Zotac Zbox Magnus One review
Not long ago I embarked on a small form-factor odyssey with the Fractal Terra. Call me a self-flagellant, but I cherished every minute of the problem-encountering, solution-finding process. «Measure twice, cut once» they say, and that's absolutely the philosophy when you're working within such tight volume constraints. You need confidence that your GPU, CPU, and cooler, PSU and memory choices are all going to fit, and that you can adequately cool everything, before the point of purchase. Literally half the job is research and measurement. There were spreadsheets.
If you like the idea of a small form-factor PC but balk at the build, then observe the Zbox Magnus One from Zotac. With its roster of performant desktop parts, it's essentially an off-the-peg SFF PC. Regarding the form factor, it ticks two of my three boxes: it looks great, and it runs games fantastically in a compact, sub-10-liter chassis. The third is quiet operation, which is where the Magnus One stumbles, but we'll come to that in due course.
There's a lean simplicity to the Magnus One's case design which I find very attractive, achieved through the use of honeycomb panels and a minimalist front fascia. It comes in black or white, and I have to say the white sample I had in for testing was most handsome; it'd make a fine centrepiece for an uncluttered desktop with matching white peripherals.
Plus, those honeycomb panels are lined with dust-catching steel mesh too so keeping it spotless over time should involve little more than popping the panels off and blasting out the accumulated dander.
Model reviewed: ERP74070W
CPU: Intel Core i7 13700
GPU: Nvidia RTX 4070 12 GB
Memory: up to 64 GB DDR5 5600 SODIMM
Storage: 2x PCIe 4 M.2 SSD slots, 1x SATA III
Wireless: WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
I/O: front: 2x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Tye A, 1x Thunderbolt 4 Type-C, SDHC/SDXC card reader, 3.5mm headset jack
I/O rear: 2x HDMI 2.1a, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a (GPU), 4x USB 3.2 Type A, 1x USB Type-C, 2.5G LAN
Price: $1,800 (Barebones)
