5 ms·

World's first fanless Core i5 mini-PC

52 points by darthgoogle 12y ago

astrodust 12y ago
It's absurd that you have to work to find information on pricing here. Specifications: http://www.zotac.com/news/press-releases/article/archive/2014/june/article/zotac-starts-computex-2014-with-quartet-of-silent-zbox-mini-pcs.html http://www.zotac.com/news/press-releases/article/archive/201... Pricing details: http://www.tomshardware.com/news/zotac-c-series-intel-amd-nano,26939.html http://www.tomshardware.com/news/zotac-c-series-intel-amd-na... "Pricing is as follows: CI540: $369.99/$479.99. CI520: $309.99/$409.99. CI320: $149.99/$259.99. CA320: $179.99/$289.99. Availability is set for August."
- hollerith 12y ago
  The $369.99 one is "bare-bones" whereas the $479.99 one includes 4GB DDR3L and a 64GB SSD.
hollerith 12y ago
>ZOTAC unveils the world's first fanless Core i5 mini-PC It's not the world's first. for example, QuietPC will sell you an Intel i5 mini-PC (i.e., a NUC) transplanted into a larger all-aluminum finned case, which allows them to remove the one fan the Intel box has (a CPU fan): http://www.quietpc.com/sys-ultranuc-pro-fanless http://www.quietpc.com/sys-ultranuc-pro-fanless. This QuietPC box has the same i5 CPU as the base model 2013 Macbook Air, BTW.
- bgruber 12y ago
  there's also the 'intense pc' from compulab: http://www.fit-pc.com/web/products/ipc2/ http://www.fit-pc.com/web/products/ipc2/
- spyder 12y ago
  Yes, I'm not sure why they are lying when a simple google search can reveal it's not the world's first: http://www.atlastsolutions.com/intel-nuc-i3-i5-with-4th-generation-haswell-now-in-stock/ http://www.atlastsolutions.com/intel-nuc-i3-i5-with-4th-gene... There is even a bigger but still mini fanless with i7: http://www.atlastsolutions.com/fanless-thin-mini-itx-pc-core-i7-haswell-8gb-128gb-ssd-asus-q87t/ http://www.atlastsolutions.com/fanless-thin-mini-itx-pc-core...
- gnoway 12y ago
  What qualifies the system as 'mini' anyway? I have a fanless i5 on a thin mini-itx; it's a sandy bridge i5, so it predates this by a couple of years. The case is not nuc-sized but it's pretty small and thin-itx only.
en4bz 12y ago
Important to note that it's a i5 Y processor. Not a regular desktop, or even a mobile processor.
- Alupis 12y ago
  Well then what is it? Please elaborate.
  - hollerith 12y ago
    There's a concept called "max TDP" which essentially means how much heat the cooling system (fans, heat sinks, heat pipes and case) will need to dissipate in the worst realistic case. For the CPU in the base model 2013 Macbook Air (the Core i5-4250U), max TDP is 15 watts. For my 2011 Sandy Bridge base model Mac mini, max TDP is 35 watts. Most desktop gaming PCs have max TDPs over 100 watts if the heat generated by the discrete video card is included. Max TDP for the CPU in this Zotac box is even lower than the 15 watts on the 2013 MBA. To achieve such a low max TDP, the clock needs to run slower, the chip needs to use lower voltages and other compromises need to be made. My guess is that one place such a low TDP is desirable is in small tablets (or even smartphones??) where space considerations make cooling thing difficult even with a fan. And of course it is desirable in fanless applications. Having just one fan, like an Intel NUC has or a Mac mini has, greatly increases the amount of heat the system can dissipate. The 2011 Mac mini server edition, for example, has a CPU with a max TDP of 45 watts and just one fan. (The Mac mini's all-aluminum case really helps here.) But sometime even one fan is a bad idea: e.g., in boxes designed for dusty conditions, e.g., in a factory, or a remote location where it is difficult for someone to come by to clean out the insides of the system or to notice (by the noises it makes) when the fan is about to fail. Note that fanless systems with SSDs like this Zotac box have no moving parts, and that really helps with reliable un-attended operation -- and with being quiet. EDIT: "significantly less" changed to "even lower" to reflect the information in the reply.
    - MekaiGS 12y ago
      The chip they are using has max TDP of 11.5W. http://ark.intel.com/products/76611/Intel-Core-i5-4210Y-Processor-3M-Cache-up-to-1_90-GHz http://ark.intel.com/products/76611/Intel-Core-i5-4210Y-Proc...
clinton_sf 12y ago
That's nice for a fanless i5. But a fanless i7 is already out there with some great specs, though it's pretty expensive. http://www.tinygreenpc.com/microsvr.aspx http://www.tinygreenpc.com/microsvr.aspx Power: 8W – 35W (Depend on system configuration and load)
- walterbell 12y ago
  These Haswell units look good, still pricy: http://www.tinygreenpc.com/fit-pc/intense-pc2.aspx http://www.tinygreenpc.com/fit-pc/intense-pc2.aspx

