Zotac Reveals New Mini PCs Ahead Of Computex

News
By Kevin Parrish
published

Zotac Zbox EN960

Zotac International has introduced its lineup of mini PCs that will be on display at Computex next week. The list includes the recently-launched R Series with RAID capabilities and several models that are designed for gaming. All models on display will include Intel processors save for the MA760, which will sport an AMD FX-7600 APU.

For starters, the company has added two new E Series models for gamers: the EN970 and the EN960. Both have an Intel Core i5-5200U processor and Nvidia GeForce GTX GPUs. However, the EN970 is more robust in its hardware offerings, whereas the EN960 plays as the successor to the EN760 and EN860 mini PCs. Here's a brief list of each:

EN970
Intel Core i5-5200U
2x 2.5-inch HDD slots, mSATA slot
Nvidia GeForce GTX 970M
4x HDMI out

EN960
Intel Core i5-5200U
1x 2.5-inch HDD slot, mSATA slot
Nvidia GeForce GTX 960M
HDMI out, DVI-I

Zotac Zbox CI521

Next we have the CI521, an upgrade to the C Series CI520. The company boasted that this model is completely silent thanks to its fanless design. This model also includes a "Broadwell" Core M processor and dual storage options, making it a great solution as a compact living room entertainment center.

CI521
Intel Core M 5Y10c
1x M.2 SSD slot, 1x 2.5-inch HDD slot
Integrated 8 GB LPDDR3 memory

Zotac Zbox MA760

In addition to the CI521, Zotac will also be showcasing a new MA760 model that includes four DisplayPort jacks and AMD Radeon R7 graphics. Slated as an ideal solution for running multiple displays in the office, this is the only device on Zotac's Computex roster that will sport an AMD APU.

MA760
AMD FX-7600P
Radeon R7 Graphics
4x DisplayPort

Zotac Zbox RI531

Finally, as a recap, Zotac's new R Series provides two 2.5-inch slots for hard drives in RAID 0, RAID 1 or JBOD configurations. As previously reported, both models feature Intel processors and GPUs, two DDR3-1600 slots for up to 16 GB of memory, and dual gigabit Ethernet ports.

RI531
Intel Core i3-5010U (Broadwell)
1x mSATA slot, 2x 2.5" slots
RAID 0, 1, JBOD

RI323
Intel 2961Y
2x 2.5" slots
RAID 0, 1, JBOD

As with most Zotac Mini-PCs, customers can purchase a barebones model for a reduced price or a fully-loaded version that packs memory and a hard drive. Typically, the consumer is responsible for providing the operating system unless Zotac includes a solution like Windows 8.1 with Bing on a pre-installed hard drive.

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Kevin Parrish
9 Comments Comment from the forums
  • warezme
    RAID on something this size is pretty much a waste of space considering you're raiding platter drives which even raided can't come anywhere near the performance of even an average SSD. RAID 3 would be more useful from a failover perspective but would require at least 3 slots. It seems like just a gimmick and a feature no one asked for, especially on devices of this size.
    Reply
  • stevenrix
    Raid also provides redundancy which is always good. Raid 3 does not exist, for this type of solution it's either RAID 0 or RAID 1.
    Reply
  • LordConrad
    RAID on something this size is pretty much a waste of space considering you're raiding platter drives which even raided can't come anywhere near the performance of even an average SSD. RAID 3 would be more useful from a failover perspective but would require at least 3 slots. It seems like just a gimmick and a feature no one asked for, especially on devices of this size.
    Most people using RAID on this device will choose either RAID 1 or JBOD, using RAID 0 on a boot drive or primary data drive is just stupid.
    Reply
  • Vlad Rose
    If you plan on using this as a media server (or any other form of server), RAID 1 would be quite handy as if one of the disks fail, the other will have a backup of it.

    And while your right that platter drives in RAID 0 cant compete with a SSD for throughput, the SSD will be quite a bit more expensive for storage size compared to traditional platters.

    Their R series of systems aren't designed for gaming, but media/server duties; where size and/or reliability is much more important than throughput.
    Reply
  • magnesiumk
    Warezme look up the speed of SSD Raid 0 Arrays.
    Reply
  • PaulBags
    2.5" hdds don't get very big, 1tb unless you want to pay insane amounts of money. On the other hand a single 3.5" could get you 8tb, they'd have been better off making it slightly taller and putting a wingle 3.5" slot in there.
    Reply
  • firefoxx04
    Raid 1 8tb drives would make for a tiny media server sufficient for most people. It could handle a handful of users streaming 1080p. Expensive but functional if you can't afford the space to house a larger chassis.
    Reply
  • somebodyspecial
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822236551&ignorebbr=1
    2TB Green wd drive $129. More expensive than 3.5in of course, but not totally evil. Samsung has a spinpoint 2TB for $99 also. So 4TB in two of them for $200 isn't too bad, but yeah, I would much rather have them be a little taller for two 4TB for ~$220 (taking two externals and removing them to save costs and get 2 free usb 3 boxes...LOL) and the ability to go MUCH larger at some point later. That is FAR too much space to waste just due to wanting it so small. GROW THE BOXES people. A small increase in height gives us a possible choice of 16-20TB if desired (now if you're rich, or later as even larger drives hit). I am purposely WAITING for a box that is properly sized (3.5in x 2 etc) with the parts I want in it, or I'll just build my own shoebox PC, which screws zotac etc out of any purchase from me.

    I have the same problem with phones and their incessant need to make them thinner instead of giving me the BATTERY & perf I'd want. I don't like the way these wafer thin phones really feel in my hand either. I have no desire to hold a credit card as a phone, give me something with more meat not less (even if I usually use a headset), as current stuff just seems so breakable. Maybe 14/10nm will finally make the battery issue go away, but I still hate THIN and flimsy feeling. It's not that they have to take all those models away, but jeez, at least put one or two out for those of us who want FAT and BATTERY life (and possibly extra perf there if desired also due to the extra battery life, more space so perhaps less throttle issues etc).
    Reply
  • Steveymoo
    RAID on something this size is pretty much a waste of space considering you're raiding platter drives which even raided can't come anywhere near the performance of even an average SSD. RAID 3 would be more useful from a failover perspective but would require at least 3 slots. It seems like just a gimmick and a feature no one asked for, especially on devices of this size.
    Most people using RAID on this device will choose either RAID 1 or JBOD, using RAID 0 on a boot drive or primary data drive is just stupid.

    Back in the day (I'm talking 10 years ago,) I used to run RAID 0 on platter disks as a primary drive. Everything essential (work, music, media etc,) would be stored on a backup disk, and everything that relies heavily on speed, software, OS etc, remained on the RAID 0 array. If they ever broke down (and they never did, over 4 years of usage,) it would be easy just to reinstall the OS and software. RAID 0 used to be a real boon back in the platter days, but now it's kinda useless with SSDs.
    Reply