Minisforum S5 is official

They did it. Minisforum's unique fanless PC / NAS / AI machine is almost here. Featuring a gorgeous aluminum heatsink case the S5 pairs a low-power Intel Core 3 304 processor, 16 GB of soldered LPDDR5 memory, while running its custom MiniCloud operating system off an onboard 64 GB UFS module. For storage expansion, the NAS features five M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 x1 slots, which distribute bandwidth evenly across drives to keep thermal output manageable. On the networking and connectivity side, the S5 features a 10 Gigabit Ethernet port alongside a secondary 2.5 Gigabit port. Price should be available any minute now, stay tuned.

Source: Minisforum 

We need the ASUS N304T

A passive Intel Core 3 304 motherboard would be an absolute bestseller. The Core 3 304 uses a hybrid architecture (1 P-core + 4 Low Power E-cores / 5 threads). That single dedicated P-core handles demanding, front-of-house operations immediately without stutters. Chips like the popular Intel N150 feature a purely efficient architecture (4 E-cores / 4 threads). It lacks high-performance cores. With a PassMark score of roughly 11,500 points, the Core 3 304 delivers more than double the overall processing power of the N150, which caps out at around 5,350 points. New Atoms are reportedly on the way from RosaicLabs, but processor development takes years, and we simply can't stay stuck on the N150 much longer. 

Explore the Akasa Galileo range

Learn more here.

Fanless CPU coolers as art pieces

Back to 2013 with the beautiful, weird, and unforgettable fanless CPU coolers by our friend Tamas in Budapest, Hungary. We’d love to see more DIY CPU coolers. If any artists out there have made one, send your creations our way!

i7 PC with a $200 discount

Powered by an Intel Core i7-10510U processor and featuring 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD, this mini PC delivers efficient, low-power performance for industrial applications, or for home use. Connectivity includes HDMI, DisplayPort, dual Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports alongside multiple USB and serial COM ports. It's not the prettiest PC, but it's dead silent and will handle anything you throw at it, except heavy gaming, of course. It's available today with a $200 discount.

Thermalright HSC-100

The Thermalright HSC-100 was an experimental, and frankly a little crazy, fully passive computer chassis showcased at Computex 2007. Designed during the height of Thermalright's dominance in high-end air cooling, the prototype turned the chassis exterior into a massive CPU cooler. Thermalright claimed the passive side-panel could handle CPUs up to 100W TDP without fan assistance. Despite a planned August 2007 launch with a projected price of $500, the HSC-100 never hit the shelves. 

Built-in fans make planned obsolescence a guarantee

Planned obsolescence is a reality. Planned obsolescence is an ecological disaster. Planned obsolescence is a grift, and fans are not helping. Small moving parts are often the primary point of failure in ultra-compact systems. Fans into a mini PC create specific mechanical and thermal trade-offs that directly limit the device's lifespan. Cleaning or replacing a fan in such a tiny chassis often requires a complete teardown, including removing delicate ribbon cables, wireless antennas, and motherboard screws. Most people aren't doing that. PCs are simply being tossed out and replaced.

Image: reddit

Pure enthusiast fun

Pairing a massive desktop CPU cooler with a NUC for passive cooling is completely impractical, utterly ridiculous to look at, and yet mathematically and thermally brilliant. We'd love to see a manufacturer turn this concept into an official, widely available adapter.

The plastic PC faces doubts

"I found a way to reduce the CPU temperature of about 25 degres (tested at room ambiant temperature of 23 degrees), but I expect the difference can be even more when used at a higher ambiant temperature. The test were conducted by running a Perf software that is testing CPU performance.

Without cooling: CPU reaches more than 68 degrees

With cooling: CPU reaches 42 degrees and I get more than 33%  perf for the benchmark test: PerformanceTest app gave 3000 before cooling and 4300 with fan + coolers.

The Noctua 80mm USB only is placed in extraction mode. To improve the cooling, we can put some Black Shark Funcooler Pro (coolers for phones)..."

Source: Cloudy Nights 

MeLE Quieter 4C SE Grade launched

Following the Business grade Quieter 4C featuring DDR5 and premium SSD, MeLE launches a more affordable Standard / Essential grade version featuring DDR4 and "good-enough" storage. If you don't absolutely need high-endurance storage built for intense 24/7 commercial write loads, the Quieter 4C SE Grade delivers the exact same performance and triple-display hardware for $309.99. Same old plastic case, though.