Zotac ZBOX MAGNUS EN1080 SFF PC Review: A Premium Gaming Powerhouse
by Ganesh T S on December 19, 2016 8:30 AM ESTGaming Benchmarks
The gaming credentials of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 are quite impressive. It is a bonafide high-end desktop GPU in the NVIDIA Pascal series (GP204). The version in the MAGNUS EN1080 is not crippled in any way despite the size of the unit. The GPU should easily be able to support 4K gaming and meet the requirements for VR headsets.
For the purpose of benchmarking, we chose four different games (Sleeping Dogs, Tomb Raider, Bioshock Infinite and DiRT Showdown) at three different quality levels. Note that the main aim here is not to show that the GTX 1080 can play the latest and greatest games (which it can do). Rather, it is to compare the ZBOX MAGNUS EN1080 against other gaming-focused mini-PCs that we have evaluated before.
Sleeping Dogs
Tomb Raider
Bioshock Infinite
DiRT Showdown
The Talos Principle
GRID Autosport
Similar to the MAGNUS EN980, the ZBOX MAGNUS EN1080 is way beyond the league of the other gaming mini-PCs that we have evaluated. In fact, it is around 20 - 60% faster than even the MAGNUS EN980 in our tested gaming workloads.
It must be kept in mind that the performance doesn't come for cheap. At $2000 for a barebones configuration, consumers could also contemplate purchasing notebooks with similar GPUs (given that NVIDIA no longer makes a distinction between mobile and desktop GPUs). In the next section, we will take a look at some select benchmarks to get an idea of how the ZBOX MAGNUS EN1080 compares against gaming notebooks.
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Michael Bay - Monday, December 19, 2016 - link
There was a nice trend of posting size comparison pics with a can of soda and a cig pack.I really wish it came back.
BrokenCrayons - Monday, December 19, 2016 - link
I want to oogle Ganesh's cans via review photos. :DOooh! Maybe we should start a GoFundMe to soak up the cost of purchasing a can so there's no out-of-pocket expense. If we pull it off, it might be possible for the readers to get a look at everyone's cans.
cm2187 - Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - link
Unfortunately a can of coke is not an international measure:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beverage_can#Standar...
Renagade - Wednesday, December 21, 2016 - link
how bout a tape measure, ruler, yard stick - something - perhaps with both metric and american markings? This way - EVERYONE wins and the international measure standards are coveredK_Space - Monday, December 19, 2016 - link
I think those belonged to either Ian or Brandon (the cola can I think).... No one else got em!¬_¬
cknobman - Monday, December 19, 2016 - link
Cool system but IMO since a GTX 1080 is not quite enough for full blown 4k gaming then why waste all that money getting it.The best buy is the ZOTAC ZBOX MAGNUS EN1070 Gaming Mini PC, Intel Skylake Core i5-6400T which only costs $1200.
GTX 1070 is powerful enough to handle anything 2k and below which is all you could really do comfortably with the 1080 version so most of that extra $800 would be going to waste.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M3062Z5/ref=psdc_1389...
TheinsanegamerN - Monday, December 19, 2016 - link
It isnt enough for 4k, but it is enough for 1440p, or for 1080p for years from now. You could buy this with the knowledge that, at 1080p, say with a g sync monitor, you would not need to replace it for 5+ years.also, the 1070 is not enough to consistently max out 1440p, or do 1400p or 1080p consistent at 144 hz refresh rates. the 1080 isnt quite enough either, but its a heck of a lot closer.
cknobman - Monday, December 19, 2016 - link
LOL no card can max out 1440 @144hz consistently (you even put it in your own post) so why waste $800 getting a 1080 when a 1070 is enough to get 60+fps in 1440 everywhere and will do any game @1080p (even lesser cards than that are more than enough for 1080)?Again IMO save $800 and get the 1070 config.
zenonu - Monday, December 19, 2016 - link
My Titan X (P) hits 1440p 144Hz in a significant amount of games. The 1080 doesn't need to hit 1440p 144Hz consistently either to provide a significant amount of value from between 60Hz and 144Hz. There is a place for this product, and your own financial valuation of this product is generally only relevant to you.LordanSS - Monday, December 19, 2016 - link
1080p60 with SuperSampling. There.