Zotac ZBOX MAGNUS EK71080 Compact Gaming PC Review
by Ganesh T S on March 28, 2018 8:00 AM ESTGaming Benchmarks
The gaming credentials of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 are quite impressive. It is a bonafide high-end desktop GPU in the NVIDIA Pascal series (GP204). The version in the MAGNUS EK71080, unlike the one in the EN1080, is a discrete card connected to the mainboard using a PCIe 3.0 x16 riser. The GPU should easily be able to support 4K gaming and meet the requirements for VR headsets.
For the purpose of benchmarking, we chose four different games (Sleeping Dogs, Tomb Raider, Bioshock Infinite and DiRT Showdown) at three different quality levels. Note that the main aim here is not to show that the GTX 1080 can play the latest and greatest games (which it can do). Rather, it is to compare the ZBOX MAGNUS EK71080 against other gaming-focused mini-PCs that we have evaluated before..
Sleeping Dogs
Tomb Raider
Bioshock Infinite
DiRT Showdown
The Talos Principle
GRID Autosport
The general trend we see across all the results is that the systems equipped with the higher TDP (65W) CPUs have the edge over the EK71080. That said, the results do not give us any cause for concern over the gaming capabilities of the system (particularly when compared to what consumers have come to expect in the ZBOX MAGNUS E-series PCs).
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The_Assimilator - Wednesday, March 28, 2018 - link
Would be nice to see pictures of the graphics card and how it connects to the motherboard, HINT HINT.And... am I the only one who thinks this unit is oriented the wrong way up? That exploded diagram Zotac provided show the CPU and graphics card drawing cool air in from the top of the case - but as we know, hot air rises, so what's gonna happen (to my thinking at least) is that the hot exhaust air is going to rise and get pulled back into the system, and go round and round and round...
Surely the cooling would work better if the unit was upside down, allowing the CPU and GPU to pull in cool air from the bottom and exhaust it higher up so it can rise? I'm assuming Zotac tested this, but it would be fun for AnandTech to confirm whether I'm crazy or not.
JoeyJoJo123 - Wednesday, March 28, 2018 - link
Natural convection is such a weak force that it only matters for completely passively cooled systems. Forcibly exhausting warm air outside the case is a vastly stronger option for removing heat and the orientation of where it's directing heat (up, side, down, or whatever) has no bearing on the effective heat dissipation, regardless of whether it's in line with natural convection or the opposite direction, so long as the exhaust isn't being pointed in a direction that blocks the air (ex: single exhaust fan pointing downward on a midtower sitting 1" off the carpet floor, the exhaust won't be able to remove air since there is a barrier on the other side)Simply put, convection doesn't matter in PC systems with fan intakes/exhausts.
vailr - Wednesday, March 28, 2018 - link
Is that GTX 1080 a mobile or desktop GPU? How is it cooled?From the photos, it looks like some kind of custom desktop GPU type of card, with 1x DVI, 1x HDMI & 3x DP ports, with the GPU chip on the under side of the card (?). Which would be less effective as a cooling solution, compared with the GPU and it's cooling fan on the top side: heat rises.
ganeshts - Wednesday, March 28, 2018 - link
It is a desktop GPU configured with a 175W TDP (as evident from the power component in the thermal stress section).I don't believe this is a custom card, just the ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1080 Mini with a different fan configuration. The display outputs at the back match exactly with the card used in the EK71080.
guidryp - Saturday, March 31, 2018 - link
Do you guys not have a PC with desktop GPU to provide at least one such comparison.It would be useful to know, how much performance you are giving for the tiny form factor.
Hixbot - Wednesday, April 4, 2018 - link
I really think noise levels should be compared in all these SFF reviews.modport - Friday, April 6, 2018 - link
I'm looking into pre-built more minimal looking (to put it nicely) gaming mini PCs. Noise level is definitely a factor. It'd be nice to compare actual dBA levels.rima1 - Friday, April 6, 2018 - link
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