Tech

Zotac ZBOX CI331, an efficient, economical and fanless mini-PC

Zotac is one of the great specialists in mini-computers and has all kinds of models in its catalog, some really powerful with the latest Intel processors. The one that comes to us now is different, it bets precisely on the opposite: moderate price, low energy consumption and passive cooling.

Zotac ZBOX CI331 nano is an entry-level model that bases its hardware on Intel’s Jasper Lake processors. A platform that uses the Tremont architecture, is manufactured in 10nm technological processes and that we are seeing a lot in mini-PCs, as they offer basic performance for computing and multimedia entertainment, a very low consumption and a price that is usually the lowest in Intel CPUs.

For this mini-PC, Zotac uses a Celeron N5100 quad core and four processing threads with a maximum frequency of 2.8 GHz and an integrated Intel UHD graphics of up to 800 MHz, which will not be used for demanding games, but which can output video to three external screens simultaneously and accompanies the low consumption of the chip: only 7 watts.

Zotac ZBOX CI331

Its chassis is reduced to dimensions of 127 x 126 x 56mm and thanks to its good ventilation and a passive dissipation system it does not need annoying fans. The computer ships with a 40-watt adapter and a VESA mounting kit to hang it on the wall or behind the monitor.

The Zotac ZBOX CI331 is delivered assembled or in barebones format for the user to mount their own RAM (two DDR4-2933 slots) and storage (a PCIe NVMe SSD and a 2.5-inch bay). You can also install any operating system you want, any modern Windows or Linux.

Refering to connectivity, it has two Gigabit Ethernet ports, WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 5, SDXC card reader and a set of I/O ports in the rear and center that includes:

  • 1 x USB 3.0 Type-C (front)
  • 1 x USB 3.0 Type-A (front)
  • 2 x USB 3.1 Type-A (rear)
  • 1 x USB 2.0 Type-A (rear)
  • 1 3.5mm microphone input
  • 1 3.5mm audio output
  • 1 x HDMI 2.0b (3840 x 2160 at 60Hz)
  • 1 x DisplayPort 1.2 (4096 x 2160 at 60Hz)
  • 1 x VGA (1920 x 1080 at 60Hz)

Zotac ZBOX CI331, an efficient, economical and fanless mini-PC 31

The Zotac ZBOX CI331 has an official price in barebone format of 260 dollars. The manufacturer also offers a version with memory, storage and Windows 10 pre-installed. It looks good for home theaters, kiosks, and desktops for basic computing in homes or offices.

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