Tranquil ixL i3 Power PC Review
In the last couple of years Tranquil has diversified from their core consumer business, quite Media Centre PCs to develop a wide range of low power home server models such as Single Drive T7 Series to the five bay SQA-5H. With the recent release of the ixL Power PC, and its bigger brother, the iXVL, the company seems to get back to its original roots with the all new Media centre chassis. The Media Centre PCs usually suffer from two major issues; either they are hopelessly under-powered, relying on notebook components, or they are just too noisy to stand with all those cooling fans required on the high-level processors. Tranquil is just not a name, as the company is quite serious about silence. Without any fans, the Tranquil PC iXL is near silent. So, it is silent all-right, is it silent performance wise too? Read on to find out.

Design:
Compelling:
Design wise, Tranquil PC has put on a compelling design for the iXL, which is clad in black satin aluminium, with rounded corners which reminds us of the retro radios of the 1950s. The black, brushed aluminium case is just 240 x 250 x 106mm and is styled to fit with other sitting room A/V boxes. In a gist, the iXL is one of the best looking PCs we had ever seen from Tranquil. The ixL Power PC does not come with either keyboard or mouse. Most companies in the current market ship with a lot of shelf components in a cute looking box, but with the iXL, Tranquil has taken a lot more care in engineering a good looking as well as a highly functional design that makes use of a series of fins on the sight side for passive cooling. The entire chassis itself is very robust, very well constructed and when compared to some of the hardware that we had seen from the company. This one has got excellent assembly sans any rough edges; one of the best.
Keep it cool:
Along with the fins on the right hand side of the chassis, you will find some additional cooling vents that are punched into top, rear and base of the chassis. And the main point we have to make here is that, it does an effective job of ensuring that the processor does not overheat, however, you will find the chassis does get hot simply because it acts as a giant heat sink. This is an extremely small price to pay for silence in a Media centre PC. We advise you to leave a little space around the chassis when fitted into you cabinet. Just turn over the Tranquil PC ixL i3 Media Centre PC to its base and hints of attention to detail that has gone into the assembly of the device will be clearly evident. You will find Intel’s generic rear connector sticker that is positioned beneath the PC for reference. It might be very easy for you to just discard these guides, but note that they can be really useful, hence we recommend that you take time to place them on the PC. The four short legs that prop up the iXL provides way for cooling through the base. However, if you wish to slide the iXL into a small space, you can do so as they can be removed with a central securing screw.
Slots and Connectivity:
The fascia of the chassis is as sober as you might expect it to be in your TV cabinet. It has an unobtrusive slot loading CD/DVD or Blu-ray, a flush power button with a dim blue LED, two USB ports, a card reader and an integral infra-red sensor for your media centre remote control. The integral infra red sensor has a red LED which illuminates when commands are sent to the PC. That is not it, turn it around and you will find an array of connectivity options.
It is fair to say that the Tranquil PC ixL Desktop Computer is kind of over specified as far as the external options are concerned. You get six USB ports, three eSATA and even a Gigabit Ethernet for networking. Video is taken care of by the HDMI or DVI, and audio is fired out through the HDMI, optical audio or the five analogue audio ports. The only PCI expansion slot has a twin-tuner Freeview TV card fitted and this is pre-configured to work with Windows 7 Media Center on the Home version which is installed as standard. Graphics are provided by the main board Intel HD chipset and full 1080p HD output is supported via DVI and HDMI. Here too, there is the neatly positioned Intel Inside sticker that shows the detail in the design. Perhaps the most surprising omission is wireless networking.

Set-up:
Connecting the iXL i3 to your PC is very simple. It is just a matter of connecting the HDMI port, optical audio cable, network, power plus any USB tuners if you had not chosen of the integrated iXL tuner. Having an internal IR receiver, it is not necessary for any additional peripherals to be used with your media centre remote, and then simply boot. The Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) OS option will be ok for most users, but it is a no go option if you own a Windows Home Server. This is simply because of the lack of its remote access features. If you decide to access and control the PC through a remote desktop connection, then you have to make sure that you opt for the Windows 7 Professional, which also includes the Windows Media Centre.
