Zotac ZBOX ID42 Keeps 'Ion' Alive
by Ganesh T S on January 7, 2013 7:26 AM EST- Posted in
- Trade Shows
- ZOTAC
- HTPC
- CES 2013
Zotac's ZBOX mini-PCs have proved popular in emerging markets. The Ion boxes based on the Intel Atom and NVIDIA GPU combination, however, have run their course. NVIDIA no longer markets GPUs for the Ion platform. Zotac has put its own twist to this effective, but low cost, platform by releasing the ZBOX ID42 / ID42 Plus with a Celeron processor and a NVIDIA GeForce 610 GPU.
Zotac's mini-PCs do have some noise issues and we will have to wait and see if the redesigned chassis (with extra 7mm thickness) of the ZBOX ID42 does anything to alleviate the problem. The unit also has two GbE ports and two Wi-Fi antenna slots. The ventilation area is also tripled compared to the previous generation chassis. The specifications of the Zotac ZBOX ID42/43 are presented below.
| Product Name | ZBOX ID42 |
| SKU | ZBOX-ID42 ZBOX-ID42-PLUS |
| Memory | 2 x 204-pin DDR3 SO-DIMM slots (Up to 16GB) DDR3-1333 |
| Hard Disk | 1x 2.5-inch HDD / SSD |
| PLUS Configuration | 4GB DDR3 / 500GB 5400RPM HDD |
| CPU | Intel Core Processor (Celeron) (dual-core, 1.1 GHz) |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce GT 610 |
| Video Memory | 512MB DDR3 |
| Display Options | HDMI & DVI |
| Memory Card Reader | 4-in-1 (SD/SDHC/MMC/SDXC) |
| Ethernet | 2 x 10/100/1000Mbps |
| WiFi | Onboard 802.11n Wi-Fi & Bluetooth 4.0 |
| USB Ports |
2x USB 2.0 (rear) (high-amperage charging supported) 2x USB 3.0 ports (1 on top, 1 on front) |
| Audio |
Onboard analog stereo high-definition audio HDMI audio (bitstream) Digital Optical S/PDIF |
| DirectX® Support | DirectX® 11 with Shader Model 5.0 |
| Other Features |
Hardware Video Decode Acceleration Blu-ray 3D support Dual-display capable |
| HDCP: | Yes |
| OS Support | Windows 7 & 8 ready |
Along with the ID42, Zotac is also updating their Core i3-based lineup with Ivy Bridge processors in the ID83 / ID 83 Plus. This configuration still uses the previous generation chassis.
The specifications of the ID82/83 are provided below.
| Product Name | ZBOX ID83 |
| SKU | ZBOX-ID83 ZBOX-ID83-PLUS |
| Memory | 2 x 204-pin DDR3 SO-DIMM slots (Up to 16GB) DDR3-1600 |
| Hard Disk | 1x 2.5-inch HDD / SSD |
| PLUS Configuration | 4GB DDR3 / 500GB 5400RPM HDD |
| CPU | Intel Core i3 3120M (dual-core, 2.5 GHz) |
| GPU | Intel HD Graphics 4000 |
| Video Memory | Shared Memory Architecture |
| Display Options | HDMI & DVI |
| Memory Card Reader | 4-in-1 (SD/SDHC/MMC/SDXC) |
| Ethernet | 10/100/1000Mbps |
| WiFi | Onboard 802.11n Wi-Fi & Bluetooth 4.0 |
| USB Ports |
4x USB 2.0 (1 front, 1 top, 2 rear) (high-amperage charging supported) 2x USB 3.0 ports (rear) |
| Audio |
Onboard analog stereo high-definition audio HDMI audio (bitstream) Digital Optical S/PDIF |
| DirectX® Support | DirectX® 11 with Shader Model 5.0 |
| Other Features |
Hardware Video Decode Acceleration Blu-ray 3D support Dual-display capable |
| HDCP: | Yes |
| OS Support | Windows 7 & 8 ready |
We will be meeting up with Zotac later this week at CES. Stay tuned for further information including pricing details.
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5 Comments
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heffeque - Monday, January 7, 2013 - link
I've got a Zotac AD04 and I have to say that I'm happy with it.It's small, light and quiet, the EFI BIOS works ok and it has all necessary ports.
For the price... IMO, Zotac Mini PCs are a nice deal.
StardogChampion - Friday, January 25, 2013 - link
"The Ion boxes based on the Intel Atom and NVIDIA GPU combination, however, have run their course". Only in the use of marketing lingo perhaps. They don't call it "ION" but Zotac and Giada offer D2550/GT610 combinations in motherboards and mini-PCs. I've been playing with the Giada version and it's quite nice for media/surfing duties.Celeron 847 + it's own Intel 2000 HD GPU is nice. I am sure Celeron + GT610 is even better.
TheTony - Wednesday, February 27, 2013 - link
When should we expect the ID83 to be available? Not seeing any of the major retailers stocking it. A few smaller one list it but most report none on hand.mergustheham - Saturday, March 2, 2013 - link
Hi All,For those eager to purchase this zotac box be careful of those shipping from hong kong atm. There's at least three of us that are hitting the same fails to boot issue as per the following post:
http://www.zotacusa.com/forum/topic/6250-zbox-id42...
TheTony - Thursday, March 7, 2013 - link
In addition, it appears Zotac USA is not offering you warranty coverage because it was purchased outside the footprint of Zotac USA.I'm not sure which I'm more concerned about, the failure rate of these (though I'm more interested in the id83 than the id42, which are the units in question) or that it seems that Zotac may wash their hands of warranty obligation in certain scenarios like this.
I try to avoid Hong Kong sellers for items such as these anyway, but this even has me concerned about buying it from a local seller who is not on the "where to buy" list and considered an "authorized seller".