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TEST RESULTS
System Power Draw
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Test Results: System Power Consumption (AC)
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Test State
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Gateway EC1803h
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Asus UL30A
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Asus EB1501
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Zotac ZBOX
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Sleep
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1W
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1W
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2W
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1~2W
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Idle
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9W
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8W
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20W
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23W
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x264 Playback
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19W
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16W
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28W
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28W
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CPU Load
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21W
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23W
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27W
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32W
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CPU + GPU Load
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23W
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26W
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39W
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44W
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Gateway & Asus UL30A are CULV laptops.
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The ZBOX consumes a few more watts during operation than the
Eee Box EB1501, which also features ION graphics but paired with a dual
core Atom. For a desktop system, the extra power consumption is an almost a
negligible concession given how much better CULV processors perform. Both nettops
pale in comparison to the energy efficiency of CULV laptops like the Gateway
EC1803h and Asus UL30A,
particularly when idle and during video playback.
Video Playback
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Test Results: Video Playback
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Test State
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Asus EB1501
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Zotac ZBOX
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Avg.
CPU
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System Power
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Avg.
CPU
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System Power
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Rush Hour
(H.264 10mbps)
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13%
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25W
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8%
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25W
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Coral Reef
(WMV 8mbps)
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29%
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27W
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9%
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25W
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Spaceship
(x264 14mbps)
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18%
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28W
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17%
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28W
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Crash
(x264 22mbps)
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not tested
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19%
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29W
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Iron Man
(Flash 2mbps)
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26%
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24W
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23%
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26W
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The combination of a dual-core Atom and ION graphics can handle almost any
high definition video clip thrown at it, so the increased performance of the
Celeron SU2300 does not blow away the Asus EB1501. A couple of the clips played
with lower CPU utilization, but power efficiency was very similar. The ION graphics
chip does most of the heavy lifting in both of these systems.
Performance Benchmarks
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Test Results: Performance Benchmarks
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System
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Zotac ZBOX
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Gateway EC1803h
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DIY Atom 330 (XP)
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Asus UL30A
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CPU
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Celeron 1.2GHz
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C2S 1.4GHz
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Atom 1.6GHz
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C2D 1.33GHz
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RAM
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4GB
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3GB
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2GB
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4GB
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Boot-up
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1:21
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0:53
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0:49
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0:57
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NOD32
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12:59
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11:14
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18:38
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11:05
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WinRAR
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6:00
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5:38
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6:49
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5:27
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iTunes
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9:07
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8:46
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20:30
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8:02
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TMPGEnc
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12:54
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20:01
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15:38
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10:22
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PCMark05
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3322
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2214
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2011
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3452
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3DMark05
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3686
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979
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254
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1396
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3DMark06
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1787
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603
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N/A
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822
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Gateway & Asus UL30A are CULV laptops.
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While an Atom is just as capable when paired with ION for video playback, the
CULV + ION combination proved to be much more responsive and faster overall.
The ZBOX crushed the DIY Atom 330 (with Intel chipset) system in all of the
benchmarks. For a pure media playback machine, a dual-core Atom with ION graphics
will suffice, but if you delve into more demanding applications, Atom's limitations
become crystal clear.
The only time the ZBOX felt slow was during boot-up, as it took 32 seconds
longer than the DIY Atom 330. Other than that, the performance was what you
would expect, a couple of steps behind the Asus UL30A laptop with its higher
clocked and cache-rich Core 2 Duo SU7300 processor.
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For more adventurous users, the BIOS offers some frequency control.
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Those looking for a performance boost will be interested to know that both
the CPU and GPU can be overclocked, though we don't recommend it given the tight
confines and limited cooling in the ZBOX. The FSB can be increased from the
stock 800 MHz up to set up to 2500 MHz, and the GPU can upped from 450/1100
MHz to 700/1800 MHz. Basic memory timings can also be tweaked, and the chipset
voltage can be increased slightly.
WiFi Performance
Our ZBOX sample had an integrated 802.11n WiFi adapter using a Ralink chipset.
When the adapter was disabled the system power consumption lowered by 1W; there
was no power difference when it was connected to a network or not. The 802.11g/n
reception was good, but the speed left a lot to be desired. When transferring
a large file, 802.11g averaged only ~15 mbps while 802.11n was actually slightly
slower. The unit lacks an external antenna would could be responsible for this
relatively poor performance.
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