Slim to the extreme

The Maxtang SXRL-20 PC is an impressively slim PC powered by an Intel Alder Lake-U or Raptor Lake-U processor. The 28mm thin computer also features an impressive array of HDMI 2.0 ports. The SXRL-20 supports up to 64GB of dual-channel DDR4 memory and integrates Intel UHD or Iris Xe graphics for smooth visuals. The SXRL-20 is built to withstand harsh conditions and operates in a wide temperature range, making it suitable for industrial applications.

Source: Maxtang 

N100 micro firewall review

"I had a lot of misgivings about this. A lot of it was centered around the fact that I wasn't sure about the hardware, and I was extremely worried that the NICs would be absolute garbage and I would be stuck with a great mini PC with terrible network cards. Thankfully they have proven to be quite good so far. All of my issues so far have been related to my inexperience with PFSense.

I run a Synology NAS that has a bunch of docker containers and does a lot of stuff that is exposed to the internet. There is a setting in PFSense called "Firewall Maximum Table Entries". By default it seems to be set to 400,000. Unfortunately, in my case that is not enough. You'll find that with this device you have a huge amount of horsepower and PFSense only uses a fraction of it, which is awesome. Because this machine is beefy and I have nothing to lose, I increased the value to 800,000 and the issue completely disappeared. I absolutely wholeheartedly recommend this device."

Source: Amazon 

Embrace the chaos

"As a daily I'm using an AMD 8700G with passive cooling (NH-P1) Fanless 200W Meanwell (12V) + Fanless 200W Pico ATX powersupply, 2x 4TB NVMe in bequiet MC1Pro and 96 Gbyte DDR5, KryoSheet instead of thermal paste. No case just mounted on a benchtable, underneath the bench table is a box including an 10 Port USB 3 hub and an Aten 4 Port KVM Switch Is still use M-Disc for Backups - so a slim usb bluray burner is also attached" 

Source: reddit

Everything old is new again

This brand new fanless mini PC features the aging Celeron N4020 from 2019. While it might struggle with demanding tasks, this 6W processor can still handle web browsing, document creation, basic photo editing, and even light video streaming. Featuring 4GB of RAM and 64GB of eMMC storage this Windows 10 PC is available for just $129.

Akasa Pi-5 Pro review

"I’m using a 4GB Raspberry Pi 5 for this with the performance CPU governor set, as it’s what I’ve used in all of my other Pi 5 cooler tests and I don’t want to throw the newer, slightly cooler 2GB model into the mix to jumble things up. The idle temperatures are looking good. I let the system set for 30 minutes, and we sat at a clean 47 degrees Celsius. Under full load, the Raspberry Pi 5 hit a peak of 12.6 Watts and the Akasa Pi-5 Pro took it like a champ, topping out at 77.4 degrees Celsius, which is great for a passive case like this."

Source: Bret Weber 

The Future ?

Are 3D-printed heat sinks the future of PC cooling? 3D printing has revolutionized various industries by enabling the creation of complex geometries that would be difficult (or impossible) to achieve with traditional manufacturing methods. When applied to heat sinks, this technology allows for the creation of highly customized coolers tailored to specific applications and requirements. 3D-printed heat sinks can also be designed with intricate structures or hollow cores, reducing their weight without compromising their thermal performance. 

Image credit: TCT Magazine

The MINIX Z300 is here

Earlier this year, MINIX took the fanless world by surprise with a carefully designed N100-powered mini PC, the Z100-0db. Now, the Hong Kong-based PC maker is back with a more powerful i3-N300 version available today for $339.90. Featuring 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD, the Windows 11 Pro system should perform significantly better than the previous iteration, according to this performance test. We want one.

Sharp N100 option

At this point, the N100 is probably Intel's best selling CPU of the year. This N100-powered fanless mini PC is similar to the MINIX Z100-0db but adds a full-size DisplayPort, a second Ethernet port, two COM ports, and a unique-looking heat sink case to the mix, for just $178. Weighing only 650g, it's much lighter than the 900g MINIX Z100 though, which could impact cooling.

X Silent Edge 1100W review

"Ripple suppression is excellent, load regulation scores highly and the fact that it does not emit any noise at any load demand will be a key selling point to a niche audience of PC users. I for one really struggle with fan noise in my gaming room so this power supply would be a very welcome addition to my system. Technically this unit delivers some fantastic results and it is worth pointing out that we didn't experience any coil whine from the unit either. This is often not the case with a passively cooled power supply."

Source: KitGuru 

Akasa Newton RC available

The first NUC 14 Pro case is now available in the UK (scan), Germany (cartft), France, the Netherlands and more. The Newton RC case features a small footprint and overall compact size of 1.9-liter. Fanless CPU cooling for silent operation and classic styling, all wrapped in a beautiful brushed aluminum finish.