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G-Technology's Evolution Series Goes Rugged
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G-Technology’s Evolution Series Goes Rugged

Photographers and content creators have the need for fast storage at both the editing workstation and in the field. LaCie (Seagate) and G-Technology (HGST) are the two main vendors in this field. We have already taken a look at few of LaCie’s products targeting this market segment – the 2big Thunderbolt 2 for using with a desktop and the Rugged Thunderbolt for usage on-the-go. G-Technology’s STUDIO SERIES was one of the recent introductions.

In order to create a well-rounded product lineup, G-Technology introduced a set of rugged solutions at CES 2015. Before going into the details of the new products, it is important to see how G-Technology tries to differentiate itself from LaCie. The two-bay docking solution in the form of the Evolution Series comes into the picture. The G-DOCK ev is a 2-bay Thunderbolt enclosure capable of accepting 2.5″ USB 3.0 drives (either the G-DRIVE ev or the G-DRIVE ev SSD). For the rugged line, G-Technology has chosen to add three new products to the ev lineup.

G-DRIVE ev RaW

This is a 2.5″ G-DRIVE ev along with a USB 3.0 cable. It comes in either 500 GB ($100) or 1 TB ($130) versions. It has a blue bumper for protection against accidental drops of up to 1.5m.

G-DRIVE ev ATC (USB 3.0)

It is an all-terrain solution which uses the G-DRIVE ev RaW inside a watertight compartment (that also floats in water). There is also protection against pressure, shock, dust and drops up to 2m. A 1 TB version will retail for $180. Users who already possess a G-DRIVE ev (SSD or HDD) can get the USB 3.0 ATC case for $80 when it becomes available next month.

G-DRIVE ev ATC (Thunderbolt)

This is similar to the USB 3.0 ATC, with the computer interface being the only difference. This Thunderbolt peripheral (1 TB) will retail for $230. The Thunderbolt case can be purchased standalone for $130.

On one hand, LaCie has an interesting solution in the form of a single rugged enclosure for both USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt (without sacrificing the higher speeds possible through Thunderbolt). They also recently launched a portable rugged RAID solution. On the other, G-Technology is creating a package deal with the G-DOCK ev as a desktop storage solution that uses easily swappable components. From the design, it appears that the Thunderbolt version would be unlikely to perform better than the USB 3.0 version. Since most of the G-DRIVE products (including those launched at CES) are hard-drive based, it is unlikely to be a big issue. From an end-user perspective, it is great to have both choices and one can let the usage model dictate the suitable solution.

G-Technology's Evolution Series Goes Rugged
  • Comments are Closed

G-Technology’s Evolution Series Goes Rugged

Photographers and content creators have the need for fast storage at both the editing workstation and in the field. LaCie (Seagate) and G-Technology (HGST) are the two main vendors in this field. We have already taken a look at few of LaCie’s products targeting this market segment – the 2big Thunderbolt 2 for using with a desktop and the Rugged Thunderbolt for usage on-the-go. G-Technology’s STUDIO SERIES was one of the recent introductions.

In order to create a well-rounded product lineup, G-Technology introduced a set of rugged solutions at CES 2015. Before going into the details of the new products, it is important to see how G-Technology tries to differentiate itself from LaCie. The two-bay docking solution in the form of the Evolution Series comes into the picture. The G-DOCK ev is a 2-bay Thunderbolt enclosure capable of accepting 2.5″ USB 3.0 drives (either the G-DRIVE ev or the G-DRIVE ev SSD). For the rugged line, G-Technology has chosen to add three new products to the ev lineup.

G-DRIVE ev RaW

This is a 2.5″ G-DRIVE ev along with a USB 3.0 cable. It comes in either 500 GB ($100) or 1 TB ($130) versions. It has a blue bumper for protection against accidental drops of up to 1.5m.

G-DRIVE ev ATC (USB 3.0)

It is an all-terrain solution which uses the G-DRIVE ev RaW inside a watertight compartment (that also floats in water). There is also protection against pressure, shock, dust and drops up to 2m. A 1 TB version will retail for $180. Users who already possess a G-DRIVE ev (SSD or HDD) can get the USB 3.0 ATC case for $80 when it becomes available next month.

G-DRIVE ev ATC (Thunderbolt)

This is similar to the USB 3.0 ATC, with the computer interface being the only difference. This Thunderbolt peripheral (1 TB) will retail for $230. The Thunderbolt case can be purchased standalone for $130.

On one hand, LaCie has an interesting solution in the form of a single rugged enclosure for both USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt (without sacrificing the higher speeds possible through Thunderbolt). They also recently launched a portable rugged RAID solution. On the other, G-Technology is creating a package deal with the G-DOCK ev as a desktop storage solution that uses easily swappable components. From the design, it appears that the Thunderbolt version would be unlikely to perform better than the USB 3.0 version. Since most of the G-DRIVE products (including those launched at CES) are hard-drive based, it is unlikely to be a big issue. From an end-user perspective, it is great to have both choices and one can let the usage model dictate the suitable solution.