Features:
The retro analogies end with the design, as the iXL is loaded with a whole lot of cutting edge hardware.
Customisation options:
Stripped down or all-inclusive:
Before we go deep into the features of this Tranquil ixL Media Centre PC, you have to be aware of the fact that the Tranquil PC iXL is available in a range of configurations. The iXL Power PC is available in Silver, Gold and Platinum versions, and the Silver version, reviewed here, is based on a Core i3-530, with 2GB of memory and a 500GB, 2.5-inch hard drive. There is a basic stripped back bare bones edition which sells for about £289; here, you choose the processor, RAM, Storage, OS and even the optical drive. Then, you also have the fully built models costing £389, which are fully arranged and assembled for you by the company. You can even personalise it with some lacer etching if you look forward for that. Tranquil even offers a Core i5 variant of the PC for those consumers looking for animal performance. However, we feel that the Core i3 processor is perfectly adequate when it comes to Media Centre usage.
Other upgrade options:
The other customisation options on offer include an integrated TV tuner, with support for an internal low-profile tuner DVB-T FreeView or dual DVB-T + DVB-S/S2 for the sake of satellite owners. There is also a range of standard DVD or Blu-ray drives available. Now, that is quite a strong specification for a modern Media Centre PC. While the consumers do have a range of lower power options available in the market, including a notable range of nettops offering an Intel Atom + NVIDIA ION combination that do quite a decent job, you can be rest assure that the Intel Core i3 has the capability to handle any media oriented task you throw at it, without any hiccups.
Storage overkill:
Tranquil has done a bit of overkill when it comes to storage expansion, for which it can be forgiven for. For instance, the Intel’s DH57JG motherboard, which is heart of the iXL, is already generously specified with an eSATA port as well as six USB2.0 ports; to this monster, Tranquil has added two extra, front mounted USB ports and a further two eSATA ports on the rear. While we agree there is a decent amount of logic and convenience involved with a front facing USB port, three eSATA ports looks quite a lot for a HTPC. As far as networking is concerned, it is handled by the motherboard’s integrated Gigabit Ethernet Socket. This option does a decent job of taking care of high definition video. One thing that is notably absent is an integrated 802.11n wireless option, which will be a big concern for those who do not have their living room networked.
Powerful Specs:
The iXL has blended some off the shelf and custom components in order to create quite a powerful as well as a silent Media Centric PC. Tranquil has opted for Intel’s DH57 JG Mini-ITX motherboard, which is a highly capable product that was recently featured in the Vail Windows Home Server Self-build feature. The board accepts both Core i3 or Core i5 processor with low heat and noise output, an integrated HDMI port for 1080p video, with support for Intel’s ten channel HD video with Dolby Home Theatre. While Tranquil offers about 4GB of RAM on the iXL, the board can support up t0 8GB DDR3 RAM across its two sockets. You get the audio through an integrated SPDIF optional audio out or HDMI, as well as the standard 5 port analogue audio option. If you are hungry for more details on the DH57JG, you can find it on Tranquil PC’s technical guide and also at Intel.com. We can stop here on the note that it is an excellent selection for the iXL.
Upgrade-friendly:
Though the CPU block looks like it is permanent, there is nothing to worry about as it can actually be removed to free the processor in order to upgrade it. For instance, a Core i5-650 or i5-655K processor can be installed in the socket with great deal of ease. Overall, the internals of the iXL is pretty tidy indeed. When you remove the cover of the chassis, courtesy of lot of screws on the base and side panel, you can reach the motherboard by just removing the top plate to which the slot loading drive and hard drive have been attached to. It simply screws out easily, but note that you have to unplug the SATA cables completely to remove the drives. From here on, it is very easy to upgrade all of the elements of the PC.
