Zotac has announced an updated mini-PC that further shrinks last year's Zbox Nano AD10 while packing slightly more horsepower. The new Zbox Nano XS AD11 measures a diminutive 4.17 x 4.17 x 1.46in (down from 5 x 5 x 1.7in), but finds room to accommodate a dual-core AMD E-450 APU (with an integrated Radeon HD 6320 graphics core), 2GB of DDR3 RAM, a 64GB mSATA SSD and tons of connectivity.

 

The front panel is outfitted with a 6-in-1 card reader, a USB 2.0/eSATA combo port, as well as a combo analog and optical audio output and mic jack. The back is populated with a power jack, an HDMI port, two USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports and gigabit Ethernet. A USB 2.0 Wi-Fi adapter is included, as is a USB IR receiver, MCE-compatible remote and a VESA 75/100 mount to conceal the system behind your display.

The Zbox Nano XS AD11 should hit shelves shortly for approximately $360, a $60 premium over the slightly larger AD10 Plus, which has an E-350 APU and a 320GB 5400RPM hard drive (the AD11's SSD offers a solid performance boost based on benches circulating online). As usual, Zotac ships the machine without an operating system, so you'll want to factor in the cost of a Windows license unless you plan to run Linux.