Arctic launches Senza – a passively cooled PC that you can hide under your desk

Arctic has redefined the concept of a mini-PC (as it uses an ITX board) with its latest creation: an entirely passively cooled system designed to be mounted under your desk. While the idea is certainly innovative, the choice of hardware for the new Arctic Senza PC raises some doubts.

The Arctic Senza under-desk PC has three configurations based on AMD's Ryzen 5000G series APUs: the 5500GT, 5700G, and 5700G PRO. Depending on the APU, users will get 6 to 8 Zen 3 cores and Vega 7 or 8 integrated graphics.

While the AM4 socket allows for future CPU upgrades, the lack of information about motherboard compatibility for newer Ryzen chips is a concern. Arctic's choice to opt for the Ryzen 5000G series is puzzling, especially when newer APUs with more powerful RDNA 2 graphics and similar power consumption have been available for some time.

The Senza's real highlight is its completely fanless design. Arctic has implemented a massive dual-heatsink cooling solution connected by four heat pipes to passively dissipate heat from the APU, providing a true silent operation perfect for noise-sensitive environments.

The Senza measures 536 x 180 x 50 mm, making it quite large for a mini-PC. However, its slim profile and under-desk mounting design make it a space-saving alternative to traditional desktop PCs. Arctic even includes a custom extension for the front panel, allowing you to position the ports closer to the edge of your desk for easier access. The Arctic Senza will be, at least initially, only available exclusively in Europe, starting at 599.99€.

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KitGuru says: While the choice of older Ryzen 5000G APUs is questionable, Arctic's solution to passively cool them and innovative design is certainly interesting. We're curious how this unconventional PC performs in real-world scenarios and whether its silent operation can justify using older hardware.

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