CPU Game Mini Pc (VX1) from Aliexpress (12700H + 3060 12GB mobile)

[LukeD]

I've been binging on Aliexpress PC's ... I've got issues, I know
But I think I found the perfect little gaming PC: LINK

Specs:
12700H - 14 core (6 performance, 8 efficiency)
GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile with 12GB RAM
2 x M.2 slots (one is NVME the other is SATA/NVME)
5 x USB 3.0 ports
2 x USB 2.0 ports (im planning on desoldering these, printing a 3d cover to replace the current one and soldering in a USB 2.0 to SATA adapter and connecting 2 x 8TB SATA drives)
1 x USB-C port
3 x HDMI ports
1 x SD Card reader
2 x Ethernet 2.5GB I225 (intel)
Size of the nuc11phki7
300W Huntkey power brick
$740 USD




Performance (in comparison to other similar specced units):

You need to supply your own: Memory, SSD, Wifi+bluetooth combo card

In terms of noise, the unit is very similar to nuc11phki7 or Morefine m600 (pretty much any 7840 or 6900 ryzen based mini pc)
BIOS has a ton of options, most you won't want to tinker with. Although you can set the color of the "skull" logo from the bios which is nice.
It does have an option for overclocking ram, but even with a JEDEC 5600 kit (KF556S40IBK2-32) I was only able to get it to run at 4800 (its set to 4400mhz out of the box). You might have better luck with other memory kits. I would recommend for lowest latency (CL) kit rated at 4800 MHz that you can get.
The chassis is made of very nice thick metal (not sure if steel or aluminium). Top and bottom cover are plastic.

The biggest pain in the a$$ was the fact that the nVidia driver doesn't install out of the box.
I contacted support and they hooked me up within a few hours with "custom" drivers.
They basically used NVCleanstall to customize the driver to add an unsupported device ID. I must say the driver was clean from the manufacturer, no viruses or malware.
Needless to say it was an old driver. I asked them if they can provide instructions on settings they used in NVCleanstaller as there's a lot of variables. But I don't think the seller knows, nor has the contacts to the manufacturer to ask. But with a little persistence and reverse engineering I was able to figure out how to customize nVidia's latest driver so you can do a 100% clean install.
See the 2nd post for more info.

Gallery:


Summary:
Now why is this thing so good ?
Well, the balance between performance and power consumption. The 12GB of VRAM will mean this can easily pull 1080 - 1440p and even 4k in some games.
Its close to the Minisforum HX99G, but I would honestly prefer an nvidia GPU and 12GB instead of radeon and 8gb.
Via RPCS3 I can run Killzone 3 at 1080p @ 60 fps. Motorstorm Pacific Rift runs 30 fps @ 1440p.
Its a perfect blend of performance + efficiency cores + a GPU that can play anything 2010 without breaking a sweat and anything 2020's in high detail 1080-1440p.
Fantastic little mini PC.

 

[LukeD]

To create a working driver, basically download NVCleanstaller
and then use the following settings:

Select: Manually select a driver version
Check box: Show all versions
From the drop down list select the latest driver version (at time of writing its: 546.01), so I selected: 546.01 Windows 10 64bit Notebook DCH
Make sure you select Notebook and not Desktop
Click Next

On the "Select Components to install" screen, make sure at least the following are checked:
[X] Display Driver (required)
[X] PhysX
[X] HD AUdio via HDMI
[X] Microsoft Visual C 2017 Runtimes
Click Next

Wait for it to "Prepare sources..."

On the "Installation tweaks" screen, select the following:
[X] Disable Installer Telemetry & Advertising
[X] Add Hardware Support
From the drop down Template select: GeForce GPU [134B.0008.1414] nvmsoig.inf
Add the last 4 digits: 2520 to the (ID), so that the whole line reads as follows: PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_2520
type the name in manually: Name: GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU
[X] Rebuild digital signature
Click Next

On the "Finished" screen select: Build Package. This will create an install file for you. Run it as you would a normal nVidia driver install and enjoy.

