Gigabyte E350N-USB3 AMD Fusion Mini-ITX Motherboard

Final Thoughts
The Fusion platform as a whole is a fantastic idea, and definitely something that shouldn’t be grumbled at, but it seems that Gigabyte didn’t quite move at the same pace as some of the other brands on the market. Sapphire did something unique with the fact they are using SODIMMS for memory installation and Asus have their new EFI BIOS, but I’m still left wondering what Gigabyte did with the E350N-USB3 that makes it stand out from the crowd, as so far I’m still left in the dark.

As the board uses the Mini-ITX f form factor it does give a slight advantage over the likes of the Asus board (which uses the mATX form factor) and it also means that the board can be housed inside many types and size cases.

The most surprising feature on this board for me was the fan, as the last time I used a board with an active cooling solution, I was ridiculed with noise and problems but I have to say for the brief period of us testing the E350N-USB3 we were pleasantly surprised.

A lack of outstanding features lets this board down and the fact it doesn’t have RAID or any other features you’d expect for a board that could be perfect for server use with its low power output.

If you are hoping to get this board for use in a server, you may have to look a little further afield but for HTPC purposes I can see that it has its uses, but with Intel SandyBridge offering up some unique solutions from the likes of Zotac with their H67-ITX Wi-Fi, what reason would you buy this board, other than to save you money on your electricity bills.

Pros:

• Low Power draw
• DDR3 support
• All-in-one solution
• Reliable manufacturer
• HDMI/DVI/VGA sockets
• Optical sound output
• USB 3.0
• Sata 3.0
• PCI-Express lane
• 4 x SATA ports
• Small form factor
  

Cons:

• Old BIOS
• Lack of RAID
• No WOW factor
  

Ratings:

• Design: 8
• Features: 6
• Performance: 7
• Value: 8