Zotac Zbox Magnus EN374070C review

Current years have seen a strong new breed of built-in GPUs populating mini-PCs. Thus armed, such machines supply a cheap and delightfully dinky technique to sport at 1080p. When you’re searching for a compact PC with one thing nearer to desktop-level video games efficiency nonetheless, the choices are relatively thinner on the bottom.

Machines which fold discrete GPUs into their design are each rarer and pricier, however they permit you to crank issues up when it comes to the resolutions, body charges and graphics settings they’ll obtain. Pairing a 13^th-gen Intel i7 cellular CPU with a laptop-grade RTX 4070, the Zotac Zbox Magnus EN does simply this, and brings the battle to Asus’ ROG NUC 970 and the Minisforum AtomMan G7 Ti when it comes to 1440p video games efficiency.

The Magnus is barebones from the get-go, although some suppliers supply RAM and storage pre-installed for a payment. There are a number of CPU and GPU variant configurations to select from, however Intel’s penultimate cellular i7 chip, the Core i7 13700HX, options in our take a look at unit. With eight effectivity cores and eight efficiency cores working at 3.7 GHz to five GHz on the turbo, It is a highly effective chip able to desktop ranges of efficiency, and can be a product of Intel’s last-gen philosophy: energy in any respect prices, principally.

That is mirrored in Intel’s acknowledged most draw of 157 W, although we suspect that Zotac have chosen to tune this on the {hardware} stage, and properly so given the restricted quantity for cooling on this field. With Cinebench 2024’s render-test pushing all cores to the max, the chip settles in for the lengthy haul at across the relatively extra wise 60 W mark.

Zbox Magnus EN374070C specs

Zotac Zbox Magnus EN374070C mini PC on a wooden background — (Picture credit score: Future)

CPU: Intel Core i7 13700HX
GPU: RTX 4070 cellular 8 GB GDDR6
RAM: as much as 64 GB DDR5-4800 SODIMM
Storage: 2x M.2 PCIe Gen4
Networking: WiFi 6, BT 5.2, 2x 2,5G LAN
Entrance panel: Headphone, Mic, SDXC Card Reader, 1x Thunderbolt 4 Sort C, 1x USB 3.1
Rear I/O: 2x DisplayPort 1.4, 1x HDMI 2.1, 4x USB 3.1, 2x WiFi Antennas
Value: $1,960 | £1,700

The place the chip exhibits its age is in RAM compatibility, tapping out at DDR5-4800. Low-latency RAM at this pace can nonetheless ship higher throughput than higher-latency sticks at faster-rated speeds, however you will completely pay for that privilege.

Just like the ROG NUC 970, the Zbox Magnus sports activities the cellular RTX 4070 GPU, which differs from the desktop variant of the GPU. It has with 8 GB of devoted VRAM relatively than 12 GB, barely decrease clockspeeds, and a narrower, 128-bit reminiscence bus. Nonetheless, it may well nonetheless pull its weight admirably at 1440p, as we’ll see.

Design-wise, the case is all grills, no frills: a easy black field the place each floor, save for the entrance fascia, options some type of consumption or exhaust. The highest is principally one massive dust-meshed consumption for the CPU and GPU cooling system. And whereas this implies loads of contemporary air for panting processors, it additionally means you are intimately uncovered to the complete vary of sounds that the Zbox’s cooling emits.

From idle to full load, you are handled to a always modulating wind-scape as followers step up and all the way down to counter warmth, and air is sucked or pushed at various speeds by way of varied grills and mesh panels. Tucked beneath your desk or behind a TV, that is form of positive, however we would not suggest having the Magnus proper close to you in your desk, when you’re not utilizing a headset—it isn’t tremendous-loud, however the fixed variable frequency-changes begin to put on skinny fairly fast.

Whereas the CPU and GPU are soldered in place, the SODIMM RAM and M.2 storage (there’s house sufficient for 2 drives) are interchangeable. As is the wi-fi card, however because the Magnus ships with a Killer WiFi 6/Bluetooth 5.3 card, there’s actually no want.

When you go thrifty with the barebones choice and select to put in your personal M.2 drive and RAM, Zotac makes it super-easy to take action. Flip the unit on its again, undo two thumbscrews, and the underside of the case slides off, laying naked all of the slots you must work with. No fussy mechanisms, no fiddly component-stacking, it is simply essentially the most easy and user-friendly design doable, and that is nice.

