Zotac EN760 Plus Barebones

[hamid1455]

I know I made a thread previously about a different Zotac box, but I found this one recently and although the processor is weaker than the one in my other thread, this mini pc barebones kit has a dedicated graphics card, so I thought it might make a difference:

Zotac EN760 Plus

Specs:

- intel core i5 4200U 1.6 GHz (turbo boost to 2.6 GHz)

- Nvidia Geforce GTX 860M 2GB DDR5

- 8GB RAM

I still have concerns about the heat issue with Zotac boxes but I am keeping the load light as possible, since the games I play aren't too intensive on the CPU/GPU.

[NaturalViolence]

This rig is much worse for dolphin than the other one.

I'll repeat the same advice I gave you in your other thread:

NaturalViolence Wrote:If you can consider getting a normal desktop instead. They give you much better bang for your buck.

[Shonumi]

I'll repeat my advice as well: If you don't need or want this form-factor, look at normal desktops. Is there any reason you're looking at small, compact mini-PCs instead of regular desktops?

[hamid1455]

yeah I have limited space and the room isn't very big. I was basically looking for a PC that is small but powerful enough to play wii and maybe gamecube games. I also checked pre-built normal sized gaming pc's and most of them have similar specs with the only exception that they use desktop CPUs instead of mobile CPUs, which I know makes a difference.

I guess I will look into what is possible for the size of the computer. I just want to get something that will last a couple years and I suppose mini PCs aren't one of those things.

[KHg8m3r]

Yeah no, that CPU is a ULV (Ultra Low Voltage) CPU, and will not run properly.

What's the dimensions of the space you're trying to fit a computer into?

[hamid1455]

there's a bunch of furniture in the room (wardrobe, dresser, side tables, beds and a night stand). The space is about 2 feet wide and 3 feet high. I am not allowed to put a full size desktop tower, because I am sharing the room and it is one of the rules we have here.

[KHg8m3r]

Here is a build that I've had configured with a small case, the BitFenix Prodigy M Midnight MicroATX Mini Tower Case, with dimensions of 12 x 18 x 16.5 inches. (looks sweet and is small form factor)

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Nrmgator/saved/6KgPxr

[Shonumi]

Just to clear things up, Mini-PCs can be decent Dolphin rigs. It largely depends on the CPU (Intel's IGPs are good enough now that you can get away with 2x-3x without issue in most games). The last machine in your other thread would have been just fine. Is there any reason you wanted something else (price? availability?); if you were having any doubts about the heat issue mentioned, again, even if he Zotac ZBOX IQ01 throttled, it still has 2.5 GHz at the absolute minimum speed it will run, and that's actually a lot for a Haswell CPU trying to run Dolphin. It was more than enough to satisfy the games you wanted to play.

But check out what KHg8m3r posted and see if that will work for you as well. Trust this guy, he knows what he's doing

[hamid1455]

The other Zotac box I wanted isn't available for sale (at least not at the moment). I definitely trust the build he made for me, which I appreciate. I am going to see if that case would be alright to put in the room or not, if so, I'll go with it. Otherwise I will just wait for black friday (november 28) sale and see if the Zotac IQ01 comes back in stock.

The price for the build and the Zotac are fine, as long as everything works out in the end and is a good investment, I don't mind spending that much money.

[KHg8m3r]

I was going off what the dimensions were that you gave me, so as long as it can fit, it will be 1) a good looking small case, and 2) a PC capable of running even the latest PC games (you can even put in a stronger, bigger GPU card if you wanted to)