Interesting Computers
Interesting Computers
Introduction
Here are some computers I find interesting. See also: Interesting Computer Cases, Interesting Power Supplies, Interesting Processors.
Idea of a Silent Computer
Quote from a Customer Review for a Fanless Power Supply
"Like beauty, silence is in the ear of the beholder...Power supply silence is not just about the absence of fan noise, but electrical noise as well."
"What a gamer thinks is silent is different from what a silence fanatic thinks."
"Most gaming rigs have multiple fans creating a hideous cacophony of noise, and it's hard to tell how quiet another component actually is. This is why reviews for "silent" or "quiet" components are so relative and misleading."
"I've built a pc with silence as its main objective. I use low RPM Noctua fans for case and exhaust which are essentially silent, and have a fanless graphics card. Any offending component introduced into my system which wails like a banshee is quickly exposed."
"My lower end pc power supply was the last piece of the puzzle which needed to be upgraded (the continually spinning 120mm fan was constantly on and audible). I tried a higher end PS in the Corsair HX series. It has a fanless mode under low load but had some annoying coil whine even at idle levels--it sounded like a distant woodpecker. Packed her up and took her back for a refund."
"Continued to agonize for the next few weeks over what to get. Was concerned over random reviews which said that the Seasonic Fanless Series exhibited some coil whine (electrical noise). I'm very relieved that the 520 is DEAD SILENT. Took a gamble, and maybe got a quiet one. Perhaps the negative internet reviews are rare cases IDK. Buyer beware."
Source: Amazon.
Chromebit
Asus Chromebit CS10
Comments: stick computer with Chrome OS.
Processor: 1.8GHz Rockchip RK3288-C.
GPU: ARM Mali-T764.
RAM: 2GB LPDDR3.
Storage: 16GB eMMC (100GB Google Drive for 2 year free usage).
Connectivity: HDMI (I should be able to use HDMI to DVI-D cable), USB 2.0, Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac), Bluetooth 4.0.
OS: Chrome OS (this can be a problem, because I want to use LibreOffice, not Google Drive for editing documents).
Power adapter: included, 18 W.
Price: $85.
Date: 5/2016.
Chromebook
Acer AC700-1090 11.6-Inch Chromebook (3G)
Comments: laptop with Chrome OS.
Screen: 11.6".
Processor: Intel Atom N570 1.66GHz (1MB Cache).
RAM: 2 GB SDRAM.
Hard drive: 16 GB Solid-State Hard Drive.
Price: $409.32.
Date: 6/2012.
Info: Amazon.
Chromebox
Chromebox: Samsung Series 3 Chromebox
Comments: desktop computer with Chrome OS.
Processor: 1.9 GHz Celeron B840.
RAM: 4 GB.
Hard drive: 16 GB.
Networking and wireless: Wireless-N Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0, Gigabit Ethernet.
Connectivity: 6 x USB 2.0, 2 x DisplayPort, DVI, microphone and headphone combo jack.
Price: $329.99.
Date: 5/2012.
DIY Small Computer
Small A4 PC
Comments: small and silent PC. I don't know about WebGL on Linux compatibility if there is no graphics card (Google Chrome doesn't like AMD).
Processor: AMD A4 X2 3300 2.5 GHz FM1-slot (dual core) (Radeon HD 6410D graphics chip) (54,90 €).
Motherboard: Asus F1A75-M AMD A75 FM1 MicroATX (85,90 €).
Case: Antec NSK1480-EC microATX (2 x 3,5" internal, 5,25" external, 350 W) (114,90 €).
RAM: Corsair 4GB (2X2GB) DDR3 1333MHz kit (46,90 €).
Hard drive: Samsung F3 500 GB 3.5" 8.9 ms SATA2 7200 RPM 16 MB (72,90 €).
Optical drive: Asus DRW-24B5ST/BLK/G/AS 24x DVD+/-RW (21,90 €).
Graphics card: see processor.
Price: 397,40 €.
Date: 6/2012.
Info: Processor, Motherboard, Case, RAM, hard drive, optical drive.
Small Atom PC
Comments: small and silent PC. Mini ITX is used for multimedia PCs (like PVRs). I don't know about compatibility with a mobile processor.
