The MSI Cubi NUC TWG Series represents the exact design philosophy that we avoid at all costs. Adopting the elongated motherboard footprint seen in the latest ASUS NUCs (moving away from the classic 4x4-inch square) MSI offers this range with either the Intel N150 or N250 processors. The series is split into actively cooled (Cubi NUC TWG) and passively cooled (Cubi NUC TWG S) variants.
The engineering approach here is simply lazy. For the passive models, MSI removes the fans and stuffs an internal heatsink into a tiny, cramped chassis that lacks proper convection. While these processors are marketed as 6W chips, they can peak at 25W under load. Without ventilation pathways, the heat has nowhere to go.
Source: Liliputing
