Passive PC

[[GSV]Trig]

Or maybe not...?

Looking for a PC that'll run Windows 7 in a dusty environment, was thinking something passively cooled with an external PSU?


Any suggestions?

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

The Asus E35MI-I Deluxe is a passively cooled mini-ITX AMD Zacate motherboard:

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/mot...ards-preview/3

It is still not available but with other Zacate motherboards starting to appear at retail I suspect it will appear in a few weeks.

There is also the mATX Asus E35M1-M PRO for around £108:

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/asus-...board-graphics

[MSIC]

My initial thought was to consider the Zalman TNN 300 case (see Hexus review here from 2005), however a bit of Googling shows that it seems to no longer be in production.
A shame, as it would be perfect for your needs i think.
Ebay maybe?

[Halk]

Just a suggestion, but if you do get a PC that'll run passive - the AMD one that Cat5 recommended is performance per watt wise unbeatable - then consider sticking a fan on it anyway. Running components at the extra chunk less temperature will increase their life, and if the dust does clog things up then no harm done as it's able to run passive anyway. You can cover the fan in an old pair of tights if you want to be able de-dust it.

[Pob255]

My initial thought was to consider the Zalman TNN 300 case (see Hexus review here from 2005), however a bit of Googling shows that it seems to no longer be in production.
A shame, as it would be perfect for your needs i think.
Ebay maybe?

Exactly what I thought.
bit expensive and hard to find though.

How about water cooling and one of the zalman passive external rads http://www.zalman.com/ENG/product/Pr...ad.asp?idx=183 again not that cheap

Simple way would be to get a well sealed case (ie one without a lot of holes&vents) make it positive pressure and make sure all the intake fans have double filtering, a mesh filter and then a foam filter, finally clean them regularly

[jim]

If you want something more powerful, Tranquil do some passive i5 machines.

[[GSV]Trig]

The machine wont do much outside of web browsing, printing, email and our warehouse system.
Its going to be in the deep darkside of the packing room so dont want anything expensive or anything that I have to maintain..

[scaryjim]

One option would be to track down an Athlon II X2 250u - it's a dual core, 1.6GHz CPU with a 25W TDP that a lot of third party coolers should be able to handle without fans. Not easy to get hold of though, I can only find it on ebay as an american import at the moment. Really wish I'd got hold of one when a UK-based company had them for < £40...

Alternatively you could pick up a Sempron 140: they undervolt like a mad thing which brings the heat output down massively, and if you put it in a case with room for a decent-sized heatpipe/tower heatsink I reckon it'd happily run passive (mine stays at < 30C with the stock, *very* low profile HSF with the fan running at ~ 2000rpm). In a standard tower case with a 120mm tower heatsink no fan I reckon an undervolteed Sempron 140 would be more than happy!

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

The E350 has a TDP of 18W for both the CPU and IGP.

[Halk]

Indeed and there will be at least one that comes all passive and ready to go - when I say one I mean board and CPU combined, as they are selling them as one unit. Asus have two, a normal passive and a deluxe (which has the wifis). If you can hold off for a couple of months you'll be able to see the whole lineup, apparently lots of folks are going for Brazos.

[MSIC]

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...d=1916&subcat=

What do you think?

[Queelis]

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...d=1916&subcat=

What do you think?

Atom makes people sad.

Wait for Zacate, maybe? Would be perfect for browsing.

[HeikaOnTour]

I have a ASUS E35M1-I Deluxe here on my table and I can say that the temperatures aren't in a critical region. It's the most time in the region between 30-40°C and wouldn't need an extra fan but I use it. With the WLAN-controller and the magentic antennas, it's really good to use and have a reception comparable to notebooks. That was a point which makes me angry using a normal stick with my normal PC.
The worst fact of the ASUS is the price... it's a little bit more expensive than the others. And the software is often not really optimized. You will need maybe a few updates here and then to get the maximum out of the system.

The system is better than a comparable Atom-System... I forgot to say a something to that. SATA 6 Gbit/s, the better graphics and nearly 20% more computing power. (pls, the last number is a worth out of my mind, don't see it as an ultimate worth)... and then you have the possibility for GPU-computing with the right applications

[riviera76]

How about a laptop? My flatmates laptop never powers up the fans so although it does have vents it won't be sucking in the air/dust. You can then add in external monitor and keyboard / mouse so you can keep the laptop out of the way (and away from the dust as well).

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

The Asus E35M1-I Deluxe is £115:

http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/p...1-IDELUXE.html

You can also get cashback from TopCashBack and Quidco on Novatech purchases.

[[GSV]Trig]

MMm thats nice...