ASRock VisionX 471D Review - Evolutionary Upgrades for a Powerful mini-PC

Gaming Benchmarks

The gaming credentials of the AMD R9 270MX are quite impressive. We already know what it is capable of, thanks to our coverage in the VisionX 420D review. We are looking at the same GPU configuration in the VisionX 471D. However, we do have a more capable CPU (Core i7-4712MQ vs. the Core i5-4200M) this time around.

For the purpose of benchmarking, we chose five different games (Company of Heroes 2, Sleeping Dogs, Tomb Raider, Bioshock Infinite and DiRT Showdown) at three different quality levels. As someone focusing on HTPCs and multimedia aspects, I rarely get to process gaming benchmarks, even while evaluating GPUs. One of the aspects that I feared was spending lot of time in installing the same games again and again on different PCs under the review scanner. The solution was to go the Steam route. Unfortunately, Steam also likes to keep the game files updated. A quick online search revealed that Steam could make use of an external drive for storing the game executables and downloadable content. With the Steam drive on-the-go use-case being read-heavy, the Corsair Flash Voyager GS USB 3.0 128GB Flash Drive (with read speeds of up to 275 MBps) was ideal for use as a portable Steam drive.

Company of Heroes 2

In this title, there are benefits provided by the better CPU. But, it is debatable whether the difference is noticeable in real-world gameplay. In addition, the GB-BXi5G-760 performs much better than the VisionX 471D. However, the acoustic profile of the VisionX 471D is way better.

Sleeping Dogs

In this title, the three leading systems are much more evenly matched.The choice of CPU has almost negligible effect on the performance.

Tomb Raider

The situation for Tomb Raider is similar to that of Sleeping Dogs. The better CPU provides marginal gains and the GTX 760 and the R9 270MX provide almost equivalent performance.

Bioshock Infinite

In Bioshock Infinite, the GTX 760 is way ahead of the R9 270MX. Again, the acoustic profile of the two relevant PCs must be kept in mind.

DiRT Showdown

The VisionX 471D performs very well in DiRT Showdown compared to the other PCs. In fact, at lower resolutions, the unit manages a healthy lead compared to the GTX 760-equipped GB-BXi5G-760. At higher resolutions / quality, the performance of both units is very similar.