Slew Of Zotac Zbox Mini PCs Includes One VR-Ready GTX 980 Option

Zotac had a pile of Zboxes to announce ahead of Computex. Zotac’s Zbox line consists of mini PCs that cover a variety of uses, ranging from productivity to gaming, and the company announced a refresh on its M and C lines with 6th generation (Skylake) Intel Core processors. Furthermore, Zotac revealed three new Zboxes, two of which are pocketable; one is equipped with an Nvidia GTX 980.

C-Series

Zotac’s C series is designed to deliver efficient productivity while remaining silent. The new Zbox CI523 nano, CI543 nano and CI545 nano are receiving the Skylake treatment, with the CI545 nano featuring Intel AMT technology.

M-Series

The second refreshed line is Zotac’s M series. The M series’ goal is efficient green operation, more than silence, but even so, the specifications between the M and C line are virtually identical save for their size and use case.

Shhh; Zbox P-Series

Zotac’s Zbox PI322 and PI330 feature a fanless cooling system, leaving them with no moving parts. The Zbox PI330 has an additional DisplayPort, raising the number of connected displays to two. The "P" in P series stands for "pico," and indeed these PCs are small enough to fit in your pocket.

And Of Course, Something VR

The most surprising announcement from Zotac was undoubtedly the Zbox Magnus EN980, a mini PC with VR-ready specifications, and it’s considerably more powerful than the Magnus EN970 released last year. The Magnus dispels the Nvidia GTX 980 GPU’s heat via water cooling, which is absolutely necessary in a system this small. Zotac’s intention is for the Magnus to run VR applications; at this size, the Magnus can easily be strapped into a backpack and worn during VR sessions, reducing the fear of tripping on cables.

Alexander Quejado is an Associate Contributing Writer for Tom’s Hardware and Tom’s IT Pro. Follow Alexander Quejado on Twitter. 

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