Can the 8th generation Intel Core mobile CPU be passively cooled like the 7th generation?

Question

Intel Core mobile CPUs (such as the i5 7200U) have been utilized in fanless mini PCs.

Examples:

• AZULLE Inspire Fanless Barebone
• ZOTAC ZBOX C Series
• Intel Dawson Canyon Fanless NUC

Though the 8th generation was released a year ago, a thorough search for a fanless mini PC using a mobile (U-series) CPU of this generation seems to indicate that it is not offered anywhere.

Can the 8th generation Intel Core U-series CPU be passively cooled like the 7th generation (using only a heat sink)?

UPDATE - Aug 22: This week, a new product was launched by INCTEL Technology in China:

Partaker B16 Fanless Mini PC With Intel Core i5 8250U

But I don't know if an expert will test it to verify its cooling capability, or at least decide by looking into the specs and design.

Answer 1

The market for passive mini-PCs hasn't yet caught up with these newer processors. Fanless desktops are a relatively small niche, so the product cadence may not be as fast as that of mainstream consumer hardware. Even so, there are technical changes that make equipping a fanless mini-PC with an 8th generation processor more difficult than with a 7th generation part.

The 8th generation Core processors feature upgraded specs which may make them more difficult to cool under load. Core i5 and i7 U-series processors now have four cores rather than the two in previous generations. Even though the nominal TDP is still 15W for most U-type parts, the minimum cTDP has increased to 10W (previous chips went down to 7.5W), and the new quad-core chips often run closer to full power for longer. Thermal solutions for low-power systems are often designed to accommodate only short bursts of high loads, which means they would need to be redesigned for the new chips. (There are even lower power Y-type processors but these are slower and not yet available as 8th generation parts.)