Processor: Intel Atom D525 (price: see motherboard).
Motherboard: Asus AT5IONT-I Deluxe ION Mini ITX with Intel Atom D525 (restrictions: SO-DIMM 800 MHz, SATA 3Gb/s) (USB3, HDMI) (219,90 €).
Case: Antec ISK 310-150 Mini-ITX (2 x 2,5" internal, 5,25" external, 150 W) (85,90 €).
RAM: Kingston KVR800D3S8S6/2G 2 GB 800 MHz DDR3 Non-ECC SODIMM (14,90 €).
Hard drive: Western Digital VelociRaptor 150GB 2.5" SATA 3.0 Gb/s (146,90 €).
Optical drive: Asus DRW-24B5ST/BLK/G/AS 24x DVD+/-RW (21,90 €).
Graphics card: see processor.
Price: 521,50 €.
Date: 6/2012.
Info: Motherboard and processor, Case, RAM, hard drive, optical drive.
Small i3 PC
Comments: small and silent PC.
Processor: Intel Core i3 2100 3.1 GHz (Intel HD Graphics 2000) (LGA1155 socket) (115,90 €).
Motherboard: Asus P8H61-M B3 Intel H61 LGA1155 MicroATX (78,90 €).
Case: Antec NSK1480-EC microATX (2 x 3,5" internal, 5,25" external, 350 W) (114,90 €).
RAM: Corsair 4GB (2X2GB) DDR3 1333MHz kit (46,90 €).
Hard drive: Samsung F3 500 GB 3.5" 8.9 ms SATA2 7200 RPM 16 MB (72,90 €).
Optical drive: Asus DRW-24B5ST/BLK/G/AS 24x DVD+/-RW (21,90 €).
Graphics card: see processor.
Price: 451,40 €.
Date: 6/2012.
Info: Processor, Motherboard, Case, RAM, hard drive, optical drive.
Mini Computer (for Projects)
JaguarBoard
Comments: mini computer, kick starter project.
Processor: Intel Atom Z3735G (x86 architecture).
RAM: 1GB DDR3L.
Storage: 16GB of eMMC.
OS: Android, Linux, Windows (Windows 10 Anniversary Update requires 2GB).
Price: $65.
Date: 5/2016.
Info: Geeky Gadgets, Hot Hardware.
ODROID XU4
Comments: mini computer.
Processor: Samsung Exynos5422 Cortex, 8-core (ARM v7).
GPU: Mali-T628 MP6 (OpenGL ES 3.0/2.0/1.1 and OpenCL 1.1 Full profile).
RAM: 2GB LPDDR3 933 MHz.
Storage: eMMC5.0 HS400 Flash Storage.
Connectivity: HDMI 1.4a (I should be able to use HDMI to DVI-D cable), two USB3.0, one USB 2.0, Gigabit Ethernet.
OS: Ubuntu 15.04 (with OpenGL + OpenCL support), Android 4.4 KitKat, Android 5.0 Lollipop.
Price: $75.
Date: 5/2016.
Info: Micronauts, Hardkernel.
Raspberry Pi 3 Model B
Comments: mini computer for Linux use.
Processor: 1.2 GHz 64-bit quad-core ARM Cortex-A53.
GPU: Broadcom VideoCore IV @ 250 MHz (BCM2837: 3D part of GPU @ 300 MHz, video part of GPU @ 400 MHz), OpenGL ES 2.0 (BCM2835, BCM2836: 24 GFLOPS / BCM2837: 28.8 GFLOPS), MPEG-2 and VC-1 (with license), 1080p30 H.264/MPEG-4 AVC high-profile decoder and encoder (BCM2837: 1080p60).
RAM: 1 GB (shared with GPU).
Connectivity: 10/100 Mbit/s Ethernet, Wi-Fi (802.11n wireless), Bluetooth 4.1.
Power usage: 800 mA (4.0 W) (my current phone power adapters with 850 mA should be fine because I'm also using a powered USB router).
Price: $35.
Date: 5/2016.
Silent Desktop Computer
Already have one
I already have one silent desktop computer, which is Mac Mini, but I'm looking for a silent Windows desktop computer also.
