VoodooPC introduces "EPIC", a Fanless Home Theater Gaming PC with built-in Amplifier

[Kent Pribbernow]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.voodoopc.com' target='_blank'>http://www.voodoopc.com</a><br /><br /></div><i>"VoodooPC, a world leader in the design and manufacturing of high-performance personalized computer systems, today announced the launch of the EPIC, the worlds most advanced Home Theater Entertainment PC with built-in Amplifier. Featuring one of the most unique designs of any desktop PC, the EPIC uses the power of the Intel Pentium M mobile processor. It also operates silently as it has no fans, and it has the ability to play today’s most demanding games at high resolutions with intense detail. One of the most unique features of EPIC is the fact that it includes a built-in amplifier so you can hook up any speakers to it. EPIC is truly the most unique Media Center Home Theater PC ever."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/Voodoo_Epic_HiRes.jpg" /><br /><br />A desktop system running a mobile Pentium processor? That's....interesting in a "WTF"? sort of way. But I'm all for silent fan-less PC designs, especially smaller form factors. Rock on, Voodoo! :rock on dude!:

[klinux]

Very nice except Pentium-M is still not fast enough (yet) to decode 1080 HD MPEg-4 based (WMV, DivX, H.264, etc) content.

And most HTPC owners would probably prefer to using their own amplifiers/receivers.

But still, very nice design.

[Kent Pribbernow]

Agreed, Pentium M is way too slow for the kind of use this machine will receive. But that's the only way Voodoo could develop a quiet fan-less design. The new dual-core Pentiums and Anthlons need liguid cooling!

[Jason Dunn]

Very nice except Pentium-M is still not fast enough (yet) to decode 1080 HD MPEg-4 based (WMV, DivX, H.264, etc) content.

It's not? A 2 Ghz M with 2 MB of L2 cache can't decode 1080p? Got any references for that? I don't have one myself, so I have no first-hand experience, but the tests I've seen put the 2 Ghz M on par with a 3.4 Ghz P4...so I'm surprised to hear that it won't work.

[Jason Dunn]

I hate to be the argumentative bastard in the thread, but...

But that's the only way Voodoo could develop a quiet fan-less design. The new dual-core Pentiums and Anthlons need liguid cooling!

Nah, they had a fanless design they released last year based on a full powered P4:

http://www.voodoopc.com/showroomnext.aspx?lineid=9

That said, liquid cooling takes up quite a bit of space, so my hunch is that Voodoo wanted a smaller design.

The articles I've read so far on dual-core CPUs don't indicate they require liquid cooling:

http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,120750,00.asp
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,120656,00.asp

I guess we'll see what happens when Dell and the others start shipping dual-core units. I'd be really surprised if they used liquid cooling though.

[Jeremy Charette]

Ditto what Jason said. I've been looking into a fanless PC for a few weeks now, and I've seen several tests that put the 2+ ghz M on par with a 3-3.4 ghz P4 or AMD processor. Here's one that shows the 2.0 ghz M on par with the 3.0 ghz Northwood P4:

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article218-page7.html