Systems

ZOTAC ZBOX Nano AQ02 Plus Review

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March 10, 2014 5 Min Read
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A Palm sized mini PC featuring AMD A8-5545M / AMD Radeon HD 8510G. Is this compact system suitable for a home-theatre configuration?



Product on Review: ZBOX Nano AQ02 Plus
Manufacturer & Sponsor: ZOTAC
Price: £424 GBP / $500 USD

Prolific in the graphics card arena, ZOTAC are also known for their passion in the mini-ITX motherboard and mini PC markets too. The ZBOX is a product-line which has been an extremely successful avenue for the brand and today we are to look at ZOTAC’s second quad-core ZBOX nano mini PC.

ZOTAC’s AQ02 is housed inside the palm sized nano enclosure. Compared to the AQ01, the AQ02 has the upgraded AMD A8-5545M APU which delivers AMD Radeon HD 8510G graphics. This CPU is quad-core and rated at 2.7GHz, the question is – can such a condensed computer system really offer enough processing power for a home-theatre configuration?



About ZOTAC
Established in 2006, ZOTAC is the world’s largest and most innovative manufacturer of graphics cards, mini-ITX motherboards and mini-PCs. ZOTAC system components, and mini-PCs can be found in all continents around the globe.

Derived from the terms “zone,” for being distinct in the PC components and systems business, and “tact,” for our superior skill, experience, quality and manufacturing capabilities. Combined, “ZOTAC,” represents technological strength and experience blended with a fresh approach on the industry’s ever-changing needs.

Technical Specifications


SKU
ZBOXNANO-AQ02
ZBOXNANO-AQ02-PLUS
Memory
1 x 204-pin DDR3 SO-DIMM slots (Up to 8GB)
DDR3-1600
Hard Disk Support
1 2.5-inch HDD / SSD
PLUS Configuration
4GB DDR3 / 500GB 5400RPM HDD
CPU
AMD A8-5545M
(quad-core, 1.7 GHz, 4MB L2)
(Turbo up to 2.7 GHz)
GPU
AMD Radeon HD 8510G
Video Memory
Shared Memory Architecture
Display Options
DisplayPort + HDMI
Memory Card Reader
7-in-1 (SD/SDHC/MMC/SDXC/MS/MS Pro/xD)
SATA
1 x SATA 6.0 Gb/s
1 x eSATA
Ethernet
10/100/1000Mbps
WiFi
Onboard 802.11ac Wi-Fi & Bluetooth 4.0
USB Ports
4 USB 3.0 ports (on back)
2 USB 2.0 ports (front)
Audio
HDMI audio (bitstream)
Optical S/PDIF
Analog output
DirectX® Support
DirectX 11.1
HDCP
Yes
Windows Capability
Windows 7 & 8 ready

Benchmarks: Windows 7 Boot & Power Consumption

We install Windows 7 on the ZBOX, bring it right up-to-date and then use a digital stopwatch to time the bootup period. To measure the power consumption, we load up 3DMark and then use a power energy monitor to view wattage.

Benchmarks: Cinebench & X264 HD

In order to test the efficiency of the APU within our ZBOX, Cinebench is used first of all – this gives a processing score. We then use X264 HD to demonstrate how the APU performs in terms of encoding media files.

Benchmarks: 3DMark

The new 3DMark includes everything you need to benchmark your hardware. With three all new tests you can bench everything from smartphones and tablets, to notebooks and home PCs, to the latest high-end, multi-GPU gaming desktops. And it’s not just for Windows. With 3DMark you can compare your scores with Android and iOS devices too. It’s the most powerful and flexible 3DMark we’ve ever created.

Benchmarks: Sleeping Dogs, Tomb Raider & DIRT Showdown

Our ZBOX uses an integrated chip for graphics delivery. To test how effective the 3D capabilities are we run two benchmark tests within 3DMark and then we use the benchmarking tool within Sleeping Dogs, Tomb Raider and DIRT Showdown to obtain average framerate

Conclusion


There remains very little difference between ZOTAC’s AQ01 and AQ02, in fact the only noticeable adjustments are found concealed within the unit. The physical dimensions along with the ports and functionality are consistent with previous models.

By simply changing the inner workings of this mini PC, ZOTAC has kept with current hardware. In this sense we’re pleased to see them being proactive – the upgrade in hardware specification may not present huge advantages but keeping up-to-date with current trends is a worthwhile avenue to take.

Although we’ve seen many ZBOX nano units, we’re still impressed by the dainty enclosure and overall dimensions. Harnessing such functionality within a compact footprint allows the end user to make full use of the features within the living room to share with friends and family all kinds of different media.



ZOTAC present two versions of the AQ02 – one with included HDD and memory just like ours today or a barebones unit which excludes these components. Opting for the barebones version allows you to select the HDD and memory going into the ZBOX if you prefer to choose something different. The bonus with AQ02 is that the motherboard supports SATA 3 (6GB/s) so a high-performance SSD can be easily installed and will offer improved transfer rates. Buyers need to be aware that no OS comes accompanied with AQ02 and therefore this will need to be obtained and installed independently.

The barebones version of AQ02 is priced around £225 GBP / $370 USD whilst the version with HDD and memory we have reviewed is found for approximately £424.99 GBP / $700 USD. We’d be more inclined to go with barebones version and grab an SSD and faster memory for £100 / $160.

Once again we’ve been impressed by ZOTAC’s efforts with the AQ02 Plus. Its palm sized dimensions allow it to be concealed and form the basis for a full-feature home entertainment system.

Pros
+ Compact, small footprint
+ Ideal as part of home theatre system
+ Plenty of ports & functionality
+ Memory & HDD included
+ Option to upgrade memory & HDD capacity
+ SATA 3 ready – can upgrade to SSD
+ Dual display support

Cons
– APU fan can be noisy
– No OS included



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