HTPC & Mini-PC Heaven? Zotac 7-Series Mini-ITX for Sandy/Ivy Bridge

Not to be outdone by larger motherboard vendors, Zotac launched several motherboards based on newly introduced Intel's 7-Series chipset. However, there are two products which we believe open a whole new field for powerful mini-computers and HTPC systems.


Smallest Z77 motherboard on the market - Z77-ITX WiFi by Zotac

The Z77-ITX WiFi is a mini-ITX motherboard that features Z77 Express chipset oriented towards enthusiasts, Socket LGA-1155 for 2nd and 3rd Gen Core processors, two DDR3 DIMM slots supporting memory up to 1600MHz (OC mode: 2133MHz), two GbE ports, dual HDMI and DisplayPort outputs. There is quite a lot of expansion options, with no less than four USB 3.0 and eight 2.0 ports, 2x SATA-III and 2x SATA-II connectors. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 3.0 are also welcomed options.

Given that you can overclock the motherboard components, we believe this motherboard will catch a lot of attention for enthusiasts that want to get powerful Core i5 and i7 processors in as compact package as possible.


Value edition motherboard from Zotac - H77-ITX WiFi A

Second motherboard is based on more affordable H77 chipset, and lacks the overclocking functionality. Second HDMI port got replaced by DVI-I, and the layout is somewhat different, especially when it comes to external connectivity.

Both products are coming to market at an unknown price, but its Z68-based predecessor went for $209, while H-chipset based part retailed for as low as $129. In any case, we suspect there will be a lot of interest for these products and we have a few ideas on our own.