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Choosing the platform Intel Celeron 847 for its new Zbox, ZOTAC is an interesting choice since it offers attractive then a machine by its size and price, while providing sufficient performance for typical office use. What we sell?
This does not escape you if you regularly check the news in our computer Dell XPS M1530 columns, more and more manufacturers offer economic platforms mini-ITX format composed of a motherboard on a processor Intel Celeron 847 is welded. Do not ask us why the approach Intel CPU soldered (which should gradually be extended to other ranges on future generations) is now essentially the Celeron 847, it's like that. And this platform, we have not yet had the opportunity to test it. Luckily, this is exactly the manufacturer has chosen for his new Zotac Zbox (reference ID42 Plus), who in recent years has established itself as a specialist mini-PC, a booming market with emergence of an entire ecosystem around mini-ITX format.
Model "Plus"
If in its product range Zotac Toshiba PA3534U-1BAS PC that has literally hold in your hand (see our test Zbox Nano XS), here it is already more conventional format, which is a square of plastic (18 8 x 18.8 cm) which covers take a nice glossy finish but messy. The Zbox ID42 More measures only 5.1 cm thick and weighs 853 g fitted with a 2.5'' hard drive, which you will understand, makes the solution particularly adapted to be installed on the VESA mount a screen.
Luckily, this usage is provided by Zotac, which delivers its mini-PC with a VESA clever, but also a support to keep it upright, then it is of course possible to use simply placed on the office or under the TV (you come back).
The "Plus" version that we received for testing the Zbox ID42 was already equipped with a 500GB hard drive (Toshiba brand) and 4 GB of memory (in a strip format DDR3-1333 SO-DIMM) but it is possible to get yourself these two components according to their desires easily by removing the bottom cover (two screws to remove only). We can then install more RAM if desired (two slots are present), or opt for an SSD for example (SATA II 3 Gbps). Nothing more simple, even novices can get into the operation, which is important information since naked version of these Compaq Presario CQ62 components of the Zbox ID42 is also available, cf. our conclusion.
Finish presentations evoking the various inputs and outputs present all around the box, and they are many. On a wafer, alongside the hover button boot (and LEDs for WiFi and HDD), there is a USB 3.0 port, an SD card reader and two 3.5mm jack. In contrast, the power plug (mini-PC comes with a block type laptop that can deliver up to 90W), two locations for antennas WiFi, HDMI and DVI outputs, two USB 2.0 ports, two RJ45 ports and one optical output. And if one of the faces is restricted to provide the cover screws and a recess for the fastening system of the Zbox, the last is used for heat removal (the air is drawn from the Dell D630 Battery lower cover) and has last one USB 3.0 port.
Discovering the Celeron 847
When you first start the machine, no boot sequence is found. This is normal, Zotac has chosen to go first to people who can install their own OS, and for reasons of economy, does not have its systems (even complete as here) equipped Windows or Linux. Once Windows 7 64 bit installed (via USB, the Zbox being without optical drive), there has to install the driver set complete machine before starting the tests. Zotac providing these drivers on a DVD (...) it will necessarily have a second Inspiron 1525 PC on hand to extract them to a removable storage media, or get them on the download section of the website of the manufacturer. Device Manager no longer shows any material unrecognized drivers of Nvidia dedicated GPU (GeForce GT 610) are installed. We are ready for.
Once the test suite to which we submit any PC through our lab is completed, what conclusions can we draw on this machine and the Intel platform chosen? Already than we could expect, the Zbox ID42 Plus is not a config 'player. Its dedicated GPU, a chip from Nvidia GT 610 is associated with 512MB of DDR3 video memory on a 64-bit bus. This is the same chip (renamed) as that fitted to the GT 520 from the previous generation (48 units to 810 MHz calculation). In practice, the results in 3D applications interspersed between those provided by the
Pavilion dv6000 and HD 4000. What, in practice, just run in DirectX 9 Lost Planet 2 at 13 fps.
No 3D game then, but what about the provisions of the machine side office? To find out, we put the couple Celeron 847 and 4GB of DDR3 various performance tests, and the verdict is not the most exciting, even if the configuration is sufficient for basic usage (surfing, office suite, mail , download, streaming audio and video). However, as soon as you begin to pull the Celeron 847 (dual-core CPU without Hyper-Threading 1.1 GHz with 2 MB L3 cache) to render in Photoshop or heavy encoding work video in Handbrake, the platform shows its limits.
Fritz Benchmark, which focuses on CPU power, allows completely highlight the limits of this chip compared to a low-voltage processor for laptops as thought the Core i3-3217U, this last being a score of 3473 Kn / s , against 1637 Kn / s for the Celeron 837. Of course, these two chips at the same heat output (17W TDP) are not sold at the same price by Intel (the retail price is $ 225 for the Core i3 Ivy Bridge IGP that integrates a HD 4000, and $ 134 for Celeron 847), but it helps to better put this platform Intel in terms of DV6 batteries performance. Although as we have said, it may suffice to those who ask this mini-PC basic tasks. Especially the hard disk of 500 GB on board with this "Plus" version appears to be relatively swift, despite its 5400 rev / min,
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