Zotac ZBOX MAGNUS EN970 Review - A Gaming mini-PC Done Right
by Ganesh T S on September 28, 2015 8:00 AM ESTGaming Benchmarks
The gaming credentials of the GTX 960 are quite impressive. Even though the tag indicates a desktop GPU, the internal hardware is still a mobile GPU - the GTX 970M. It is based on Maxwell GM204. The performance, however, should be similar to that of the desktop GTX 960.
For the purpose of benchmarking, we chose four different games (Sleeping Dogs, Tomb Raider, Bioshock Infinite and DiRT Showdown) at three different quality levels. In addition, starting with this review, we are also bringing three more benchmarks involving The Talos Principle and GRID Autosport. As someone focusing on HTPCs and multimedia aspects, I rarely get to process gaming benchmarks, even while evaluating GPUs. One of the aspects that I feared was spending lot of time in installing the same games again and again on different PCs under the review scanner. The solution was to go the Steam route. Unfortunately, Steam also likes to keep the game files updated. A quick online search revealed that Steam could make use of an external drive for storing the game executables and downloadable content. With the Steam drive on-the-go use-case being read-heavy, the Corsair Flash Voyager GS USB 3.0 128GB Flash Drive (with read speeds of up to 275 MBps) was ideal for use as a portable Steam drive.
Sleeping Dogs
Tomb Raider
Bioshock Infinite
DiRT Showdown
The Talos Principle
GRID Autosport
In the gaming benchmarks, the NVIDIA GTX 960 (GTX 970M) simply smokes the competition, particularly at the 1080p quality settings. The ZBOX MAGNUS EN970 more than makes up for the weak CPU with impressive gaming performance.
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watzupken - Monday, September 28, 2015 - link
I am not sure if it makes sense to pair a decent graphic solution with a Ultra low power CPU to begin with. I believe the constraint is with the cooling solution, but I think I can live with a slightly bigger chassis.firewall597 - Monday, September 28, 2015 - link
I dunno, it seems like a compelling 1080p solution to me. I'm sure they put plenty of thought into their choice, between the pairing of CPU+GPU in such a small package, while also trying to reach a certain price point.Owning a SP3 with a pretty comparable 4300u, it's pretty impressive what it can do all things considered. Being paired with a 970m and put into a tiny $800 package is actually pretty enticing as an HTPC/Steam box solution for the living room.
barleyguy - Monday, September 28, 2015 - link
Agreed. Most living room displays (TV/Projector) are 1080p, and this box performs very well at 1080p. It's small enough to put next to a TV, and should be very quiet as far as fan noise as well.I have an EN760 in my living room. It's an older version of this same box. It works great.
My only complaint is that they raised the price from $500 to $800 (for the barebones) compared to previous generations. $500 was a more compelling price; $800 gets too close to laptop territory.
jameskatt - Thursday, October 1, 2015 - link
Cheapness is why the PC market is dying.SBD-3 - Saturday, October 17, 2015 - link
Portability is why PC's are dying. People want it all in the palm of their hands.LoganPowell - Friday, November 27, 2015 - link
This is one expensive gaming desktop and its not even on the top rank (see http://www.consumerrunner.com/top-10-best-desktops... for example...). Not my first choice as there are better with lesser price on the market.liebezeit - Monday, September 28, 2015 - link
HTPC for $800? My repurposed Asus Chromebox I bought used for $75 works great for me...SirKnobsworth - Monday, September 28, 2015 - link
You wouldn't try any serious gaming on a Chromebox. Similarly, you wouldn't buy this if you just wanted to watch Netflix.firewall597 - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - link
BUT CAN IT PLAY CRYSIS?This can.
QinX - Monday, September 28, 2015 - link
Any reason as to why you didn't show the heatsink setup/MXM module?I'd be curious to see if you could squeeze in the new GTX980 MXM module in here, yes I know the 5200U is anemic for a GTX980.