GIGABYTE GA-J1800N-D2H Review: Dual Core Bay Trail-D at $69
by Ian Cutress on December 26, 2014 11:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Motherboards
- Intel
- Bay Trail
Conclusion
When we review the mainstream level for computing, $70 on just the motherboard gets a relatively bare product but you are still investing in an ecosystem around the market involving the software, BIOS and additional unique functionality. When you spend $69 on a motherboard/SoC combination, where the SoC has a tray price of $72, the purchase becomes more of a utility. At this price point it becomes almost impossible for motherboard manufacturers to separate their product, because it is solely purchased for the IO that comes part of the chipset.
With that in mind, the J1800N-D2H does offer a couple of SATA 3 Gbps ports, a USB 3.0 port, Realtek networking and an ALC887 audio codec. For good measure there is a mini-PCIe for an additional module, and a PCIe 2.0 x1 slot. Compared to the big motherboards we often review, this sounds like the bare minimum for any desktop system, but it does allow the user to implement WiFi, a sound card, two SSDs in storage and a base HTPC card if required.
Speaking solely about the motherboard, our system tests showed no new records and the level you might expect with such a low cost system. The BIOS used the old style blue on grey without a hint of a graphical UEFI on GIGABYTE's more mainstream products or of the type that we saw on the J1900I-C, perhaps to the detriment of the user experience.
When we compare dual core Bay Trail-D parts with the HP Stream 11, an 11-inch low cost Windows laptop, the strength of the desktop route is upgradeability and potential maximum performance. Our synthetic tests showed that in terms of pure horse power, the J1800 was slightly ahead of the N2840 for example, or that some benchmarks mattered more on the OS/software version than the similar hardware underneath). In exchange for the mobility and a slightly lower price of the HP with everything considered, the J1800N-D2H when paired with the right bundle will offer more faster storage, and perhaps with an 802.11ac card better signal strength, although as shown below, it cannot compete in terms of pricing unless you go super bargain basement. Perhaps the main benefit the HP Stream 11 offers is the ability to 'purchase and play' compared to a self-build desktop, but a system integrator might be able to provide that same purchase and play experience.
| J1800 for $200 | ||||||
| Part | Component | Price | ||||
| CPU and Motherboard | GIGABYTE J1800N-D2H | $69 | ||||
| DRAM | G.Skill 1x2GB DDR3-1333 C9 | $19 | ||||
| WiFi Card | Intel 802.11n 7260 2T2R, OEM | $16 | ||||
| Storage | Refurbished Corsair Nova 2 60GB | $30 | ||||
| Case and PSU | Logisys CS305BK ATX Mid-Tower + 450W | $30 | ||||
| Monitor | Used ViewSonic 17" Q7b (inc shipping) | $36 | ||||
| Mouse and Keyboard | Logitech MK120 Combo | $15 | ||||
| Total | $215 | |||||
When we price up a system with the J1800N-D2H trying to hit the $200 price point, even when selecting used or refurbished goods, it is very difficult to even hit $200, let alone with something half decent.
| J1800 Recommended when Buying New | ||||||
| Part | Component | Price | ||||
| CPU and Motherboard | GIGABYTE J1800N-D2H | $69 | ||||
| DRAM | G.Skill 2x2GB DDR3-1333 C9 | $38 | ||||
| WiFi Card | Intel 802.11ac 7260 2T2R, OEM | $35 | ||||
| Storage | Crucial MX100 128GB | $61 | ||||
| Case and PSU | Rosewill RS-MI-01 BK mini-ITX with 250W | $45 | ||||
| Monitor | Dell 19.5" 1920x1080 D2015H | $80 | ||||
| Mouse and Keyboard | Logitech MK120 Combo | $15 | ||||
| Total | $343 | |||||
When we put a list of solely new items, using a small SSD (either $48 for 64GB or $61 for 128GB), some DRAM (dual channel for peak performance) and a decent WiFi module, it is clear that the $200 price point of the HP Stream 11 is hard to beat in desktop form. Particular culprits for the desktop cost include the monitor, and this price is not even counting an operating system. Using a base 1366x768 TN panel, eMMC, a system builder's OS and a single stream WiFi solution helps HP drive that price down, and one would imagine that HP's overall margin in the product is lower than the expected margins for our system. The benefit of a system builder such as HP is that it is possible to buy into their ecosystem, or they might be able to build a stepping stone to their more expensive products in the future if the user has a good experience.
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ddriver - Saturday, December 27, 2014 - link
With 6 and 8 TB drives available, I'd say it would be ample for many users. It will still do more good than it would ever do as a gaming box.Plus there is a PCI-E slot, not useful for a GPU, especially with such a weak integrated CPU, but you can plug in a HDD controller card, there are PCI-E x1 controllers with 2, 4 and even 6 SATA ports.
III-V - Saturday, December 27, 2014 - link
The audience of this article is likely going to be able to relate most with gaming benchmarks. Also, have you no curiosity in how hardware like this is able to run modern games?Pretty rude and shortsighted response.
ddriver - Sunday, December 28, 2014 - link
I bet everyone is wondering how good the product is at a task it is not intended for and will never be used at. That's like reviewing clothing based on the way it tastes.ddriver - Sunday, December 28, 2014 - link
BTW I don't think it is very smart of you to call "smart and on the point" "rude and shortsighted" ;) If anything, it makes you rude and shortsighted, and also a hypocrite for calling others what you are...Morawka - Sunday, December 28, 2014 - link
you were rude, now hush and run alongOxford Guy - Saturday, December 27, 2014 - link
What a product was intended for is one thing. Total/overall performance is another. If you're not interested in certain benchmarks that's your business.XZerg - Friday, December 26, 2014 - link
Normally i would avoid cursing but after numerous attempts to provide feedback on stopping these retarded Load Delta Charts I have just lost it.ian - seriously - grow a f**king blub in the brain and realize that the Load Delta Chart is absolutely f**king stupid - especially when you are reviewing a product where Idle numbers matter the most. Just go back to separate Idle and Load charts. Why is it just so f**king hard for you to realize that?!
Throwaway007 - Saturday, December 27, 2014 - link
I signed up just to say the same thing.I bet Ian probably introduces himself on various dating sites as having a penile length delta of 2 inches.
Sounds like this man is hiding something.
BrokenCrayons - Tuesday, December 30, 2014 - link
I usually don't make comments, but lately it seems like this should be mentioned as much as possible. AT articles unceasingly flog OEMs for junk TN panels and the use of mechanical storage in an apparent attempt to change the direction of the industry. I think it's the responsibility of the readers to therefore repeatedly point out that delta charts for power consumption are not what we want.I am glad there was at least a more reasonable PSU used in this review. 500 watts is a lot closer to what might be considered appropriate for low-consumption equipment than 1200, but the delta chart isn't just annoying, it's uninformative and utterly stupid. If you're going to be bothered with measuring idle and load wattage, why not just post the bloody numbers? I'm sure we, the readers, can handle a little bit of subtraction on our own if we want delta values. So yes, like in other recent articles, I completely support the posting of actual wattage values and +1 the carpet bombing of profanity in the post above as, at this point, earned and deserved.
ant6n - Friday, December 26, 2014 - link
If it had 4 SATAs it could make a good file server.