ZOTAC ZBOX EI730 PLUS Review

[section_title title=Conclusion]Conclusion

Another day, another ZBOX but then again, not quite!  The ZOTAC ZBOX EI730 PLUS on paper is an impressive system and given the 200x200x60mm dimensions; you can’t expect world record performance, but I was ultimately surprised in what ZOTAC had to offer this time around.  So what was my experience like?  Is it as good as it looks and is it worth the hefty £500+ price tag ZOTAC are looking for?  Let’s find out…

Starting out with the price, the ZOTAC ZBOX EI730 PLUS can be had from Amazom.com for $702 which given the transfer to GBP is around £450 but then adding on any import VAT, duty etc you are looking closer to £500.  That isn’t too bad considering the amount of power there is crammed into such a small space but it would have been nice to have an operating system such as Windows included; most systems come with no O/S these days so it isn’t a negative point whatsoever.

So let’s talk about what I actually like about the EI730 PLUS.  Firstly the design is sublime and I really do like the contrasting glossy and matt black finish throughout the entire unit.  The glossy part is a finger print magnet and there is no denying that, but cleaned with a cloth dipped in a little lemon juice, the grease, oil and fingerprints come off with no effort whatsoever.  Another thing I like is the inclusion of 4 x USB 3.0 ports which are of course backwards compatible with USB 2.0; it’s nice to see a fair amount of ports on such a small system and there should be no issues with the amount of devices you can plug in.  For those who need more of course, you can go out and purchase a USB hub which will effectively give you more ports.  Aside from the inclusion of the 802.11 wireless adapter, it’s nice to see the ZBOX EI730 PLUS making good use of the latest Intel IRIS Pro 5200 on board graphics which really does help increase performance of the machine; most notably in Cinebench 11.5 Open GL.

Touching more on the performance, I am a little concerned that this machine carries a heavily branded gaming moniker which could lead people to think it will be able to run AAA titles such as Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor etc on good settings.  Of course a machine of this size will struggle with games and titles like that but for games such as CS:GO, League of Legends, DOTA 2 and even Minecraft, I can confirm this machine plays all those beautifully; this extends to games in the a similar bracket intensity wise.  The other pit fall is of course the 5400RPM 1TB hard drive which comes included as standard in the PLUS edition.  An upgrade to an SSD would be a good idea for those who can’t cope with the slower loading times of a mechanical HDD but you have to take things on face value here and overall, it is a reasonable spec to include a 5400RPM HDD given that it is a small form factor system; those expecting 4K HD gaming performance from this really needs to consider how much this actually costs in comparison to what is needed to run 4K at max settings currently.

To sum the ZOTAC ZBOX EI730 PLUS up, I am relatively happy with what I have seen today and given the price point/what you get, I feel ZOTAC have offered an attractive package.  It would have been very nice to have had native HDMI support included without the need for an adapter, but some might argue I am being picky.  For those HTPC buffs who require something powerful and small but oh so stylish, the EI730 PLUS is going to really satisfy your cravings for style and would be a very good purchase if you have a spare £500/$700-800 lying around in your budget.  If you want a system with the ability to be mounted on a VESA compatible monitor, then the EI730 really does need your attention but there are of course other options available from ZOTAC to suit those who require certain specifics.

Overall the ZOTAC ZBOX EI730 is a good product and with its startlingly good design, gorgeous sleek aesthetics and alright gaming performance, I am happy to award the ZOTAC ZBOX EI730 PLUS our silver award; good job ZOTAC on winning our design award too!

Huge thanks to ZOTAC for sending the EI730 PLUS in for review and I look forward to seeing more in the future.