TechPowerUp reviews a golden Akasa Newton

A little tacky if you ask us. And by a little tacky we mean cringeworthy and totally off-putting. But it's also available in black, and it's really a great little case.

"This case is near perfect for everyone who wants to jump on the NUC bandwagon with a passive chassis. At the time of writing, buying an Intel NUC Board D33217GKE in combination with the Akasa Newton is only about 30 euros more than Intel's actively cooled variant. Grabbing the Newton chassis and building your own system is then really a no-brainer."

Source: TechPowerUp

ASUS Eee Box loses its fans

ASUS has always been one of the most consistent mini-PC maker since the original Atom N270 / Xandros Linux Eee Box. The 2014 model features a passively cooled Bay Trail Celeron and mobile NVIDIA graphics.

Given the super slim profile of the case, we're curious (and frankly a little suspicious too) to know how the EB1037 handles the 10W TDP of the J1900 and the 15W of the GeForce 820M.

An OS-free version with 2GB RAM / 320GB HDD will be available in February for 299€, while a 4GB / 500GB / Windows 8.1 will retail for 399€.

✓ Celeron J1900 (4 cores @ 2,00 GHz, up to 2.42 GHz)
✓ NVIDIA GeForce 820M / 512MB
✓ 2 GB Up to 8 GB RAM
✓ 320GB Up to 1TB HDD options
✓ 64GB Up to 128GB SSD options
✓ 1 x 4-in-1 Card Reader
✓ 2 x USB 3.0 port
✓ 4 x USB 2.0 ports
✓ 1 x HDMI
✓ 1 x VGA
✓ 1 x Gigabit Ethernet
✓ 802.11b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi
✓ Bluetooth 4.0
✓ 219 x 172.5 x 29 mm (WxDxH)

Update: Our fears are confirmed. Product page has been updated, and it's not fanless anymore.

HDPLEX H1.S unboxing

The H1.S from HDPLEX is a unique product. It's the only fanless mini-ITX / Thin mini-ITX case available, and offers an unmatched 6 heat pipes cooling system. Build quality is nothing short of spectacular, with a nice mix of rugged, heavy aluminium alloy and clean, elegant lines.

The chassis comes as a self-assembly kit (we were not expecting this), fortunately it only took us less than 10 minutes to build the case itself. Also included in our package were the optional remote, HDPLEX internal 120W AC-DC adapter and HDPLEX 150W DC-ATX converter.

Building a whole system is detailed in the booklet and online and is pretty straightforward. The H1.S is available for $179 (free shipping to USA, Canada, Europe, Japan and Hong Kong).

DeepCool Lucifer lands in Europe

Asia exclusive DeepCool Lucifer is now available for 35€ at Caseking.de. Reviews were not always kind, but price is surprisingly good.

✓ Intel / AMD compatible
✓ 140 x 110 x 163mm
✓ 6 x 6mm heat pipes
✓ Nickel plated copper base
✓ 936g

Via: Cowcotland

EXCLUSIVE: Bay Trail NUC retail box

We knew it was coming, and here it is. Introducing the $139 Bay Trail-powered mini PC from Intel.

This looks like the actively cooled version (that can easily be silenced with a passive case) but an Intel-branded fanless SKU is rumored to be coming soon.

The diminutive machine is clearly positioned as a pocketable HTPC, thanks to its Ivy Bridge derived graphics. Here are some tentative specs:

✓ Celeron N2820 (dual-core, 2.4 GHz, 7.5W TDP)
✓ 1 x DDR3L slot
✓ 1 x SATA port
✓ 1 x USB 3.0 port
✓ 2 x USB 2.0 ports
✓ 1 x HDMI port
✓ 1 x audio jack
✓ 1 x IR receiver sensor
✓ 1 x Gigabit Ethernet
✓ 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi
✓ Bluetooth 4.0
✓ Vesa mountable
✓ 116.6 x 112 x 55 mm
✓ Windows / Linux / Android compatible

Update: Now available for $139 on Amazon.

First HDPLEX H1.S delivered

HDPLEX's super-luxury mini-ITX case - available for $179 - is finally shipping. Possibly the most stylish 2.5kg CPU cooler ever. We're expecting a sample and will unbox it as soon as we can!

Update: First user's pics.

Shuttle DS437 released

Shuttle is announcing an Ivy Bridge follow-up to the DS47 (still available on the cheap at Newegg and LDLC).