Zotac Updates ZBOX mini-PC Lineup at CES 2015
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Zotac Updates ZBOX mini-PC Lineup at CES 2015

Zotac’s ZBOX series of mini-PCs has been receiving lots of updates over the last year or so. In addition to the traditional ZBOX (which, in itself, was small enough to carry with one hand), the lineup has expanded to include the ZBOX nano, ZBOX nano xs and ZBOX pico families (in order of decreasing size). At CES 2015, we got updates in almost all categories.

ZBOX CI321 nano

An evolutionary update to the ZBOX CI320 nano, it features a Haswell-Y Celeron in the place of a Bay Trail-M processor. The Intel Celeron 2961Y clocks in at 1.1 GHz. It is also the first nano C-series SKU to come with two GbE ports. Other than that, the specifications are just like any other C-series Intel-based mini-PC.

ZBOX EN860

This is a traditional ZBOX with a discrete mobile GPU. Like all traditional ZBOX units, it comes with two GbE ports. The gaming credentials of the system is boosted by the presence of a GTX 860M. A Haswell-U processor, the i5-4210U does the CPU duties. The unit can drive 4Kp60 displays over the DVI-I and Display Port outputs. It is also compatible with NVIDIA G-SYNC displays.

ZBOX PA330

The PA330 is the follow-up to the pocketable PI330 introduced late last year. A tablet platform in a different form factor, the PA330 uses a AMD A4-6400T quad-core Mullins APU with 2 GB of DDR3L and 32 GB eMMC storage. The PI330 from last year uses an Atom Z3775 Bay Trail-T SoC with 4 GB of LPDDR3 and 64 GB of eMMC. That said, the PI330 comes with 802.11n Wi-Fi, while the PA330 sports a 802.11ac connection. GbE LAN, a couple of USB ports and a headphone jack are also present.

Zotac also supplied us with a brochure listing features of their ZBOX units that are currently in the market. One of the tables in it tabulates the features that are available in each series. We are reproducing it below, as we believe readers will find it useful in choosing the right model that fits their needs.

Full pricing details and firm launch dates for the ZBOX models launched at CES 2015 are not yet available.

I had a few suggestions for Zotac when visiting their suite at CES. First of all, for models which have only one SO-DIMM slot, Zotac should put more marketing emphasis on the PLUS models. The drawback of the PLUS units for models with two memory slots is that consumers often do not bother to fill up the free slot. Operating in the single memory channel mode prevents users from realizing the full potential of the computing platform. The quality of the SSDs being used in those PLUS models must also be good (not the FORESEE models in the C-series that we have seen so far). For the premium ZBOX units with two GbE ports, Zotac should opt for Intel GbE transceivers instead of going with Realtek.

Zotac Updates ZBOX mini-PC Lineup at CES 2015
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Zotac Updates ZBOX mini-PC Lineup at CES 2015

Zotac’s ZBOX series of mini-PCs has been receiving lots of updates over the last year or so. In addition to the traditional ZBOX (which, in itself, was small enough to carry with one hand), the lineup has expanded to include the ZBOX nano, ZBOX nano xs and ZBOX pico families (in order of decreasing size). At CES 2015, we got updates in almost all categories.

ZBOX CI321 nano

An evolutionary update to the ZBOX CI320 nano, it features a Haswell-Y Celeron in the place of a Bay Trail-M processor. The Intel Celeron 2961Y clocks in at 1.1 GHz. It is also the first nano C-series SKU to come with two GbE ports. Other than that, the specifications are just like any other C-series Intel-based mini-PC.

ZBOX EN860

This is a traditional ZBOX with a discrete mobile GPU. Like all traditional ZBOX units, it comes with two GbE ports. The gaming credentials of the system is boosted by the presence of a GTX 860M. A Haswell-U processor, the i5-4210U does the CPU duties. The unit can drive 4Kp60 displays over the DVI-I and Display Port outputs. It is also compatible with NVIDIA G-SYNC displays.

ZBOX PA330

The PA330 is the follow-up to the pocketable PI330 introduced late last year. A tablet platform in a different form factor, the PA330 uses a AMD A4-6400T quad-core Mullins APU with 2 GB of DDR3L and 32 GB eMMC storage. The PI330 from last year uses an Atom Z3775 Bay Trail-T SoC with 4 GB of LPDDR3 and 64 GB of eMMC. That said, the PI330 comes with 802.11n Wi-Fi, while the PA330 sports a 802.11ac connection. GbE LAN, a couple of USB ports and a headphone jack are also present.

Zotac also supplied us with a brochure listing features of their ZBOX units that are currently in the market. One of the tables in it tabulates the features that are available in each series. We are reproducing it below, as we believe readers will find it useful in choosing the right model that fits their needs.

Full pricing details and firm launch dates for the ZBOX models launched at CES 2015 are not yet available.

