Sapphire Edge VS8 - A Trinity Mini-PC

A Trinity Mini-PC

Thanks to advances in processor technology, Mini-PCs are making a comeback. Intel’s Atom processors first introduced to us the concept of netbooks and nettops, very compact machines that are affordable yet powerful enough to do mainstream computing tasks such as web browsing and word processing. At least that was the idea. In practice, however, nettops and netbooks were severely underpowered and provided a less than satisfactory computing experience. The concept was good but the execution left much to be desired. Perhaps it's a case of the idea being too ahead of its time and that technology and software platforms still needed to do some catching up.

Fortunately, today’s processors are more powerful compared to processors of yesteryear. And taking advantage of this, Sapphire has introduced its new Edge VS8 Mini-PC. The Edge VS8 is super compact, measuring just 19.7cm by 18cm, and is just slightly more than 3cm thick. It also weighs just 660g.

Inside, you will find an AMD A8-4555M Trinity APU. This was launched just last September and is a quad-core CPU that runs at 1.6GHz. For those unfamiliar with AMD’s new Trinity APUs, we covered them extensively early last year and here are some links to check out - Trinity APU Notebook Performance Review, Trinity APU Desktop Performance Review. While AMD’s efforts have traditionally trailed Intel’s in terms of raw computational power, they usually have better graphics processing capabilities. In the case of the A8-4555M APU, its integrated GPU comes in the form of the Radeon HD 7600G, which has 384 stream processors. Additionally, the A8-4555M has a very low TDP of just 19W.

Apart from the AMD A8 APU, the Sapphire Edge VS8 also comes with 4GB DDR3-1333 SO-DIMM memory (2 x 2GB) and a 500GB notebook hard drive (2.5-inch) that spins at 5400rpm. That aside, the Edge VS8 features built-in Wi-Fi by way of a Wi-Fi card and also integrated Bluetooth 3.0 connectivity. However, note that the Sapphire Edge VS8 does not come with any OS installed.

In that sense, the Edge VS8 comes fully assembled, and thus only requires users to install an OS for their choice. The supplied driver CD comes with all the drivers one would need to run Windows 8, 7 or Vista. Additional drivers can be found on Sapphire’s website if users choose to run older an older Windows OS such as XP, 2000 or even 98. 

Here's a quick roundup of the Edge VS8's key specifications:

• AMD A8-4555M APU (1.6GHz)
• 2 x 2GB DDR3-1333 SO-DIMM memory
• 500GB notebook 5400rpm HDD
• Integrated Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n)
• Integrated Bluetooth 3.0

Design & Features

The Sapphire Edge VS8 Mini-PC is really compact. In terms of total volume, the Edge VS8 displaces just about 1100cm³. This is remarkably small, but not as small as the recently reviewed Intel NUC kit. Comparisons between the two are inevitable, but while the Edge VS8 is wider, it is also significantly thinner, measuring just slightly more than 3cm in depth. Furthermore, the Intel NUC Mini-PC can achieve its compact footprint mainly because it employs the use of mSATA SSDs, whereas the Edge VS8 can readily accommodate any 2.5-inch form factor hard drives.

Decked in black, the Edge VS8 has a very plain design and has a rubberized coating. The Edge VS8 is meant to be vertically-mounted and Sapphire conveniently supplies a metal stand to let users do this.

Here’s a closer look at the Edge VS8:

Test Setup

Here’s the test configuration of our Sapphire Edge VS8.

• AMD A8-4555M APU (1.6GHz)
• AMD Hudson M3 chipset
• 4GB DDR3-1333 RAM
• 500GB HDD 5400rpm
• Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit

To evaluate the Sapphire Edge VS8, we will be pitting it against Intel’s NUC Mini-PC and also results gathered from our review of AMD’s flagship A10-5800K APU. The Intel NUC Mini-PC provides interesting competition as both systems were designed for mainstream computing use such as word processing, web browser and media consumption, and we are keen to see which system will offer better performance. That said, it isn’t an apples to apples comparison because while both systems have comparable processors, the Intel NUC Mini-PC has the benefit of an ultra-fast SSD 520 Series mSATA SSD, whereas the Sapphire Edge VS8 has to make do with a lazy 5400rpm mechanical hard disk. Nevertheless, it’ll be intriguing to see how the two system fares.

The list of benchmarks used:

• SYSmark 2012
• PCMark 7
• 3DMark 11
• Far Cry 2
• Battlefield: Bad Company 2

SYSMark 2012

Last year, BAPco recently released SYSMark 2012, the latest edition of their popular benchmarking software. SYSMark 2012 puts the system through a rigorous series of various workloads ranging from office productivity, data analysis, media creation and 3D modeling.

Looking at the overall score, we can see that the Sapphire Edge VS8 was outdone by the Intel NUC Mini-PC by close to 40%. No doubt that this was due to its weaker processor and slower mechanical hard disk. We have also included results from some recently reviewed AIO systems including the Apple iMac and ASUS ET2300INTI and we can see that the Edge VS8 is simply no match for these full-fledged computing systems.

