Do you have a server at home running 24/7? Having permanent access to your home network can be very useful at times, as is sharing media and printers, or managing your downloads. My last server was actually a downgrade from my previous box in computing terms. It was no powerhouse, but being a fanless Epia with minimal power consumption and very low noise was a huge upgrade for me. I just connected the printer, some external USB drives, installed Debian and it has been sitting in a corner for ages, working flawlessly.

A while ago I was looking for a similar noiseless solution for my brother in law and a friend, and the itch started all over again. I decided it was a good moment to upgrade my system. The low power consumption and being fanless were a must, but I also wanted it to have integrated gigabit ethernet. So I though using a Thin Client would be a good solution. These are normally fanless and have very little power needs, and some even have decent processors and Gigabit Ethernet. After looking for a while, I settled for a Fujitsu-Siemens Futro S400 that I found dirt cheap in Ebay.