To test video decode and playback capabilities of the Zotac Zbox Nano AD10 Plus, we attempted to play back a 1080p H.264-encoded QuickTime clip, numerous 1080P MKV files, and HD Flash videos. We then fired up Windows Task Manager take a look at CPU utilization in all instances.
|
HD Video Playback and CPU Utilization |
HD Video Decode Performance |
|
![](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
![](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
When we first took a look at the AMD E-Series APUs, AMD still had some major driver work to do. Some video types consumed significant CPU resources as hardware accelerations was hit or miss. With its latest drivers, however, the E-Series APU in the Zotac Zbox Nano AD10 Plus performed extremely well in our multimedia tests. The screenshots above are "worst case scenarios", streaming 1080P, full-screen YouTube videos over an 802.11n WiFi connection. As you can see, CPU utilization remains in the 20% range, which is perfectly acceptable for a low-power platform such as this. Playback was smooth with no dropped frames. And performance with local content or MKVs or other rips streamed from a NAS was also excellent.