Today we will be taking a quick look at the ZOTAC ZBOX PI225 Pico Mini PC … it’s the world’s tiniest PC measuring just 95.4mm x 63mm x 8mm (LxWxH), and it’s no bigger than a size of a credit card! It sports an Intel Celeron N3350 (dual core) processor running at 1.1GHz and comes with 4GB of onboard DDR3 ram, along with 32GB of onboard eMMC storage (embedded MultiMediaCard).
Other features include a built-in microSD card reader, 802.11ac Wifi, Bluetooth 4.2, 2 x USB 3.0 (Type-C) and a separate USB-C to HDMI adapter. What’s more, it comes bundled with Windows 10 Home 64-bit edition pre-installed! This thing is REAL tiny …
Buy something similar … the Zotac ZBOX PI330 Pico
Box and Packaging
The box and packaging is nicely presented. You’ll find the PI225 unit itself, a user’s manual and a Windows 10 recovery DVD, though I’m not sure how you would actually get that to load on this unit – go figure.
Other accessories include a USB power adapter and cable for powering the unit, and a USB-C to HDMI adapter with 2 x USB 3.0 ports.
Specifications
Overview
Desktop performance and mobile flexibility all crammed into the world’s smallest and thinnest Mini PC ever built. Combined with a symphony of silent performance and an ultra-compact design as small as a 2.5-inch SSD, the PI225 has a completely fanless passive-cooled blueprint, no moving parts, and sipping energy efficiency. The mini more possibilities of how and where the PI225 can be used are far and wide.
- Fanless, Zero Noise Chassis
- 802.11ac with Internal Wi-Fi Antenna
- Bluetooth 4.2 Connectivity
- Two USB 3.0 Type-C Ports
- Windows 10 Home 64-bit pre-installed
- Universal Power Adapter with Interchangeable Tips
Small Footprint, Big Impact
Introducing the ZOTAC ZBOX pico PI225, the world’s smallest and thinnest Mini PC yet. Just a tad longer than a credit card and a bit taller than a typical 2.5-inch SSD drive, our engineers did the unimaginable. They took the performance of a computer desktop and crammed it into the world’s smallest Mini PC…ever.
A Symphony of Silence
Not content with just being the world’s smallest and thinnest Mini PC, our engineers also made it completely silent. With a completely fanless passive cooled blueprint and designed with all solid state components, there are no moving parts. This means it’s going to keep chugging along and performing like a champ longer.
Mini More Possibilities
Powered by an Intel® Apollo Lake dual-core processor combined with a silent symphony of performance and its world ranking pico size, the possibilities of how and where the PI225 can be used are far and wide. Hide it behind a display or hang it on the wall with the bundled mount, tuck it away behind or inside a small empty cavity, embed it into an existing system or display, deliver in 4K resolution, and so many more possibilities. What will you do?
Stay Connected
Supporting today’s new and fast 802.11ac wireless, Bluetooth 4.2 connectivity, and two USB 3.0 Type-C ports for easy pairing, connecting, and expanding. There’s also a bundled USB-C to mini dock to provide a full size HDMI port and two USB 3.0 ports for added convenience.
Plug and Plat Simplicity
With Windows 10 Home pre-installed, simply connect power and peripherals to get going out of the box. No matter where you are, the bundled universal power adapter and interchangeable tips allow convenient, simple power.
A Closer Look
A Closer Look
System Information
System Properties
CPUZ Info
Aida64 Chipset & Motherboard Info
Conclusion and Verdict
All said and done, the PI225 Pico is truly one of the tiniest PC you can get on the market…. it’s only slightly larger than a credit card. Performance wise, it wasn’t as good as I expected. I didn’t get the user experience I wanted. See below for the reasons why …
There’s a couple of things that I have to say about the PI225 Pico, and they’re not good. Firstly, passive cooling needs to be intricately good to pull it off, and in this case it didn’t. After only 30 minutes of usage, the quite hot (temperature) to touch and eventually shut down due to overheating! What’s odd is that the unit wasn’t even at full load!
Secondly, the whole user experience using the pre-installed Windows 10 Home was a little frustrating. The Edge browser was slow and annoyingly unresponsive at times. No it has nothing to do with my internet connection … trust me, I have 1Gb fiber. As for applications, everything just seem take a little longer to load than usual.
In the end, the PI225 Pico in my opinion, isn’t really designed for the “home” user. You’ll probably struggle to get a decent user experience from it to be honest … even for normal web browsing, watching YouTube and general office use.
However having said that, I think it will be suitable for business users who wish to use it for demoing slides, videos and promotional material.
Buy something similar … the Zotac ZBOX PI330 Pico
