Run the ZX until you have more then a year under your MTB belt. Then you can decide what type of bike you want (HT, XC, AM). The major thing holding you back on you current rig is the fork. Even a cheap fork will be better then the stock one you have. The zx is an XC bike so it won''t be great for your AM duties, but for XC it is still a capable bike.
Get an inexpensive fork "no more then 80mm" and go have some fun.