Index
Conclusion
It is quite hard to find something wrong about the Nano XS AD11, but it is also quite hard to compare it to other mini-PCs as it has a unique form factor and tiny footprint.
Of course it is not the fastest thing on the market, but it is still packs quite a punch when compared to much larger systems. The E-450 is a well balanced processor, capable of delivering enough performance to cope with pretty much anything you throw at it, but at the same time it's not too pricey or too hot. Of course, any serious gaming is out of the question but if you are looking for an office PC or a home theater system, ZBox Nano XS is definitely worth taking into consideration. Pair it up with either Linux or Windows, throw in the XBMC media center and you'll get one heck of an HTPC system.
The €320/US $315 price tag for the ZBox Nano XS AD11 Plus might sound a bit steep but if you add all the features up, especially the Kingston SSD, you’ll see that you would end up with a similar price tag on much larger systems. The sheer size of the ZBox Nano XS AD11 Plus is impressive and it is definitely its best selling point. The barebone version sells at around €220/US $220.
As for the downsides, 64GB of storage is just about enough for a system drive, so external storage is a must. That’s where eSATA and USB 3.0 connectivity come in handy, but the most elegant solution would be to hook it up to a NAS unit. Considering the performance and responsiveness of an SSD-based system, it’s a fair tradeoff in our book.
Even with all this in mind, recommending the Nano XS is a no-brainer and if you are looking for a decent media center for your living room or an office PC that you can strap to the back of your monitor, Zotac's ZBox Nano XS AD11 is definitely the way to go.