recently noticed that they have BIOS F8 available on their site, and the release notes mention "Win10 Freezes". Well, I was thinking, maybe that fixes the freezes in Linux too?

I installed Ubuntu Mate 16.04 on one of my J1900 Brix units, AFTER installing the F8 BIOS update, and so far, so good. I've had it running overnight, and it didn't freeze.

So, I'll update if it freezes again, but this may mean that these boxes ARE viable for Linux, with the F8 BIOS installed. That would be really sweet.

Edit: DARN. It lasted for nearly 12 hours, then it froze up. Solid.

Why won't Gigabyte get their Brix J1900 box to work with Linux? Or Intel tweak the open-source drivers to work with Bay Trail? I wish I knew what the problem was, because it seems to work, at least, initially. Even the WiFi was working. (No workaround needed, like in Mint.)

 

[Macgyversite]

Amazon has this for Prime shipping.......

$99

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00VBNSO8U

 

[VirtualLarry]

Amazon has this for Prime shipping.......

$99

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00VBNSO8U

Not just Prime shipping - "sold exclusively for Prime members". Gotta have Prime to even be allowed to buy it. Meh. Don't need that.

 

[Macgyversite]

Woops I meant to type For Prime members not shipping. LOL

 

[Jtorrespr1]

Do you think this would handle play back of blu ray rips and 1080p materials?
Figured get something like this with a wireless keyboard for the wife and she can do her online social media crap and still I could use it for play back of my videos and shows etc.

whats your opinion on this?

 

[Macgyversite]

I am sure it can. Larry would be better source of info tho.

 

[pbroussard]

Well finally in for one of these from Amazon, since we have a Prime account. It does list on the specs hdmi 1.4a @1920x1200, Jtorrespr1. Anyone know the wattage these use? I'll probably put it on a kill-a-watt when it arrives.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Well finally in for one of these from Amazon, since we have a Prime account. It does list on the specs hdmi 1.4a @1920x1200, Jtorrespr1. Anyone know the wattage these use? I'll probably put it on a kill-a-watt when it arrives.

I would appreciate power measurements. I do own a Kill-A-Watt, but I've already got mine installed, and I don't really feel like unhooking it. I'm going to make a guess, that it's around 20-25W. Maybe less.

 

[balloonshark]

Well finally in for one of these from Amazon, since we have a Prime account. It does list on the specs hdmi 1.4a @1920x1200, Jtorrespr1. Anyone know the wattage these use? I'll probably put it on a kill-a-watt when it arrives.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/8641/gigabyte-brix-gbbxbt1900-review-a-bay-trail-ucff-pc/6

 

[VirtualLarry]

http://www.anandtech.com/show/8641/gigabyte-brix-gbbxbt1900-review-a-bay-trail-ucff-pc/6

Thanks! Power consumption, and thermals, are looking good on these units!

Less than 20W at full load. For a quad-core with IGP. Amazing!

Edit: Newegg raised their price on these to $119.99 + ship. Sorry.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Now $84.99 after a $10 MIR! Go get em!

Btw, I seem to have finally had luck with installing Linux Mint 17.3 Cinnamon 64-bit on mine. I updated to the Win10 "freeze fix" BIOS (F8), and then disabled "C-state reporting" in the UEFI, have OS selected as Windows 7, CSM boot, and installed off of a flash drive.

Seems to work for me so far.