Do You Need A Server Room?

Jul 25, 2016

We take it for granted that 24/7 servers are better installed in a server room to work reliably and to insulate staff from the noise of the fans... But what if you didn’t need a separate room and have a server that is just as reliable but can be installed in any available space, even just placed on your desk?

The old way … fans imply extra organisation and space

Most laptops and desktop computers, and especially powerful servers and workstations, do need active cooling (a fan) to keep them working reliably. Fanless computers essentially use the case as a heat sink, but max-out at around 20W.

A desktop processor with a graphics card runs at about 200W. Very quiet fans are available, but they are never completely silent, and they will still suck dust into the computer case – making the need for the server room apparent.

Whilst large offices may have a suitable dedicated space, it can be a challenge for smaller offices, and impossible for the growing band of architects, designers and other professionals working from home.

Server room
Dedicated room, cooling issues... Does this picture look familiar?

There is another way… no fans, no extra room, no noise

The new Airtop, a small and silent desktop with very high performance, is absolutely ideal. Its Natural Airflow (NAF) technology generates airflow using the waste heat of the CPU and the GPU, and cools them down in the process. It is therefore not just quiet – but completely silent.

Like other fanless computers, it also doesn’t suck dust into the case, so can operate reliably in a standard office environment. NAF cooling technology requires no maintenance, and unlike fan or water cooling doesn’t draw any power either.

All the heat generated by the CPU or GPU is dissipated by the 14 cooling tubes on each side of the unit. Despite the presence of the tubes, the Airtop is relatively small (10 cm x 30 cm x 25.5 cm) – and can be tucked away in a corner, but looking so awesome you would be happy to have it on show!


The cooling tubes silently and naturally dissipate the heated air generated by the CPU/GPU - spinning the blue vane.

Reduce the hassle not the server’s quality

Active cooling is an acute point of failure in a server, so by eliminating it, deployment is simplified. Having addressed this, all other Airtop components, power, RAM, storage, networking and build quality, are designed to ensure maximum reliability 24x7. Which is why Airtop has a five-year warranty.


Advantages of Fanless Servers…

  • Server runs silently
  • No intake of dust
  • Extremely compact
  • NAF technology does not require any power or maintenance
  • Heat generated from the CPU/GPU will be dissipated

Airtop's Specifications

Designed as a server, the Airtop-S packs an Intel Xeon E3 CPU, 32GB of ECC RAM and supports four hard drives or SSD’s up to 4 TB. RAID configuration is via software. Variant configured as workstation or CAD (Airtop-W) for multitasking, content creation, industrial designing and video editing is also available.


Instead of designing the environment around the needs of the server, get a server that fits in with your office environment.

Related to this topic:
How Can Your PC Improve Productivity At Work?
Introducing Airtop! Desktops Just Got “Cool” Again
CAD Power & Silent Workstation: Can You Have It All?