Zotac Magnus puts small form-factor gaming PCs into the spotlight

Console-sized but far more powerful, a small form-factor PC opens up many more possibilities for those who can't spare the space for a traditional desktop.

Hardware manufacturers have listened to the fans (and sales numbers) and are finally taking small form-factor (SFF) gaming PCs seriously.

Hassan Arshad Chattha & Douglas Black 👁, ✓ , Published 06/04/2017

At this years Computex, Zotac announced their revamped generation of gamer-centric SFF PCs, branded as Magnus.

While some enthusiasts still take pride in the great size of their custom-built desktop towers, more and more of the general public seem to be clamoring for compact, well built machines that they can put in their living rooms, cramped apartments, and student dorms. A small form-factor PC allows them to enjoy a pleasurable gaming experience — without the sparsely populated walled gardens that consoles provide.

In a pleasant surprise, the Zotac Zbox Magnus line also feature the just- released AMD Ryzen series of processors (65 Watt). Graphical heavy lifting is handled by Zotac’s own mini-branded GPUs, which include the Nvidia GTX 1060 and 1070 desktop variants.

Furthermore, the port selection is also surprisingly generous, with dual gigabit Ethernet, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, 4 USB 3.0 Type-A, and both USB 3.1 Type A and Type C ports.

Storage options are also adequate for a gaming PC, with both an m.2 slot and a 2.5” SATA Bay. Intel Optane memory support is also included.

Powered by quad-core Kaby Lake or Ryzen architecture and toting desktop mid to mid-high range Pascal GPU’s, these mini PC’s are capable of pushing out decent gaming performance that will easily handle most games at high to ultra settings at 1080p/60fps.

Pricing and availability are yet to be confirmed.