A Closer Look

Outside

The ZBOX has been around for quite some time, and Zotac has kept the overall shape over the years. You may let it rest on the little rubber feet or use the stand to position it upright. The shell is still made of plastic, which is a nice touch for an HTPC environment, but it may easily scratch in harsher scenarios.


The front has the power button, two LEDs, a USB 2.0 plug with high amp output for charging your smartphone or tablet properly, and an SDHC capable card reader. Turning the ZBOX AD06 around, the Wifi antenna is located all the way up top. Below that you will find two USB 3.0 connectors, the Gigabit network, two USB 2.0 connectors - also the powered kind - DVI and HDMI, and, lastly, an optical output. Another USB connector can be found in the top of the device - perfect for nano receivers and wireless peripherals.


The main or top side of the ZBOX is completely solid, but one can see where the LED ring below it is embedded. Turning the unit around, there is an air vent right above the compact cooler to give it access to fresh air.

Inside

You may open the ZBOX AD06 up by removing a few screws. Once opened, all exchangeable parts are clearly visible.


The small fan and cooler assembly reminds me of those found in notebooks. It is screwed to the board through the underside, so I was unable to detach it to show you the AMD E2 below.


ZOTAC includes a 320GB Drive with the Plus version of the AD06. It is from Western Digital in our sample, but this may change over time as Zotac will naturally get the drives based on where they get the best deal. 2GB of DDR3 memory has also included with this version of the unit. This is not really a lot, but you are able to upgrade the amount without having to remove the existing DIMM as there is a free slot below it. The installed component is made by Hynix and runs at 1333 MHz.