A look Inside

Taking the Zotac ZBOX CI660 nano apart is incredibly easy, which makes upgrades a simple task. First, remove the four rubber-coated screws on the bottom before gently lifting the bottom plastic cover off. At this point, you can install system memory and storage with no further disassembly. However, taking things a step further, you can remove the mounting bracket and lift it out gently as well.


At this point, the I/O shield can be removed. Keep an eye on the plastic tabs used so as not to break them. I then removed the heatsink screws and continued removing the various stand-offs and other screws, which allows for the motherboard to be removed; however, be mindful of the antenna wires that connect to the wireless card hidden under the mainboard and just out of sight. With the motherboard gently removed, you can then remove any remaining screws and pull the heatsink from the chassis.


In regards to memory and storage here, you can see the hardware I will be using to review the unit. For the memory, I have 2x 8 GB (16 GB) 2133 MHz DDR4 SODIMMs from Patriot, and a Crucial 250 GB MX500 SSD is used for the OS and storage. Both are off-the-shelf-parts with the memory costing $116 and the SSD costing $53. Your costs will likely vary depending on part choice and market forces.