ISSUE392|COMPUTER SHOPPER|OCTOBER 2020
some mini PCs lack support for multiple 4K
monitors, so that’s apoint in the ZBOXCA621
Nano’s favour. Connectivity is rather good in
general: also at the back are three full-size USB3
ports, two Gigabit Ethernet ports, an antenna
connector forthe onboard 802.11ac Wi-Fi and a
Kensington lock slot, while on the front another
USB3 port is joined by an SD card reader,and
separate3.5mm mic and headphone jacks.
All the basics are here and then some: dual
LAN ports could make this adecent DIY router
box, and an integrated card reader is always
useful, especially if you’re akeen photographer
(but don’t need the CPU power forserious
photoediting). It’s ashame there’s nothing in
the wayofUSB Type-C, but four full-size USB
ports is par forthe course with mini PCs, and
enough forafair fewperipherals.
Besides Wi-Fi, wireless connectivity also
includes Bluetooth, so if you do run low on
USB3 slots then you could always swap to a
Bluetooth mouse and keyboard instead.
Wireless connectivity was notably absent
from the UltraNUC Pro 8Fanless, so it’s good
to see that in full force here.BARE MINIMUM
On that note, we thinkthe best use of the
ZBOXCA621 Nano is as aTV/living room PC
you can operatefrom the sofa,asopposed to
an everydaydesktop.Its small size would be
ideal –you caneven VESA mount it, with the
requisiteplateincluded in the box –and while
there is ashortageofprocessing power,itwill
be able to manage streamed and local video
playback. Youwouldn’t need to spend as much
extra on storage or RAM forthis, either.
If you want something cheap and space-
saving to replace an existing tower PC,
however,know that the benefits of this system
–non-disruptive,silent running chiefamong
them –mask some regularly dull performance.
JamesArcherSPECIFICATIONS
Windows overall
Multitasking
Dirt Showdown
Metro: Last Light
0% -50 Reference + 50 + 100
See page 82 forperformancedetailsPROCESSORDual-core 2.6GHz AMDRyzen 33200U•
RAMNone (supportsupto32GBSO-DIMM DDR4)•
FRONTUSB PORTS1x USB3•REAR USBPORTS3x USB3•
GRAPHICSADAPTORAMDRadeon Vega 3•STORAGENone•
DISPLAYNone•OPERATING SYSTEMNone•WARRANTY
Twoyears RTB•DETAILSwww.zotac.com•PART CODE
ZBOX-CA621NANO-BE29
shellwithahexagonalventpattern,allowing
air in and out while contributing toanicely
distinctive look. As you’d expect, given its
Swiss cheese construction, the ZBOXCA621
Nano doesn’t feel very substantial to the
touch, but we can forgive some wavering
build quality on adesktop so cheap.
SLOWDANCE
Sadly,performance was much more
forcefully disappointing. The ZBOXCA621
Nano scored just 29 overall in our 4K
benchmarks, calculated from scores of 67 in
the image test, 46 in the video test and a
lowly 4inthe multitasking test.
Other than that woeful multitasking
result, it’s worth noting that this tracks
with what we’ve seen from the Ryzen 3
3200U CPU previously.The Acer Swift 3
scored 32 overall, and that was with active
cooling, so only athree-point drop doesn’t
seem that bad. Indeed, while the ZBOX
CA621 Nano gets toasty to the touchunder
sustained load, you don’t have to worry
about it actually overheating, as it largely
maintained asafe76°C core temperature
during our benchmarks.
And yet, CPUs don’t need to reach boiling
point to start throttling, and that’s definitely
what happens here.Bycomparison, the
UltraNUC Pro 8Fanless scored 64 overall –
including amultitasking score of 54 –with its
Intel Core i3-8109U, and although this is afar
more expensive mini PC, even the £300 Minix
Neo J50C-4 (Shopper383) edged ahead of
Zotac’s effortaswell, scoring 33 overall.
Again, if you’re looking to payless than
£500 all-in on aWindows PC, you’re probably
not in need of majorpower,and the ZBOX
CA621 Nano has enough forbrowsing and
document editing, at least. Even these don’t
entirely escape the sense of sluggishness,
however.Booting up Windows to the desktop
is inconsistent but usually slower than we’d
expect from an SSD-based system, and the
simple act of openingapplications has a
glancing but noticeable hesitation that really
gives awayhow little grunt this PC has.
Don’t think of this as alow-end alternative
to Zotac’sbarebones gaming PCs, either.
We knew from the start that Vega 3isthe
weakest of AMD’s integrated graphics
platforms, but the ZBOXCA621 Nano
couldn’t even reach the main menu of Dirt
Showdown –our easiest-going gaming
benchmark –before crashing.
CORD CUTTER
It is, however,enough to drive both a
DisplayPort and an HDMI output on the rear;