35W Ryzen APUs available

Early adopters of the Alpine AM4 Passive rejoice. The much-coveted Ryzen 3 2200GE with Radeon Vega 8 Graphics (4C/4T @ 3.6GHz) and Ryzen 5 2400GE with Radeon RX Vega 11 Graphics (4C/8T @ 3.8GHz) are finally available from Quiet PC.

But there is a catch: quantities are extremely limited (less than 20 units at press time). Please note that these are OEM / tray processors, and don't come in AMD's retail box.

Source: Quiet PC

Win 3 PrimeMini 3

Another giveaway from Prime Computer, this time to win not one but three elegant fanless NUCs. The PrimeMini 3 is a complete system featuring an i3-6100U, 8GB RAM, a 250GB Samsung EVO SSD, and Windows 10 Home.

Simply head to https://primecomputer.ch/en/lottery and apply before August 30th 2018.

BEAN CANYON priced aggressively

The turbocharged Coffee Lake NUCs are priced at only $299 (i3-8109U), $399 (i5-8259U) and $499 (i7-8559U). All models feature 28W processors and Intel's Iris Plus Graphics 655, good enough for light gaming and crisp 4K visuals. Stay tuned for potential third-party chassis.

Source: Intel

The cooling vents mystery

The new LIVA Z2 cooling vents on ECS' site look different (smaller actually) from the press release picture.

Today, ECS tells us that the final design is the one featured on their website, but this Lon Seidman video says otherwise. Unfortunately, it's not the first time that ECS' site features typos, inconsistencies, and basic factual errors.

ASUS PN40 bundles

The $159 Gemini Lake barebone is now available as a complete Windows 10 Pro system featuring RAM and a 120GB, 256GB or 480GB SSD. 1TB and 2TB HDD options are also available but moving parts kind of ruin the magic, if you ask us.

Unlikely Association

It does not fit, and it's okay. The monstrous Prolimatech Megahalems looks simply majestic coupled with the small Realan E-I3S aluminum case. And it does work: even under stress test conditions the 55W i3-3225 never reaches more than 67°C.

Source: forum.hardware.fr

ZOTAC CI600 series official

It turns out that the i7-powered CI660 is actually part of a whole series featuring i3 and i5 options. The CI600 series is indeed ZOTAC's new Core-based fanless mini PCs. Much to our delight, the cooling system has been completely revamped, and now features a giant internal heat sink.

From ZOTAC: "We’ve changed the entire look. With an all new two-tone design, our Mini PCs look more stylish than ever, made to fit into any room in your home or office. The sleek, modern honeycomb design distinguishes your new computer while ensuring optimal airflow; we know computer heat can become unbearable. Whether browsing the web or streaming your favorite songs and shows, we’ve engineered our new Mini PCs to give you up to 66 percent more cooling power than the previous generation C Series so you can beat the heat and stay comfortable.

Completely fan-less, these compact powerhouses are capable of handling up to a 25W thermal design processor. With no moving parts, your Mini PC will see a longer, quieter lifespan. The all-new design features 270 degrees of breathability, with 90 percent of the surface area designed with open ventilation for maximum breathability thanks to our signature honeycomb pattern.

After pushing the limit on design and airflow, we pushed the limit on power too. Equipped with an 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7 processor with four cores featuring Hyperthreading™ for the first time in the C Series nano series’ history. Our new lineup gives you up to 20 percent faster processing performance than previous generations.

With an available HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort 1.2, the all new ZBOX C Series is dual display ready. The integrated Intel UHD Graphics 620 bring 4K @ 60Hz display resolutions so you can see more, with increased clarity.

And when we say it’s mini, we mean it. Our all-new C Series Mini PCs measure at just 204mm x 129mm x 68mm (8.03in x 5.08in x 2.68in,) you can lay, hang, or hide your new ZBOX C Series PC wherever you like. Even customize it however you like with tool-less access to the SO-DIMM memory slots and 2.5” HDD/SSD bay, we’ve kept simple installation and expansion as a focus with our ZOTAC ZBOX Mini PCs"

✓ CI620 nano (i3-8130U, dual core @ 2.2GHz, up to 3.4GHz)
✓ CI640 nano (i5-8250U, quad core @ 1.6GHz, up to 3.4GHz)
✓ CI660 nano (i7-8550U, quad core @ 1.8GHz, up to 4.0GHz)

What is anodization?

"Black, slim and surprisingly powerful for a passive CPU cooler: The undoubtedly most striking feature of the new ARCTIC Alpine Passive coolers is the black heat sink. Unlike the thermal coating of the Freezer 33 eSports family, however, this is not a thermal coating, but the color is created by anodization.

But what is this and how does it work? Anodic oxidation is a special process in which the object to be treated is placed in a conductive liquid and this liquid is connected to a voltage source. The object to be treated is one of the poles, the opposite pole is usually another, non-rusting metal such as lead, aluminum or stainless steel.

To color the Alpine Passive, the conductive liquid is accompanied by black dye, which accumulates in the oxidation process in the pores of the aluminum. The advantage: it forms an extremely dense, micro-porous and dust-free barrier layer, which additionally functions as an electric insulator.

For the end-user, this complex process brings one major advantage: The black anodization ensures improved heat dissipation in fanless operation. Due to the changed surface structure, micro turbulences occur during heat radiation which lead to a higher cooling capacity. Compared to other passive coolers of the same size, but without anodization, the ARCTIC Alpine Passive is doing very well: Internal tests showed an improved cooling performance of up to 3°C."

Source: ARCTIC

ARCTIC's passive coolers installation

Mounting the ARCTIC Alpine AM4 Passive and Alpine 12 Passive is a pretty simple and straightforward process. The lack of backplate ensures compatibility with all motherboards, including Thin mini-ITX. Technically, the Intel version could even be installed on 5"x5" mini-STX boards.

DIY audiophile PCs

Pretty simple i3 and Xeon builds, yet very effective thanks to open-air Alpine 11 Passive. It's amazing how such a cheap CPU cooler can look so elegant.

Source: community.roonlabs.com