The brand name ZOTAC is usually associated with graphics cards but the company that sits behind them also makes mini PCs. In fact ZOTAC has just announced a new mini PC line and it is called ZBOX R-Series.
As the name of the line suggests the R-Series belongs to ZOTAC’s ZBOX line of mini PCs but adds more to it. The main purpose of the new mini PC line is to expand mini PC functionality and add more power while keeping the same low power consumption, low heat dissipation and small-form factor.
“This is certainly a breakthrough for both the mini PC and personal computing,” explains Tony Wong, CEO, ZOTAC International. “We are adding more functions to elevate the mini PC to a whole new plane while keeping our signature space saving design and power efficiency. This new addition to the mini PC family will open new doors to even more functionalities.”
The new R-Series line currently includes three models only – the RI323, RI531 and RI531 PLUS. They both come with two storage slots so that users can put two hard drives or solid-state drives and combine them in RAID 0 or RAID 1. You can also use these slots for drives in a non-RAID configuration – it is up to you! Despite the small size of the RI323 and RI531, the mini PCs come with powerful hardware inside. The first model offers two memory slots for up to 16 GB of DDR3-1600 memory, two slots for 2.5-inch SSDs or HDDs, an Intel Celeron 2961Y dual-core processor at 1.1 GHz, a 3-in-1 card reader (SD/SDHC/SDXC), Intel HD graphics, HDMI 1.4a and DisplayPort 1.2 ports, a built-in dual 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet port, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, four USB 3.0 ports, headphone and microphone jacks and support for Windows 7 and Windows 8. The RI531 model is the more powerful of the two – it has the same two storage slots but has support for an additional 2.5-inch mSATA SSD. In addition the mini PC offers an Intel Core i3-5010U Broadwell processor at 2.1 GHz, Intel HD 5500 graphics, a 3-in-1 card reader (SD/SDHC/SDXC), HDMI 1.4a and DisplayPort 1.2 ports, dual 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, four USB 3.0 ports, headphone and microphone jacks and support for Windows 7 and Windows 8. The RI531 model also has a PLUS version that comes with a preinstalled 4 GB DDR3 memory module and a 64 GB mSATA SSD.
Unfortunately ZOTAC has failed to provide the prices of the three models but given that they are all small-form factor PCs, they should not cost too much.
Source: ZOTAC