ZOTAC’s Latest ZBOX nano Packs an AMD Quad-Core APU Under the Hood

ZOTAC’s line of ZBOX “nano” PCs has long impressed me. Despite the device’s ultra-small form-factor, ZOTAC has always managed to pack a lot of functionality in. Its latest releases, the AQ01 and AQ01 PLUS are no exception. In fact, with the help of AMD’s latest Kabini-based processors, they manage to up the ante – as if it wasn’t high enough.

For the sake of ease, let’s focus on the Plus variant of the AQ01. For starters, the highlight here is the quad-core processor; AMD’s A4-5000, to be exact. As you’d expect, it’s not a powerhouse, but when compared to the form-factor it’s being housed in, it kind of is. It runs at 1.5GHz, and thanks to its all-in-one design, also delivers the graphical duties (Radeon HD 8330).

Also under the hood is a 500GB hard drive, 4GB of RAM, 802.11ac wireless (a nice perk), Bluetooth 4.0, gigabit Ethernet, and 2x “high-amperage” USB charging ports.

At the front, we have 2x USB 2.0 ports, input / output audio jacks, and a multi-format card reader. Moving over to the back, which can be seen above, we see HDMI and DisplayPort connectors along with 2x USB 3.0, 3x USB 2.0 (the yellow are the high-amperage ones), NIC port, and of course, the power adapter port. For a clearer wireless signal, a dedicated antenna is included.

There’s no mention of when the AQ01 models will hit the market, nor has there been a suggest price given. I am sure the answer to the former is “soon”, and the latter, “we’ll see”.