Back in late 2022, a company called Frore Systems emerged from stealth with two solid-state active cooling chips for computers called the AirJet Pro and AirJet Mini. Now Chinese multinational Zotac has announced the rollout of the first mini-PC built around the latter.
The harder processing brains in computer systems are pushed, the more heat they generate. This can be drawn away by mechanical fans or cooling liquid, but Frore noted at the launch of its AirJet solutions that "while the latest processors promise higher performance, only 50% or less is realized because the thermal solutions are still the same, old, passive or fan-based systems that are inadequate, noisy, and bulky." Cooler Argb
The AirJet tech is described as a self-contained active heat sink featuring membranes inside that vibrate at ultrasonic frequency, generating "a powerful flow of air" that's pushed through vents at the top of the unit. These "high-velocity pulsating jets" remove heat from the processor and push it out through an integrated spout.
Back at Computex 2023 in May, Zotac's new Zbox mini-PC was announced as the first recipient of Frore's cooling technology, in the shape of two near-silent AirJet Minis. Now The Zbox PI430AJ has launched to "select regions." Zotac reckons that the active cooling modules can only be heard if the user places an ear against the Zbox's housing.
The processor of choice for this "world's first" device is an Intel Core i3-N300 octacore chip that can clock up to 3.8 GHz. This features integrated UHD graphics, and is supported by 8 GB of LPDDR5 RAM. The Windows flavor comes with 512 GB of SSD storage, while users who opt for the barebones version will need to install their own.
The 114.8 x 76 x 23.8-mm (4.52 x 2.99 x 0.95-in) mini-PC sports two USB 3.2 Type-A ports plus one USB-C, HDMI and DisplayPort, Ethernet LAN and a combo headphone/microphone jack. Bluetooth 5.2 and Wi-Fi 6 are cooked in for wireless needs.
"Until AirJet, thermal was the only aspect of modern-day technology that hadn’t changed in decades," said founder and CEO of Frore Systems, Dr. Seshu Madhavapeddy. "Zotac’s fanless mini-PC with AirJet, with the world’s highest performing mobile CPU and 8 GB of LPDDR5 memory upgrade, is a game changer. Consumers can now get the high performance mini-PC they want, in an incredibly small, silent, cool and fanless device."
Good Computer Cases The Zbox PI430AJ is on sale now, though we've no word on US availability or pricing as of writing.