Thoughts
The ABIT AB-2003 DigiDice is perhaps the most unique SFF system we've seen thus far. It uses a different approach than most other competing systems. For a start, it's not as small as, say, a Shuttle or Biostar SFF cube. ABIT has sought to offer the potential buyer some middle ground between the compact designs that are often a little difficult to build into and a full-blown desktop PC.
The extra width has allowed ABIT to introduce an LCD screen that's present for more than just aesthetic value. It provides relevant information on system characteristics and can be used to overclock the DigiDice in the easiest way possible. All the user has to do is turn the wheel to a number of preset options. The build quality, however, left us pining for a model that's hewn solely from aluminium. It's abundantly clear that ABIT is positioning this DigiDice as a multimedia PC. It should look and feel the part. Sadly, the latter isn't the case.
There's internal room for a couple of hard and optical drives. The usual floppy outlet has been sacrificed for a multi-format card reader. Whether this is a plus or minus depends upon your stance. We're not too troubled to see the archaic floppy drive dismissed. The brains behind the DigiDice is the IS-50 i865G motherboard. It carries the usual extras but misses out on RAIDable on-chip SATA. FireWire, USB 2.0, and 6-channel sound help gloss over this one omission.
It's clearly obvious that cooling has been considered in detail. The heatpipe and OTES cooling apparatus work in tandem to keep things ticking over without getting too hot. The Essential Oils section is either an elaborate joke or someone's idea of a value-adding extra. Another useful extra is the bundled remote control. They're both talking points. The back houses the usual ports but then drops another point by not offering an S-Video connection for the onboard Intel graphics. There's little reason why its limited potential should not be realised to the fullest.
Performance and stability were both good. Noise is another subjective issue. ABIT helps the user counter it by supplying an excellent BIOS. The hardware monitoring section allows for some fan-speed adjustment. Our feelings about the ABIT AB-2003 DigiDice are mixed. If there's one word to describe it, it's competent. It does a lot of things well but then lets itself down in other areas. It's a little too big for our personal liking, its front seems flimsy in comparison to other systems', and it doesn't quite make the best use of its feature set. On the other hand, it's fast, stable and different.
Make up your own mind. We reckon it has just enough appeal to warrant sales on pure merit. It's an acquired taste. You'll now have to decide if you've acquired it.
