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ASUS has quietly launched a new passively-cooled Chromebox. Aptly named ASUS Fanless Chromebox, the device features a fanless aluminum design with two sizable antennas at the back, giving it a Wi-Fi router-like look. The extruded-aluminum chassis features ridges at the top, ensuring a “stable thermal performance anywhere” while enabling a noise-less system. ASUS pursued a minimal fan noise system with its CN62 model as well.
The ASUS Fanless Chromebox is powered by either Intel Celeron 5205U (up to 1.9 GHz), 10th gen Core i3-10110U (up to 4.1 GHz), or 10th gen Core i7-10510U processor (up to 4.9 GHz) with integrated UHD graphics. You get up to 16GB of RAM (8GB DDR4 SO-DIMM x 2) and either 32GB or 64GB of eMMC storage or 128GB of M.2 SATA SSD storage. Connectivity options include dual-band Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0.
There are a couple of USB Type-A ports, a headphone jack, and a microSD card slot on the front, along with a power button. Two HDMI ports, one USB Type-C port, and three more USB Type-A ports are there on the backside. There’s also a LAN port, a DC power-in, a Kensington lock, an RS232 serial port, two antenna holes, a reset button hole, and an extended power switch at the back.
Power supply options include a 19Vdc, 3.42A, 65W adapter, or a 19Vdc, 4.74A, 90W adapter. There’s no speaker on this Chromebox. The cloud-friendly mini desktop has a footprint of 207 x 148 x 32 mm and weighs 1.2 kg.
ASUS Fanless Chromebox features, price, and availability
Chromeboxes do not enjoy as much popularity as Chromebooks. However, they still find enough ideal use cases. ASUS says the Fanless Chromebox can support up to three 4K displays and comes with built-in Google Play support. The Chromebox obviously runs Chrome OS and supports a “rich selection of Android apps for productivity, communication, and more via the power of a mini PC.”
A new lockable VESA mount helps the ASUS Fanless Chromebox securely attach to the back of a monitor for “expanded usage scenarios”. The company also promises regular software and security updates to protect the system from viruses, malware, and other security issues.
The new ASUS Fanless Chromebox recently showed up on the company’s official website. However, ASUS did not send out any press release to announce the product. The company also has yet to reveal the price and availability details for the new Chromebox. Hopefully, the device will be available for purchase soon.