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I/O-wise, the entrance panel bears a type-C Thunderbolt port, a Sort-A USB 3.1, SD card reader, and separate 3.5 mm headphone and mic jacks. On the rear you get twin 2.5G Killer Lan ports, an HDMI 2.1, twin DisplayPort 1.4 ports, and an extra 4 Sort-A USB 3.1s. Complete to make sure, although I might fortunately commerce a type of 5 USB 3.1 slots for an additional Thunderbolt, or perhaps a bog-standard Sort-C USB.

Right down to enterprise then, and as anticipated from a machine with zesty silicon, the Magnus runs video games very properly. At 1080p, it blazes by way of every little thing you throw at it—173 fps in Complete Struggle: Warhammer 3’s battle engine is crazy-smooth, and 154 fps in Cyberpunk utilizing the Ray Tracing Extremely preset appears to be like and feels simply fab.

Transferring as much as 1440p and extremely settings, issues are nonetheless very rosy, with every little thing shifting at 60 fps or higher. Cyberpunk with RT extremely on nonetheless nets a wholesome 79 fps, Forza with full RT glides alongside {smooth} and stutter-free at 60 fps, and Warhammer 3’s extra demanding campaign-engine hits the identical body fee.

We additionally ran a bunch of different video games with out built-in benchmarks to get a common really feel for ultra-settings 1440p efficiency throughout the board, and located equally cheering outcomes. Helldivers runs at a barely-variable 68-72 fps in each setting and fight state of affairs we tried. Motive Studios’ superior Lifeless House remake is a revenant meat-treat, having fun with a variety of 94-125 fps within the last boss battle at 1440p/Extremely/DLSS Balanced. And A Plague Story: Requiem’s gorgeous Hives stage appears to be like and feels fabulous at 90-120 fps. In brief, I’ve little question that the Magnus would see you proper with any title at 1440p.

The machine completely trades blows with Asus’ ROG NUC 970, and does so at a lower cost (a fast squirrel across the internet reveals a variety of websites supplying the Magnus at appreciably beneath the RRP, so store round). One of many key variations between the 2 machines is the selection of processor; the NUC 970’s Intel Extremely 9 185H CPU is newer and extra environment friendly than the Magnus’ thirteenth Gen Core i7; it may well make use of sooner DDR5 speeds, and certain provides a premium to the build-price of the machine. However the fact is, they carry out at a really comparable stage when paired with the RTX 4070 cellular; you simply do not actually really feel the distinction when the sport’s afoot.

In value/efficiency phrases, if it got here all the way down to a selection between the 2 machines, the Magnus can be our advice. However there’s one other issue to contemplate right here which we have touched on already, and that is noise.

Purchase if…

You desire a plug-and-play PC: Whack in a tough drive and RAM and off you trot.

You are a living-room gamer: The Magnus would match properly and unobtrusively beneath a TV as a console alternative.

Do not buy if…

You are a future-proofer: The CPU and GPU are soldered in and cannot be upgraded.

You are looking for silence: Good airflow and cooling, however you may hear each transfer it makes, each breath it takes.

Setting the ROG NUC 970 to Silent Mode virtually eliminates fan noise, for no considerable lack of efficiency. With the Magnus, you are caught with what you get—an admittedly succesful cooling resolution, however one that can not be adjusted, with a noise output that is very onerous to disregard. Even mild duties can set the followers off, and you’ll’t assist however discover each change in pitch and frequency. It is doable to zone out fixed frequencies, however variable ones—not a lot.

I get pleasure from a lot of my gaming-audio utilizing hi-fi audio system, reserving the headset for multiplayer and nighthawk periods. For my use-case, the Magnus is simply too chatty, however your mileage could differ; When you solely ever take your headset off to sleep, eat or interface with fellow earthlings, I doubt you will be so bothered.

Just like the ROG NUC 970, this machine is not for many who envisage future CPU or GPU upgrades. It is for somebody who desires stable off-the-peg gaming efficiency at 1440p, and for whom footprint is a key issue. When you can reside with its ‘vigorous’ sound-profile, the Zotac Zbox Magnus EN is a stable performer at 1440p.