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Custom 24-carat gold mini PC costs around $1.7 million, weighs nearly 29 pounds for up to 50% faster heat transfer — copper would have been far cheaper and offers even better thermal conductivity 28.7 pound Kubb Fanless mini PC was a special order by a lover of 24-carat gold. A chrysophile has ordered a special edition mini PC with a pure 24-carat gold passive chassis reports Fanless Tech. It’s a premium custom version of the ~5-inch (120 x 120 x 120mm) Kubb Fanless PC, but costing around $1.7 million with its opulent gold chassis. As well as its choice of materials pumping up price, this mini PC’s weight has increased from its default 4.6 to 28.7 pounds (2.1kg to 13kg). But as a bonus, which probably still doesn’t make it worth it for most folks, gold has significantly better thermal conductivity than aluminum. In its social media post, Fanless Tech calls the Kubb Fanless in gold a “cooling marvel.” Its news post on the topic elaborates on this claim, explaining that the thermal conductivity of gold is “about 30% to 50% faster than aluminum.” That might help its Core Ultra chip perform a bit better, all else being equal. However the sacrifice to portability, as this compact gold PC is over 6x heavier, could be a major drawback. As well as the price. We looked up the thermal conductivity of aluminum and gold, as well as some other common materials. The chart below could be useful for your own passive computing projects. In contrast to its gilded construction, this mini PC's specs are very modest. Standard configurations of the Kubb Fanless are as follows: - Intel Core Ultra 5 225H, or Intel Core Ultra X7 358H, or AMD Ryzen AI 5 340 - 16GB DDR5, up to 128GB - 1TB M.2 NVMe SSD, optional second M.2 SSD - Intel: 1x USB 3.2 (Type A), 1x USB 3.2 (Type-C, DP1.4a), 1x USB4/Thunderbolt 4 (Type-C, DP 2.1), Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 - AMD: 1x USB 3.2 Gen2 (Type A), 2x USB4 (Type-C, DP 1.4a), Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3 - Side ports: 2x Port RJ45, 2x HDMI 2.1 TMDS, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 (Type A) - 19V DC, 6.32A, 120W power adapter (100–240V AC) - Windows 11 Pro - 3 years guarantee Kubb Fanless mini PCs are usually made from aluminum, and finished in graphite, blue, or bronze. With an Intel Core Ultra 5 225H at their heart, all those colors are all listed at €1,595 ($1,822) at Kubb.eu, but there is no stock. At that kind of price, the Arctic Senza AI 370 we tested earlier in the year looks like it would be a knockout passive computing competitor. We aren’t sure if Arctic would accept the 24 carat gold chassis special order, and the Senza is designed for discrete under-desk-mounted silence. We previously reported on the fanless Kubb Mini range of 3 x 3 x 3-inch mini PCs which packed Intel Twin Lake chips, came in cute/bright color finishes, and were priced around $500 (€430). Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News, or add us as a preferred source, to get our latest news, analysis, & reviews in your feeds. Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. Mark Tyson is a news editor at Tom's Hardware. He enjoys covering the full breadth of PC tech; from business and semiconductor design to products approaching the edge of reason. - Fomdoo Copper may have been cheaper and better cooling but gold will climb faster in value and likely making this one of the only PCs that actually appreciates in value.Reply - thisisaname ReplyFomdoo said:Copper may have been cheaper and better cooling but gold will climb faster in value and likely making this one of the only PCs that actually appreciates in value.Copper Outpaces Gold's Flat YearThis year's nearly 20% climb puts copper on track for one of its strongest years on record. Over the past year the gain widens to more than 46%. The rally has been buoyed by Michael Burry's copper bet and tightening supply. If it was copper it may increase in value faster :) - Tough Break Correct me if im wrong here but the gold wont corrode or develop an unsightly patina eitherReply - Itsahobby At today's gold price, $1.7 million buys roughly 27 pounds of pure gold at spot, before any dealer premiums or fees. To each their own.Reply - Dementoss Reply You're right, gold is inert, it doesn't react with anything.Tough Break said:Correct me if im wrong here but the gold wont corrode or develop an unsightly patina either - PEnns ReplypSynrg said:$1.7m. Sure that wasn't just the 128GB ram option? In theory it should have. But it has just a meager 16 GB of RAM and 1 TB SSD. To sum it up, it's a mediocre piece dipped in gold for the peacock-like millionaires. - FunSurfer Better and cheaper heat transferring PC will be a gold plated silver PC according to theReply thermal conductivity comparison chart. - derekullo Reply Famous last words as you accidentally spill a flask of aqua regia on your case !!!Dementoss said:You're right, gold is inert, it doesn't react with anything. - acadia11 Actually my PC appeciated from costing $8K to build summer 2025 to $22K to build the same machine today .Reply But I get your point long term this is actually a great investment you aren’t buying it for the PC.
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