Dell Zino HD 410 HTPC Review
by Ganesh T S on February 19, 2011 7:08 AM EST- Posted in
- HTPC
- Dell
- AMD
- Media Streamer
- ATI
We reviewed the performance of the Zino 410 from the standpoint of a HTPC, and its capabilities lie in between that of the Core 100 and the Vision 3D from ASRock. Its advantage lies in the fact that it comes with the OS and keyboard/mouse while the Core 100 and Vision 3D do not.
Kudos to Dell for learning the lessons from the Zino 400 and putting it to good use in the Zino 410. That said, there are some areas where Dell can improve with respect to its future offerings in the SFF HTPC space:
- 2.5" hard drives should be used instead of the 3.5" ones for the main storage option
- It would be nice to have a 64 GB boot SSD option in the high end offerings
- Steps must be taken to ensure that installation of the bloatware is minimal / optional (McAfee / Dell DataSafe etc.)
- Most importantly, the discrete GPU in the high end offerings must be made more powerful. Even in the Zino 410 generation, we could have got better HTPC video performance with the Mobility 5650. The extra power consumption of the 5650 could have been easily offset by using a 2.5" drive instead of the 3.5" currently in the system. The thermal design would have needed re-engineering, though.
If money is not a concern with respect to your SFF HTPC purchase, the ASRock Vision 3D still continues to be our SFF HTPC of choice. If you are looking for the best bang for the buck, the highest end Zino 410 is pretty good for a decently powerful HTPC. The good thing is that the Zino 410 comes in a variety of configurations ranging from $300 to $800, a model to fit every budget.
In conclusion, we recommend the Zino 410's highest configuration at its price point, albeit, with some reservations. If the issues outlined aren't of much concern, we are sure you will enjoy your Zino 410.
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myangeldust - Saturday, September 10, 2011 - link
An internal tuner would up the heat generated and require a larger case. But Dell should have offered the option for a tuner.A great HTPC would have a SSD and a NTSC/ATSC/radio dual tuner with a motorized slot drive for DVD/BD. The case could act as an antenna for TV/radio reception and made laptop thin to fit on the back of your HDTV. Though it would be a separate model for a more expensive niche market. Still cheaper than most Macs though.
tipoo - Saturday, February 19, 2011 - link
I've been waiting for an AT review of the Zino HD, thanks! I wonder if AMD's Brazos chips will make their way into this? Looks like it can handle much higher watt parts (ie the x4), but as a base config that would be nice.Trefugl - Saturday, February 19, 2011 - link
I was going to make the same comment about Brazos.I've had my eye on the Dell Zino 410 for a long time, but now that Brazos is around I am thinking of either building something of my own or waiting until someone like Dell produces a system.
Ganesh, do you know (or suspect) if Dell has a Brazos update to the Zino planned? I think a small system like that would be nearly perfect for an HTPC.
Edgar_Wibeau - Saturday, February 19, 2011 - link
My guess is, AMDs 2nd APU, Llano, will find its way into this Box. It will also solve the graphics-being-too-slow-issue if it is an issue for some. Llano is supposed to hit the market in summer. Llano will be based on 32nm tech and feature a GPU that is at least twice as powerful as the one in Zacate. The CPU part will also be significantly faster than Zacate as it will be the successor to the current Athlons/Turions/Phenoms in notebooks. On the down-side, it'll also be more expensive than Zacate of course.ganeshts - Sunday, February 20, 2011 - link
My educated guess is that the next generation Zino HD's base configs will be based on Zacate.Our initial look at Brazos indicates that it is as weak as the Mobility 5450. I wouldn't expect great things in the $300 - $500 configs.
As you also mention, I am looking forward to the Llano to make an appearance in the high end configs. I expect none of the configs would need a discrete GPU making it easier for Dell ( but, first, Llano needs to come to the market ! )
Spacecomber - Saturday, February 19, 2011 - link
Would it have made any sense (and been practical) to get some numbers on the integrated 4250 graphics solution? I found myself wondering how much the advantage was with the upgrade to the discrete 5450.At some point, it would be helpful to get a sound-level meter, given how important (and subjective) judgements of what is quiet can be when talking about home theatre and audio PCs.
Nevertheless, enjoyed the read; thanks for the review.
DanNeely - Saturday, February 19, 2011 - link
80SP @ 675 vs 40SP @ 500 is a 2.7x factor; and while a crude comparison is sufficient to show the 4250 would be crushed on light gaming benchmarks.The closest I could find in the first few pages of reviews here was a laptop with the 4225 (40SP @ 380) which is crushed by about 3x in FPS vs the 5450; I didn't see anything comparing their abilities in video decoding.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/3862/toshiba-t235d-a...
DNW - Saturday, February 19, 2011 - link
I am looking for a computer for my home theater. I never play games. I do watch a lot of television and movies. Blu ray performance would be important to me. I also have a large collection of 40 years of home movies originally shot on everything from beta to vhs to digital, all of which I have digitized and would like to watch.I need a computer and not a Google TV or WD Live box because these and similar solutions will not play all my videos, all of which play just great on a computer. My monitor is an Olevia 65" LCD TV. Is the size/type of TV a factor, or not factor?
Will the Zino HD410 suffice for my purposes (if so, what configuration), or do I need to get something more powerful? Naturally, I would like to keep costs to a minimum, but not to the extent that my objectives are not met.
ganeshts - Sunday, February 20, 2011 - link
If it is just Blu-Ray you are interested in, and not any recorded TV content / content from friends, then the Zino 410 as reviewed is good enough. I can't vouch for the capabilities of the other configs.The TV to which it is connected is not an issue 99% of the time. (Sometimes, there could be problems with HDMI handshake, but a quick Google search of 5450 + Olevia model number would reveal that)
capeconsultant - Saturday, February 19, 2011 - link
The 3.5 inch drive is hotter, uses more power, and takes up more space that could be used for thermal and/or design purposes. Desktop or NAS ONLY for 3.5 please.