ZOTAC Z68-ITX Pro Reviews

A mini powerhouse of a motherboard at a premium price

For $170, it's hard not to consider the Zotac Z68ITX-A-E if you're going down the mini-ITX Z68 route (as much as a narrow path that is). However, with the poor OC options, H67 beckons if you don't need the smart caching and you could spend the extra money on a bigger SSD.

At first the tiny Zotac Z68-ITX WiFi looks not just good, but absolutely mind-blowing. We were amazed with a very thoughtful set of accessories, very convenient and smart components layout despite the small PCB size. The board is manufactured with contemporary high-quality components and has extensive functionality. We were a little disappointed with not very convenient BIOS structure and not the best CPU and memory overclocking results. However, let’s not forget that Zotac Z68-ITX WiFi managed to get the CPU to work at 4.5 GHz, which means that a tiny mini-ITX system will in the end be much faster than most of the large system cases with previous-generation processors inside. Besides, another definite strength is the low power consumption of a system like that. Zotac Z68-ITX WiFi mainboard became the first mini-ITX mainboard on Intel Z68 Express available in retail that is capable of successfully overclocking LGA1155 processors. However, at this point it already has the first competitor – ASRock Z68M-ITX/HT. ASRock’s mainboard can’t boast contemporary component base, has no combination mini-PCI Express / mSATA slot, no Wi-Fi, only one network adapter and only two USB 3.0 ports on the back panel. However, it also has a lot of unique advantages, such as an eSATA port on the back panel, a transmitter and a remote control unit and a significantly lower price. So, it looks like now Zotac Z68-ITX WiFi will be competing not against larger rivals, but against a similar mini-ITX mainboard from ASRock. It will be superior in some aspects, and in some it will fall behind, but the right choice for any user will in the end depend on his/her priorities and specific needs.

We admit to having an affinity for the ZOTAC Z68-ITX WiFi as well. It’s just a great all-around board for what it is. It’s laid out incredibly well, and it manages to boast impressive features in a tiny form factor. The low price is nothing to sneeze at, either. Further, it performed relatively well in our tests. It doesn’t have much room for expansion, and although that’s expected with this form factor, it’s something to keep in mind when making a purchasing decision.

The Zotac Z68-ITX Wi-Fi is a delightfully accomplished mini-motherboard that packs a lot of technology into a small frame. But it does so at a price, and for little extra performance.

However, with everything from USB 3 to SATA 6Gbps to WiFi already integrated, there’s little else to add to this board. Add to this the fact that it’s fast, reasonably overclockable and will let you build a truly tiny (yet very powerful) PC, and the Zotac Z68 Mini-ITX WiFi is a great option for anyone tired of huge tower cases.

We were really impressed how Zotac was able to squeeze so many features in such a small form factor. The Z68-ITX WiFi proved to be an excellent option for those building a high-end HTPC (Home Theater PC) or SFF (Small Form Factor) system based on an Intelprocessor.

After spending a week with the ZOTAC Z68-ITX Wifi, we are quite happy with the board, but we must point out that although it is a great mini-ITX product, there are several things that we consider oversights that prevent us from giving it a higher score. The incomplete BIOS and complete lack of software cannot be overlooked, no matter what abilities the board has, as these two specific areas are ones that lean hard on overall consumer impression. If purchase of this product was for an HTPC with a minimal overclock, then this product fits the bill perfectly.