Fanless CPU cooler showdown 3

Courtesy of Fully Silent PCs

FIRST LOOK: Shuttle DS50U

We have a soft spot for Shuttle's PCs. Shuttle was pioneer in the field of fanless mini PCs starting with the Atom-powered X27D in 2008 and the wildly popular XS35 series in 2010. Meet the new Core-based DS50U (expect i3, i5, and i7 models, stay tuned for details) featuring a new convection-friendly chassis and possibly a larger internal heat sink. Connectivity and ease-of-use are still industry-leading.

Akasa's Computex booth

Akasa showcases several new cases in Taipei (Hall 1, Booth M1303A) including the Maxwell AC Pro, a tiny NUC 13 Pro case featuring massive 8mm heat pipes, a new compact and elegant - possibly sandblasted - i3 NUC case, and a new iteration of the Turing chassis designed for the AMD-powered ASUS PN53.

Source: TechPowerUp

Cooler Master's fanless PSU

Cooler Master is showcasing a mighty 750W fanless power supply at COMPUTEX. The ATX 3.0-ready X Silent Series features a vapor chamber and no less than six flat heat pipes for cooling. Having the main heat sink at the bottom of the unit is not too reassuring, but keep in mind that this model is still very much in development.

Source: gdm.or.jp

EXCLUSIVE: Streacom SG10

Streacom will showcase its long-in-the-making 600W-capable fanless case tomorrow at COMPUTEX Taipei. The SG10 is not your average fanless chassis and features the Calyos 2-phase cooling solution. This post will be updated as details become available.

Update: "The SG10 is a collaboration with Calyos, an ambitious project to create a fanless gaming case, capable of cooling high-performance CPUs and GPUs in fully passive mode (no forced airflow). It also serves as a proof of concept for the application of loop heat pipe technology in the consumer PC market and is the first step to making it a viable high-performance alternative to water cooling.

The SG10 began life as a Kickstarter project launched by Calyos as the NSG0 however the project in its original form could not be realised. A search ensued to find a partner with case manufacturing experience to get the project back on track and having extensive experience with fanless cases, Streacom was the natural fit.

The SG10 represents a complete redesign of the NSG0, not a single component was carried over from the original concept. Even the core components of the Evaporator that pumps the coolant around the system and the Condenser that radiates the heat have been entirely redesigned, re-engineered and improved far beyond the original specification and scope.

Comprising of extruded precision-milled aluminium and structural steel elements, the SG10 is an intricate design that blends demanding cooling functionality, component flexibility and elegance in a truly unique package. Beyond the fact it can handle TDPs well beyond any other fanless case, it features other never-before-seen features such as fully adjustable diagonally mounted components and front/back IO ports that can be positioned anywhere along the front and back of the case."

750g copper cooler

Massive copper CPU coolers do exist. In fact, this particular one designed for actively-cooled servers can be found on the cheap from eBay. Granted, it is not particularly convection-friendly, but thanks to its sheer size (and weight!) the 35W i3-4160T is kept at around 40°C most of the time. Special thanks to Tony Bonnin for these pictures and awesome build.

Alder Lake-N ASRock iBOX

We wish ASRock's mainstream offering was as substantial and flawless as its industrial range. The iBOX-N97 features the 12W N97 processor (quad core @ 3.60GHz) and impressive connectivity, including six USB 3.2 Gen2, dual HDMI 2.0b, DisplayPort 1.4a (via USB Type-C) and dual Realtek 2.5 Gigabit LAN. Previous iteration, the ElkHart Lake iBOX-J6412 launched for about $500.

Source: ASRock 

FIRST LOOK: ZOTAC CI337 nano

The ZOTAC ZBOX CI337 nano is powered by the 6W Intel N100 processor and is only the second fanless Alder Lake-N mini PC from a trusted brand, following the ASUS PN42 announcement. Most N100 mini PCs are actively cooled which is both surprising (considering the official TDP) and slightly worrying. How hot does it really run? The NUC-sized ZBOX features a single DDR5-4800 SO-DIMM slot, dual HDMI, DisplayPort, DisplayPort over USB-C, and dual Ethernet.

First mini PC with AirJet module

Technically fanless, we still consider Frore System's AirJet technology to be some type of active cooling (air flow is provided by vibrating membranes). The first commercially available mini PC featuring this innovative cooling solution will be the $499 ZOTAC Alder Lake-N powered ZBOX PI430AJ later this year. We're skeptical to say the least.

"ZOTAC's COMPUTEX 2023 booth will showcase a live demonstration of the world's smallest Mini PC equipped with the revolutionary AirJet® solid-state active-cooling solution. This groundbreaking mini-PC will be the first product of its kind in the world to feature the revolutionary technology by Frore System.

The two AirJet Minis inside the PI430AJ can remove a significant amount of heat with its rapid airflow. That, coupled with the AirJet Minis' small size and silent operation makes them ideal solutions for raising thermal limits and boosting performance without compromising form-factor. Taking advantage of the newfound possibilities enabled by AirJet, the ZBOX PI430AJ boasts superb performance when compared to PCs of similar form-factor, with an Intel Core i3 processor, 8GB LPDDR5 memory, M.2 SSD storage slot and more — all within a tiny, pocket sized PC."

Source: PCMag, The Verge

The Jack of all trades of dev boards

Check out this ZimaBoard review courtesy of Pro Tech Show