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Today we are checking out the latest Mini PC from Asrock, known as the Vision HT 420D. This fourth generation Vision series adopts the Intel Haswell architecture while it also provides a few other noteworthy enhancements. There are a huge range of features on offer, making this one of the most impressive HTPCs to date...
The Asrock Mini PC line has featured some exciting products over the past few years, with the most exciting to date being the Vision HT series. Designed to be a stylish and compact HTPC the Vision HT 420D picks up where the previous Ivy Bridge series left off.
There were a number of Vision HT 300 series models on offer boasting mobile Intel Core i3 and Core i5 processors. While providing complete systems, Asrock also offered barebone models which allowed users to customize the memory and storage. So far the new Haswell series features just two models, the 400D which is powered by the Core i3 4000M processor, has 4GB of memory and a 500GB hard drive. Then there is the 420D which we have for review today, it boasts the Core i5 4200M processor, 4GB of memory and a 1TB hard drive. In the past the main concern we have had for these Asrock Mini-PC’s is the price and at $660 the Vision HT 420D isn’t exactly cheap. That said this is a complete system in terms of hardware, the user simply needs to bring their own OS (Operating System) and they are away. Given how so many users are torn between Windows 7 and Windows 8 this probably isn’t a bad way to go, still make sure this is factored into the overall cost. What will obviously help justify the $660 asking price is performance. While intended for HTPC usage, content consumption isn’t the only thing we will be testing. Armed with the Intel HD Graphics 4600 integrated graphics solution gaming isn’t high on the agenda but what about general productivity? Of course we will also be investigating things such as the operating temperature and volume. |
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