Zotac announced the release of the NEN Steam Machine, a tiny form factor gaming system designed for use in a living room entertainment system. The NEN Steam Machine includes an Intel Skylake i5 processor, Nvidia GeForce GTX graphics, 8 GB DDR3L memory, and a 1 TB hard drive.
Zotac said it designed the case to fit in with an entertainment center. Inside the 5.71-inch tall case, Zotac’s engineers managed to fit dual radial coolers to keep the components cool. The company claimed this produces whisper quiet operation. The case also features the ability to disable to power LED on the front of the case if you so desire.
Zotac equipped the system with an Intel Core i5-6400T 2.2 GHz processor, a single 8 GB stick of DDR3L memory, and a 2.5-inch 1 TB HDD. Zotac left room to add one memory stick for a maximum of 16 GB, and there is an M.2 slot available to upgrade to an SSD.
For the graphics, Zotac included an Nvidia GeForce GTX 960 GPU with 3 GB of GDDR5. Unlike the desktop variant of this GPU, the outputs from this system are all HDMI 2.0 ports. You won’t find a DisplayPort or DVI on the back of the NEN, but you will find four HDMI ports that are capable of outputting 4K resolutions to compatible TVs.
| Zotac NEN Steam Machine | |
|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core i5-6400T Skylake quad-core 2.2 GHz processor (turboboost 2.8 GHz) |
| GPU | Nvidia GeForce GTX 960 (192-bit, 3 GB GDDR5) |
| Memory | 8 GB Memory (single stick, expandable to 16 GB) |
| Storage | 1 x 1 TB 2.5-inch SATA HDD 1 x M.2 SATA SSD Slot (unused) |
| Display Options | 4x HDMI 2.0 |
| Card Reader | 3-in-1 (SD/SDHC/SDXC) |
| Network | Dual 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet |
| Wireless | 802.11ac + Bluetooth 4.0 |
| USB Ports | 3 x USB 3.0, 1 x USB 3.0 Type-C, 2 x USB 2.0 |
| Audio | HDMI Audio, Headphone, Microphone |
| Direct X Support | Direct X 12 |
| OS | SteamOS Pre-installed |
| Controller | One Steam Controller Included |
| Model Name | ZBOX-SN970-P-BE/U/J |
The NEN Steam Machine naturally comes pre-installed with Valve’s gaming-oriented operating system, SteamOS, and it includes one Steam Controller to control your games. The NEN also has the option of using a keyboard and mouse, although these peripherals are not included in the box.
