ZOTAC continued to push the boundaries of performance in their ZBOX Nano mini-PC last week by releasing two new SKUs with markedly improved system specs. Previously the highest performing Haswell system in their Intel-based Nano series was the ID67, which comes equipped with an i3-4010U CPU clocked to 1.7GHz. Although more than adequate for a wide range of small office and home tasks, and sitting within an very low power envelope, it wasn't quite enough for their performance-hungry engineers looking to create tiny systems which can be pushed further. Enter the ID68 and ID69.

ZOTAC's mid-range ZBOX nano ID68 features an Intel 4th Generation Core i5-4200U clocked at 1.6GHz. Unlike the ID67s this CPU also includes a Turbo Mode, pushing the CPU clock to 2.6GHz when under suitable conditions. In other respects the CPU has similar GPU speeds and CPU cache, fixed at both 1GHz and 3MB respectively.

The top-spec ZBOX nano ID69 upgrades the CPU to an i7-4500U. Whilst still a dual-core hyperthreaded Haswell-based design its reference clock is a healthy 1.9GHz with a 3GHz Turbo Mode. The i7 also improves the cache from 3 to 4MB and GPU reference frequency to 1.1GHz, greatly boosting overall performance. All this is possible within the same 15W thermal envelope of the original i3-4010U.

Like the ID67, both ID68 and ID69 models also come in a 'PLUS' configuration. PLUS models include both 500GB mechanical hard drive and 4GB RAM, making them no-fuss systems for those who just want to get started right away without tinkering with the internals. Anyone who doesn't opt for the PLUS models will need to source their own 2.5" HDD (or SSD) and memory.

For more information on these and other ZOTAC ZBOX designs visit ZOTAC.com