52 points by darthgoogle 12y ago

It's absurd that you have to work to find information on pricing here. Specifications: http://www.zotac.com/news/press-releases/article/archive/2014/june/article/zotac-starts-computex-2014-with-quartet-of-silent-zbox-mini-pcs.html http://www.zotac.com/news/press-releases/article/archive/201... Pricing details: http://www.tomshardware.com/news/zotac-c-series-intel-amd-nano,26939.html http://www.tomshardware.com/news/zotac-c-series-intel-amd-na... "Pricing is as follows: CI540: $369.99/$479.99. CI520: $309.99/$409.99. CI320: $149.99/$259.99. CA320: $179.99/$289.99. Availability is set for August."

hollerith 12y ago
The $369.99 one is "bare-bones" whereas the $479.99 one includes 4GB DDR3L and a 64GB SSD.

hollerith 12y ago

>ZOTAC unveils the world's first fanless Core i5 mini-PC It's not the world's first. for example, QuietPC will sell you an Intel i5 mini-PC (i.e., a NUC) transplanted into a larger all-aluminum finned case, which allows them to remove the one fan the Intel box has (a CPU fan): http://www.quietpc.com/sys-ultranuc-pro-fanless http://www.quietpc.com/sys-ultranuc-pro-fanless. This QuietPC box has the same i5 CPU as the base model 2013 Macbook Air, BTW.

bgruber 12y ago
there's also the 'intense pc' from compulab: http://www.fit-pc.com/web/products/ipc2/ http://www.fit-pc.com/web/products/ipc2/
spyder 12y ago
Yes, I'm not sure why they are lying when a simple google search can reveal it's not the world's first: http://www.atlastsolutions.com/intel-nuc-i3-i5-with-4th-generation-haswell-now-in-stock/ http://www.atlastsolutions.com/intel-nuc-i3-i5-with-4th-gene... There is even a bigger but still mini fanless with i7: http://www.atlastsolutions.com/fanless-thin-mini-itx-pc-core-i7-haswell-8gb-128gb-ssd-asus-q87t/ http://www.atlastsolutions.com/fanless-thin-mini-itx-pc-core...
gnoway 12y ago
What qualifies the system as 'mini' anyway? I have a fanless i5 on a thin mini-itx; it's a sandy bridge i5, so it predates this by a couple of years. The case is not nuc-sized but it's pretty small and thin-itx only.

en4bz 12y ago

Important to note that it's a i5 Y processor. Not a regular desktop, or even a mobile processor.

Alupis 12y ago
Well then what is it? Please elaborate.
- hollerith 12y ago
  There's a concept called "max TDP" which essentially means how much heat the cooling system (fans, heat sinks, heat pipes and case) will need to dissipate in the worst realistic case. For the CPU in the base model 2013 Macbook Air (the Core i5-4250U), max TDP is 15 watts. For my 2011 Sandy Bridge base model Mac mini, max TDP is 35 watts. Most desktop gaming PCs have max TDPs over 100 watts if the heat generated by the discrete video card is included. Max TDP for the CPU in this Zotac box is even lower than the 15 watts on the 2013 MBA. To achieve such a low max TDP, the clock needs to run slower, the chip needs to use lower voltages and other compromises need to be made. My guess is that one place such a low TDP is desirable is in small tablets (or even smartphones??) where space considerations make cooling thing difficult even with a fan. And of course it is desirable in fanless applications. Having just one fan, like an Intel NUC has or a Mac mini has, greatly increases the amount of heat the system can dissipate. The 2011 Mac mini server edition, for example, has a CPU with a max TDP of 45 watts and just one fan. (The Mac mini's all-aluminum case really helps here.) But sometime even one fan is a bad idea: e.g., in boxes designed for dusty conditions, e.g., in a factory, or a remote location where it is difficult for someone to come by to clean out the insides of the system or to notice (by the noises it makes) when the fan is about to fail. Note that fanless systems with SSDs like this Zotac box have no moving parts, and that really helps with reliable un-attended operation -- and with being quiet. EDIT: "significantly less" changed to "even lower" to reflect the information in the reply.
  - MekaiGS 12y ago
    The chip they are using has max TDP of 11.5W. http://ark.intel.com/products/76611/Intel-Core-i5-4210Y-Processor-3M-Cache-up-to-1_90-GHz http://ark.intel.com/products/76611/Intel-Core-i5-4210Y-Proc...

clinton_sf 12y ago

That's nice for a fanless i5. But a fanless i7 is already out there with some great specs, though it's pretty expensive. http://www.tinygreenpc.com/microsvr.aspx http://www.tinygreenpc.com/microsvr.aspx Power: 8W – 35W (Depend on system configuration and load)

walterbell 12y ago
These Haswell units look good, still pricy: http://www.tinygreenpc.com/fit-pc/intense-pc2.aspx http://www.tinygreenpc.com/fit-pc/intense-pc2.aspx