Category Archives: Desktops

Pro Kwality Case

More than five years ago, when I retired my desktop Motoko, I thought I was done with desktops for good. Reasons for eliminating desktops from the “fleet” had ranged from size to dust to depreciation, but boy have times have changed. In early 2014 I replaced my T430 with the DC53427HYE, and that addressed all the previously mentioned concerns about desktops. In fact I even upgraded that to a better version of the same thing in 2015.

In late 2015 I started playing World of Warships, and ultimately became enamored with playing with all the settings turned up at 1080p. WoWS is not a particularly demanding game at 1080p, but I still needed to borrow my brother’s desktop with the Q6700 and HD6850 to max it out; my ThinkPad Yoga with the i5 u4300 can barely handle the *lowest* settings at 1080p. I was/am also in the process of playing Tales of Zestiria on the C2Q desktop. So, in the late summer of 2016 (now) after borrowing it for far too long, I finally decided to look at rolling my own.

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Fanless Computing: Intel NUC DC53427HYE and Akasa Newton V

I’ve been waiting for this for a really long time, at least since I dabbled with my fanless E6400 so many years ago.

About a year and a half ago, I got my T430 with the intent of using it as a desktop replacement. The idea was that the laptop draws less power, makes less noise, and takes up less space than even an SFF conventional desktop. It also has a built-in UPS (the battery), and you can obviously use it as a laptop in a pinch. This is all fine and dandy, and the T430 has been great so far, but it’s still a stopgap between that SFF conventional desktop and a machine that makes no noise and takes up even less space than a 14″ laptop and dock. Such a machine wasn’t really a practical option when I bought the T430… but it is now!

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