Zotac GeForce 9300-ITX WiFi review

With recent IGPs now able to run a Vista workstation at full pelt, compact PCs are an increasingly practical option. Zotac's GeForce 9300-ITX Wi-Fi motherboard follows VIA's mini-ITX form factor, so it will fit in a standard low-profile chassis - although it does offer a PCI Express x16 slot.

Like most mini-ITX boards, the Zotac takes a 24-pin ATX power connector, but a miniature enclosure probably won't have space for a full-sized PSU. You'll either need to choose a case with its own transformer (such as the Akasa Enigma), or invest in a miniature power supply such as the Mini-Box PicoPSU.

Although the board is small you can install any Socket 775 processor, right up to a Core 2 Extreme, plus up to 8GB of RAM in its two DIMM sockets. Only DDR2-667 and DDR2-800 are supported, but that's par for the course.

A bigger disappointment is the limited support for internal drives: with just two SATA ports and no IDE you're limited to one internal hard disk and one optical drive. Still, external storage is well-supported: there's one eSATA connector and six USB 2 ports, plus internal headers for a further six.

The GeForce 9300 chipset isn't as powerful as the 9400 used in Nvidia's Ion system, but partnered with a proper desktop CPU it won't have a problem with HD video. With VGA, DVI and HDMI outputs, this is an attractive board for a media centre.

And, alongside the Gigabit Ethernet port, there's an integrated 802.11g wireless controller, with an antenna on a tiny bracket. We're in two minds about this, though: it might have been smarter to drop wireless and cut the price, because at £106 exc VAT the Zotac GeForce 9300-ITX WiFi isn't exactly a pocket-money purchase.

All the same, this little board is nicely capable for its size. If you're willing to pay for a fully-featured PC in a tiny case, the Zotac delivers.

Author: Darien Graham-Smith