Anyone know of any non-industrial (read as "relatively cheap") small sealed fanless devices with an Intel quad core chip? I want a few USB 3.0 ports and 1 or 2 GigE ports. I don't need a video out but it should at least have a serial port for initially setting up a Linux install.
Perhaps something from http://www.streacom.com/ might suit you, they have fanless cases for NUC/ITX/mATX. They aren't sealed, but at least fanless. If you can find a motherboard to suit your tastes it'd probably be the cheapest solution available. With recent Intel quads you won't escape without video out though.
I was looking for something similar for an audio server I've been wanting to build. I came across a real nice site for fanless cases: http://www.fanlesstech.com/
On the software side, OpenElec with XBMC looks real nice. Considering the small footprint of the OS, it should do well even with a weaker CPU.
Nice site, thanks. They seem to focus on setups with 35 W TDP or lower CPUs or using impractically large heatsinks that likely require large or manually modified cases. I'll keep checking the site though. I really want a desktop quad core chip.
If the Streacom fanless mini-ITX cases don't work out, I'm just going to go with a small actively cooled setup instead.
Hopefully it is not an overheating brick like the last unit reviewed here... Dunno if it is just me, but an "industry" pc implies a little more than "no fan" - it also implies stability and reliability which are simply not there in a unit that runs at peak thermals all of the time. A ticking time bomb...
Not sure what you are referring to as a overheating brick.. Of all the fanless PCs I have had a chance to evaluate in the labs over here (including ones I built myself), nothing has come close to packing the raw CPU power while not throttling down in this particular form factor.
If you are going to run at peak thermals all the time, then, the i7-based units are not going to cut the grade (unless you opt for a ULV version). Most i7s dissipate between 35 - 84 W nowadays, and if it is a 'no-fan' system, that heat has to go somewhere :)
I don't know, Ganesh... most of the "industrial" systems I've seen are either wall-mounted or in a cabinet, in extremely punishing environments. Around lathes, CNC machines (which have their own cooling)... a lot of crap gets stuck in those radiators, and they do crash because they're seriously hot where they are placed. That's why NASA uses ten year-old conservative, hardened chips/FPGAs for control. Sometimes a Pentium-II/Untrasparc/940 is all you need.
If used as a fanless Media PC, then Habey and Chenbro both are falling out of a window ugly, need to be covered with a napkin, and will promptly overheat (or set the napkin on-fire). A $8 Rosewill 120mm fan is a beautiful thing.
You think they are ugly? They look like a standalone amp, to me. Better to be understated under the television than gaudy, so I can more easily ignore the box and enjoy my content. Of course, you can just got SFF and get quiet fans, which is probably a better solution. But I wouldn't cringe if I saw this in somebody's house.
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markc22 - Tuesday, October 15, 2013 - link
Anyone know of any non-industrial (read as "relatively cheap") small sealed fanless devices with an Intel quad core chip? I want a few USB 3.0 ports and 1 or 2 GigE ports. I don't need a video out but it should at least have a serial port for initially setting up a Linux install.Thanks!
slacr - Tuesday, October 15, 2013 - link
Perhaps something from http://www.streacom.com/ might suit you, they have fanless cases for NUC/ITX/mATX. They aren't sealed, but at least fanless. If you can find a motherboard to suit your tastes it'd probably be the cheapest solution available. With recent Intel quads you won't escape without video out though.markc22 - Tuesday, October 15, 2013 - link
Thanks, I'll check out the fanless ITX cases.svejko - Tuesday, October 15, 2013 - link
great small devicehttp://www.fit-pc.com/web/products/intense-pc/
markc22 - Tuesday, October 15, 2013 - link
I've seen those but I guess they went too small because they can only fit mobile ULV chips in them.asliarun - Tuesday, October 15, 2013 - link
I was looking for something similar for an audio server I've been wanting to build.I came across a real nice site for fanless cases: http://www.fanlesstech.com/
On the software side, OpenElec with XBMC looks real nice. Considering the small footprint of the OS, it should do well even with a weaker CPU.
markc22 - Tuesday, October 15, 2013 - link
Nice site, thanks. They seem to focus on setups with 35 W TDP or lower CPUs or using impractically large heatsinks that likely require large or manually modified cases. I'll keep checking the site though. I really want a desktop quad core chip.If the Streacom fanless mini-ITX cases don't work out, I'm just going to go with a small actively cooled setup instead.
ddriver - Tuesday, October 15, 2013 - link
Hopefully it is not an overheating brick like the last unit reviewed here... Dunno if it is just me, but an "industry" pc implies a little more than "no fan" - it also implies stability and reliability which are simply not there in a unit that runs at peak thermals all of the time. A ticking time bomb...ganeshts - Tuesday, October 15, 2013 - link
Not sure what you are referring to as a overheating brick.. Of all the fanless PCs I have had a chance to evaluate in the labs over here (including ones I built myself), nothing has come close to packing the raw CPU power while not throttling down in this particular form factor.If you are going to run at peak thermals all the time, then, the i7-based units are not going to cut the grade (unless you opt for a ULV version). Most i7s dissipate between 35 - 84 W nowadays, and if it is a 'no-fan' system, that heat has to go somewhere :)
dac7nco - Tuesday, October 15, 2013 - link
I don't know, Ganesh... most of the "industrial" systems I've seen are either wall-mounted or in a cabinet, in extremely punishing environments. Around lathes, CNC machines (which have their own cooling)... a lot of crap gets stuck in those radiators, and they do crash because they're seriously hot where they are placed. That's why NASA uses ten year-old conservative, hardened chips/FPGAs for control. Sometimes a Pentium-II/Untrasparc/940 is all you need.If used as a fanless Media PC, then Habey and Chenbro both are falling out of a window ugly, need to be covered with a napkin, and will promptly overheat (or set the napkin on-fire). A $8 Rosewill 120mm fan is a beautiful thing.
Daimon
evonitzer - Wednesday, October 16, 2013 - link
You think they are ugly? They look like a standalone amp, to me. Better to be understated under the television than gaudy, so I can more easily ignore the box and enjoy my content. Of course, you can just got SFF and get quiet fans, which is probably a better solution. But I wouldn't cringe if I saw this in somebody's house.meacupla - Wednesday, October 16, 2013 - link
Why do most, if not all, industrial fanless PCs feature very plain heatsinks only on the sides with the least surface area and so few heatpipes?It couldn't possibly be that hard to use another two sides (front and top), ribbing on the fins and 8 heatpipes, right?