Desktop with 200W of _passive_ heat dissipation

[Christoph.Krn]

Edit: Review at Phoronix

I don't normally write threads like these, but somehow I had the feeling that this might interest quite a few people here...


Earlier this year, the company Compulab has released a compact high-end desktop system with 200W (more precisely, 2 x 100W) of _PASSIVE_ heat dissipation called the Airtop.

That's already neat, but the really interesting part is that they're also offering design and licensing of their cooling technology for other companies to use in their products. Whether it would work in a Pyra-like form factor, I don't know (I doubt it), but they have, for example, already said that it would work in a redesigned Xbox One.


So... discuss?!?

 

[ible]

seems like they've facebooked about the rpi3 and how they could attach a heat plate of theirs to it...

they do free assessment of feasibility, so it's an option if things get real toasty with the prototype.

 

[PowerGod]

Really interesting, I'll bookmark it for the future... You can get a pretty powerful thing with a not so impressive price, considering all you can get without a fan... silence+less energy spent is cool

 

[ThinkPad]

Don't waste your money on this overpriced piece of crap.


5775C does not support DDR4 and for the half of that price you can build yourself a Skylake RIG.

FFS why you should put a bulky passive cooling on a 22 or 14nm Intel CPU ?!

EDIT: I am talking about Airtop-G

 

[Christoph.Krn]

seems like they've facebooked about the rpi3 and how they could attach a heat plate of theirs to it...

They have a lot of experience with small passively cooled systems, such as their Fit-PC line, but such low-power systems are relatively easy to cool (passively).

Their new passive cooling system with chimney effect is way, way more capable, which is what makes it so interesting. (Think about potential application in other high-power consumer products.)

This video on Youtube provides an overview: Airtop Natural Airflow introduction

 

[ible]

i think they will recommend that we include pipes out the side of the pyra for flames to come out.

 

[Klumpen]

seems like they've facebooked about the rpi3 and how they could attach a heat plate of theirs to it...

they do free assessment of feasibility, so it's an option if things get real toasty with the prototype.

 

[rygD]

With that quote from Torvalds, it seems like he and the late Steve Jobs liked the same thing.

It got my attention, but it is unlikely that I will buy one of their computers. My background is usually louder than my computer fans, and if it really bothered me I would just use headphones and blast other sounds at myself.

i think they will recommend that we include pipes out the side of the pyra for flames to come out.

Give it a flame paintjob and those flames will be a feature. It can be the badass hotrod of gaming handhelds.

I get the feeling that many "gamers" out there wouldn't catch that reference. Does this mean I am old, now? Maybe I am wrong, since the most recent one seemed to have a ton of advertising (so, popularity?), and I just found out he pops out in 9, as well. I miss stopping by the laundromat after school and playing MKII, back when I was good.

 

[comradekingu]

So convection is patentable now? No thanks compulab, you got rid of your one good engineer.

 

[Grench]

So convection is patentable now?

I had that exact same thought. This design isn't particularly novel as 'natural air flow' over a heat exchanger designs have existed for over a hundred years in the form of steam and hot water radiators.

As to applicability to the Pyra - I don't see any application of this design - unless the Pyra grows by about 3+mm in thickness to provide an air movement gap between the battery and the SoC board - and only use it open 170* with the keyboard vertical to gravity - which is not really an option.

 

[Neelix]

As to applicability to the Pyra - I don't see any application of this design - unless the Pyra grows by about 3+mm in thickness to provide an air movement gap between the battery and the SoC board - and only use it open 170* with the keyboard vertical to gravity - which is not really an option.

The only way I can see it working on something the shape and size of the Pyra would be on the back of the lid. then at least there's a decent chance of it being near vertical during use, and the height of the base will provide the needed air-gap. Of course then you would need some way of moving all that heat efficiently through the hinge...

-Neelix

 

[Christoph.Krn]

Phoronix did a review: http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=compulab-airtop-linux&num=1

 

[Klumpen]

Can it boil water with the excess heat?
Always having fresh tea (or coffee if you're into that) when idling around would be great.

Maybe we could use such a system to run the Pyra at max speed (and have some tea of course).

 

[Christoph.Krn]

There is currently a Kickstarter campaign for a more capable variant (GeForce GTX 1080):

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1065085597/airtop2-inferno/comments

 

[Askarus]

That looks nice.
I wish my Laptop was silent.
Why is there no 17 inch Laptop without a fan?

But it's to expensive for me. I have no use for such a system.

 

[benoitb]

It's nice that the option exists but I also would prefer a classic ventilated system with components chosen so that the fans run quiet and the noise level is very low. I care about quietness but not about absolute silence so I wouldn't pay the premium price for that.
As some point you still risk hearing the coils, right ?

 

[levi]

Didn't we already have a thread that covered the airtop? To be fair though, that came from the direction of pocket-sized fanless computers and expanded to cover the airtop, since it's by some of the same people.

 

[spud42]

this is it, its been necro'd..lol resurected from 2016.......

 

[Inimuk]

That looks nice.
I wish my Laptop was silent.
Why is there no 17 inch Laptop without a fan?

But it's to expensive for me. I have no use for such a system.

Shoot accidentally deleted my post rather than editing. I'll try to rewrite what I wrote

Such laptops do exist, though they are "2-in-1/ultraportable", can do some light gaming on them. Where I live, what would have been the top-end of these devices from 2 years ago sell for dirt cheap on the local buy/used groups.

For reference: https://www.ultrabookreview.com/6520-fanless-ultrabooks/
________________________________


Standard computer components will still need a bit of environmental circulation otherwise they'll throttle like mad. Current generation tech is more sensitive to temperatures. Probably would not do so well in a cabinet with a full 1080 and stuffed to the gills with 2.5" HDD's.

LTT seems to be the only one on YouTube with a physical box that isn't a render or robot voice.
Open box at 3:49

They also modded the 6-pin to a 4-pin PCIe and DIY bolted its heatsink . Seems a little janky to me, but that's their prototype I'm guessing?

 

[Askarus]

Such laptops do exist, though they are "2-in-1/ultraportable", can do some light gaming on them. Where I live, what would have been the top-end of these devices from 2 years ago sell for dirt cheap on the local buy/used groups.

For reference: https://www.ultrabookreview.com/6520-fanless-ultrabooks/

Did you read the Link?
I clearly stated I wanted a 17'' Laptop.
Those mention 14 and 15 inch ones.