Arctic Senza launched as an under-desk mini PC with a sleek design and passive cooling

It's not every day that we get to witness PCs in unique form factors. Arctic seems to be aware of that and has decided to take matters into its own hands by hitting the market with a genuinely intriguing new product - a fanless, under-desk-mounted mini PC.

The Senza mini PC is not exactly the most compact on the market by any means and measures 21.1 x 7 x 1.9 inches with a volume of 4.8 liters. Owing to the constraints of having to be rigged under a desk, the mini PC sports a slim design that is passively cooled thanks to dual heat sinks connected by a total of four heat pipes. From the outside, the product looks very sleek and elegant, which is certainly a good thing.

Sleek, slim, and likely slow

However, some notable criticisms emerge when we glance at the spec sheet. The mini PC is powered by Ryzen 5000G Zen 3-based 'Cezanne' APUs - a platform that is now well over 3 years old. Customers will have to choose between the 6-core Ryzen 5 5500GT, the 8-core Ryzen 7 5700G, and the 8-core Ryzen 7 5700G Pro APUs, paired with 16 GB or 32 GB of DDR4-3200 memory and 1 TB of solid-state storage.

There is no option for discrete graphics, which is no surprise considering the passively cooled nature of the system. Therefore, customers will have to settle for either the Vega 7 or the Vega 8 iGPU, which are serviceable for basic tasks but will fall short for gaming or high-end workflows.

In terms of connectivity, the Senza offers a decent selection of ports including DisplayPort 1.2, HDMI 2.0, USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 and Gen 2, dual 3.5 mm TRS ports, a gigabit LAN port, two USB 2.0 Type-A ports as well. The product also features an external enclosure for front I/O, with a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port, a USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A port, a 3.5mm combo jack, and power and reset switches. Wireless connectivity is taken care of by WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3.

The ARCTIC Senza will start at 599.99 Euros, with the highest-end 5700G Pro-equipped variant costing 729 Euros. Unfortunately, however, the Senza will not be sold anywhere outside of Europe. Customers who want a relatively quiet system but with active cooling and better performance at a similar price, will likely be better served by Apple's latest M4 Mac Mini (Currently $579 on Amazon).