Zotac Zbox Nano Ci321 (Plus) review

Long before Intel’s Core i5-powered NUC arrived, Zotac’s Zbox range of incredibly compact PCs were our go-to choice for anyone looking for a seriously small computer they could hide behind a monitor or under a desk. The Zbox Nano CI321 Plus is the latest, and the first we’ve seen with an Intel processor at its heart rather than an AMD chip.

The CPU in question is a 1.1GHz Celeron 2961Y, a dual-core chip based on Intel’s Haswell architecture. It produces so little heat that the entire system can be passively cooled. Combined with the external power brick, it’s a completely silent system. This is great news for anyone looking for a compact home theatre PC, but unfortunately anyone looking to get some serious work done will be disappointed by the chip’s poor performance.

We tried running our 4K benchmarks, for example, but it took a solid 72 hours of grinding to complete. The end result of 11 is still three times faster than the Atom CPUs found in other Micro PCs, however. Our less demanding 1080p benchmarks were more than enough to tax the hardware, with a final score of 47 – considering a £320 Core i3 laptop scores 100, you definitely won’t be performing any demanding tasks. This is still sufficient for web browsing and multimedia playback though, and we had no problems watching Netflix in Full HD.

The CI321 definitely isn’t going to cope with modern gaming, either. With Intel’s HD Graphics providing the processing power, the Zbox Nano could only manage a paltry 13.8ps in our Dirt Showdown test at 1080p with 4x AA at High detail settings. Even reducing the settings down to 720p with no anti-aliasing couldn’t help produce a smooth frame rate, with the CI321 chugging along with an 15.8fps average.

Unsurprisingly there are no overclocking settings in the BIOS, meaning there’s no real scope for squeezing out extra performance, although you can at least adjust memory timings.

The CI320 nano itself is barely any larger than a stack of four CDs, and ships with a VESA mounting bracket that lets you completely hide it from view behind a monitor. The case is made from metal, which helps dissipate heat from the passively cooled processor, and although it gets noticeably warm to the touch when in use it was never painfully hot.

Expansion and ports

Despite the compact size, there’s still room inside for user-friendly memory and storage upgrades. The base plate, which is held in place by four screws, overs a laptop-sized RAM slot and a 2.5in SSD slot, meaning you won’t have to buy a costly M.2 or mSATA SSD to get started. The motherboard supports up to 16GB of DDR3, although there’s only a single slot for it, and we can’t find anywhere selling a single 16GB SO-DIMM, meaning 8GB is the likely maximum for the time being.

In the Plus model the RAM slot is occupied by 4GB of DDR3 RAM, and the 2.5in disk slot is filled by an unbranded 64GB SSD, but anyone buying the basic version will have to fit their own RAM and storage. You would have to completely disassemble the unit to access the processor, but as it is soldered onto the motherboard there’s not really any need to open the CI321 up any further.

The selection of ports isn’t really compromised to shrink the dimensions down either; there are two USB3 ports, two 3.5mm audio jacks and an SD card slot on the front, and two more USB3 ports, a single slower USB port, twin Ethernet ports, HDMI and DisplayPort video outputs, and a Wi-Fi antenna on the back.  Bluetooth is a welcome addition too, as it means you’ll be able to connect wireless peripherals without taking up any of the USB ports with dongles.

Conclusion

The Zbox Nano CI321 is a compact Mini PC that’s easier to upgrade than competing models like Intel’s NUC, as you can re-use an existing disk rather than invest in an mSATA SSD. The Plus model is conveniently ready for a fresh install of Windows right out of the box, but the small SSD and meagre 4GB of RAM limit performance; if you want to use the CI321 for more than web browsing or media streaming, more memory and a bigger SSD are a must, but even factoring these upgrades and the cost of Windows into the price, it’s a reasonable amount for a near complete PC that won’t take up much space.

It may be a compact marvel, but if you’re looking for something a little more expansive then check out our regularly-updated Best PCs and buying guide.