Zotac zbox which one

The two side panels can be removed once the top panel is out of the picture. This exposes the GPU and the motherboard on either side. Unlike the NUCs, the M. Since our review sample was essentially a pre-built system, we didn't have to install any new components inside the chassis. Zotac opts to populate only one DRAM channel in the system.

This does hamstring the performance of the system, but we opted to review the system as-is in terms of hardware. We did re-image the M. In the next section, we take a look at the BIOS options along with an analysis of the motherboard platform. Following that, we have a number of sections focusing on various performance aspects before concluding with an analysis of the value proposition of the system.

Post Your Comment Please log in or sign up to comment. And that cooler is really pathetic even for a 65W CPU. Reminds me of engine 27 which also has really bad performance. Privacy Policy. Contact Us.

Terms of Use. If this still seems too expensive, Zotac has just announced the ECMC, which scales back the processor to a Core i5 and the graphics card to an RTX - no word on pricing yet, but expect a good chunk chipped off the top of the MSRP when it does eventually arrive. The Magnus One ships in a box that's slightly smaller than the average desktop PC. That box, when opened, reveals something far more compact, a super-dense case surrounded by very generous packing material - this thing is small.

Modern console small. Compact toaster small. So small it skims the very edges of what's possible with replaceable discrete graphics on board. The motherboard section puts everything you'll need front-facing, including a pair of M. Follow that daughterboard along to the graphics card compartment, and you'll find it also taking care of the PCI Express x16 duties of the included Zotac RTX Twin Edge card, which is entirely replaceable if you need an upgrade, as is the 10th-gen Intel Core i7, socketed rather than soldered-on beneath a compact if perhaps slightly undercooked air cooler.

Peep below and you find a cheeky third compartment, one containing a super-compact W PSU, meaning this doesn't need an external power brick; an extra pair of fans sits along the top edge, connected to the motherboard by a sprung pressure-fit header.

This is reassuringly sturdy, and the fact that there's no wire makes for easy and foolproof disassembly. On the outside we're pleased, if not blown away, by the aesthetic choices Zotac has made.

It has carried a two-layer honeycomb ventilation pattern over all edges bar the front and back; this isn't filtered, so you'll want to regularly get inside to make sure things aren't too dust-caked, but it is very generous - there's little chance of the Magnus One ever getting choked. The front panel is subtle if unexciting, with a single USB 3. We could insult your intelligence and say the power packed into the ZBox Magnus One's diminutive shell was in some way surprising, but it's not.

Intel's Comet Lake Core i absolutely screams along, making the most of every transistor in its eight core, 16 thread design. There are faster chips, but for the price this is totally capable CPU, and you can drop in a Socket replacement without issue.

The same can be said for the GeForce RTX , every bit the generational leap it promised to be, and a true powerhouse in our benchmark tests. It ripped through Metro Exodus a game which struggles to hit 60fps on the RTX and destroyed Total War: Three Kingdoms, while performing very admirably on synthetic benchmarks too.

Actually playing games on this was a joy, to the point that we struggled to find the motivation to even finish this review; desktop operation is as slick as you'd expect from a machine of this caliber, though our choice to put in a SATA SSD likely hampered its transfer speeds, and we would absolutely favour adding a good M.

Here's the thing, though: a machine like this isn't really meant to be judged on how fast it can push a pixel. Just looking at the specs is enough to tell you that, yes, it's plenty muscular enough to handle whatever whatever you can throw at it, and Zotac sees the Magnus as more of a creative powerhouse than a gaming workhorse.

But can it do that without making a huge fuss? Eh, not so much. Zotac has, as we've discussed, offered this some very generous ventilation, and when you're just clicking around the desktop it's super-quiet. The compartmentalised cooling works well and is laid out logically, the graphics card pulling in from the side and exhausting from the back, and the CPU pushing its air out of the side. It makes thermal throttling a relative rarity. Push things, though, and this really does get very noisy; the small PSU fan works hard, the top fans ramp up a long way, and you sense a real fight to keep things on the level - but one which quickly scales back to a manageable level once you're done.

With no passive or water cooling this isn't a surprise, of course. Asking a machine this loaded and this compact to also be quiet would be a bit much. But it's absolutely worth bearing in mind that with great power comes great audibility. You want a pre-built route to power Building your own PC isn't for everyone. Building one this compact is a challenge even for experts. Zotac's barebones machine gives you options in terms of RAM and storage, but all the hard work is done for you.

Desk space is crucial The Zotac Zbox Magnus One's footprint is absolutely minimal, so you won't have any trouble finding somewhere for it to sit - though you do make sure it gets proper airflow from all sides.