Fanless Computing - Here's Why

Overview: 

Everyone recognizes the hum of a computer. The wheels clicking and noises of discs spinning are a familiar sound to almost anyone since the mid-1990s. Although these sounds and parts just seem to be a necessary component of the computer, in many cases they aren’t . The need for fans in computers is rapidly shrinking due to advancements in thermal design and performance leaps in solid state technology. Fans and spinning devices are no longer required in operation, making computers more accessible to unique and nontraditional environments such as factories or naval ships. 

Moving Parts Fail: 

In climates where temperature and pollutants are often not under control, the consequences on computers and other technology can be severe. In places where temperatures range above normal, a computer that needs a fan to cool would not be able to balance the heat of the environment and the heat of the machine, forcing it to stop working. Similarly in cold environments, computers with moving parts may suffer adverse affects due to environmental extremes. 

Pollutants especially weigh heavily on systems with fans. Small things like dust, grease, wood shavings, oil, and any other byproduct of the surrounding environment can interfere with computer operation. Simply by being airborne and mobile, these materials often can find a way into any computer device featuring a fan. Because of the open area close to the motherboard, hard to control materials can settle inside of the computer or machine, eventually causing problems such as overheating, lagging, and premature failure. Needless to say, the makeup of industrial and military environments need a computer suited to them, not the other way around. 

A Better Solution:

The solid state drive and fanless computer designs solves the problems effortlessly. By nixing the fan and any moveable parts in extended temperature range rated embedded computers, the risk of overheating, lagging, and even failure are now significantly reduced. Computers can be sealed by reducing the need for input and output of air, which eliminates the risk of spills, airborne pollutants, and excess materials entering the main components of the computer. The fanless system requires no temperature stability due to the lack of heat being created internally. By eliminating fans and other rotating media, computers will work efficiently for a longer period of time within their rated operating temperature range.

Selecting a solid state embedded device significantly reduces the risk of premature failure, and expands the types of environments and applications in which the device can be confidently installed. Lower cost of ownership is another benefit that stems from solid state, extended temperature range computers. Since the threat of environment and debris is now gone, there is no added cost to replace or continually maintain computers damaged by these uncontrollable elements in austere environments. When you cannot control the environment to match your hardware, select solid state hardware that is designed for the environment.