Tranquil PC launches passive cases for Intel's NUC

January 28, 2013 | 11:18

Tags: #aluminium #home-theatre-pc #htpc #media-centre #next-unit-of-computing #nuc #passive-cooling #vesa-mount

Companies: #intel #tranquil-pc

Quiet computing specialist Tranquil PC has launched a pair of new passively-cooled chassis, designed specifically for the Intel Next Unit of Computing (NUC) ultra-compact motherboards.

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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