You have a memory slot free for additional RAM and an easily accessible hard drive for some additional storage too. The additional custom components are in evidence with the front ports supplied by a branded Tranquil PC daughter board. Again, if you are looking for some guidance around the motherboard design, Tranquil have positioned Intel’s handy schematic beneath the chassis lid, which is very helpful and contributes to a great customer experience. While it is true that Tranquil PC’s hardware is not the cheapest ones around, its combination of custom engineering, attention to detail and great design justifies the premium price tag, when compared to many of the mass produced options available from the far-east. You are the one paying the money, but we have to educate you that it is certainly a well designed, engineered and constructed PC.
Awkward silence:
Switch on the power and you will immediately notice the lack of noise from the Tranquil iXL. It will be really strange to you if you had never experienced a completely silence PC. You will get a small girr from the optical drive and that is it, tranquility. This is the kind of silence that has been achieved with all the toiling from the cooling components installed on the iXL. So, when Tranquil claims that its PC is silent, it is not a gimmick, it is plain truth. The best part is that, even the WD Green Power Drive is inaudible, how did they manage to do that?
Passive cooling:
Tranquil has fitted it with its own passive cooling system to silently cool the Intel Core i3-530 processor. Operating at 2.93GHz, there is quite a bit of work to be done to cool off the system to keep the heat of the processor in check, and even the heat emanating from the on-board 500GB Western Digital WD500AADS Green Power Drive. The company’s custom cooling kit for the processor does most of the job, while a heat pipe conducting the heat out to the aluminium side fins.
Software:
As soon as you have booted the Tranquil PC, you will realise that it has been pre-installed with the K-Lite Codec Basic Pack, which has support for MKV and a range of some of the other more esoteric formats. Since Windows Media Centre does not offer support for MKV, we would have preferred to see the Standard pack installed, which includes the crowd favourite Media Player Classic HomeCinema and FLAC support. The MicroSoft Silverlight has also been pre-installed, along with all the other drivers that are required to support the Intel motherboard.
Tweak it:
While you might spend a good deal of time configuring the PC correctly for your specific home cinema set-up, there are potentially far too many options to do it via Window’s own controls, Intel’s graphics and audio dialogs, the DirectShow filters, the included FFD Show and heaps more. However, if you really spend some time on it, we guarantee that the results are going to be great. The Intel Motherboard has no issues identifying the AV receiver as the Output device, but the images still needs some tweaking as in Windows Media Centre. On balance however, the setup did not take too much time at all and we could get on with installing Media Browser, Media Center Manager and the Windows Home Server Connector to ensure the best Windows Media Center experience.

Performance:
Processing:
Performance wise, the Core i3 is definitely a superior processor with a significant step-up performance when compared to the Intel Atom. We are not trying to say that the Atom is not capable of doing a decent job, but the Core i3 or Core i5 are in a different class altogether. The result is superb streaming of high definition video directly from the home server through the Gigabit Ethernet connection.
Here again, we are not trying to say that the iXLis faultless. The integrated IR sensor only offers basic support for Windows Media Centre. You will be able to get a more advanced USB IR sensor from Tranquil PC for just a £10 upgrade, which provides alphanumeric controls and other “advanced” features. Tranquil has then offered to supply the advanced USB IR Sensor for free when a Media Center remote is purchased with the iXL. A new integrated IR Sensor is in development which will offer full control of Windows Media Center. Another issue with the PC is that, its DVD drive, which appears to work absolutely fine when inserting discs, but then, fails to read them and indeed, appears that it is not able to eject the discs too and fails with a DVD error message. As the drive is slot loading, with no external control, that means you have to open the chassis to remove the disc.
Gaming:
Though it has plenty of power to be an excellent media centre and for most other tasks, the ixL is not a gaming machine. The Core i3′s integrated graphics chip does not offer improved performance over Intel’s previous efforts where intensive 3D is concerned, and even casual gamers should probably steer clear of Intel’s integrated graphics, as with an old and undemanding title like Call of Duty 4 you’ll be lucky to get beyond 10fps.
Audio:
The 7.1 sound output is good enough for most home cinema systems, and video output of TV and DVD is smooth, with no noticeable artefacts.
