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ZOTAC GeForce 9300-ITX WiFi Review
[Abstract]
Pocket RocketFor a long time, integrated graphics processors (IGP) have had a bad reputation amongst computer users. Anyone who has an inkling of knowledge of graphics chipsets will avoid IGPs ...
[Content] PCDigitalMobileGame
Almost There...
Zotac, a relatively new player in the PC components market, have thus far consistently offered solidly engineered products. Unfortunately, the Zotac 9300-ITX needs some work. Its small form factor may make it great for HTPC setups, but not without sacrificing some usability and performance. But of the two, we are more concerned about performance because the Zotac 9300-ITX was a little erratic and in some of our tests, performed significantly poorer than its larger (physically), but still comparable rivals. Given Zotac's great run since its inception, we are confident they'll iron out the issues noted via better BIOS updates in due time.
Remember also that the Zotac 9300-ITX supports WiFi connectivity out of the box, and comes with an easy to install WiFi module. This can be especially handy. What's more, it can save you a few dollars and the hassle of getting and looking for a WiFi adapter as well.
Elsewhere, another important finding about not just the board, but the NVIDIA GeForce 9300 mGPU, is that increasing the frame buffer size from 256MB to 512MB had no noticeable impact on performance for majority of the tests. In fact, this extra memory could probably be better used doing something else.
The Zotac GeForce 9300-ITX WiFi is wonderfully small, but you do have to make a few sacrifices to justify getting this board. |
All in all, the Zotac 9300-ITX is an oddball. We really liked how small it is, but can't help but be a bit put off by its less than stellar productivity performance. It's a good thing that the performance difference is just relegated to benchmarking and not something directly related to actual usage where it felt no different from the rest of the reviewed boards. Elsewhere on graphics performance, where the chipset's strength lies and also the real reason for considering this board in the first place, we're glad to note that it kept our expectations. However, at a recommended retail price of around US$140, it is a considerable US$35 more than the MSI P7NGM-Digital , which, apart from its larger size, offers much more than the Zotac 9300-ITX. Thankfully at that price, the board is bundled with the WiFi 802.11a/b/g module and that actually evens out the board's value proposition.
In the end, really, you have to weigh the costs of sacrificing some functionality and performance, for size. If by chance you require the smallest possible DIY HTPC, this is perhaps one of the rare few gems around to cater to this niche need.
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