SFF BARE BONES

No, it's not a new kind of naked science fiction - the eight SFF Bare Bones on test this month may be small but they don't compromise on performance

Abit DigiDice

Manufacturer:	Price:
Abit	£215.03 inc VAT
Reviewer:	Review Date:
	Jun 2004

	OVERALL RATING

SCORE

3/6

Verdict: The plasticky build and high price mean no dice for the DigiDice

Have you ever noticed how long microwaves tend to smell after you've nuked a curry in them? This seems to be the overall effect Abit is trying to achieve with the DigiDice. It looks like an electromagnetic cooker, and there's an 'essential oil' device attached to the rear fins of the CPU heat pipe, so your processor can - literally - kick up a stink.

Unfortunately, the DigiDice isn't going to cause a fuss in any other way, as we found this one of the least overclockable Pentium 4 SFFs on test. We only managed to get an extra 10MHz over the standard FSB. This is primarily because, like the ECS, the DigiDice has an 'easy' overclocking dial, but, as it doesn't have an AGP/PCI lock, stability goes to hell if you push it very far. It's a shame, as the DigiDice is a good performer at the standard frequency settings.

But what really lets the DigiDice down is its design. Aside from the plastic, kitchen-appliance looks, it's a real rigmarole to put together.

The CPU is cooled by a 40mm fan and heatpipe combo, and to screw this on you first have to remove the 5.25in drive bays. You then have to fit a plastic duct with another fan on the back of the heatpipe radiator, along with the 'essential oil' evaporator (if you really do want your PC to make your room smell like a French boudoir).

There are some good points, however. The DigiDice packs quite a bit of expandability in a chassis that's only marginally larger than others. As well as two external 5.25in bays, there's room for two 3.5in hard disks, and three backplates have been attached to the chassis.

The AGP slot is placed two backplates away from the PCI slot, so you could fit a dual-slot graphics card at the same time as a PCI card - no other SFF this month allows you to do this. An integrated memory card reader, a remote control, and even a carry bag are included.

However, none of these features can overcome the flimsy build quality, involved setup, and high price, all of which make the DigiDice a bit of a stinker.

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