Review: Zotac Zbox Nano ID69 Plus

Conclusion

After a stuttering start - anyone still remember nettops? - mini PCs are beginning to realise their full potential as smaller, more efficient alternatives to the traditional desktop tower.

Powered by the latest Intel Haswell technology, Zotac's diminutive Zbox Nano ID69 is able to deliver a level of processing power that defies the ultra-compact form factor.

This is, we feel, a glimpse at the future of mainstream PCs. The days of optical drives, 3.5in storage bays and bulky internal power supplies are seemingly numbered, and in an age of web-based content consumption, there's little the Zbox Nano ID69 won't do.

Neatly put together and armed with a range of connectivity options that include DisplayPort, SuperSpeed USB and built-in WiFi, this is a little box that punches well above its weight. Well-suited to most tasks other than gaming, Zotac's ID69 has proven that CPU performance is no longer a limitation in ultra-small PCs.

The only obvious question mark that still remains is price. Sure, there's something incredibly satisfying about having great performance from a box that's remarkably small and sleek, but the joys of powerful mini-PC computing come at a not-insignificant cost. At £520 with a basic hard disk, 4GB of memory and no operating system, price is the biggest obstacle that the Zbox Nano ID69 needs to overcome. £300? A must buy. £400? A possibility. £500+? We're not so sure.

The Good

Lovely and small
Fast Core i7-4500U processor
Good connectivity options
Provisions for user upgrades
Low power consumption
Drivers provided on USB stick

The Bad

Still a little too expensive
Crying out for an SSD
Only one memory slot
Could be quieter

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Zotac Zbox Nano ID69 Plus

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TBC.

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