Zotac announces two new Windows 10 stick PCs

[Shawn Knight]

Zotac’s Zbox line of small form factor PCs is well-known for packing an impressive amount of hardware into a small footprint. That trend continues today with the formal unveiling of its new stick PCs, the Zotac Zbox PI220 and PI221.

Both computers are powered by a quad-core Intel Atom X5-Z8300 processor clocked at 1.44GHz (burst up to 1.84GHz) with Intel HD Graphics alongside 2GB of DDR3 memory and 32GB of eMMC storage (expandable via micro SD/SDHC/SDXC card reader).

The tiny PCs feature an HDMI connector, a single USB 3.0 port, a 10/100 Ethernet jack, 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity. Buyers also receive a universal power adapter, a recovery disc, an HDMI extension cable and a detachable external antenna.

The only discernible difference between the two is how they are cooled. The PI221 is passively cooled as most stick PCs are. The PI220, however, is actively cooled by what Zotac calls a “SmartFan” system. The passively cooled model measures 131.38mm x 42.5mm x 17mm while the model with the fan checks in at 131.5mm x 42.2mm x 15.8mm.

Zotac hasn’t yet revealed when its two new stick PCs will go on sale or how much they plan to charge. They’re certainly not the fastest on the block which means pricing will be crucial to their success. If Zotac prices them too high, buyers will simply shop around for either a cheaper alternative or to get more bang for their buck.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/64810-zotac-announces-two-new-windows-10-stick-pcs.html

 

[Reehahs]

Can't they have a 90 degree connector so you can hide against the TV?

 

[Tanstar]

Can't they have a 90 degree connector so you can hide against the TV?

Then they would cover other connections.

 

[CortyDK]

Please someone release the stick with 4 Gigs of RAM and 64 Gb eMMC. And, may I add, 2 useable USB ports. One is not enough when you want to attach keyboard/mouse and an external Harddrive. The price shouldn't be much higher as neither RAM or so small an amount of eMMC carries any considerable pricetag. And I assume Intels CPU/chipset natively supports more than one USB port.

It would be a lot more practical with more RAM and storage. Could even be used as an extremely tiny desktop PC on the back of a monitor for people with low hardware demands but who does not want a pc for design reasons (elderly people who needs a big screen but only uses mail, social media and the occasional video clip from their younger family members).