The Polywell i2304-i5 ($749 as tested) is a half-pint-sized mini-ITX desktop PC made for a wide variety of applications, from business tasks like point-of-sale systems, surveillance systems, or displays and signage, to in-home use as a media hub or simple desktop. While a couple of those applications might be a bit too large a load for this little PC to carry, they do speak to the versatility that is afforded by the system. The compact size and ability to run Windows programs in spaces a regular desktop or laptop PC wouldn’t fit make it an intriguing solution for several small, but specific problems.

Design and Features
The Polywell i2304-i5 measures just 7.7 by 1.55 by 7.9 inches (HWD) standing vertically (thanks to a removable stand). That compact size puts it firmly into the same ultra-small form factor as the Lenovo ThinkCentre M93p Tiny($301.50 at Lenovo)(Opens in a new window) and the Apple Mac mini (Late 2012). The chassis is fairly plain, without the gentle curves of the Apple Mac mini or the wacky spherical design of the Zotac Zbox Sphere (OI520 Plus) (stay tuned for the full review), just a basic, boxy design of brushed aluminum with a black anodized finish. The aluminum chassis is perforated with ventilation on the side and top of the unit. It supports a standard VESA mount (which is included), and is small enough to be mounted out of sight—such as under a display table, or to the back of a monitor—for even less clutter.

The front of the system is pretty simple, adorned with only a
power button and pair of USB 2.0 ports. On the back you’ll find DVI and HDMI outputs, which can be used simultaneously for a dual-display setup (with output up to 4K), along with four USB ports (two USB 3.0, two USB 2.0), a Gigabit Ethernet port, and jacks for microphone-in and an output for headphones or external speakers. If you must have Wi-Fi, you’ll need to attach a Wi-Fi antenna—the internal networking adapter supports 802.11n Wi-Fi, but without an antenna, it won’t do anything for you. There’s also a slot for a Kensington lock, which may come in handy, since the PC itself is small enough to slip into a large coat pocket.

Inside, the i2304-i5 is equipped with an Intel Core i5-3337u dual-core CPU running at 2.7GHz, accompanied by 4GB of RAM (though it will support up to 8GB). For additional graphics power, it also boasts an Nvidia GeForce GT 630 graphics card with 2GB of dedicated video memory. Combine all this with a 240GB solid-state drive (SSD), and you have a surprisingly capable little system crammed into such a small chassis.

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Our review unit came with Windows 7 Home Premium (32-bit) installed, but Polywell also ships this model with your choice of operating systems—including, but not limited to, Windows 8, Windows XP, Ubuntu, General Linux 2.6, and FreeBSD. Aside from the operating system and drivers for the Nvidia graphics card, the system has no bloatware.

Performance

The Intel Core i5-3337 in the system is a CPU built for ultraportable laptops and similar environs where heat and energy efficiency are major concerns. In PCMark 8, the i2304-i5 fell behind the Zotac ZBox Sphere, and again in Handbrake. With the limitations of the 32-bit version of Windows 7, we weren’t able to run either of our CineBench or Photoshop tests. Needless to say, these sorts of limitations will carry over into your day-to-day PC use. While this system is made to handle media, like streaming video, it’s not really meant to go much further than that. For better overall performance, something like the Polywell B8500 or even the aging 2012 Mac mini will offer as good or better performance, thanks to a faster Core i7 processor.

The biggest thing this tiny system has going for it is the addition of an Nvidia GeForce GT 630 graphics card. The extra capability offered by this dedicated graphics hardware was evident in 3DMark and our gaming tests, where the performance was notably better than can be had with integrated graphics alone. For example, in 3DMark Cloud Gate, the i2304-i5 scored 4,829 points, compared with the 4,063 points scored by the Zotac Sphere with its Intel HD Graphics 4400. The same can be seen in our Heaven 4.0 and Valley gaming tests. At low settings, the i2304-i5 produced 18 frames per second (fps) in Heaven and 23fps in Valley, where the Zotac only managed 12fps in both. This is an essential capability, seeing as Polywell is pushing the i2304-i5 as being ideal for digital signage and home media use.

Conclusion
The Polywell i2304-i5 is the perfect PC to get for a multimedia display or similar application. While it is also billed as being a good fit for home use, there are other offerings that will do better, including the aging Editors’ Choice small-form-factor desktop Apple Mac mini.