PCMark 7

Unsurprisingly, the Sapphire Edge VS8 Mini-PC recorded the lowest scores on PCMark 7. It was completely outclassed by the Intel NUC kit by a whopping 142% - the culprit was once again its lazy mechanical hard disk. However, even as we compare the Edge VS8’s scores against our AMD A10-5800K and Intel Core i3-3220 test systems, we can see that the Sapphire was still trailing by a considerable margin of around 84%. Looking at the breakdown, we can see that the Edge VS8 was thoroughly outclassed in all the workloads. However, do note that scores of the AMD A10-5800K, Core i3-3220 and the remaining Core i5 processors were achieved with slightly faster 7200rpm hard disks.

3DMark 11

Unfortunately, the Intel NUC kit could not complete 3DMark 11 but the Sapphire Edge VS8 did respectably well in this test thanks to its integrated Radeon HD 7600G GPU. On the performance preset, we can see that the Radeon HD 7600G scored around 20% less than Radeon HD 7660G, but was almost on a par with the older Radeon HD 6620G GPU found in the older Llano APU. We can also see that the Radeon HD 7660G completely blitzes the Intel Graphics HD 4000, outscoring it by a considerable 40%.

Far Cry 2 & Battlefield Bad Company 2 Results

The Sapphire Edge VS8 has been underwhelming so far and we had hoped that it would put up a strong showing when it came to gaming benchmarks. Looking at the frame-rates achieved on Far Cry 2 and Battlefield Bad Company 2, we can see that while they were respectable, they weren’t that much better than those recorded by the Intel NUC Mini-PC. In fact, we reckon the difference would be impossible to detect by most users. If anything, it goes to show that Intel has really closed the gap with their newest Intel HD Graphics 4000 integrated GPU. 

Hard Disk Woes

As Intel’s NUC Mini-PC has demonstrated, the concept of a Mini-PC, a computer that is small enough to fit in your hands and yet powerful enough to handle daily mainstream computing tasks, is enticing. And the Sapphire Edge VS8 offers a viable alternative into this world of compact computing.

In terms of performance, the Sapphire Edge VS8, in our spec at least, was disappointing. It was completely outclassed by the Intel NUC Mini-PC on the two computing benchmarks - SYSmark 2012 and PCMark 7. And even when it came to gaming, the Edge VS8 and its AMD A8 Trinity APU and its integrated Radeon HD 7600G GPU wasn’t able to carve out for itself a convincing lead.

That said, we believe much of this has to do with the fact that it was fitted with a dated 5400rpm mechanical hard disk, which had a huge negative impact on performance. Benchmarks aside, the Edge VS8 also felt sluggish in our normal usage, as if it was always stuttering along.

Fortunately, Sapphire also offers the Sapphire Edge VS8 as a barebones kit that ships with everything except memory, hard disk and OS. This allows users to fit their own memory and hard disk. And we believe that the Edge VS8 will fare much better if it had an SSD instead.

However, it’s not all bad news for the Edge VS8 as we are pleased with its generous selection of ports and connectivity options. Two USB 3.0 and four USB 2.0 ports in a system not much bigger than an external optical drive is pretty impressive. Additionally, the HDMI output is useful if you plan on using it as an HTPC. Furthermore, unlike the Intel NUC Mini-PC, the Edge VS8 comes with integrated Wi-Fi and even Bluetooth 3.0 connectivity. And because of its size and portability (it fits easily into a regular notebook bag or even other smaller carriers), you could feasibly use at work and literally just pack up and take your work home, or vice versa. In fact, with its conspicuous slim design and anti-slip surface material, you could even handily clutch the mini PC and bring it about.

As for pricing, the Sapphire Edge VS8 in our tested configuration costs S$699, which makes it very hard to recommend. Because once you add in the cost of the OS, you are looking at least a price in excess of S$800. And for the money, you are not getting much in the way of performance.

The barebones version costs substantially lesser at S$579. But again, once you factor in the money you need for the OS, memory and a decent SSD, you are once again staring at a system that will cost you close to a grand. With that kind of money, you could build a regular ATX form factor machine which will offer lots more performance. However, if you really need a small compact machine, it is really hard to ignore the attractively-priced Mac Mini. Though slightly larger and heavier, the Mac Mini cost S$788 and is a fully equipped system that you can run straight out of the box, plus it comes with a much beefier 2.5GHz Core i5 processor. However, if Apple isn’t your cup of tea, the Sapphire Edge VS8 is an interesting and viable alternative to the Intel NUC Mini-PC if only for its better connectivity options.

In the next part of this review, we will upgrade the Edge VS8 by replacing its plodding mechanical hard disk with an SSD to see how it will perform. So check back here soon!

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