Who says Pentium 4-based PCs require noisy cooling fans?
Hush Technologies, in Stamford, England, has developed a sleek-looking PC, the Hush ATX, that is based on Intel's Pentium 4 processor and doesn't require a cooling fan. The PC made its debut this week at the Computex exhibition in Taipei, which runs until September 26.
Good looks and near-silent operation don't come cheap, though. The Hush ATX, which will be available via online orders at the end of October. Prices start from $1800 and that doesn't include a monitor or a keyboard, according to Stuart Brown, the company's founder.
Measuring 440mm x 380mm x 100mm, the Hush ATX's aluminum case is available in either silver or black and more closely resembles a high-end stereo component than it does a computer.
While the inside of the Hush ATX sample on display at Computex was not open for inspection, the PC is kept cool by three heat pipes: one for the central processing unit (CPU); one for the Northbridge chip, which is one of two chips that comprise the PC chipset; and one heat pipe for the graphics chip.
In addition, the PC's power supply did not use a fan, he said.
In the basic configuration, the computer comes equipped with a 1.7GHz Intel Celeron processor, a 40GB hard-disk drive, a CD-ROM drive and an S3 ProSavage 8 graphics chip, Brown said.
The Hush ATX would also be available with an Intel Pentium 4 processor at speeds up to 2.8GHz, an Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Athlon XP chip, or an Athlon 64 chip, Brown said.
Users could also upgrade the graphics chip to an ATI Technologies Radeon 9200, Radeon 9600 or Radeon 9800 chip, he said.
The Hush ATX is Hush's second PC model. The company also offers a PC with a similar design that is based on Via Technologies' C3 processor. That model, the Hush Mini-ITX, is currently available from its Australian distributor, Information Technology Direct for $1,094.50.
More information can be found at http://www.TechDirect.net.au.
ARN will have a more in-depth report on the Computex exhibition in next week's issue.
