Syntax EZ-Clocker Small Form Factor System

The biggest thing that sets the EZ-Clocker apart from other SFF systems is it's claim to be able to adjust the clock speed on the fly without having to reboot and adjust the BIOS, so our overclocking test is perhaps more important that normal in this review. We selected the 2.4 'C' chip for this review because of it's ability to overclock. Since the memory we're using is only DDR 400, in order to push the chip and system as far as we could, we dropped the memory speed in the BIOS down to DDR266. Then using the CPU Clock adjust dial on the front of the case, we started cranking it up, using both CPU-Z and the THG clock to compare the readout of the display.

The screen shot that you're seeing shows the last semi-stable overclock I was able to reach. when I say semi-stable, it was stable enough to run Windows without any problems, but not stable enough to benchmark with it. The last rock solid overclock was at 2.95GHz which is nothing to laugh at. I posted the 3.2GHz screen shot just because faster is cooler to look at. Even though it wouldn't stand up to the benchmarks, I actually ran the system at 3.2 for about three hours surfing the net, so not too shabby I'd have to say. One more thing about the EZ-Clock. If you push the overclock too far and it becomes unstable, the system shuts down and restarts with the CPU back at it's native clock speed. That by itself is very nice but keep in mind you better know the limit of what you can overclock to lest you reboot in the middle of something important.

Conclusion

Small Form Factor PC's are becoming more prevalent these days. With motherboards having onboard everything, the PC can get quite small and still pack a punch. These smaller systems are not really designed for the overclocker or the tweaker, but more for the mainstream user or even LAN goer who wants an easy to manage system. Syntax has included in their PC something that no one else has, the ability to manually turn a dial and overclock your CPU for more power on the fly. This in and of itself makes it a serious contender in the market. The motherboard is rock solid in terms of performance and with the built in card reader and modem, puts it on someone's short list. However, there are some features that are lacking. The written manual leaves a great deal to be desired. With the actual installation instructions on the driver CD, some people will be at a serious loss if they do not have another computer to view it on, especially with the installation of the optical drive requiring the removal of the face plate. The lack of SATA connectivity should be looked at as well. While SATA isn't exactly mainstream yet, it is getting more and more common. 

All in all, the EZ-Clocker lived up to, and in most cases, exceeded my own personal expectations and heartily earns our recommendation. 

Pros:

• Small, easy to carry

• Price, about $100 less than other SFF's

• Aluminum housing

• Built in card reader

• Built in modem

• Rounded IDE cables

• Efficient cooling system

• Solid performance

• Overclocking on the FLY baby!

Cons:

• Written manual has no installation instructions

• Lack of SATA

• Need to remove face plate of optical drive for installation

• A bit bigger than other SFF PC's

BACK                    HOME

Pg 1 - Introduction
Pg 2 - Exterior
Pg 3 - Front Display Panel
Pg 4 - Motherboard and Cooling
Pg 5 - Interior
Pg 6 - BIOS
Pg 7 - Testing Set Up and Memory Benches
Pg 8 - Productivity Benchmarks
Pg 9 - Gaming Benchmarks
Pg 10 - Overclocking and Conclusion