Zotac ZBOX-ID81-U Intel HM65 2 x 204Pin Intel HD Graphics Integrated by CPU Black Mini / Booksize Barebone System

Pros: Got this to replace a desktop that died. It was only used for internet so I didn't need anything with a lot of horsepower. Works great for internet and Netflix. Small size and inexpensive.

Cons: Works great when it works. After about two hours it gets hot and quits. Don't know if it's the ZBOX or the SSD. At least it has stopped the wife from playing mindless games on the intenet for hours on end.

Other Thoughts: Using with Windows 8. What a waste of money. You have to upgrade to downgrade. Don't know what customer base Microsoft is targeting but it doesn't seem to be computer users. All the MIcrosoft apps I tried crashed the ZBOX. Other vendors apps worked fine.

Pros: Inexpensive. Came with free SSD. 6gb/s SATA. Wireless N and Gigabit ethernet. This thing is great. Honestly I know many people say this does not work well for XBMC because the processor is slow but it has been working great for me. The box boots quickly. I run Win 7 with XBMC loaded into the shell. I literally never see Windows with it. I would totally buy another one of these if they do the SSD promotion again.

Cons: Due to the slower processor loading highly graphical skins in XBMC can be slow but I will take the tradeoff. The remote receiver is not an e home receiver and when using a harmony remote should be replaced. I never tried to use the included remote however so I can't say whether that will work for XBMC.

Pros: - nice design, essentially tool less
- faster than an Atom
- Bluetooth is nice

Cons: - SERVICE, terrible RMA turn around time!!!!

Other Thoughts: I bought two of these. One worked perfectly and is still going. The other had to be RMA'd after constant BSOD & lockup issues. No big deal, things break. Too small of a sample size to complain.

However, Zotac can care less about service. It's been over one month since they received my unit and I'm still waiting for a replacement. The office has been one machine down since the RMA. On the RMA form they tell you 30 days! No - that's not OK, I don't care is you write it on your form! That's terrible service and it shows service doesn't matter to you.

I will not be buying any more Zotac products.

I wonder if I'll get a good unit back when I finally receive it...

Manufacturer Response:

Hi goda,

Have you received your replacement unit yet? If you need a status update on it, I'd be glad to help you keep track of the process. My email is juliette@zotacusa.com. Just include your full name and RMA claim number.

Thanks,
Juliette

Pros: Great low power CPU, ok graphics, room for 2 sticks of RAM, easy to work with, low power draw and quick start up.

Cons: Would be nice to have a couple PS2 ports or include an adapter. Fingerprints. Wireless seems a little limited. A little more expensive than other quality alternatives.

Other Thoughts: Bought with free SSD, added to 4gb sticks for 8GB total. Install of Linux Mint 13 Xfce went perfect. Going to be a desktop replacement for my mother replacing an unnecessarily big tower. The tower was left on all the time because of the long start up. With a start up around 20 seconds, expect it will only be on when used, big power savings when running, huge power savings all the time it will be off. CPU performance will be a little more important than graphics for her use so this box was the perfect choice. Wireless won't be used as it will be right next to the router so not concerned about reports of any wireless issues.

Pros: Cheap.
CPU is better than similar low-end Atom/AMD offerings
Easy to open, upgrade
Quiet

Cons: Mediocre graphics for media center use
While better than an Atom, CPU is still fairly slow
Terrible wireless. Might be the included antenna, but it drops constantly and is totally unsuitable for media streaming.
Near-useless remote. The dongle isn't compatible with much besides WMC, and the remote itself has barely functional buttons. You won't use either.

Other Thoughts: I ended up eating the restocking fee and returning this - I went with the ZBox ID41 instead. Though the Atom 525 CPU in the latter is inferior to the Celeron in this model (in most respects) the nVidia ION graphics are far superior for media center use. With the ID81, support is provided by the built in Intel "HD" graphics chipset - this is NOT the newer GMA3000/4000 chip found in the i3/i5 series, but older graphics that do not support Intel Quicksync or other advanced capabilities. This means, among other things, hardware acceleration is limited - it'll handle properly encoded h.264, but not much else, including VC-1. And for formats it doesn't handle, the CPU doesn't do a great job with either. The ION is a much better choice for media center apps like XBMC.

If you were buying this as a cheap desktop for grandma or something then it's not a bad solution - the Celeron is better for desktop work than the Atom by far. However this products is squarely aimed at the media center market, and frankly there are better, more compatible solutions out there for the same price, including Zotac's own ID41.

The remote that comes with this is nearly useless - the dongle is a bear to get working with any media center software, and the remote itself has tiny chiclet keys that are hard to press. You'll probably end up leaving both in the box.

The biggest issue is the built in wireless - it's terrible. Constant dropped connections (I tried in two different houses, with two different access points) and it doesn't support dual-band. A $20 USB adapter solved this problem but you shouldn't have to go that route.

Overall I found this to be a frustrating experience - the older Intel graphics really cripple this thing with XBMC and a variety of media - and mediocre when it did work. I have an ID41 already that is better in every way with XBMCBuntu - I got this thinking the better CPU would be a factor, but the truth is in XBMC it doesn't matter anyway. The only media center related area where this box might triumph is with Silverlight (Netflix) and Flash playback, since the stronger CPU can handle that better. However, there are better options out there for Hulu, Netflix, et all anyway then trying to get them working through XBMC, WMC, etc.

Pros: Simple OS installation from USB stick.
Excellent bang for buck.
Almost silent with SSD installed.

Cons: Very little documentation with product; you''ll need some additional devices and knowledge to get an OS installed.

Other Thoughts: I bought this as a cheap and quiet browsing station to replace an older PC. Mac mini with an SSD would have cost twice as much. Installed Windows 8 (which would have busted the cost curve if I needed to buy it retail) and Ubuntu 12.04 desktop without a hitch.

Given that this thing is essentially a laptop without a screen or keyboard, it'd be awesome if it came with a small battery. That'd be more useful to me than the accessories, which are clearly targeted for HTPC use.

The fan comes on at very cool temperatures and the LEDs when the machine sleeps are uber-annoying, but I assume that will be easily fixed, with wire cutters if necessary.

Pros: It plays 15.6 Mbps bitrate MKV SBS 3D movie smoothly with 15% CPU usage. 720p RMVB uses 25% of CPU. I use PotPlayer that enables the DXVA hardware acceleration.

Netflix HD plays smoothly with about 75% CPU.

Possibility of upgrading this Sandy bridge Celeron to i3/i5/i7 processor later on -- as long as the power supply can handle it.

I have 120GB SSD and 4GB (2x2GB) for maximum dual channel bandwidth. Windows 8 Consumer Review boots in 14 seconds (button press to metro UI). It starts faster than my TV!

Cons: It gets warm - hot to the touch but no stability issue whatsoever.

Other Thoughts: With kill-a-watt, power consumption is about 25 Watts during boot up. 17 Watts on the desktop. That's with a usb powered 2.5" portable HD connected.

Running XBMC takes about 25 Watts even when the movie isn't playing. The menus just take so much electricity so I suggest quitting XBMC when you are not using it.

I don't have a USB 3.0 drive so I have not tested the speed/stability yet.

Pros: Price, Free SSD, plays 1080P without a hiccup

Cons: None

Other Thoughts: This device is really impressive. Windows Experience index gave the CPU a 4.3 and the SSD 7.9. I use it for Live TV using Media Center and XBMC. The performance is really impressive. It runs really fast.