Zotac International said that it's now offering the ZBOX nano palm-sized PC with third-generation Intel Core "Ivy Bridge" processors. There are six SKUs in all, spanning two ZBOX ID63 models, two ZBOX ID64 models and two ZBOX ID65 models. Zotac said the Ivy Bridge processor injects the nano form factor with an extra dose of CPU and GPU performance that delivers an excellent mini-PC computing experience.
According to the specs, the ZBOX ID63 barebone and ID63 "Plus" models will sport a dual-core Core i3-3227U processor clocked at 1.9 GHz. The ZBOX ID64 and ID64 "Plus" models will have a Core i5-3337U dual-core processor (1.8 GHz, 2.7 GHz) and the ZBOX ID65 and ID65 "Plus" models will have a Core i7-3537U dual-core processor (2 GHz, 3.1 GHz).
Outside the processor differences, the ID63, ID64 and ID65 are the same, sporting an Intel HD Graphics 4000 GPU, HDMI and DisplayPort output, a 7-in-1 card reader, one eSATA port, Gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth 4.0 and Wireless N connectivity. Two USB 2.0 ports are mounted on the front (one of which supports device charging), and four USB 3.0 ports on the back.
Additionally, the three models provide one 204-pin DDR3 SO-DIMM slot supporting up to 8 GB of DDR3-1600 memory. There's also support for one 2.5 inch HDD, or mSATA drives via the bundled nanoRAID storage adapter. This adapter accommodates two mSATA SSD modules and installs into the internal ZBOX nano 2.5-inch drive bay for "lightning-fast" RAID 0 or data-securing RAID 1 support.
As for the "Plus" designation, this means Zotac has also installed 4 GB of DDR3 memory and a 500 GB 5400 RPM 2.5 inch HDD. Thus, consumers have a choice of purchasing a barebones unit to add their own memory and storage, or one that's ready to go out-of-the-box -- no hardware installs needed.
"Our engineers have done a phenomenal job combining the raw CPU power of Intel Core processors and Intel HD Graphics 4000 into our tiny ZBOX nano platform. The performance and customizability available in these palm-sized ZBOX nano is unmatched by any of our competitors," says Carsten Berger, senior director, ZOTAC International.
The new Ivy Bridge-based ZBOX nano units will be made available later this month. Pricing will vary by region.
