The Phoenix Contact industrial PC (BPC, IP30-rated box PC, the VL3 BPC 1376797) is a fanless box PC built around an Intel Atom processor. It can be configured with up to 64 GB of RAM and up to 1920 GB of storage, and it has WiFi. The closest Thinvent match is the Thinvent Industrial PC IPC3, which is also fanless and also has Intel processors and up to 64 GB of RAM. The IPC3 uses an Intel Core i3 12th or 13th generation processor, which is a higher performance class than the Atom series.
Phoenix Contact Industrial PC vs Thinvent Industrial PC IPC3
| Phoenix Contact VL3 BPC (1376797) | Thinvent Industrial PC IPC3, Intel i3 12th 1215U | Thinvent Industrial PC IPC3, Intel i3 13th 1315U | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Processor | Intel Atom series | Intel Core i3 12th gen 1215U | Intel Core i3 13th gen 1315U |
| Cores/Threads | Not confirmed | 6 cores | 6 cores |
| RAM | Up to 64 GB | Up to 64 GB | Up to 64 GB |
| Storage | Up to 1920 GB (two M.2 2280 SSDs, 960 GB each) | Up to 2 TB SSD | Up to 2 TB SSD |
| Form Factor | IP30-rated industrial box PC | Industrial PC | Industrial PC |
| Operating System | Not confirmed | Windows 11 Pro (also Windows 11 IoT Value, Ubuntu Linux, Thinux Embedded Linux, Without OS, DOS) | Windows 11 Pro (also Windows 11 IoT Value, Ubuntu Linux, Thinux Embedded Linux, Without OS, DOS) |
| Fanless | Yes | Yes (fanless passive cooling) | Yes (fanless passive cooling) |
| WiFi | Yes | Dual band Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) | Dual band Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) |
| Operating temperature | Not confirmed | 0°C to 40°C | 0°C to 40°C |
| Mounting | Not confirmed | VESA mount | VESA mount |
Key differences
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Higher processor class: The Thinvent IPC3 uses an Intel Core i3 processor with 6 cores. The Phoenix Contact unit uses an Intel Atom processor, which the Phoenix Contact listing describes as energy-efficient.
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Larger storage capacity: The Thinvent IPC3 supports up to 2 TB of SSD storage. The Phoenix Contact unit supports up to 1920 GB across two M.2 SSDs.
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Same RAM maximum: Both units support up to 64 GB of RAM.
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Operating system choice: Each Thinvent IPC3 ships with Windows 11 Pro and can also be configured with Windows 11 IoT Value, Ubuntu Linux, Thinux Embedded Linux, or no OS. We could not confirm the operating systems offered with the Phoenix Contact VL3 BPC.
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Trade-off: The Phoenix Contact unit is rated IP30 for protection against solid objects. We could not confirm the IP rating of the Thinvent IPC3 from the product details provided.
Which one should you choose?
Choose the Phoenix Contact VL3 BPC if you need an Intel Atom based, fanless box PC with IP30 protection and its own configuration options. Choose the Thinvent Industrial PC IPC3 if you need a fanless industrial PC with an Intel Core i3 processor, up to 64 GB of RAM, up to 2 TB of SSD storage, and a choice of Windows or Linux operating systems.
