I think I checked the price of Brix before & do not remember seeing anything at S$199... I would be surprised to see Laser selling it so cheap.
Another reason I get the China ones, the flat chassis looks nicer than the brick & the they can ship with a smaller size mSATA SSD like 64G which probably cannot be found locally and not to mention at that kind of price.
Locally, probably can only get SATA 120G at $120+ & if you get SATA 64G probably going to closer to $99 range. 64G mSATA SSD is probably non-existence in Singapore... let alone pricey.
So, overall cost of ownership is still lower with the China mini PC.
I use ubuntu mostly so anything more than 64G is a waste to me anyway. Windows does need minimum 120G SSD for a start.
The China mini PC uses Atheros Wifi, Intel NIC which have superb compatibility with linux. So, I have seen some users confirmed wifi works flawless with ubuntu 14.04 before I make payment. Not sure if the Brix PC uses a Atheros Wifi though, the cheaper realtek driver in linux is often a hit & miss thing. I had nightmare on some realtek USB wifi dongle.
Bad news though, the unit I got from China, HDMI port is not working. Now seller asked me to ship back to them & they will reimburse me via paypal & send me a replacement upon checking. I have shipped via Singpost & it's fee is ridiculously expensive at S$49.60 plus the box at S$4.50!
Meaning, 1) I am not sure the merchant will reimburse me such expensive shipping fee & 2) I am not sure when she'll ship back the replacement unit.
Well... maybe this should discourage my online shopping spree & encourage me to buy from local distro again...
Given Gigabyte's reliable motherboard, I have high confident on the reliability of their Brix pc, without doubt.
