MINIX Z150-0dB im Test (German)

Courtesy of ChinaMobileMag

Silencing Apple TV

"I just ordered two 80mm x 80mm heat sinks and some thermal tape from amazon for very cheap. I’ll stick one to the top and bottom and hopefully that will help! Running the same test as originally, same file, same Plex app and tvOS version, etc. AppleTV is on its side, cabinet is closed up, no fan. So far it’s been running 48min and still cumulative 0 frames dropped!"

Source: Plex forum 

Building a fanless PC from the ground up

While the fit and finish could use some refinement, this fanless PC/NAS build featuring the Pentium G7400T is perfectly executed. The case is reminiscent of high-end enclosures from HDPLEX or Streacom. Instead of conventional heat sinks, it utilizes audio amplifier heat sinks to passively cool the 35W processor. The clear acrylic top panel is a nice touch, offering a satisfying view of the internal components.  

Source: Facebook

Fanless Bitcoin nodes

"After extensive research, I finally found a candidate that is affordable, fast, energy-efficient, silent, and visually appealing. The MeLE QuieterDL has two 2.5 GbE ports, a powerful and energy-efficient Intel Alder Lake N100 processor, 16 GB RAM, and 512 GB SSD. The advantage of the Raspberry Pi 5 is that this setup is quite inexpensive, small, and powerful. It is perfectly adequate for your own public pool. The Raspberry Pi 5 can possibly be expanded with additional apps under Umbrel, but you should really pay attention to performance here – you want a mining pool that is as fast as possible."

Source: PlebBase 

Would you buy a plastic fanless PC?

MeLE's Cyber X1 mini PC gained attention and controversy for its fanless design utilizing a unique, spiky top cover made of "high thermal-conductivity" engineering plastic instead of traditional metal. This "Micro-Pillar Array Cooling Technology" expands the heat dissipation surface area, allowing the Intel N150 CPU to run at a slightly higher performance limit (10W) compared to MeLE's Quieter 4C model.
Courtesy of OSReviews

Bring your product to life

This is what fanless PC cases look before machining. From CAD design and thermal simulation, to prototyping, branding and CNC machining, our friends over at Tranquil IT can manufacture your rugged edge system. Do check them out.

Meanwhile in China

The crazy Chinese case we spotted back in September is now in prototype phase. The chassis is absolutely massive, featuring 10 heatpipes and 10 kg of aluminum. It uses sheer size and brute force, not subtlety, to manage the heat of the Core Ultra 7 265K and the GeForce RTX 5060 even under heavy load. We like that.

Source: bilibili

DeSalvo Pi case up close

Source: eBay 

Looking for super quiet?

"I’ve been using the MINIX Z150‑0dB Fanless Mini PC in my home office for a few weeks now, and I’m impressed by how quietly capable this little box is. From a technical user’s perspective, here’s how it stacks up. Right away, the passive cooling (i.e. no fan) is a big win. The system hums along at a whisper—no fan noise even when pushing heavier loads like compiling code or running multiple virtual machines. It manages heat by conducting through its chassis, and I didn’t see any thermal throttling under sustained use.

Performance feels like a modest step up from older N100-based systems. For daily tasks—web browsing, spreadsheets, remote desktop, light photo editing—it handles everything smoothly. The jump to N150 gives you a slight bump in clock and iGPU headroom compared to N100 models, so you feel less constrained when multitasking. That said, it doesn’t replace a high-end desktop or gaming rig—it’s designed for quiet efficiency, not raw horsepower.

Connectivity is solid: dual HDMI (so you can run two 4K displays), a 2.5GbE port, Wi-Fi 6 + Bluetooth 5.2 (with external antennas), and a mix of USB-C and USB-A ports. In my usage, the Ethernet link has been rock solid, and Wi-Fi range is decent (I’m two rooms away from the router). Just be mindful that the USB-C is data-only (i.e. no video out or charging) in this model.

If I had to nitpick: when pushing it close to its limits (e.g. compiling large projects, transcoding video), it can lag a bit, particularly if multiple cores are pinned. Also, upgrading memory or SSD involves opening the chassis, which isn’t hard—but it’s not completely tool-free. And support/firmware updates from smaller brands always carry a bit of uncertainty. In fact, in community forums some users contrast support between brands when choosing between similar mini PCs.

All in all, for a technically minded home user like me who wants a quiet, compact workstation or media box, the Z150-0dB delivers. It won’t replace high-end machines, but for everyday workloads, development, streaming, and dual monitors, it does the job with no fuss and zero fan noise."

Source: Amazon 

Core Ultra 9 285T case

Akasa launches the Euler TX3 its latest Thin mini-ITX fanless case. The compact 262.6 x 215 x 68.5 mm chassis (about 3.9L) supports LGA1851 / LGA1700 / LGA1200 / LGA115X Thin mini-ITX motherboards and 35W CPUs up to the Core Ultra 9 285T. The Euler TX3 is pure anodized aluminum and weighs about 2.5 kg, equivalent to two Noctua NH-P1 CPU coolers. It's already available in Germany for €149.95. 

Update: Akasa's booth at Embedded World North America!