MSI ultra-slim MS-C926

MSI goes fanless

Measuring only 19 mm in thickness, the MS-C926 offers high-performance computing in a compact, silent, and cableless design. It is ideal for space-constrained environments and 24/7 operation. The MS-C926 is powered by Intel Alder Lake-N or Twin Lake processors, reaching up to 3.9 GHz. It supports three independent displays through dual DisplayPort and one HDMI 2.0 output, delivering smooth 4K multimedia playback for visually engaging applications. The MS-C926 is built for 24/7 industrial use, supporting an operating temperature of up to 50°C when equipped with SSD storage.

With a footprint of only 130 x 155 x 40 mm, the MS-C927 fits seamlessly into tight enclosures while offering exceptional processing power and industrial-grade durability. It features DDR5 memory up to 96GB, dual 4K DisplayPort outputs, dual LAN including 2.5GbE, and multiple M.2 slots for NVMe storage, wireless connectivity, and cellular communication. Powered by Intel’s Meteor Lake-U and Arrow Lake-U series Core Ultra processors, the MS-C927 delivers high performance, reliable connectivity, AI acceleration, and rich I/O in an ultra-compact form factor.

Source: MSI 

MSI launches MS-C918S

Courtesy of MSI

Passive i3-N305 motherboard

This is exactly what the market needs. MSI IPC launches the first fanless i3-N305 mini-ITX motherboard (N97 processor and Atom x7425E options available). Featuring a large and stylish heat sink (the i3-N305 is a 15W CPU) and powered via D/C jack, the MS-CF13 is geared towards industrial applications and will probably be on the expensive side. 

Source: MSI

MSI slim Alder Lake-N box

Courtesy of MSI

Alder Lake MSI Windbox available

The Alder Lake-powered MSI Windbox featuring the i5-1245UE (10C / 12T up to 4.40GHz) 8GB of RAM and 250GB of storage is now available for $1,240. At only 29mm thin, the Windox is the slimmest Core-based fanless PC on the market, by far. Connectivity is also quite unusual for such a small PC, it includes dual HDMI, dual DisplayPort, and dual 2.5GbE LAN. 

Intel N100 MSI Cubi spotted

The Alder Lake-N MSI Cubi is now listed for $289. Please note that at this time, we're not sure if this new mini PC is passively cooled. The N100 is a 6W CPU - which is comparable to the latest Snapdragon - but other N100 mini PCs surprisingly come with a fan. The new MSI Cubi will be sold as a complete Windows 11 PC, featuring 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. Update: Actively-cooled.

New Thin mini-ITX option

Following the ASUS Pro H610T, MSI launches its own Intel 12th and 13th Gen-ready Thin mini ITX motherboard. The 17 x 17cm H610TI-S01 features HDMI 2.1, Displayport 1.4, four USB 3.3 ports (including one Type C), Gigabit LAN (Realtek), and a DC jack for an external 19V power adapter. Unfortunately, the M.2 SSD is positioned on the chipset's heat sink, which is a big no no for us. 

Source: MSI

MSI's IFA booth

MSI is teasing new products at IFA Berlin, including an Elkhart Lake motherboard, a massive and probably very expensive Coffee Lake-S system, but most interestingly a successor to their Windbox powered by Alder Lake-P processors. The MS-C902 is incredibly feature-rich with two HDMI, two DisplayPort, two 2.5GbE ports, and two storage units. Far superior to any NUC, and fanless out of the box.

Source: servernews

MSI's Tiger Lake motherboard

MSI launches what could be the first widely available Tiger Lake motherboard, and one of the first motherboards featuring a soldered mobile CPU. The PRO HM570TI-B I526 features the 45W i5-11260H in a mini-ITX format. Details are still sketchy, as both Intel and Realtek LAN are mentioned on the official page, and CPU mounting is virtually ignored. But the DIY potential, including passive cooling, is enormous.

Source: MSI

Good enough

Since the RTX 3080 is virtually unobtainable what about buying a fanless graphics card like the Asus GeForce GT 1030, the MSI GT 1030, or the EVGA GeForce GT 1030 for light gaming and casual use? Please note that these heat sinks are designed for some type of active cooling and will require an open-air build to operate at acceptable levels in passive mode.

Why the discrepancies?