Package contents:
When you open the Tranquil iXL, you will find your new PC that is packed for complete protection in a Tranquil PC branded rucksack; now that is a first for us. Apart from the Tranquil PC iXL Power PC, an external power supply unit, power cable, Intel DH57 JG Driver CD and a Sparse SATA Cable. You might be asking us where are the manuals? Well, they are fed in the PC itself in HTML format, and there are both online and offline options available. Hence, rest assured that you can have the latest version of the manual when you need it.

Power consumption:
At idle, Tranquil PC’s ixL consumed around 20W, while under load power usage generally stayed well below 50W. This is excellent considering the amount of power on offer and will be even lower if it’s configured with an SSD only.
Warranty:
Tranquil PC offers its iXL Media Centre PC one year warranty for parts and labour.
Verdict:
Apart from a couple of minor niggles, the Tranquil PC iXL is easily one of the best hardware we had seen from the company in the last three years. The design of the chassis is remarkable, well built and assembled with care and it is also important for you to note that the Tranquil’s custom components have also been engineered to a high specification. As a result, you have a compelling blend of fantastic off the shelf components from Intel, with custom wrapping that passively cools the iXL’s internals without let go of the aesthetics required for any PC that is going to reside under the telly. It is the subtle touches like internal motherboard schematic on the underside of the chassis and the connector schematic on the iXL’s base that takes up the iXL package from its rivals.
The base specification of the Tranquil PC iXL is a very powerful one, with the combination of Core i3, 2GB RAM and a 500GB hard drive is a fantastic combination for a Media Center PC, with the motherboard from Intel handling all the HD audio and video with ease. The Core i5 will provide additional longevity, but with the iXL offering easy upgrade paths to the processor, storage and RAM going forward, the i3 is a great place to start. We are glad to recommend the iXL as a fantastic Media Center PC. There are certainly cheaper options available for those on a budget, but if you’re searching for a great looking, silent and powerful HTPC then look no further. The iXL is Tranquil PC and Windows Media Center at their finest.
Tranquil ixL i3 Power PC – Technical Specifications, Configuration Details
| Manufacturer | Tranquil PC |
| Model Name | Tranquil PC ixL i3Media Centre PC |
| Year of Launch | 2010 |
| PC Type | Media Centre PC |
| Dimensions ( H x W x D) | 110 x 240 x 250 mm |
| Weight | Base unit (nett) 6Kg |
| Colours | Satin Black |
| Display | NA |
| Construction | Aluminium and steel (typically >70% recycled materials) |
| Hard drive Configuration | Internal bays for 1x 2.5″ SATA 1x 3.5″ SATA, 1x slim Optical (SATA) drive 3x eSATA to rear panel (or 2x eSATA if 2x int. HDDs used). All SATA support 3GB/s |
| Hard disk | Western Digital Scorpio Blue |
| Hard disk capacity | 500GB |
| Hard disk usable capacity | 465GB |
| Internal disk interface | SATA/300 |
| Spindle speed | 5,400RPM |
| Cache Memory | 8MB |
| Motherboard | Intel DH57JG |
| Motherboard chipset | Intel H57 Express |
| Memory | 2x DDR3 1066MHz (up to 4GB) |
| Ethernet | Yes |
| Heat handling | Aluminium with custom heat pipe cooling system (TranCool4) |
| Processor | 64 bit ready Intel i3-530 Dual Core with HT |
| Processor speed | 2.93GHz |
| PCIex expansion | 1x slots 1x – 16x Low Profile only |
| Card Reader | Card reader (SD card, mini SD card, XD card, MMC card |
| Software | As ordered |
| Power | External AC/DC with country specific power cord |
| Power consumption | 33W – 90W (base unit) |
| I/O ports, slots | Power switch, Power LED, IR RX/IR RX LED, Media card reader / 2x USB, 2x USB2.0 Card reader (SD card, mini SD card, XD card, MMC card), 12V DC power in / 6x USB2.0 / 10/100/1000 LAN, 3x eSATA, DVI-I, HDMI, Optical SPDIF, Mic in, Line in, Line Out (front), Rear Surround, Centre (subwoofer) |
| Warranty | 1 year return to base |












