Akasa's Computex booth

Akasa showcases several new cases in Taipei (Hall 1, Booth M1303A) including the Maxwell AC Pro, a tiny NUC 13 Pro case featuring massive 8mm heat pipes, a new compact and elegant - possibly sandblasted - i3 NUC case, and a new iteration of the Turing chassis designed for the AMD-powered ASUS PN53.

Source: TechPowerUp

Cooler Master's fanless PSU

Cooler Master is showcasing a mighty 750W fanless power supply at COMPUTEX. The ATX 3.0-ready X Silent Series features a vapor chamber and no less than six flat heat pipes for cooling. Having the main heat sink at the bottom of the unit is not too reassuring, but keep in mind that this model is still very much in development.

Source: gdm.or.jp

EXCLUSIVE: Streacom SG10

Streacom will showcase its long-in-the-making 600W-capable fanless case tomorrow at COMPUTEX Taipei. The SG10 is not your average fanless chassis and features the Calyos 2-phase cooling solution. This post will be updated as details become available.

Update: "The SG10 is a collaboration with Calyos, an ambitious project to create a fanless gaming case, capable of cooling high-performance CPUs and GPUs in fully passive mode (no forced airflow). It also serves as a proof of concept for the application of loop heat pipe technology in the consumer PC market and is the first step to making it a viable high-performance alternative to water cooling.

The SG10 began life as a Kickstarter project launched by Calyos as the NSG0 however the project in its original form could not be realised. A search ensued to find a partner with case manufacturing experience to get the project back on track and having extensive experience with fanless cases, Streacom was the natural fit.

The SG10 represents a complete redesign of the NSG0, not a single component was carried over from the original concept. Even the core components of the Evaporator that pumps the coolant around the system and the Condenser that radiates the heat have been entirely redesigned, re-engineered and improved far beyond the original specification and scope.

Comprising of extruded precision-milled aluminium and structural steel elements, the SG10 is an intricate design that blends demanding cooling functionality, component flexibility and elegance in a truly unique package. Beyond the fact it can handle TDPs well beyond any other fanless case, it features other never-before-seen features such as fully adjustable diagonally mounted components and front/back IO ports that can be positioned anywhere along the front and back of the case."

750g copper cooler

Massive copper CPU coolers do exist. In fact, this particular one designed for actively-cooled servers can be found on the cheap from eBay. Granted, it is not particularly convection-friendly, but thanks to its sheer size (and weight!) the 35W i3-4160T is kept at around 40°C most of the time. Special thanks to Tony Bonnin for these pictures and awesome build.

Alder Lake-N ASRock iBOX

We wish ASRock's mainstream offering was as substantial and flawless as its industrial range. The iBOX-N97 features the 12W N97 processor (quad core @ 3.60GHz) and impressive connectivity, including six USB 3.2 Gen2, dual HDMI 2.0b, DisplayPort 1.4a (via USB Type-C) and dual Realtek 2.5 Gigabit LAN. Previous iteration, the ElkHart Lake iBOX-J6412 launched for about $500.

Source: ASRock 

FIRST LOOK: ZOTAC CI337 nano

The ZOTAC ZBOX CI337 nano is powered by the 6W Intel N100 processor and is only the second fanless Alder Lake-N mini PC from a trusted brand, following the ASUS PN42 announcement. Most N100 mini PCs are actively cooled which is both surprising (considering the official TDP) and slightly worrying. How hot does it really run? The NUC-sized ZBOX features a single DDR5-4800 SO-DIMM slot, dual HDMI, DisplayPort, DisplayPort over USB-C, and dual Ethernet.

First mini PC with AirJet module

Technically fanless, we still consider Frore System's AirJet technology to be some type of active cooling (air flow is provided by vibrating membranes). The first commercially available mini PC featuring this innovative cooling solution will be the $499 ZOTAC Alder Lake-N powered ZBOX PI430AJ later this year. We're skeptical to say the least.

"ZOTAC's COMPUTEX 2023 booth will showcase a live demonstration of the world's smallest Mini PC equipped with the revolutionary AirJet® solid-state active-cooling solution. This groundbreaking mini-PC will be the first product of its kind in the world to feature the revolutionary technology by Frore System.

The two AirJet Minis inside the PI430AJ can remove a significant amount of heat with its rapid airflow. That, coupled with the AirJet Minis' small size and silent operation makes them ideal solutions for raising thermal limits and boosting performance without compromising form-factor. Taking advantage of the newfound possibilities enabled by AirJet, the ZBOX PI430AJ boasts superb performance when compared to PCs of similar form-factor, with an Intel Core i3 processor, 8GB LPDDR5 memory, M.2 SSD storage slot and more — all within a tiny, pocket sized PC."