Why drastically different approaches between industrial and commercial products? In other words, why crappy cooling for mainstream fanless mini PCs? Most of them are failures due to horrible thermals, and things need to change.

The upcoming ZBOX Edge is a first step in the right direction. Cooling fins shouldn't be hidden, because it impedes cooling efficiency, but also because they look great.

2018 fanless mini PC roundup

ASUS PN40 is an affordable and stylish option. This barebone features a Celeron N4000 and an internal heat sink. No sign of passive cooling (which is generally not a good sign) nor any particular attention given to convection, but the 6W Gemini Lake chip doesn't seem to suffer much. $159

Free to breathe at last. The case of the MintBox mini 2 is the heat sink. The diminutive box does feature an Apollo Lake Celeron J3455 from 2016 but is a complete PC. It comes with 4GB RAM, a 64GB SSD and Linut Mint 19. The political choice. $299

One step further. When power and extreme reliability are required, Logic Supply's ML100 Series delivers. The current version features Kaby Lake i3-7100U, i5-7300U or i7-8650U processors and is fully configurable. $689

Gemini Lake Cubi N spotted

MSI's entry level barebone skipped Apollo Lake but is coming back rocking the 6W Celeron N4000, Celeron N4100, or Pentium N5000. Expect a slim (M.2) and a thicker (2.5") version of each model. This Gemini Lake iteration will most likely be priced under $200 / 200€.

Source: MSI (PDF)

MSI Cubi 3 Silent available (and heavily discounted)

The shiny silvery version of MSI's fanless Kaby Lake barebone is now available for only $190 (Celeron 3865U) and $390 (i5-7200U). Such prices and low-key release may indicate that MSI has already given up on it, so enjoy it while it lasts.

Upgrading the Cubi 3 Silent

Despite a cooling system that leaves much to be desired, MSI's fanless NUC is pretty easy to access and upgrade. The Pentium 4415U version, featuring 4GB RAM, 32GB eMMC (with Windows 10 Pro) and a 500GB HDD, is now available for $410.

MSI Cubi 3 Silent promo video

Production values on par with cooling.

Throttle City (MSI Cubi 3 Silent review)

MSI Cubi 3 Silent is not the Holy Grail. Impeded by an unnecessary top cover, MSI's cooling solution is disappointing at best. The i5-7200U Cubi 3 Silent performs significantly worse than the actively cooled i5-7200U Gigabyte Brix. Will mainstream brands ever take passive cooling seriously?

"Is there a caveat to MSI's fanless design? We're afraid so. During use, CPU performance is often limited to as little as 1.8GHz in order to keep temperature down to an acceptable level...

On the one hand, Cubi 3 Silent appears wonderfully efficient and manages to keep CPU core temperature to 55ºC without any fan noise. On the other hand, those numbers are understandably low because the CPU is automatically throttled when temperature hits 55ºC, which is almost immediately."

Source: HEXUS

MSI launches Cubi 3 Silent series

The Holy Grail finally? For 5 years, most fanless mini PCs from all major brands bombed systematically, and we firmly believe that poor cooling is to blame.

MSI is teasing the Cubi 3 Silent and Cubi 3 Silent S in what looks like a prematurely released video, and for the very first time cooling is the main attraction. Granted, natural convection is still obstructed but such large heat sink is a step in the right direction. The small barebones are powered by 15W Kaby Lake processors.

Update: The consumer-oriented Cubi 3 Silent features two DDR4 2133MHz slots (up to 32GB), M.2 and 2.5" bays, four USB 3.1 ports, and LAN, while the professional-oriented Cubi 3 Silent S adds two USB 3.1 ports, two COM ports, and an additional Ethernet port to the mix. We're hearing that three CPU options will be available: i3-7100U, i5-7200U, and i7-7500U.

MSI teases Cubi 3

Possibly the best Computex news yet: MSI is working on a fanless Kaby Lake barebone. Powered by the 15W U-series processors (from Celeron up to Core i7) the Cubi 3 will feature 6 USB and 2 Ethernet ports, M.2 and 2.5" SSD support, and a massive internal heat sink.

The Cubi 3 production starts in August for an early fall launch.

Source: Tek.no

Update: A comprehensive video, courtesy of Notebook Italia.