Microsoft Visual Studio 2015 Requirements
1.6 GHz or faster processor. Logic Supply CL100 has barely the minimum.
Logic Supply ML100G-10 Fanless NUC PC (reviewer)
Comments: silent PC.
Processor: Intel Celeron N2930 1.83 GHz.
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics.
RAM: 1x4GB Samsung DDR3-1600 SODIMM @ 1333 MHz CL9 1.35V (reviewer's system).
Hard drive: 128GB SSD Transcend MSA370 (reviewer's system).
Connectivity: 2 x HDMI (I should be able to use HDMI to DVI-D cable), 1 x USB 3.0, 3 x USB 2.0, 2 x Gigabit LAN.
Optical drive: none.
OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home 64-bit (reviewer's system).
Price: $559 (reviewer's system).
Date: 5/2016.
Info: Silent PC Review, Logic Supply.
Supermicro SuperServer 5018A-FTN4 Barebones 1U Rackmount Server
Comments: silent PC.
Processor: Intel Atom C2758, CPU TDP 20W (8-Core), FCBGA 1283, System-on-Chip.
RAM: 4x2GB Hynix ECC-SO-UDIMM DDR3-1333 (reviewer's system), 4x 204-pin DDR3 SO-DIMM sockets, supports up to 32GB DDR3 ECC memory.
Hard drive: 120GB SSD Kingston HyperX 3K (reviewer's system).
Graphics: BMC integrated Aspeed AST2400.
Optical drive: Asus BC-1205PT Blu-ray drive (reviewer's system).
OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit (reviewer's system).
Price: $500 (reviewer's system).
Date: 5/2016.
Info: Silent PC Review.
Certified Silent Puget Serenity Pro
Comments: silent PC.
Processor: Intel Core i7 3770K Quad-core 3.5GHz 77W, Ivy Bridge, Socket 1155.
RAM: 2 x Kingston DDR3-1600 8GB.
Hard drive: WD Caviar Green 2.0 tb 6Gb/s.
Graphics: ASUS Geforce GTX 670 2gb DirectCU II.
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V Pro.
Case: Antec P183 V3.
Power supply: Seasonic X-560.
OS: Windows 8 Pro 64-bit.
Price: $1693.
Date: 5/2016.
Info: Silent PC Review.
Acer RL70-UR10P Desktop
Comments: silent PC.
Processor: AMD E Series 1.65GHz (1MB Cache).
RAM: 2 GB SDRAM.
Hard drive: 500 GB 5400 rpm.
Graphics card: AMD Radeon HD 6310.
Graphics RAM: 256 MB.
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit.
Price: $320.98.
Date: 6/2012.
Info: Amazon.
JETWAY JBC200C91-230B BAREBONE PC
Comments: silent PC.
Processor: Intel Atom 230 1,6 GHz 533MHz.
Case: mini-ITX.
Chip: Intel 945GC+ICH7.
RAM: 1x DIMM DDR2 667/533MHz (max. 2 GB).
Graphics: Intel GMA 950.
Internal I/O: 2x SATA2, 1x IDE,1x PCI.
Slots: 2.5" HDD, 1x 3.5" ODD SLIM.
PSU (external): 100 W.
Front panel: 1x SlimDVD, 2x USB 2.0.
Back panel: 4x USB 2.0, 1x PS2, 1x LAN, 1x serial, VGA, 3x audio, 1x parallel port, 1x PCI.
Measurements: 21 (width) x 25,8 (depth) x 6,5 (height) cm.
Price: 195 €.
Date: 6/2012.
Lenovo IdeaCentre Q180 31102KU Desktop
Comments: silent PC.
Processor: Intel Atom D2700 2.3 GHz (1MB Cache).
RAM: 2 GB SDRAM DDR3.
Hard drive: 320 GB 5400 rpm.
Graphics card: AMD Radeon HD 6450.
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit.
Price: $339.99.
Date: 6/2012.
Info: Amazon.
Silent Desktop Computer: Logic Supply Comparison
Approximate Performance
Intel Core Architecture > Intel Low Power Architecture.
Broadwell (i3) > Braswell > Bay Trail > Cedarview.
All Of The Below
All of the below Logic Supply computers have my choices: memory 8GB and storage 64GB.
