[srb]

I looked at photos of the Shuttle i5 slim PC, but couldn't see any details of processor cooling.

But they use Broadwell series processors (successor to Haswell), of which there are certain models of i5 and i7 that have a TDP of 15W, although other i5 and i7 Broadwell processors have TDPs of 28W, 47W and 65W.

People have often questioned the relentless release of new processors saying "how much computing power do we need", but the true value of this ongoing innovation of micro architecture (14nm for Broadwell vs 22nm for Haswell) for many is the trend for lower power consumption, and therefore lower heat and the promise of silent PCs.

Steve

[RDavidson]

They are indeed simple to build, but not necessarily easy to troubleshoot, should the build not run perfectly on first try. That can sometimes require a bit more know-how. If you're a newb to computer building, I think it's best not to do it entirely alone....as with most things of technical complexity.

[DaveC113]

I have little interest or knowledge of the subject, unless it's going to save me a lot of cash I'm not going to consider anything I can't just plug in and use. For the kind of computer I'm looking at it just doesn't seem worth it.

[tx2sturgis]

Try the Fit line...mine is an Intense PC, also called a Mintbox if you get it with Linux Mint.

http://www.fit-pc.com

[firedog]

I use a Fit-PC as my fanless desktop model and am very happy with it.

[wisnon]

As happy as you will be with the MicroRendu?

Danny, I agree with you...its gonna sell really well.

[DaveC113]

As happy as you will be with the MicroRendu?

Danny, I agree with you...its gonna sell really well.

Wrong thread? 

[DaveC113]

I decided I really need fanless so I will go with a ASRock Beebox N3000 ($129) with:

- Samsung 850 Evo 500 GB SSD - $195

- (2x) 4-GB DDR3 RAM (One is free with purchase of Beebox via NewEgg) - $30

- Samsung 2.5" 2 TB HDD - $110

- Windows 10... Any recs on exactly which version to go with?  ~$120

Grand total is just under $600. It's a little cheaper and I get better parts vs a complete unit.

[Odal3]

Keep an eye on sites like slickdeals for discounts: here's a ssd:
http://slickdeals.net/f/8020055-500gb-samsung-850-evo-2-5-solid-state-drive-ssd-149-99-free-shipping

You often need to act fast before they sell out.

[DaveC113]

^Yeah, missed that, but I need the mSATA version anyway... 

Win 10 Pro is being packaged with Acronis True Image backup software for $139, bringing the grand total to $604 shipped.

I'll pull the trigger pretty soon unless anyone has any other recommendations to consider.... 

Also, the fit-pc line looks nice but is more expensive. I think the N3000 CPU will work fine for my uses and the fact it only uses 4 watts is nice.

[Doublej]

Why go fanless if you are going to put a spinning hard drive in it?

[DaveC113]

Why go fanless if you are going to put a spinning hard drive in it?

Fans are at least 20 dB, my HDDs are not audible unless your ear is up to the case. Some high speed HDDs can be noisy but the slow-spinning ones I have are not. I seriously doubt it'll be an issue, if it is I'll get rid of it or put in in a case and use it as an external that I'd only plug in when needed. I'm thinking a 500 GB SSD + 2 TB HDD will be all I'll need and external drives will just be used as backup drives.

[Doublej]

Got it. Some of the fans on the site below claim to be be below 20dB.

www.quietpcusa.com/

[DaveC113]

Trigger pulled! 

For right at $800 I got the ASRock Beebox N3000, Samsung 850 Evo 500 GB SSD, Samsung 2TB HDD, 2x4GB RAM, LG 22" 16x9 HD Monitor w/IPS screen, Logitech MX800 Keyboard/Mouse combo, Win 10 Pro with Acronis True Image backup software.

Whew! I'm tired of spending time researching options but I think I got nicer parts vs going with the prebuilt option and saved some cash too. I scored the monitor for $109, and the Logitech kb/mouse for $90, I think I did pretty good there... they will be huge upgrades over using my laptop and 12 y/o mini-mouse.

Can't wait to hear the silence! 

[jtwrace]

Can't wait to hear the silence! 

Almost silent.  Those spinning HD's are a bit too noisy in my room.  This is where a NAS is very nice. 

[DaveC113]

Almost silent.  Those spinning HD's are a bit too noisy in my room.  This is where a NAS is very nice.

yeah, we will see... the HDD is only about $100 so if I can't use it it won't be a huge loss. My room is sitting in the low 30 dBA range ambient...

[jtwrace]

My room is sitting in the low 30 dBA range ambient...

You will hear it then.

[DaveC113]

You will hear it then.

I don't want to hear it! (two meanings...  )

[jtwrace]

I don't want to hear it! (two meanings...  )

OK, you will be fine then.   

[DaveC113]

Ok, it's up and running. It takes about 10 min to load the memory and storage drives. I can't believe how small the mSATA SSDs are!

Win 10 Pro OEM was a tiny bit of a PITA as it does not provide the functionality to create a USB drive install, so I just did it online and typed in the key code that came with the CD. After that it took about 20 min to go through everything and install Win 10 pro on my computer.

If anyone else is doing this the retail version of Win 10 isn't available yet, it might be best to buy Win 7 and upgrade from there as the OEM license will not allow me to transfer the OS to another machine. If you get Win 7 and upgrade the price is the same as Win 10 OEM and you have more flexibility AFAIK. But Win 10 is packaged with Acronis True Image backup/HDD cloning software on NewEgg which is a nice bonus.

I'll update and let you know how it works once I get files and apps on it.

So far the HDD is unnoticeable as far as noise goes.    I bought a slow-spinning HDD for this reason, I've had higher speed ones in the past that were loud. I figure with a 500 GB SSD the HDD can be slow as it'll just be used for file storage.