14 DAY TRIAL // It's one thing to say a computer is really efficient and silent compared to the competition, and another to put together a PC that makes absolutely no noise at all (which, by extension, means low TDPs across the board).
As it happens, Micro-Star International has created a system that makes do without any sort of active cooling, while still supporting Celeron, Pentium and Core i7/i5/i3 central processing units from Intel.
Admittedly, you need to limit yourself to a TDP of no more than 35W in order for everything to work properly, and to not suffer a burnout or crash due to heat.
If you do want a stronger performance though, you can pay extra for a system fan module. But that would defeat the purpose of the KingBOX MS-9A66 being made the way it was made.
MSI KingBOX MS-9A66
The system is a lot closer to qualifying as a cube than many “cubic” desktops we had the pleasure (or displeasure) to see in the past.
It backs the fourth-generation Intel CPU with DDR3 RAM (random access memory) and a single add-in graphics card.
Assuming you choose to install one, that is. The system has a PCI Express x16 slot ready, but you'll have to buy a video card yourself, if the one in the GPU isn't good enough.
If you do feel the integrated graphics processor (iGP) of Intel chips is sufficient for your needs (browsing, doc editing, media playback), you can use one of the two DisplayPorts on the back panel to link to a monitor or TV. That, or the DVI port.
On that note, the PCI Express x16 slot isn't the only PCI technology available, three legacy PCI slots are included as well.
Add to that 100 G anti-shock protection and 1 gram anti-vibration and you have a pretty sturdy piece of work in your hands.
Finally, storage can be provided via an HDD or CFast card. All of which can be easily maintained and cleaned, according to the company. Same for the RAM. All thanks to the thumbscrews that can be removed, to let the top cover slide open.
Availability and pricing
Both are details that MSI neglected to include in its official press release. What it did specify was that the KingBOX MS-9A66 has scalable performance (comes naturally with the broad CPU support), support for both consumer and industrial applications (9 to 36 VDC input), and easy configuration (through an MSI API).