Windows
i5 vs. i3. The Intel i5-5300U and i3-5010U seem to be pretty much the same performance-wise. The Intel i5-5300U and i3-5010U recommended customer prices are the same ($281) according to Intel, but in reality those prices are different. Maybe that is Intel's mistake.
Windows: OEM vs. Retail. I don't know which version Logic Supply will sell. Don't buy an OEM version, because it's for one computer and can't be transferred to other computers. On the other hand Windows 10 might only be for one computer unlike previous Windows versions.
DVD. DVD installation disc might be easier than online installation. I have an external DVD drive: Apple MacBook Air SuperDrive. External DVD drive will cost about $30.
IDE development. Windows 10 is more useful for software development than older versions. Windows 10 Home 64-bit English will cost about $139.
Text editing only. Windows 7 might be fine for only editing text (no more new features, extended support ends 2020). Windows 7 Professional 64-bit English will cost about 175 €.
Logic Supply ML100G-30 Industrial Intel Broadwell Fanless NUC Computer with i5 option
Comments: i5 is not that much better than i3.
Processor: Intel Broadwell Core i5-5300U 2.3GHz Dual Core (2-core, 64-bit, 15W, DirectX 11.2 support, OpenGL 4.3 support, Intel Clear Video HD Technology, maximum memory size 16GB, Turbo Boost 2.0, vPro, VT-x, VT-d, TSX-NI, 14nm, 2015).
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 5500.
RAM: 8GB DDR3L 1600MHz SO-DIMM.
Hard drive: 64GB SSD Transcend M.2 22x80.
Connectivity: 2 x Mini DisplayPort (I should be able to use Mini DisplayPort to DisplayPort adapter), 4 x USB 3.0, 1 Gb LAN port.
Optical drive: none.
Price: $816.
Date: 5/2016.
Info: Logic Supply.
Logic Supply ML100G-30 Industrial Intel Broadwell Fanless NUC Computer with i3 option
Processor: Intel Broadwell Core i3-5010U 2.1GHz Dual Core (2-core, 64-bit, 15W, DirectX 11.2 support, OpenGL 4.3 support, Intel Clear Video HD Technology, maximum memory size 16GB, VT-x, VT-d, 14nm, 2015).
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 5500.
RAM: 8GB DDR3L 1600MHz SO-DIMM.
Hard drive: 64GB SSD Transcend M.2 22x80.
Connectivity: 2 x Mini DisplayPort (I should be able to use Mini DisplayPort to DisplayPort adapter), 4 x USB 3.0, 1 Gb LAN port.
Optical drive: none.
Price: $657.
Date: 5/2016.
Info: Logic Supply.
Logic Supply ML100G-10 Industrial Intel Bay Trail Fanless NUC Computer
Processor: Intel Celeron N2930 1.83 GHz (64-bit, 4-core, 7.5W, maximum memory size 8GB, VT-x, 22nm, 2014).
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics.
RAM: 8GB DDR3L 1600 SO-DIMM.
Hard drive: 64GB SSD Transcend M.2 22x80.
Connectivity: 2 x HDMI, 1 x USB 3.0, 3 x USB 2.0, 2 x Gigabit LAN.
Optical drive: none.
Price: $550.00.
Date: 5/2016.
Info: Logic Supply.
Logic Supply ML340G-10 Low Profile Fanless Industrial Computer with Braswell
Comments: Barely minimum for Microsoft Visual Studio (1.6 GHz processor).
Processor: Intel Celeron N3150 1.6 GHz (4-core, 64-bit, 6W, DirectX support, OpenGL support, Intel Clear Video HD Technology, USB 3.0, maximum memory size 8GB, VT-x, 14nm, 2015).
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics.
RAM: 8GB DDR3L 1600 SO-DIMM.
Hard drive: 64GB SSD Transcend M.2 22x80.
Connectivity: 1 x HDMI, 1 x VGA, 2 x USB 3.0, 2 x USB 2.0, 2 x Gigabit LAN.
Optical drive: none.
Price: $626.95.
Date: 5/2016.
Info: Logic Supply.
Logic Supply CL100 Industrial Fanless Mini PC for 4k Media
Comments: Barely minimum for Microsoft Visual Studio (1.6 GHz processor).
Processor: Intel Celeron N3150 1.6 GHz.
