Boxx Apexx 2 review

A high-end performance machine

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Boxx Apexx 2 review

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Spec Sheet

  • Processor: Intel Core™i7 i7-4790K 4.0ghz (Turbo Boost to 4.5ghz)
  • Graphics: NVIDIA Quadro K5200 8GB
  • RAM: 16GB DDR3 1600mhz
  • Screen: ASUS VG248QE
  • Storage: Intel 730 SERIES 2.5-Inch 240 GB Internal SSD SSDSC2BP240G4
  • Storage: 1 2TB Western Digital RE WD2000FYYZ 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA
  • Optical Drive: 20x Dual layer DVD +/- R/W Writer or Blu-ray RW Drive
  • Ports: 2 USB 3.0 Front, 2 USB 2.0 Front, 4 USB 3.0 Rear, 4 USB 2.0 Rear
  • Power: 550w 80 Plus Gold Power Supply
  • Connectivity: 1 Gigabit Ethernet Port
  • Camera: None
  • Weight: 30 lbs (13.61kg)
  • Dimensions: 6.85" W x 14.6" H x 16.6" D (17.4 cm x 45.7 cm x 51.3 cm)

Performance

The Apexx 2 takes only 28.12 seconds to boot, and only 4.85 seconds to log in once you're up and running. It took only 41.68 seconds to reboot the machine, and that was with unforeseen Windows updates. You literally (and this word gets thrown around a lot) plug the Apexx 2 in and it works. Period.

Boxx Apexx 2 review

Now, to put perspective on multi-process handling, I tried to do as much as I could to pin the Apexx 2 process wise. So, I streamed music from Spotify, opened a ton of Chrome and IE windows, played a movie in HD on both Netflix and Amazon, I had a program that was writing a 1TB file to the 7200 RPM drive, I played Call of Duty Ghosts in the highest resolution possible, and I was running a Linux machine using Oracle's VirtualBox. I found no lag in frame rate and no choppiness in audio. The Boxx Apexx 2 is a workhorse that would not relent no matter what I threw at it.

Here's how it performed on our standard benchmark tests:

  • 3DMark: Fire Strike 6741; Sky Diver 20799; Cloud Gate 24941
  • CineBench: OpenGL 158.27 fps, CPU 854 cb
  • PCMark 8: 4565

Flaws

The only real complaint I can find, if I have to be really picky, is the lack of a WiFi adapter. But this point is somewhat moot as the Boxx Apexx 2 Workstation is geared toward businesses and professionals who are more than likely connected to an ethernet network.

EZ Bardeguez