Actively-cooled mini PCs become noticeably louder after only a year. Small fans usually found in laptops are cute and save space, but they tend to clog with dust much faster than standard desktop fans. Not everyone has the patience or the confidence to disassemble a mini PC for maintenance, leading many users to replace their systems long before they actually wear out. It's not uncommon for a passively-cooled NUC to last for a decade. Go fanless!
Source: reddit
