Those who are familiar with mini computer hosts might know that they, like current smartphones, are categorized into entry-level, mid-range, and flagship levels. The “protagonist” of this review is an entry-level domestic mini computer host: the Zero刻 EQ12 Pro, which was priced at 1599 yuan at launch, thus earning it the title of “thousand yuan level” mini computer host, which seems reasonable.
Moreover, regarding the domestic brand Zero刻, I believe many of you have some understanding. Among the current mini computer host brands, the user reputation is quite good. So, how is the experience of the Zero刻 EQ12 Pro? Is it user-friendly? If used as a main computer, is it feasible? Let’s take a look at the performance of the Zero刻 EQ12 Pro.
Rich interface design, laser-engraved top cover, the appearance is quite good
As per tradition, let’s first look at the appearance design of the Zero刻 EQ12 Pro. As for packaging and unboxing, I’ll skip that here to avoid taking up too much space and affecting your reading.
Previously, I have experienced some “thousand yuan level” mini computer hosts, perhaps due to cost limitations, the appearance design of those mini computer hosts was mostly “minimalist” without much decoration or personalized design.
However, the Zero刻 EQ12 Pro has made some efforts in appearance design and looks quite good. Firstly, the Zero刻 EQ12 Pro has launched four color versions, which is quite rare among mini computer hosts in the same price range. The dimensions of the Zero刻 EQ12 Pro are 12.4cm in length, 11.3cm in width, and 3.9cm in height.
In addition to the variety of body colors, the design on the top of the Zero刻 EQ12 Pro is also a highlight, adopting a laser-engraved process to present a three-dimensional texture that appears differently from various angles.
Here I’ll show you the dark blue Zero刻 EQ12 Pro, which has a more noticeable texture. Compared to the previous EQ series with a “bare” top that only had the Zero刻 brand logo, the textured Zero刻 EQ12 Pro looks better and has improved the overall design.
The rich interface design is also a legacy of the Zero刻 mini computer host. The front of the Zero刻 EQ12 Pro has a clear CMOS hole, two USB3.2 Gen2 ports, a 3.5mm audio jack, and a power switch (with backlight).
The rear has more ports than the front, including a Type-C port that supports 4K 60Hz signal output/data transfer, a USB3.2 Gen2 port, two LAN ports, two HDMI ports, and a DC power port.
The rich interfaces allow the Zero刻 EQ12 Pro to easily handle daily needs for connecting multiple peripherals and storage devices, and you won’t often find yourself saying “I wish I had more ports.” Additionally, because the rear Type-C port also supports signal output, the Zero刻 EQ12 Pro can connect up to three monitors simultaneously.
Both sides of the Zero刻 EQ12 Pro have many regular vertical holes that aid in heat dissipation.
The bottom design of the Zero刻 EQ12 Pro is similar to other models from Zero刻, marked with some parameter information, and has two holes for connecting to wall-mounted brackets.
The heat dissipation design of the Zero刻 EQ12 Pro is also quite thoughtful, featuring active cooling with two fans: a CPU silent fan and an SSD cooling fan.
Opening the bottom cover reveals the SSD cooling fan, and there is also space to insert a 2.5-inch 7mm HDD or SSD. Notably, next to the SSD cooling fan, there are heat sinks with grooves that effectively increase the heat dissipation area and improve overall cooling performance, while the CPU silent fan is on the other side.
The above image shows the original power supply of the Zero刻 EQ12 Pro. The package includes a power supply, a wall-mounted bracket, a screwdriver, several screws, and two HDMI cables (one long and one short), which I won’t show one by one here.
Powered by the i3-N305 processor, don’t underestimate its performance
The hardware of the Zero刻 EQ12 Pro features an Intel Core i3-N305 processor, Intel UHD integrated graphics (32 EUs), and a single stick of 16GB DDR5 4800MHz memory, with a 512GB M.2 2280 PCIe 3.0 x1 SSD. Through the Lu Master hardware test, the Zero刻 EQ12 Pro scored 506350 points, with the processor scoring 255690 points. Considering the price of 1599 yuan, I think this score is quite good, at least higher than several other mini computer hosts I have tested in the same price range.
The read/write performance of the SSD in the Zero刻 EQ12 Pro.
The above image shows the memory test results for the Zero刻 EQ12 Pro.
