AMD-powered Maxtang PC

The Maxtang SXC-FP530 is powered by a quad-core AMD Ryzen Embedded R2314 processor with integrated Radeon Graphics. The system supports multi-display output, featuring four HDMI 2.0b ports for up to three displays at 4K@60Hz or four displays at 1080p. The PC features a rugged design and can function in a wide temperature range of -20°C to +60°C. This 12W Ryzen Embedded processor is not a powerhouse, though. According to PassMark it's on par with Intel's humble but very snappy N100/N150.

Source: Maxtang

MeLE Cyber X1 video review

Courtesy of Once Were Nerd

MeLE Cyber X1: Reviews are in

The first reviews of the controversial $239.99 plastic mini PC are here and, against all odds, mostly positive.

"I use this as my daily driver. The build quality is excellent and I was surprised to see that the CPU temperature rarely went over 50 degrees C while using it to stream 1080p video on multiple tabs simultaneously. Its designed to run 24/7 dust free, and sips energy. I ran both windows and Debian-Kde Linux without issues. Everything worked out of the box. It runs about 16 hrs per day. My wife has an older MeLe 2C unit the last 4 years running 15-20 hrs per day, every day with no issues. Never needs rebooting accept for updates. MeLe makes very impressive fan-less, small, efficient computers with no moving parts and designed to run 24/7. For office or home use, it gets 5 stars from me. NOT a GAMING computer."

"The unit is very compact, but works great for my needs. Didn't have any heat or speed issues. I haven't pushed it really hard yet, but loading a bunch of software while on it while doing Windows updates were no problem for it and I was surprised how cool it stayed. Planning to buy another one soon after I do some more testing. The price is great for what you get and I love having a silent PC."

"good: small, bad: gets too hot"

"Very small, completely silent of course, heats up moderately on the top and bottom in normal use, not tested under intensive use, but that's not its main purpose, installed Windows 11 Pro 25H2, replaced the 512 NVMe SSD with a 1TB one. Pleasantly surprised by its responsiveness."

ZOTAC vaporware (2025 edition)

Don't hold your breath for the N150-powered CI345 and CI338 ZBOX or the core-based CI675 and CI655 announced earlier this year. ZOTAC has once again failed to bring its products to store shelves. This repeated pattern, stretching back several years, has solidified their reputation for releasing vaporware. We are now genuinely concerned about the future of their fanless PC lineup. Though we've had a complicated history with the brand, we truly wish them success.

Bloody brilliant

Please, ignore the fans. After all this build does feature the now iconic Noctua NH-P1. Designed by Hardline Nexus this incredibly stylish PC features the Core Ultra 7 265K and a mighty RTX 4090 inside the newly released Phanteks Evolv X2 case in silver. A short but informative video can also be seen here. The work of a true artist.

Built like a tank

This industrial mini PC is designed for demanding environments and powered by a powerful 12-core i7-1260P processor. It comes pre-installed with Windows 11 Pro and is configured with 16GB of DDR5 memory. Storage is handled by a 256GB NVME SSD (other options are available). The PC includes multiple specialized I/O ports, such as COM RS232, RS422, and RS485 for industrial use, as well as PS2 and GPIO ports. The system offers 4K resolution output via DisplayPort or HDMI. Networking is robust with three 2.5G LAN ports. Prices start from $578.00.

QuietPC MicroQube

A new fanless and configurable build is available from QuietPC, featuring LIAN LI's elegant A3-mATX case and CPUs up to the 65W Core Ultra 9 285. "The LIAN LI A3 is ideal for those who demand performance without compromising on space. It remains compact while offering exceptional capacity, with a generous 26.3-litre chamber that provides ample room for modern components, including the latest processors and graphics cards. The chassis features finely meshed panels, making it an excellent choice for a completely fanless PC, as they allow warm air to dissipate naturally. 

Source: QuietPC  

ASUS Tinker Board 3 goes passive

"The Akasa Skyline 3 Pro is designed for ASUS Tinker Board 3 and 3S: compact Arm® single-board computers (SBCs) with quad-core Cortex-A55 processors, Mali™-G52 graphics and built-in NPUs for seamless AI integration. Rich I/O, 4K display support and flexible power input make the SBCs ideal for digital signage, healthcare or smart retail systems.

A custom thermal module and high-performance thermal pads draw heat away from key hot zones into the aluminium body and fins, providing efficient, silent cooling for the ASUS Tinker Board 3/3S under sustained loads. The skyline-shaped top cover increases surface area, allowing heat to dissipate more efficiently and ensuring reliable performance without thermal throttling. 

The aluminium, skyline-shaped top cover increases surface area, allowing heat to dissipate more efficiently and ensuring reliable performance without thermal throttling. Combining modern aesthetics with functional performance, the Skyline Pro 3 delivers passive heat dissipation while protecting the SBC."

Building a custom OPNsense firewall

"Building your own firewall is a great achievement when you're ready to leave consumer units or ISP-provided hardware. There are a few software options available, but we recommend giving OPNsense a go. Just about anything with a compatible processor can run OPNsense, everything from used enterprise servers to a single-board computer (SBC). So long as you can have two Network Interface Cards (NICs) for WAN and LAN gateways, you're good to go.

I picked up an affordable $150 fanless mini PC with an Intel N3700 processor and four 2.5Gb Ethernet ports. After adding a small boot SSD and 16 GB of RAM, the firewall was ready for OPNsense to be installed. The entire process took less than 10 minutes from start to finish, and I had a new network up and running within half an hour. Though not perfect (I would like to move to a new system with 10Gb SFP links), it's proven to be reliable enough for keeping the LAN alive for almost a year.

This is something that isn't often associated with networking, but creating something from scratch can be incredibly rewarding. It's why the home lab has become such a popular hobby and why more people are looking to self-host as much as possible. It's a great way to learn something new, develop new skills, and be rewarded with a notably more capable LAN that's not only more secure, but can be configured in such a way as not possible with standard routers."

Source: XDA 

Streacom FC8 build

"Pros: - totally silent - relatively compact - perfectly fine for general use and lighter gaming Cons: - case does get hot under heavy load over extended periods of time (which is normal and generally expected of a fanless build) - case does not officially support AM5 cpus, but it was possible to install Ryzen 8700g into it (even though it was a bit fiddly)"

Source: PCPartPicker