ZOTAC at CES 2018: AMD Raven Ridge APU in a ZBOX MA551 Mini-PC
by Anton Shilov on January 16, 2018 4:00 PM EST- Posted in
- CES 2018
- AMD
- ZOTAC
- ZBOX
- Trade Shows
- AM4
- Ryzen
- Raven Ridge
LAS VEGAS, NV — ZOTAC is preparing a small form-factor PC based on an AMD’s Ryzen processor with integrated Vega graphics. The ZOTAC ZBOX MA551 will be among the first compact computers powered by AMD’s code-named ‘Raven Ridge’ chips, and the system design should allow it support all AM4 APUs as well as a comprehensive set of connectivity features.
ZOTAC’s ZBOX MA551 will exist in at least two variants equipped with AMD’s quad-core Ryzen 3 2200G and Ryzen 5 2400G APUs with the Radeon Vega integrated graphics. The chips are rated to dissipate a maximum of 65 W of power (based on AMD’s TDP data) and ZOTAC outfits the APUs with a cooling system that features a large copper heatsink and a blower. The cooler looks like a GPU cooler, so its peak performance likely exceeds 65 W and enables ZOTAC to install APUs with a higher TDP or for better boost. So far AMD has announced only two Raven Ridge SoCs for desktops, so if the company rolls-out APUs with higher power and cooling requirements, the MA551 will be ready to house them.
ZOTAC’s ZBOX MA551 comes in a matte black metallic enclosure, with the internal architecture the mini-PC looking very simple, allowing the user to easily install key components as well as potentially upgrade them. The mini-PC can be equipped with up to 32 GB of DDR4-2400 memory using two SO-DIMMs, an M.2-2280 PCIe/SATA SSD, and a separate 2.5” storage device.
When it comes to connectivity, the ZBOX MA551 is outfitted with an 802.11ac + Bluetooth 4.2 module, a gigabit Ethernet connector, four USB 3.0 Type-A headers, a USB Type-C port, three display outputs (one DisplayPort 1.2, two HDMI 2.0) and an SD/microSD card reader.
| Preliminary Specifications of ZOTAC's Ryzen APU-Based SFF PC | |||
| MA551 | |||
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 3 2200G 4C/4T 3.5 - 3.7 GHz 6 MB cache 65 W TDP |
AMD Ryzen 5 2400G 4C/8T 3.6 - 3.9 GHz 6 MB cache 65 W TDP |
|
| iGPU | Radeon Vega 8 CUs 512 SPs Up to 1100 MHz |
Radeon Vega 11 CUs 704 SPs Up to 1250 MHz |
|
| Memory | 2 × DDR4-2400 SO-DIMM slots up to 32 GB of memory |
||
| Storage | M.2 | M.2 2280 slot for PCIe/SATA SSD- | |
| DFF | 1 × 2.5" SSD/HDD | ||
| Card Reader | SD/microSD | ||
| Wireless | 802.11ac Wi-Fi + BT 4.2 | ||
| Ethernet | 1 × Gigabit Ethernet with RJ45 connector | ||
| Display Outputs | 1 × DisplayPort 1.2 2 × HDMI 2.0 |
||
| Audio | 3.5 mm audio-in 3.5 mm audio-out |
||
| USB | 4×USB 3.0 Type-A 1×USB 3.? Type-C |
||
| PSU | External | ||
| OS | Microsoft Windows 10 or none | ||
ZOTAC plans to start selling its Raven Ridge-based ZBOX MA551 sometimes in the second quarter, after AMD makes such processors widely available. Pricing is yet unknown.
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bill.rookard - Wednesday, January 17, 2018 - link
The great thing about having that big of a cooler is that it'll easily be able to cool 65w and be able to spin down to lower speeds for very low noise levels. Besides, when you're building it to fit a 2.5" drive, you have a minimum size anyhow. Better to be just a wee big bigger since it's a 'desktop' anyhow, and to be almost completely silent. Besides, since Zotac already builds GPUs, they probably had these lying around.MrSpadge - Wednesday, January 17, 2018 - link
These are hte desktop APUs: 65 W and maximum CU count in the Ryzen 5. Mobile has the 15 W limit and 10 CUs in the biggest model.ryrynz - Thursday, January 25, 2018 - link
Yeah, this is a full desktop class @65 watts not some 15W job, this'll blow away any processor at that output.jrs77 - Wednesday, January 17, 2018 - link
Waiting for the review and test of the R5 2400G and see if it's much better than my current i7-5775C.Spunjji - Wednesday, January 17, 2018 - link
Spoiler alert: Yes, it will be. Finally! :Djrs77 - Wednesday, January 17, 2018 - link
I'll wait and see. I'm not buying a new system for only 5-10% more performance. The IGP needs to be alot better than the Iris Pro 6200 to justify it. And by alot I mean +50%.wintermute000 - Saturday, January 20, 2018 - link
Well extrapolating from the Vega M GL in the Kaby-Lake G that handily beats a GTX1050, I'd expect performance in between a GTX1030 and GTX1050 (~1200SP vs ~700SP, 20CU vs 11). Don't forget you'll also have not craptastic drivers that are actually updated for gamesSpunjji - Thursday, May 31, 2018 - link
The GPU in this is comparable to the Nvidia 1030, but variably so and only if you make sure to use fast RAM. Still plenty good enough.nathanddrews - Wednesday, January 17, 2018 - link
Probably depends on what you're doing. IGP will likely be better under all circumstances, but the 5775C has that 128MB of eDRAM that some applications love. Then again, the OC potential of the 2400G could be really good - although not in this form factor.jrs77 - Wednesday, January 17, 2018 - link
Yeah, I'm not overclocking and mainly use it as a workstation for Photoshop and Illustrator doing graphics design as a freelancer. The IGP only needs to be powerful enough for playing the Borderlands series in 1080p, which the Iris Pro 6200 allready manages with low/medium settings.If I can ramp it up to medium/high settings without problems and have a little more CPU-power, then the 2400G will be worth a look, as it'll also come with improvements like DDR4 and newer motherboards with M.2 slots.