Modelled thermal performance and sustained processor power of the fanless Thinvent IPC5 and IPC3 industrial PCs

Will the fanless IPC5 or IPC3 run at your site?

  • All-day running with no fan: In our thermal model (unit lying flat in still air), both the IPC5 and IPC3 sustain the base power of every processor they ship with (28 W on the Intel Core i5-1240P in the IPC5, and 15 W on the U-series processors in both models) all day without slowing down in room temperatures up to 50 °C, with a wide margin (sustaining a modelled 44 W on the IPC5 and 49 W on the IPC3 in a 50 °C room, rising to 66 W and 74 W in a 25 °C room).
  • How warm the case gets: At continuous base power in a modelled 25, 35 and 45 °C room, the hottest point on the lid reaches 52, 61 and 70 °C on the IPC5 with the 28 W Core i5-1240P (average case surface 47, 57 and 66 °C); 42, 51 and 61 °C on the IPC5 with a 15 W processor; and 44, 53 and 62 °C on the IPC3 with a 15 W processor. The modelled processor temperature at those base loads is 61, 70 and 79 °C (IPC5 at 28 W), 47, 56 and 66 °C (IPC5 at 15 W) and 46, 55 and 65 °C (IPC3 at 15 W), well below its 100 °C limit.
  • Short turbo bursts and heavy loads: Processors boost up to 64 W (i5-1240P) or 55 to 57 W (15 W class) for short bursts; in a modelled 35 °C room, a maximum turbo burst from idle takes the processor to about 63 °C (IPC5 at 28 W), 58 °C (IPC5 at 15 W) and 50 °C (IPC3 at 15 W) before it settles near 70, 56 and 55 °C at base power. Both units also sustain maximum turbo continuously up to about a modelled 27 °C room at 64 W on the IPC5, and up to about 37 °C on the IPC5 or 44 °C on the IPC3 at 55 W; in warmer rooms, a continuous turbo load reaches 100 °C and the processor lowers its own power (throttling) to stay there.
  • Which model to choose: Choose the IPC5 (210 x 197 x 65 mm, black anodised finned aluminium) if you need the 28 W Intel Core i5-1240P, or a 15 W Core i5, i7, Core 5 or Core Ultra 5 processor. Choose the IPC3 (231 x 200 x 52 mm, silver anodised finned aluminium) if a 15 W Core i3 processor meets your needs and you want a slimmer case with side mounting flanges.
  • Where you install it: All figures are modelled with the unit lying flat in open, still air, where room temperature is the air immediately around the PC. Putting a unit inside a closed cabinet warms that trapped air, so leave clear space around the fins and ventilate the cabinet so the air around the case stays within your target temperature.

Sustained processor power across room temperatures

Sustained processor power across room temperatures
Modelled in still air (with 5 W from the rest of the board added), the IPC5 sustains 75 W in a 15 °C room down to 44 W in a 50 °C room and the IPC3 sustains 83 W down to 49 W before the processor reaches its 100 °C limit, well above the 28 W and 15 W base ratings (and 20 W and 12 W minimum assured ratings) of the shipped processors.

Hottest case point by processor power and room temperature (28 W class)

Hottest case point by processor power and room temperature (28 W class)
Modelled peak temperature on the lid of the black anodised IPC5 with the Core i5-1240P across 25 to 45 °C rooms; on the top row above 25 °C, where 64 W maximum turbo exceeds what the unit sustains at a 100 °C processor limit, the processor lowers its own power to the modelled wattages shown.

Hottest case point by processor power and room temperature (15 W class)

Hottest case point by processor power and room temperature (15 W class)
Modelled peak case temperatures for the shipped 15 W U-series processors (Core i5-1335U, i7-1255U, Core Ultra 5 125U and Core 5 120U in the IPC5; Core i3-1215U and i3-1315U in the IPC3); where 55 W maximum turbo exceeds what the unit sustains in 40 and 45 °C rooms, the processor throttles to the modelled wattages shown.

Hottest and average case temperature against processor power

Hottest and average case temperature against processor power
Modelled hottest point (solid lines) and average case surface temperature (dashed lines) in still air for 45, 35 and 25 °C rooms (from top to bottom), with the average surface staying about 3 to 5 °C below the hottest spot on the lid at base power.

Processor junction temperature against processor power

Processor junction temperature against processor power
Modelled processor temperature in still air for 45, 35 and 25 °C rooms (from left to right) rises with load up to the 100 °C limit, where the processor lowers its own power to stay at 100 °C.

Ninety-minute response from idle to a maximum turbo burst and base load

Ninety-minute response from idle to a maximum turbo burst and base load
In a modelled 35 °C room, a maximum turbo burst from idle followed by continuous base load takes the processor to about 63 °C (IPC5 at 64 W then 28 W), 58 °C (IPC5 at 55 W then 15 W) and 50 °C (IPC3 at 55 W then 15 W) during the burst before settling near 70, 56 and 55 °C over 90 minutes.

Whole lid surface temperature to scale at base power

Whole lid surface temperature to scale at base power
Simulated lid temperature from above at base power in a 35 °C room across the 210 x 197 mm IPC5 and the 231 x 200 mm IPC3 (the uncoloured strips on the sides of the IPC3 outline are its mounting flanges).

Close-up of the warmest part of each lid at base power

Close-up of the warmest part of each lid at base power
Modelled 90 x 90 mm close-up around the warmest spot on each lid at base power in a 35 °C room, where 0.5 °C isotherms show a gradual temperature drop across the lid away from the processor beneath.

Cross-section of the Thinvent IPC5 at 28 W base power

Cross-section of the Thinvent IPC5 at 28 W base power
Simulated temperature through the 210 x 197 x 65 mm black anodised finned aluminium IPC5 at 28 W base power in a 35 °C room, showing the aluminium block between the Core i5-1240P and the lid and the second block under the board on a thermal pad onto the bottom plate.

Cross-section of the Thinvent IPC3 at 15 W base power

Cross-section of the Thinvent IPC3 at 15 W base power
Simulated temperature through the slimmer 231 x 200 x 52 mm silver anodised finned aluminium IPC3 at 15 W base power in a 35 °C room, showing the upper aluminium block between the U-series processor and the lid and the lower block behind the processor on a thermal pad onto the flanged bottom plate.