GIGABYTE GA-J1800N-D2H Review: Dual Core Bay Trail-D at $69

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.

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.

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.