AMS e-Cube EG65 Review - More benchmarking and conclusion

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Manufacturer:	AMS
Product:	e-Cube EG65
Price:	USD$329 MSRP
Availability:	NOW
Reviewed By:	Jim "Justi" Miller
Review Date:	August 2003

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AMS e-Cube EG65 Barebones System Review

 

 

BENCHMARKING (Continued...):

 

 

3DMark2001 (Build 330):

As I know that most of you run this benchmark I wanted to include the numbers for this review to give you something to look at..

 

 

 

Considering this is running with the system at stock speeds, these are again relatively impressive scores. Heck, even the on board came thru better than I expected at a cool 2900. I remember running 3dMark2001 with a GeForce2 MX card and not even getting to 2000 when it was released, so this isn't too shabby. :)

 

3DMark2001 (Build 330):

I wanted to throw this in for good measure as well if for nothing else at least a glimpse of DX9 performance.

 

 

As you can see, 3DMark03 wasn't a big fan of the Intel Extreme Graphics 2 chipset, but that's to be expected. Otherwise we were able to see more than respectable frame rates from the 9800 Pro and acceptable performance from the Ti4200 for a card that is not designed for this application really. Good stuff.

 

 

BIOS:

I did things in reverse order a little bit here by showing you the benchmarks before I showed you the BIOS, and I have a good reason for it which I'll get to in a short bit..

If you've felt your way around an Phoenix Award bios for a Springdale based motherboard nothing here will catch you off guard.

 

   

 

The memory options are just as you'd expect from a Springdale allowing you to set the memory as aggressive or as relaxed as you'd like..

 

     

 

So after seeing a relatively impressive BIOS, we arrive at the point that explains why I showed you the benchmarks before the BIOS.

 

If you're paying attention you'll notice that this is the screen where you'd normally expect the overclocking options to be. If you're REALLY paying attention you'll notice that THEY AREN'T THERE! Also noticeably missing are any voltage adjustments.

In a nutshell, there is simply no overclockability on this e-cube system. While initially I expected that to be a huge negative, in the end it is not for several reasons. For starters overclocking equals heat and in a small form factor system like this it simply is not designed to efficiently remove the added heat created by overclocking. Secondly, this system comes with a 220w power supply. Overclocking requires voltage, and a 220w PSU is not what you want to count on to crank up the juices. Thirdly, did you see the benchmark scores? This PC at it's default speed kicked out some downright impressive scores as it sits. In a small system where crazy cooling would just be, well, crazy you don't need the additional headaches and planning required for an optimally overclocked system.

 

 

FINAL THOUGHTS:

I have to admit to be somewhat surprised here. I expected to conclude that this SFF e-cube was impressive and fine for gaming, but don't give up your full size PC just yet. After running this system for a few weeks and seeing the benchmark scores as well as real life useability, I have to admit that it goes toe to toe and nose to nose in every area (except overclocking :)) with an ABIT IS7 at default speeds with a 865 Springdale chipset.

This e-cube is certainly not perfect. I found the CDRom bay cover to be a bit of a pain in the rear to get to function properly, but after working it a while was successful. The instructions included with the e-cube were far from stellar, leaving one to guess a bit. That said, everything was relatively straight forward so it didn't really create a problem.

The point I suppose is that all in all the e-cube delivered overall much more than I expected. I can honestly say that if I needed to I could run the e-cube as my main system and quite frankly would be none the worse for it. It's an attractive case that with it's compact nature, even if you aren't a LAN gamer, offers you flexibility that we're just not used to in a PC. The performance delivered by being matched up with the solid Intel 865G chipset was downright mind boggling from a SFF computer.

What benchmarks can't show is the "feel" of the machine. This e-cube "felt" like a full size PC with all of the horsepower and functionability you can ask for. Even it's on board graphics solution was better than I expected. Certainly if you are a gamer you'll want to add your own card to the AGP slot, but for everyday email checkers and the occasional gamer kinda guy, the Intel Extreme Graphics 2 delivers more than we can rightly ask for from an on board graphics solution.

 

CONCLUSION:

So is the EG65 right for you? If you are a LAN gamer or someone who has limited space but needs a bigtime PC, then I'd have to say yes. At USD$330 MSRP the price is actually respectably, especially considering it's all aluminum design and feature list.

To add the components we did (including the GeForce4 Ti4200) you're looking at about USD$730. That's not a bad price for a full size PC with these components and feature set, take into consideration that this is an all aluminum small form factor chassis from AMS, a respected SFF maker, and it's not a bad price at all!

This EG65 e-cube isn't for everyone, but for those that it IS for it delivers as promised and pleasantly impresses along the way. Props to AMS for taking the success of their gBOX and building upon that to deliver the EG65 e-cube allowing performance minded PC users to have a SFF solution that didn't disappoint.

 

HIGHS:

• Stellar Appearance
• Impressive Performance
• Very Small and Light
• On Board LAN, Sound, and Graphics, the Complete Package
• Nice Face Mounted Ports
• Priced Competetively
  

LOWS:

• Not Overclockable (not a huge slam but worth mentioning)
• CDRom Cover a Bit of a Pain
• No Assembly Instructions Included

 

While this case was not without it's faults, overall I was more than impressed with what it offered. Bigtime performance in a little system, and a well designed one at that. I can without remorse award the AMS EG65 e-cube the OCA "Editor's Choice" award. Grats to AMS for another stellar SFF system..

 

 

Thanks for checking our our review and as always, if you have flames, props, complaints, or questions, drop me a line. A big thanks to AMS Electronics for working with us on this review. Feel free to head into our forums to discuss this article.

 

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