Verdict and Conclusion
About a year ago, I’ve noticed that the specs on certain brands of netbooks have become more and more powerful, and now it seems that nettops or mini PCs are headed the same way. The Zotac ZBox AD03 BR Plus could be described as one of the most powerful nettops or mini PC you can get you hands on. I was quite suprised with the overall performance of the unit. This is thanks to AMD’s new Fusion APU platform with its E-350 dual core processor running at 1.8Ghz, plus the onboard Radeon HD 6310 graphics, which I think is more than enough to satisfy the media PC crowd. Our tests focuses on the Windows Performance Index and PC Mark Vantage. The Zotac ZBox AD03 BR Plus produced encouraging scores in both tests, and actually beats Zotac’s other Zbox unit based on Intel ATOM D525 processor, which uses Nvidia’s ION platform.
Being one of the first mini PC to use AMD’s new Fusion APU platform, supporting DX11 graphics and full HD could be very appealing to early adopters. However, things didn’t work out as planned … We tried to run both 3DMark Vantage (DX10) and 3DMark 11 (DX11) tests, but we were not able to get a full score or result. Each time we ran the benchmark software, we would get an error message saying that it failed to sucessfully scan the hardware. We searched for updates/patches with no success. I guess the hardware is too new. Luckily, we were able to run a full DX11 test, using the Unigine DX11 benchmark tool instead. Although it wasn’t as smooth as I hoped, it did prove that it can run DX11 with full features turned on.
Using the AIDA64 application which reads the sensor chip, we wanted to see how much heat the unit was producing. Again, we couldn’t get any readings at all. AIDA64 couldn’t read the sensor chip. Yes, we did search for software updates and patches, but none were available … the hardware inside this unit is just too new. LOL! So what what did we do? We measured the temperature the old fashion way … by holding a thermal probe near the vents and taking a reading at full load. We managed to get a respectable load temperature reading of 65 degrees Celsius.
As I’ve said earlier, the Zotac ZBox AD03 BR Plus is identical in appearance as their other Zbox unit, which is based on Intel ATOM D525 processor. So, you get the same blue ring that glows on and off when the system is sleep mode, and the same VESA wall mount. You also get the same slot loading slim x4 Bluray rom drive with DVD recording, the same 6-in-1 card reader and the same number of USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports. Externally, everything is literally unchanged … except of course the insides.
Zotac has included a copy of Cyberlink’s Creative Suite, which includes PowerDVD Blu-Ray edition, PowerDirector and other media software. But unfortunately … Zotac did not include a copy of Windows 7, which is a shame really. As far as Bluray/DVD playback quality is concerned, it’s is truely stunning, especially when you watch it on your 40″ Samsung HDTV. Using the HDMI output were able to run full 1080HD with no loss of quality. The audio quality was decent, it’s what was expected from the 8-channel audio onboard chip. What Zotac could have included is Dolby Home Theatre sound … now that would really complete the unit.
The included VESA wall mount/bracket allows you to mount the unit on any wall … in the Kitchen, in the living room or in your bedroom. So that’s nice. As a mini PC, the Zotac ZBox AD03 BR Plus is great little unit, just like their other models … but again, I feel that it still falls slightly as a full HTPC system. Where’s the remote control? and how about including extra cables for HDMI, SPDIF and USB3.0?
As far as upgrading the unit is concerned, you can see the photo below. The hard drive can be replaced, more ram can be added and there’s a spare mPCI-E slot for other peripherals. So now you’ve seem the good and the bad of the ZBox AD03 BR Plus, the question now is … which do you go for? An Intel ATOM/Nvidia ION based Zbox or this one? Intel or AMD? mmmm … I’ll let you decide 😉
The Zotac ZBox AD03 BR Plus is just too “new” … it came straight from the production line and into our labs, so we didn’t manage to get a full retail price on the unit. But we expect it to be similar in cost to the Zbox Blu-Ray HD-ID34BR (Intel ATOM D525), which was priced around USD $480-499.00 (GBP 380-399). At this price, it’s really down to personal preference and choice. Do you go for an Intel or AMD based Zbox? If you want AMD with Radeon HD graphics supporting DX11 … then the ZBox AD03 BR Plus is your answer.
Final words. The Zotac ZBox AD03 BR Plus is basically the AMD version of the their original Zbox Blu-Ray HD-ID34BR, which is based on the Intel ATOM D525. It uses the same exterior, same memory and same hard drive … but obviously this time, it’s powered by AMD’s new Fusion APU platform. The real benefits of the ZBox AD03 BR Plus over other nettops and mini PCs, is the ability to support DX11 graphics, which is a first of its kind.
SCORE
8/10
