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.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
38 Comments
View All Comments
trivor - Friday, December 26, 2014 - link
If all you need is a basic laptop for e-mail, web surf, light office docs (MS Office is actually too much program for this setup and I find myself using Kingsoft Office at home (even on my high powered machines) because it does all I need and is very lightweight. This would work very well on a Stream 11, 13, or 14 to do light office work - word processing, spreadsheet, or presentation. It saves in XML form - docx, xlxs, and pptx. The 11 especially is lightweight less than 3 lbs and adding a 64 or 128 USB stick or SD card would give plenty of extra storage over the 32 GB eMMC. You need to appreciate these products for what they are - Chromebook Competition. I think they will work quite well for younger kids or for a light laptop for around the house or even a work laptop (if work doesn't buy one for you) for short trips. I'm sure it would do fine on the movie front with Netflix or a nice 1 TB external drive with a movie and music collection.Kneedragger - Friday, December 26, 2014 - link
Did you guys test the NIC at all? I bought this mobo when it came out and from the beginning had a problem moving files over my network. It would fall flat on it ass and crash when trying to stream a Blu-ray rip or move a large file over my network. I was running Win 8.1 and tried everything. I ended up buying a Asrock Q1900 itx using the same RAM and OS the problem was gone.almostold2 - Friday, December 26, 2014 - link
" I thought it best to polish of the data and see if it still relevant alongside the $200 offerings and worth the potential extra cost for a full build to fill out a motherboard in exchange for the potential extra functionality (2T2R WiFi rather than 1T1R, SATA drives rather than eMMC)."Proofread please.
KaarlisK - Saturday, December 27, 2014 - link
"with the upper flipped around due to the dual channel nature of the SoC"Could Ian please elaborate on this?
Pissedoffyouth - Saturday, December 27, 2014 - link
OP can't inb4zodiacfml - Saturday, December 27, 2014 - link
I don't know what to do with this. Before, I built two desktops based on first and 2nd Gen Atoms as cheapest new desktop systems. For home use and applications, buying a cheap laptop would be better for many scenarios.As a firewall/router maybe with a separate purchase of a NIC but then you could buy a powerful home WiFi router and install DD-WRT.
As advertisement display maybe but I would prefer implementing wireless HDMI adapters since this mini-itx would require routing of lan and power cables.
yannigr2 - Saturday, December 27, 2014 - link
A useless product with an Intel logo on it making all the difference. Remove the Intel logo, and no one will care about it.PrinceGaz - Saturday, December 27, 2014 - link
PS/2 keyboard & mouse sockets? Are these still needed? Do people still use them? I'd rather have some more USB. Don't know if the chipset supports any more, but if not then they could always include an onboard hub from one of the existing USB2 to provide two or three more USB2 for low-bandwidth things like... a keyboard, a mouse, a printer, the lead to charge your phone and transfer data, all of which could co-exist in the available bandwidth from a single USB2 connection, so the others are free for more demanding stuff.PrinceGaz - Saturday, December 27, 2014 - link
Oh, and that Logitech MK120 you suggest requires two USB ports, one for the keyboard, one for the mouse. :pOxford Guy - Saturday, December 27, 2014 - link
People still use the old IBM M keyboards.