ZOTAC ZBOX HD-ND22 - the little nettop that could

After working off of a Lenovo S10 for the past year, I got sick of the mediocre Atom performance. I yearned for a desktop computer again, so I started budgeting a new system for myself.  I wanted a powerful desktop that could handle all common programs out there, do some video editing, HD viewing and even a little casual gaming.

After quite a bit of research, I found a rather unlikely candidate: the Zotac ZBOX HD-ND22. Somehow I wound up going back to the netbook/nettop architecture. What gives?

The secret is under the hood: this particular ZBOX has an Intel Celeron SU2300 paired with the second-generation Nvidia ION graphics chipset.  This ain't your father's Prescott-based Celeron with an integrated video output. What we basically have is a Core 2 Duo CPU paired with a GeForce 9400M video card.  Throw in two sticks of RAM (if cost is an issue, get two sticks of smaller RAM before one larger stick so the Nvidia can have its own channel) and a 7200rpm laptop hard drive and you've a cost-effective little powerhouse, like the Smartuki of home computing. Heck, it's so small I mounted it on the back of my monitor.

I am running Windows 7 64-bit with full Aero effects on a 1080p monitor and it's one of the smoothest Windows experiences I've ever had.  I'm only running 4GB of Patriot RAM instead of the maximum 8GB right now and I'm very pleased with multitasking on this machine.

Work similarly is a pleasure. Tabbing between multiple windows while conducting a video chat and working on Office documents did not tax the computer beyond its limits at all.  While running CPU-intensive Rapid Evolution 3 on my music library for key and BPM detection I still surfed the 'net and listed to music with ease.

Gaming is quite a surprise. Left 4 Dead 2 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 run rather well once you've turned the resolution down a bit. Fortunately, I still have been able to keep texture quality high. Load times were short, thanks in part to the speedy Western Digital Scorpio Black hard drive.

This is even before the biggest surprise - the BIOS allows for real overclocking, voltage multipliers and all! I wouldn't recommend it with the stock cooling fan, of course, but it's a great gesture on the part of Zotac to at least give us the option.

If you're willing to void the one-year warranty (the weakest part of the bundle*), you can access two Mini PCI Express slots on the back of the motherboard for even more modding opportunity.

Overall, it's a great package that I've been truly happy with. Being able to run CPU and graphics intensive programs while drawing no more than 40W is really quite impressive and easy on the wallet as well. The ND22 demonstrates that even many of us power users really can leave the world of large, power-hungry desktops without sacrificing customizability or performance - and while on a budget to boot.

*All Patriot RAM carries a lifetime warranty; the Western Digital Scorpio Black series has a 5-year warranty.