I had a few suggestions for Zotac when visiting their suite at CES. First of all, for models which have only one SO-DIMM slot, Zotac should put more marketing emphasis on the PLUS models. The drawback of the PLUS units for models with two memory slots is that consumers often do not bother to fill up the free slot. Operating in the single memory channel mode prevents users from realizing the full potential of the computing platform. The quality of the SSDs being used in those PLUS models must also be good (not the FORESEE models in the C-series that we have seen so far). For the premium ZBOX units with two GbE ports, Zotac should opt for Intel GbE transceivers instead of going with Realtek.

NZXT Launches DOKO In-Home Streamer
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NZXT Launches DOKO In-Home Streamer

While at CES, I was able to stop by NZXT to check out some of their upcoming products. Imagine my surprise when I found that there were essentially no cases being shown; instead, NZXT was demoing their new in-home media streamer, DOKO. While it was shown at CES, NZXT officially launched the DOKO today, asking us to hold off coverage until now. If your first thoughts are like mine, you’re wondering: how is this better than Steam, a media streamer, or NVIDIA’s SHIELD? The answer is somewhat lengthy, so let’s start with an overview of what the current streaming solutions offer.

Steam is a custom software-based streaming solution designed around gaming, so first you need to be running a Steam game for it to even work, and second you need to have two full PCs – the source PC and the destination PC. Steam in-home streaming can be a great solution, but it’s only really viable if you want (and can afford) a second full PC in the living room. Granted, it can be a relatively low-end PC, but it will still cost at least $200 and it will consume a moderate amount of power. Media streamers on the other hand are great at one thing: streaming media. Whether it’s Netflix, Hulu, or some other content, that’s basically the only thing media streamers are really intended to handle: video/multimedia content. And wrapping up with NVIDIA’s SHIELD, you’re able to hook up a SHIELD device to your living room HDTV, and if you have a PC with an NVIDIA GPU you can stream games or any other content available on Android…but you’re locked into NVIDIA for gaming.

Basically, all of the above have limitations as well as areas where they do well. NZXT’s DOKO looks to be something of an inexpensive jack of all trades…and master of none. The biggest issue most will have is that the DOKO in its current form only outputs 1080p30 content. That’s fine for some use cases (video streaming is usually not a problem, and less “twitchy” games should be fine), but for others it may prove a serious limitation. The good news is that outside of the DOKO box, there’s nothing else required other than installing the DOKO software on any and all PCs in the house.

Connecting to a PC is relatively simple and only takes a few seconds, most of which is spent initializing the USB devices plugged into the DOKO. Once that’s done, you can interact with the PC just as you would if it were connected directly to the HDTV. Want to open an office application, surf the web, watch a movie, play a game, read email, or anything else? No problem. Everything your PC can do gets streamed to the HDTV via DOKO, at 1080p30. Lag in my experience wasn’t bad either; NZXT quotes 15-80ms, depending on how you’re connected, which brings up an interesting point: DOKO only has a Gigabit Ethernet connection; no WiFi. I suspect the latency over pure GbE will be extremely low – and the 30 FPS limitation becomes even more surprising – but if you connect over a wireless bridge then latency will certainly take a hit.

Let’s finish off with a few specs, for those who are interested in the internal workings of the DOKO. It comes with a Wonder Media 8750 SoC, four USB 2.0 ports, and HDMI 1.3 output, Gigabit Ethernet, and a headphone jack. The DOKO box measures 108mm x 121mm x 29mm (WxDxH), and it weighs just 0.32kg – it’s almost too light for wired devices, as the weight of a few cables could easily move the box around. Power is provided via a 12V 2.5A adapter, though I’d be surprised if the device uses anywhere near the maximum 30W that adapter can supply (unless you happen to have all four USB ports connected to relatively power hungry devices). The box also includes 256MB RAM and 2GB storage. The encoding/decoding of the 1080p30 signal is uses a licensed codec from a third party, I believe, but I didn’t get the details – it does not at present utilize NVENC, Quick Sync, or any other form of hardware accelerated encoding as far as I am aware, which is likely a big part of the 30 FPS limitation.

As far as USB device support goes, DOKO currently supports most USB storage devices, plug-n-play keyboards/mice, wireless keyboards/mice (with a USB adapter), and the official Xbox 360 wired and wireless controller. Additional USB devices may function properly but are not guaranteed. DOKO does not currently support USB headsets or USB webcam devices, but NZXT is working on a firmware update that will bring support for both devices. DOKO has a support page with information on tested peripherals that should contain the latest information.

DOKO is an interesting idea, but that 30 FPS cap is going to turn away a lot of users. As someone that tests laptops, I can say that 30 FPS isn’t the end of the world – especially a smooth and consistent 30 FPS – but by no means is it anywhere near ideal. NZXT may end up making a DOKO 2.0 with 1080p60 support and that would definitely help, but until/unless that happens the DOKO is going to be a niche product. If you want an easy way to connect to your PC from the living room and you can run Ethernet to the location (or have a WiFi bridge), it will get the job done, but only at 30 FPS. At least the pricing is reasonable, as $99 gets you a DOKO with support for as many PCs as you might have in your home. System requirements list a 1GHz of faster CPU, 512MB RAM, Gigabit Ethernet, and Windows 8 is recommended (though Windows 7 apparently works with sub-optimal performance).