I also used a stress test in GamePlus to test the stability of the memory in the Zero刻 EQ12 Pro, and the memory error rate was 0, with a score of “excellent”.
Additionally, the Zero刻 EQ12 Pro performs well in codec capabilities, as seen through DXVA Checker, supporting many formats, including the latest AV1 video format.
I also conducted a stability test on the Zero刻 EQ12 Pro using AIDA64’s Stress FPU test for about 20 minutes. Under high load, the processor temperature did not exceed 74°C, with an average of about 69°C.
Of course, in daily use, we might rarely encounter full load situations, so I also tested the temperature performance of the Zero刻 EQ12 Pro under normal usage, for example: downloading an 80GB file at around 10MB/s for about 15 minutes, the processor temperature was around 63°C.
Another point is that the fan noise of the Zero刻 EQ12 Pro is very low; the left shows the fan noise after about ten minutes of standby after powering on, which is 37.9dBA; and the right shows the fan noise after the Stress FPU test in AIDA64, which is 40.2dBA. There is hardly any increase in noise compared to standby, and 40.2dBA is under full load. In daily use, you might find that the sounds of typing, moving the mouse, or cars honking outside are louder than the fan noise of the Zero刻 EQ12 Pro. If you prefer a mini computer host with low fan noise, the Zero刻 EQ12 Pro might not disappoint you.
Of course, the above tests may not be very professional, as I do not have more professional testing equipment, so they are for reference only.
What can the Zero刻 EQ12 Pro do?
So, what can the Zero刻 EQ12 Pro do? I can tell you it can do a lot, like light office work, soft routing, virtual machines, media playback, online learning for kids, and even light gaming. For example, games like DNF and LOL can run smoothly on the Zero刻 EQ12 Pro with quite a decent FPS.
Then I increased the difficulty and played Genshin Impact on the Zero刻 EQ12 Pro. At this point, it was a bit of a strain; at 1920*1080 resolution and the lowest graphics settings, the FPS was around 39.
If I lower the resolution to 1280*720, the FPS can reach around 60.
While playing Genshin Impact at 1920*1080 resolution and the lowest graphics settings for 22 minutes, the average frame rate was 37. Therefore, if you want to use the Zero刻 EQ12 Pro for some online games like DNF and LOL, it is absolutely fine. However, playing Genshin Impact can be a bit of a challenge, let alone other AAA games. If you really want to use a mini computer host for AAA games or to play Genshin Impact at high settings, you might want to increase your budget and opt for a flagship model from Zero刻.
For daily use, the Zero刻 EQ12 Pro can handle simple 4K video editing in Jianying smoothly, with no lag during preview or rendering.
As mentioned earlier in the article, the video encoding and decoding capabilities of the Zero刻 EQ12 Pro are quite good, so it can also serve as a high-quality media player. It can be connected to an old smart TV at home that has a decent display resolution but outdated hardware. For instance, I have a 4K resolution smart TV that hasn’t been updated in years; connecting it to the Zero刻 EQ12 Pro effectively “upgrades” it from the side.
I tested playing a 50GB 4K movie using the Zero刻 EQ12 Pro connected to a 4K TV. The CPU utilization was very low at just 5%, indicating that it had no pressure.
Additionally, if you have a portable monitor that integrates signal input and power, connecting it to the Zero刻 EQ12 Pro provides a great experience. I’ve personally tested that the Type-C port of the Zero刻 EQ12 Pro can power these portable monitors, so no separate power connection is needed. Just one cable connects the Zero刻 EQ12 Pro to the portable monitor, making it much more convenient than connecting to traditional monitors.
A mini computer host with decent performance at the “thousand yuan level”
As a mini computer host priced at the “thousand yuan level,” I think the experience provided by the Zero刻 EQ12 Pro is quite good overall. It can be used as a main computer, with rich interfaces, decent performance, low power consumption, and low noise during long-term use, making it quite user-friendly.
Additionally, the Zero刻 EQ12 Pro is currently sold out, which indicates that the experience is indeed good and has been recognized by users. If you feel that the Zero刻 EQ12 Pro is still “overpowered” for you, you might consider looking at the “hundred yuan level” EQ12.
This concludes the content on the Zero刻 EQ12 Pro. If you have more questions, feel free to ask me, such as more tests regarding gaming performance of the Zero刻 EQ12 Pro.