Source: PCMag, The Verge

The Jack of all trades of dev boards

Check out this ZimaBoard review courtesy of Pro Tech Show

EXCLUSIVE: Intel NUC 13 Rugged

Intel is readying a fanless Alder Lake-N mini PC. Finally an upgrade from the 2019 NUC 8 Rugged, featuring 6W or 12W Alder Lake-N Atoms, a single DDR5-4800 SODIMM slot, dual HDMI 2.1, and dual LAN via Intel 2.5 Gb Ethernet ports. We're hearing that "Bravo Canyon" will be priced extremely competitively.

Not your daddy's NAS

This stylish NAS (network-attached storage) is housed in Streacom's extra-flat FC5 Alpha case in Silver. The system is powered by the 105W Ryzen 5 7600X with great results, but there's a catch. AMD's Platform Power Threshold is set to just 50W.

Motherboard: Asus ROG Strix B650E-E Gaming WiFi
Memory: Kingston Server Premier ECC 2 x 8 GB 4800 MHz CL 40 DDR5
Storage: Kingston NV1 250 GB NVMe 1.3
Other: Asus Hyper M.2 x16
Other: Innodisk EGPL-T101 10 GbE Expansion Card
Other: HDPlex PCIe x16 Flexible Riser
Internal Power: Streacom Nano160 160W DC-ATX
External Power: Shnitpwr SNT-1210 120W 12 V AC-DC

Source: Patreon

ASUS PN42 available in Europe

Our most anticipated fanless Alder Lake-N mini PC is finally available in selected territories and will be available globally in June. The N100 barebone retails for 273 euros while the more powerful N200 iteration is priced at 318 euros. Interestingly, a sub-200 euros Celeron N4500 (Jasper Lake) iteration will also follow suit. Update: Listed in the US for $220.

HDPLEX H1 as a NUC case

"Want a souped-up fanless case for your music server but don't want to overspend, are willing to roll up your sleeves a bit, but you don't know where to look? It turns out the HDPLEX H1 V3 just might be your end game. I love the look of the HDPLEX H1 V3 case with its rugged and sleek, minimalist aesthetic. Peaking through the metal mesh on top, I can view the copper heat pipes, and with no fan to contend with, it delivers marvelous music, in all its splendor, with an exquisitely low noise floor, verve and style. What's not to love about that?"

Source: Positive Feedback

Akasa Maxwell case review

Courtesy of JayzTwoCents

5 mini cases for the N100DC-ITX

Goodisory MX01 ($32.90)

Hilitand mini-ITX case ($43.70)

Morex 557 ($59.95)

Heayzoki aluminum case ($76.87)

SilverStone Milo 10 ($79.99)

If it works, it works

Released more than 15 years ago, the Scythe Ninja Mini is still going strong. It's actually doing wonders paired with the 65W Ryzen 3 2200G in an open-air setup, keeping the AMD processor under 60°C. Aesthetics are another story (we love it though). 

Source: Twitter 

ASRock's fanless N100 duo

ASRock launches two new fanless motherboards, powered by Intel's N100 processor, including the MicroATX N100M and the mini-ITX N100DC-ITX which features a DC jack (it's finally back and it feels so good, no more bulky ATX PSUs). The 6W N100 is a great little CPU that compares to a 65W desktop i3 from just a few years ago.

"Leading global motherboard manufacturer ASRock proudly announces its new series of Alder Lake-N motherboards. The new motherboards will be featuring the latest N100 SoC processor, 4 E-cores with a turbo frequency up to 3.4GHz and Intel UHD Graphics supporting 4K@60Hz resolution, this passively cooled motherboard provides adequate performance as well as outstanding heat management.

The N100M is a M-ATX sized motherboard designed for smart buyers who is looking for a simple yet capable solution, with onboard USB Type-C, M.2 for both SSD & WiFi, the N100M can be easily built into a system that suits your need, and thanks to the onboard XXL CPU heatsink and fan-less design, it is able to perform a low noise ultra-silent computing experience.

ASRock also offers a DC-in solution for small form factor occasions, the N100DC-ITX has a DC-in jack at the rear I/O and is compatible with 19V power adapters allowing N100DC-ITX to fit in compact chassis. Besides M.2 slots for WiFi & SSD, this motherboard also supports legacy I/O such as COM port or LPT port header, making N100DC-ITX a perfect solution for multiple purposes."

Make it possible with the Helix 401

Courtesy of OnLogic

Shuttle XPC slim v2

Shuttle's current fanless XPC slim PCs are back and better than ever. Nothing too exciting, and no new CPUs unfortunately. "The new versions now feature Ethernet controllers with up to 2.5 Gbit, which means they can deliver much higher network transmission rates than the controllers with 1 Gbit bandwidth that were used previously.". The DS20U range is powered by 15W Comet Lake processors up to the i7-10510U while the DL20N range features Jasper Lake CPUs. The Celeron N4505 DL20N V2 is already available for $282.

Source: Shuttle