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics.
RAM: 8GB DDR3L 1600 SO-DIMM.
Hard drive: 64GB SSD Transcend 370 mSATA.
Connectivity: 1 x DisplayPort, 2 x HDMI, 2 x USB 3.0, 1 x Gigabit LAN, 1 DC input jack (12 V).
Optical drive: none.
Price: $400.
Date: 6/2016.
Info: Logic Supply.
Logic Supply Atom-ML310 Industrial Fanless Intel Atom NUC Computer (Bay Trail)
Processor: Intel Atom E3815 1.46 GHz (1-core, 64-bit, 5W, USB 3.0, VT-x, 22nm, 2013).
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics.
RAM: 8GB DDR3L 1600 SO-DIMM.
Hard drive: 64GB SSD Transcend M.2 22x80.
Connectivity: 1 x HDMI, 1 x VGA, 4 x USB 2.0, 1 x LAN.
Optical drive: none.
Price: $481.00.
Date: 5/2016.
Info: Logic Supply.
Logic Supply AG150 Industrial Fanless Intel Atom Computer (Cedarview)
Processor: Intel Atom N2800 1.86 GHz (2-core, 64-bit, 6.5W, maximum memory size 4GB, 32nm, 2011).
Graphics: Intel GMA 3650.
RAM: 8GB DDR3L 1600 SO-DIMM.
Hard drive: 64GB SSD Transcend M.2 22x80.
Connectivity: 1 x HDMI, 1 x VGA, 6 x USB 2.0, 1 x Gigabit LAN.
Optical drive: none.
Price: $419.00.
Date: 5/2016.
Info: Logic Supply.
Silent Laptop
Acer Aspire E3-111-C4J4
Comments: silent laptop. I don't know about the hard drive.
Screen: 11.6".
Processor: Intel Celeron N2930, 1.83 GHz, Quad-core (4 Core).
RAM: 4 GB (max. 8 GB).
Hard drive: 500 GB.
OS: Windows 8.1.
Price: about $250.
Date: 7/2014.
Info: acer.com, liliputing.com.
Small Password Device
Acer AC700-1090 11.6-Inch Chromebook (3G)
See "Chromebook".
DEll Inspiron Mini 10
Comments: small laptop for passwords.
Screen: 10.1".
Processor: Atom N450 1.66 GHz.
RAM: 1 GB DDR2 SDRAM.
Hard drive: 250 GB.
Date: 6/2012.
Info: Amazon.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1
Comments: small tablet PC for passwords.
Screen: 10.1".
Storage: 16 GB.
Price: $131.25.
Date: 6/2012.
HP Mini 210-4150NR 10.1-Inch Netbook
Comments: small laptop for passwords.
Screen: 10.1".
Processor: 1.6 GHz Atom N2600.
RAM: 1 GB DDR3.
Hard drive: 320 GB.
Date: 6/2012.
Info: Amazon.
Toshiba Mini NB505-N508BL 10.1" LED Netbook - PLL50U-01R00C
Comments: small laptop for passwords.
Display: 10.1".
Processor: Intel Atom N455 1.66 GHz.
RAM: 1 GB.
Hard drive: 250 GB.
OS: Genuine Windows 7 Starter.
Price: $289.95.
Date: 6/2012.
Info: Neobits.
Stick Computer
Asus Chromebit CS10
See "Chromebit".
Intel Compute Stick 2GB (2016)
Comments: stick computer.
Processor: 1.44GHz Intel Atom x5-Z8300, quad-core.
GPU: 128MB (dedicated) Intel HD Graphics.
Graphics: 4k.
RAM: 2GB DDR3L SDRAM 1600MHz (other option: 4GB).
Storage: 32GB SSD.
Connectivity: HDMI (I should be able to use HDMI to DVI-D cable), one USB 3.0, one USB 2.0, Wi-Fi (Wireless 802.11ac (Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265)), Bluetooth 4.0.
OS: Windows 10 Home.
Price: $159.
Date: 5/2016.
Info: Amazon, CNET, Intel, Tom's Guide.
Last modified: June 20th, 2016
Author: Tomi Häsä (tomi.hasa@gmail.com)
URL: http://sites.google.com/site/tomihasa/interesting-computers