Tranquil PC launches passive cases for Intel's NUC
Tranquil PC's NUC case provides entirely-passive cooling and optional VESA mount compatibility, at the cost of an increased device footprint.
Brought to our attention by the guys over at FanlessTech, the Tranquil NUC cases are compatible with both Intel NUC motherboards thus far unveiled - the D33217CK, which features Thunderbolt capabilities, and the D33217GKE, which instead has gigabit Ethernet compatibility.
Moving the NUC to a Tranquil PC case does mean sacrificing a little desk space: while the NUC motherboard itself measures just 10cm on a side, and the official case only a little more, the Tranquil NUC - as the aluminium chassis has been named - measures 11cm x 16.4cm and is 4.7cm tall. That's still pretty compact, but not quite as impressive as Intel's official NUC case - until, that is, you take note of what the Tranquil version lacks: fans.
Constructed from solid aluminium, the Tranquil NUC cases are designed to operate entirely passively, acting as a heatsink with a claimed surface area of 11,000cm². The result is a case capable of dissipating the heat output of the NUC's Ivy Bridge Core i3-3217U without the annoyance of a whining fan - something small form factor systems, which typically can't spare the room for a slow-turning 92mm or 120mm fan, are notorious for.
Tranquil PC claims the cases are easy to fit, and come with all fittings, screws and a pre-wired power switch and power LED which is fitted to the rear of the case. The company further claims that the passive system offers cooling in excess of the fan-based official NUC case, reporting temperatures of between 5 and 15 degrees Celsius lower with the Tranquil NUC case fitted.
Both cases are available to buy now direct from Tranquil PC, priced at £99. A VESA plate, for mounting the case to the back of a TV or onto a wall, is also available for an additional £17.
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9 Comments
Discuss in the forums ReplyThis case looks awesome. Would like dual nic though!
Not sure if woth it, but very nice.
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/intel-ice-canyon-nuc-barebone-unit-core-i3-3217u-dual-core-18ghz-intel-qs77-express-ddr3-2x-hdmi-g-b
Of course it is.
Tranquil make virtually all of their cases now from solid aluminium, and basically turn the entire case into a massive heatsink.
Comparing it to a few bits of plastic glued together is pointless.
The standard NUC chassis is actually a really nice bit of kit, the sides are (from what I can tell) aluminium and there's a steel inner frame too. It's only the top that's the shiny plastic to let the wifi in and out, overall it feels really solid and well made.
Also at idle the standard cooler is properly quiet, and when it does turn the fan up it's not really that loud :)
I meant that as a reaction to Combatus and him thinking about the separate board and buying Akasa Enigma - which is IMO pointless. Either get the NUC in the original case, or the board & this Tranquil case.