Zotac ZBox Pico PI320 review

The Zotac ZBOX Pico PI320 is a seriously tiny mini-PC. Measuring just 19.2x66x115.5mm, it’s smaller than some portable hard disks – which is no mean feat considering this is a full Windows 8.1 PC. It’s actually small enough to fit into a pocket and take on the move, as long as you bring the compact power brick with you as well.

Built from glossy plastic with a silver outer edge, the Pico feels superbly well built and there’s no hint of any cut corners in terms of construction. The illuminated logo and blue ring on the top are carried over from Zotac’s other systems, but it’s possible to turn these off in the BIOS should you find them distracting.

The Pico is so compact it can be bolted onto the back of a monitor using the included VESA-compatible mounting bracket. This will work with most monitors, apart from a few that already use the VESA mounting points for their stands, and will turn a display into a convenient all-in-one system.

Zotac hasn’t tried to make the chassis as thin as possible, instead leaving enough room for connectivity – something often lacking on other compact systems. There are two USB ports on the side and an additional port on the back, although none use the faster USB3, as well as a single HDMI video output. It’s a shame the Ethernet port is only rated for 10/100Mbit/s speeds rather than Gigabit, though. You do get 802.11n Wi-Fi so you’re ready for wireless networking right out of the box, along with Bluetooth 4.0 for connecting a wireless mouse and keyboard without sacrificing one of the USB ports.

The Pico is passively cooled, meaning there are no noisy fans inside to cool the 1.33GHz Intel Atom Z3735F processor. The CPU can Turbo boost to 1.83GHz when thermal limits allow, making the chassis ever so slightly warm to the touch after prolonged use.

This is essentially the same processor seen in cheap Windows 8.1 tablets such as the Linx 7, and it’s a similar story with the 32GB of non-upgradeable MMC storage. It has the edge in terms of RAM though, with 2GB instead of the paltry 1GB found in many tablets. That’s still not a massive amount of memory for a desktop PC, however, and there’s no way of upgrading. Unlike many of Zotac’s other systems, the Pico PI320 isn’t sold as a barebones kit with easy upgrades.

Performance in our desktop application benchmarks was as expected, managing an overall score of 19 – identical to the Linx 7. Testing browser performance using the SunSpider browser benchmark resulted in a score of 525ms, which is interestingly slightly behind the Linx 7. The PI320 will be able to cope with web browsing, document editing and other basic desktop tasks, which could make it a great choice for an office PC.

We were pleased to see that it coped with HD video content, so the Pico should fit the bill if you’re looking for a discrete system to use as a HTPC too. With Windows 8.1 installed you’re left with just 20GB of free space, so you’ll certainly want to add some external storage if you plan on storing your video and music libraries locally, but thankfully the built-in memory card reader supports microSD, microSDHC and microSDXC cards for quickly adding extra capacity.

Don’t expect the Pico to cope with any strenuous gaming, however. It could only manage 14fps in Dirt Showdown with graphics quality set to Low and anti-aliasing disabled, which neither looked good nor was smooth enough to be considered playable. Certain games from the Windows Store didn’t fare any better, either. Sonic Dash, which can be played with keyboard or mouse controls, had a very jittery frame rate that didn’t make for an enjoyable experience. Halo Spartan Assault was actually playable, so some gaming is actually possible, but your options will be limited.

Zotac should be commended for compacting a full Windows 8.1 system into such a tiny and attractive package, but the Pico PI320 is essentially no more powerful than a budget Windows tablet. Its portability is useful until you consider the need to carry the power supply and potentially a keyboard and mouse.

While the connectivity of a Windows 8.1 tablet, such as the Linx 7, is distinctly lacking compared to the Pico you do get the added benefit of having an actual tablet. Using a USB OTG cable and a powered USB hub will also get you round the connectivity limitations.

At just £80 the Linx 7 is an absolute bargain and would be our preference for a low-cost Windows 8.1 system unless you have a specific preference for a compact PC system. It also means the Zotac ZBox Pico PI320 comes across as slightly pricy for what is on offer, as good looking as it is.