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Sometimes in this industry, unusual events can occur – such as when AMD partner Sapphire created the Edge HD Mini PC with Intel and Nvidia hardware inside. Zotac are well known as one of Nvidia's most capable partners, but the system we are reviewing today is based around the AMD Fusion platform. Yes, the Zotac Zbox Plus Bluray system features the low power, dual core Zacate E350 APU.
The version we have on test today not only contains the AMD E350 APU, but it is supplied with a Bluray optical drive, aimed at the enthusiast high definition media marketplace. We have reviewed many Fusion boards already, but this is one of the first ‘all in one' systems we have had in our labs.
Experience a completely new level of energy-efficient computing with the digital media friendly ZOTAC ZBOX Blu-ray AD03 Plus mini-PC. Powered by the AMD E-350 APU Platform with AMD Radeon HD 6310 Discrete-Class Graphics, the ZOTAC ZBOX Blu-ray AD03 Plus delivers outstanding CPU and GPU performance capable of handling streaming high-definition video, Blu-ray playback and day-to-day computing tasks with unprecedented energy-efficiency.
Onboard 802.11n (300 Mb/s) WiFi and Gigabit Ethernet enables the ZOTAC ZBOX Blu-ray AD03 Plus to deliver lightning-fast network connectivity with or without wires for instant access to the digital content available on the Internet or other networked sources. Customizing the ZBOX Blu-ray AD03 Plus is simple with easy access to internal expansion – including mini-PCI Express, two DDR3 SO-DIMM slots and space to accommodate a 2.5-inch SATA HDD or SSD – 2GB of DDR3 and a 250GB hard drive is included with the mini-PC – and plenty of external expansion via USB 3.0, USB 2.0 and eSATA ports.
| Model | ZBOX-AD03BR-PLUS-U |
| Chipset | AMD M1 |
| Cooler Type | Fan |
| CPU Socket | N/A (Integrated CPU) |
| Dimensions | • Length: 7.36in – 187mm • Width: 11.02in – 280mm • Depth: 1.5in – 40mm |
| Memory Size | 2GB Installed (up to 8GB) |
| Memory Slots | 2 x 204-pin DDR3-1066 SO-DIMM (1 Slot Available) |
| Memory Type | DDR3 1066 SO-DIMM |
| Onboard Audio | Analog Stereo, 8-ch via HDMI |
| Onboard LAN | 10/100/1000Mbps, WiFi 802.11n/g/b |
| Onboard Video | AMD Radeon™ HD 6310 |
| Package Contents | 1 x ZOTAC ZBOX Blu-ray AD03 PLUS 1 x VESA mount 1 x DVI-to-VGA adapter 1 x AC adapter 1 x Power cord 1 x Warranty card 1 x User manual 1 x Driver CD 1 x Cyberlink PowerDVD w/Blu-ray playback |
| PCI | 1 Mini PCI Express |
| Power Connector | DC19V |
| SATA | 1 (SATA 6.0 Gbps), 1 eSATA 6.0Gbps |
| USB | 2 x USB 3.0 (1 back panel, 1 front panel) 2 x USB 2.0 (1 Combo eSATA / USB 2.0 back panel, 1 front panel) |
| Video Ports | HDMI, Dual-link DVI-I and VGA (with DVI-to-VGA adapter) |
I always liked this design but never dug the atom inside. this is finally one I would buy. might even cause some damage to my credit card.
I dont think you could build something nicer looking yourself, not often I say that.
Personally I think the 2GB of memory is a bit tight. 4GB would have cost them very very little and would have helped performance noticeably
Yeah im afraid I would need to budget more memory for this. 2GB is quite poor decision making IMO. nothing should ship with 2GB anymore. memory is so damn cheap.
otherwise great look media system, very attractive. good to hear noise levels are low.
I really like the design, very nicely finished.
Its cool looking, but id want a core i3 version, those low powered machine are slow as molasses normally