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1 2 3 4 5 6 NextZotac ZBOX HD-ND22: At Last a CULV Nettop
September 4th, 2010 by Lawrence Lee
| Product |
Zotac ZBOX HD-ND22 |
| Manufacturer |
Zotac |
| MSRP |
US$270 |
Hong Kong based Zotac is best known for bringing the latest motherboard chipsets
to the mini-ITX form factor and effect pushing the envelope of powerful DIY
small factor PCs. Zotac is no stranger to complete systems either with the MAG
series of nettops being quite competitive with other popular mini-PCs such as
the Acer Revo and the Asus Eee
Box.
Zotac's latest venture into miniature computing comes in the form of the ZBOXs,
a line of barebones nettops available in 7 different varieties. The three low-end
models are powered by Intel Atom and integrated Intel or nVidia ION graphics,
as per the current industry standard. There is one version with a mobile AMD
Athlon Neo X2 chip and Radeon HD 3200 graphics — somewhat exciting but
not really new to the desktop scene. The last three are by far the most interesting,
the desktop PCs driven by Intel CULV (consumer ultra-low voltage) processors,
the same chips that are all the rage in the ultra-portable notebook market.
|
Zotac ZBOX Versions
|
|
Model
|
CPU
|
GPU
|
RAM
|
|
HD-ND21
|
Pentium SU4100 1.3 GHz
|
Nvidia ION
|
2 x DDR3
|
|
HD-ND22-U
|
Celeron SU2300 1.2 GHz
|
Nvidia ION
|
2 x DDR3
|
|
HD-NS21
|
Celeron 743 1.3 GHz (single core)
|
Nvidia ION
|
2 x DDR3
|
|
HD-AD01-U
|
Athlon Neo X2 L325 1.5 GHz
|
Radeon HD 3200
|
2 x DDR2
|
|
HD-ID11-U
|
Atom D510 1.66 GHz
|
Nvidia ION
|
1 x DDR2
|
|
HD-ND02-U
|
Atom 330 1.6 GHz
|
Nvidia ION
|
1 x DDR2
|
|
SD-ID10-U
|
Atom D510 1.66 GHz
|
GMA 3150
|
1 x DDR2
|
The low power draw of CULV processors have allowed laptops to slim down and
enjoy much improved battery life without sacrificing performance. Those bemoaning
the myriad of slow Atom based nettops (ourselves included) and seeking higher
performance mini PCs — the wait is finally over. Our ZBOX sample is the
HD-ND22-U with ION graphics and a Celeron SU2300 1.2 GHz dual core processor.
As the ZBOX is a barebones package, a 2.5" SATA hard drive, some DDR3 SODIMM
memory, and an operating system are required to make it fully functional. There
is no option for an optical drive, like in almost all the current mini PCs.
|
The ZBOX HD-ND22 is powered by a mobile processor, the Celeron SU2300.
|
|
Secured in the included VESA mounting frame.
|
|
Unboxed.
|
The package includes a VESA mount and screws, a vertical stand, an AC power
adapter, a driver disc and some literature. The ZBOX itself is a slim, sleek
black and silver machine with the exterior casing constructed out of plastic.
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