Integrated Systems Europe 2026

Only few days until ISE 2026 opens its doors in Barcelona. Integrated Systems Europe is the world’s leading professional audiovisual and systems integration exhibition, showcasing the latest innovations for sectors like education, live events, and smart buildings. Check out Akasa's fanless cases at Booth 4K840, or book a meeting here.

Ryzen 5 8500G media streamer PC

"Had some spare parts lying around and decided to assemble them into a fanless media PC. Replaced the stock CPU clamping mechanism with a Thermalright contact frame for AM5 sockets, and all the other hardware came from HDPLEX. This will run Ubuntu Linux and send HDMI video and audio out to a basic LG A2 42-inch OLED, which will then pass the audio to a SVS Pro SoundBase amplifier via eARC for seamless remote control. Will play around with Linux to see if I can make the media apps parse the CEC commands coming back via the HDMI cable from the TV remote."

Source: PCPartPicker 

Core Ultra 5 125U multi-LAN PC

This great looking barebone PC is powered by the Intel Core Ultra 5 125U processor, a 12-core chip that features an integrated AI Boost NPU to accelerate machine learning tasks and network pattern recognition. Designed for advanced networking, the device is equipped with an impressive array of eight 2.5 Gbps Ethernet ports (seven Intel i226-V controllers and one Intel vPro-ready i226-LM port for remote management). As a barebone unit, it comes without pre-installed RAM or storage, requiring you to add your own DDR5 SODIMM memory and M.2 NVMe SSD. This unit is available for $776.99.

ZOTAC ZBOX C Series. Reimagined.

Our idea would be to have the same design for the Core-based fanless ZBOX and the low-power model. Both featuring a more straightforward and simple cooling solution: a large internal heat sink (ideally in copper) with enough room to "breath" and convection to occur. What do you think? 

Semi-passive build

"I based this build on the the first version of the Streacom FC5 fanless case. The case was released in 2011 and I previously used it with a Sandy Bridge CPU. I managed to adopt it to fit AM4 (not officially supported in this version, though the newer FC5 versions support it with the universal CPU mount). The case currently houses passively cooled Ryzen 5600G on Gigabyte Aorus B550 ITX board . The other cooling fin takes care of the Plex GAN 500W PSU. The GPU is RTX 5070 Founders Edition. The case sits in my AV rack under the TV and it's completely silent with normal use like Youtube or playing movies. The GPU fan only kicks in when I use it for gaming. FC5 wasn't designed for the modern GPUs use. I modified it to fit the 5070 and allow more air movement. The top lid was mostly cut out and replaced with mesh grille. There's also a mesh grille underneath the GPU, to allow the air in. The non-gaming temperatures sit around 40C for CPU/GPU. The gaming will take them much higher - 80-85C CPU and 60-70C GPU (with undervolt)"

Source: reddit 

Quieter4C as CNC controller

Courtesy of Robert Cowan

TerraMaster D1 SSD Pro available

The TerraMaster D1 SSD Pro features an 80Gbps Thunderbolt 5 interface and a dual-chip controller architecture, providing stable and efficient data transfer and a truly silent operation experience. The D1 SSD Pro achieves read speeds of up to 7061MB/s and write speeds of 6816MB/s, transferring a 6GB file in just 1 second. The D1 SSD Pro features an aerospace-grade aluminum alloy body, precision-machined using CNC integrated molding technology, offering excellent strength and heat dissipation. This gorgeous piece of hardware is available today for $249.99.

The perfect cooler-to-case ratio

We miss the Phanteks PH-TC14PE. This massive dual tower was capable of cooling 65W CPUs without a single fan. Available in several colors this behemoth of a CPU cooler was discontinued a couple of years ago. This 14 years old build is powered by an Intel Core i7-3770 processor, features 16 GB of RAM, a 240 GB SSD, and still runs like a charm.  

Source: blocket

The 20 best thermal pastes tested & ranked

"When it comes to extreme overclocking, delidded CPUs or direct‑die cooling, liquid metals or PhaseSheet PTM unlock the largest margins, provided all precautions are taken. You pay a premium, but if you have the experience and are willing to try something new, there’s a performance advantage over traditional pastes.

For the majority of readers employing high‑end, long‑term systems where an extra 2–3 °C can improve acoustics or boost behavior, top‑tier pastes such as Apex, NT-H2 or MX‑7 justify their asking price by offering a top-class balance of performance, spreadability and ease of use.

But the margins are small..."

Source: Club386 

Tiny fan, huge headache

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