"The DS437 is equipped with high-performance Intel® Celeron 1037U 1.8 Mhz dual-core processor, built-in Intel® HD Graphic, memory support total capacity up to DDR3-1333 16GB, can smoothly play a variety of 1080P Full HD video content."

"The compact device is designed for convenient configuration-- Simply removes only two screws to open back cover to install memory module, hard disk (SSD) and other hardware components. The system integrates exclusive heat-pipe cooling technology, using a mere 65W adapter for 24/7 nonstop operation."

✓ Intel Celeron 1037U
✓ Intel HD graphic
✓ Storage interface: SATA 6G
✓ 1 x Mini-PCI-E (mSATA)
✓ 1 x Mini-PCI-E (half-size)
✓ 2 x DDR3 slots (Max. 16GB)
✓ 4-in-1 card reader
✓ 4 x USB 2.0 ports
✓ 2 x USB 3.0 ports
✓ 2 x COM ports
✓ 2 x Gigabit Ethernet
✓ 1 x DVI
✓ 1 x HDMI
✓ 200 x 39.5 x 165 mm
✓ Kensington lock
✓ VESA mountable
✓ 65W adapter

Tranquil NUC Diamond (Gun Metal Grey)

Tranquil PC launches a new Diamond finishing process for its NUC case. Shiny and smooth.

Last CES surprise : SilverStone PT21

After a less-than-stellar first NUC case, SilverStone goes back to the drawing board. The PT21 is a bigger, more versatile (with two 2.5" bays) and certainly more efficient new chassis.

Source: Cowcotland

Update: According to a SilverStone rep, its name is actually PT18 and its size is 230 x 39 x 110 mm.

CompuLab launches Intense PC 2

The maker of the MintBox is upgrading its flagship product with a variety of Haswell processors. Unfortunately the fanless world drastically changed with the NUC invasion, and competition will be tough.

"IPC2 can be pre-ordered now from CompuLab starting at $388. Availability through Amazon and CompuLab resellers is expected in February 2014."

✓ Up to Intel Core i7-4600U (4M Cache, up to 3.30 GHz)
✓ Up to 16 GB DDR3L 1600 dual channel
✓ Internal 2.5” HDD/SSD + 2x mSATA
✓ 2 x HDMI 1.4a + DisplayPort 1.2 (each with 4K support)
✓ S/PDIF 7.1 input/output + stereo line-out / MIC in
✓ 2 x Gbit Ethernet with Intel NICs
✓ 802.11ac + Bluetooth 4.0, dual-antenna
✓ On-board uSIM socket and full-size miniPCIe for cellular modem
✓ 4 x USB 3.0 + 2 x USB 2.0
✓ Passively cooled die-cast aluminum
✓ 16 cm x 19 cm x 4 cm (6.3” x 7.4”x 1.57”)

Fanless ZBOX Nano release date set for H1 2014

Sneak peek: A fanless x86 ZBOX Nano will be released this spring. Featuring either a Kabini or a Bay Trail SoC, it will be available as a barebone system or with a 500GB HDD and 4GB RAM. Stay tuned.

Source: Clubic

$60 Bay Trail-D motherboard shipping this month

Computers have never been more affordable: MSI's latest Mini-ITX motherboard features a passively cooled Celeron J1800 and a sub-$60 price tag. A quad-core version (presumably based on a Celeron J1900) will be available in February for about $70. A steal considering the robustness of these tiny SoCs.

✓ Celeron J1800 (2 cores, 2,41 GHz up to 2.58 GHz)
✓ 2 x DDR3-1333 SO-DIMM slots
✓ 2 x Serial ATA 3Gbps ports
✓ 1 x PCIe Express slot
✓ 2 x USB 3.0
✓ 4 x USB 2.0
✓ 1 x HDMI
✓ 1 x DVI
✓ 1 x VGA
✓ 1 x Ethernet port

Source: The Tech Report

Update: Official page is up.

Zalman FX70 in the works

A sneak peek at Zalman's upcoming passive CPU cooler. The relatively small heatsink only weights 530g and measures 110 x 140 x 158mm. More details coming soon.

Source: TechPowerUp

Update: A tentative price ($60-70) and a release date (Q1) at ThinkComputers.

Update 2: More about Zalman's twist fin design.