MSI Cubi Review

Here are a few points I’d like to raise (also, check out the video if you haven’t already seen it), but first off is the fan. As always with super small is that they are noisy – and this is no exception. While not the ‘there is lots of air moving’ kind of noise I don’t mind, this fan seems to have a tune that makes me really not like having it on at all, especially in my rather flat-walled, echo-y room. It make a sound as if to suggest there was something loose/clipping the fan, but after close inspection (see the last page for images), there wasn’t and it seems to just be the design of the fan. This is actually the second MSI product we have looked at with a loud and (in my opinion) annoying fan – which is a shame as the rest is amazing, especially the price, coming in considerably less than Gigabytes’ Brix S!

I like that you can choose to have a 2.5″ HDD or not, although at least on my unit, the warranty sticker placement suggests adding a 2.5″ HDD would void the warranty – strange since they include the plate!

I love the use of this as a little media streaming box, as you can still use a bluetooth keyboard/mouse with it to stream your home media collection, Netflix or anything else, as well as grab an Xbox controller and use one of the many in-home streaming softwares around, including steam’s own. You could also use it for web browsing, office use or really anything not too intensive. I would think about using this myself if it weren’t for the fan noise. I might – though – consider modding the fan out of this, with a bit more heatsink!