 

[LukeD]

And for those interested in how I reverse engineered it.
I downloaded the vanilla version of the nVidia driver (same version as the customized one)
Generated a file compare using the following command for both the modded and not original files:

find . -type f -exec md5 {} \; > /Users/Mac/Desktop/modded.md5
find . -type f -exec md5 {} \; > /Users/Mac/Desktop/original.md5

I then used Kaleidoscope on Mac to compare the md5 outputs. This tells me which files have been modified.
I got a ton of false positives, as most results showed the telemetry flag on the modded drivers, so I had a ton of files to go through. Took me about an hour.
And then I found the correct file: nvmsoig.inf where there was additional entries made.

This gave me enough information to start working with NVCleanstaller to find the right inf file to modify. The next challenge was, which GPU was I to use as a template. I tried 3050ti laptop, seemed like it would work, but it did not.
In fact I had to go through a few before, by simple elimination, I landed on the vanilla: GeForce GPU

 

[confusis]

Glad to see you got it worked out! It's a cool little box. I was worried the manufacturer would supply a "custom" driver with some added "bonuses" like some do :/

 

[LukeD]

Glad to see you got it worked out! It's a cool little box. I was worried the manufacturer would supply a "custom" driver with some added "bonuses" like some do :/

Indeed. Now I'm finally happy I have a spiritual successor to Phantom / Hades Canyon. The form factor is great and the compute power is awesome, such a great little machine, im planning on turning it into a retro pc.

 

[vetl]

To create a working driver, basically download NVCleanstaller
and then use the following settings:

Select: Manually select a driver version
Check box: Show all versions
From the drop down list select the latest driver version (at time of writing its: 546.01), so I selected: 546.01 Windows 10 64bit Notebook DCH
Make sure you select Notebook and not Desktop
Click Next

On the "Select Components to install" screen, make sure the following are checked:
[X] Display Driver (required)
[X] PhysX
[X] HD AUdio via HDMI
[X] Microsoft Visual C 2017 Runtimes
Click Next

Wait for it to "Prepare sources..."

On the "Installation tweaks" screen, select the following:
[X] Add Hardware Support
From the drop down Template select: GeForce GPU [134B.0008.1414] nvmsoig.inf
Add the last 4 digits: 2520 to the (ID), so that the whole line reads as follows: PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_2520
type the name in manually: Name: GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU
[X] Rebuild digital signature
Click Next

On the "Finished" screen select: Build Package. This will create an install file for you. Run it as you would a normal nVidia driver install and enjoy.

How did you find what template to use in
"From the drop down Template select: GeForce GPU [134B.0008.1414] nvmsoig.inf"
step?

I have like 20 or more entries with my device ID, 4 character one. I tried first one even though it got installled nvidia panel didn't open and device stopped working in device manager.

This is for the Tank mini PC with nvidia 3080m. There is deffinetly GPU there lol just wanna make sure its 3080 and I didn't get scammed, so I started another win install on a separate SSD.

 

[LukeD]

@vetl
I had to try all nvmsoig.info templates 1 by 1 to see which works.
I've got the Tank 03 with 3080 also and I follow the same process and I can tell you that on Windows 10 the GeForce GPU template works correctly. But you have to use VEN_10DE&DEV_249C

And while nVidia control panel won't appear in the list if you right click on your desktop, it does work if you launch it from the Start menu.

Also I read somewhere that Acemagic are working on a bios to remove this requirement. It sounds plausible since the device id's would be something they can change with a firmware flash.

Since they can change the device ID's, a good way to check what GPU you actually have is by running some benchmarks.

E.g. TimeSpy should give you the follow results:

RTX 3060 Mobile ~ 7500 points
RTX 3080 Mobile ~ 10400 points

And RTX 3070 Mobile should fall somewhere in-between

 

[vetl]

@vetl
I had to try all nvmsoig.info templates 1 by 1 to see which works.
I've got the Tank 03 with 3080 also and I follow the same process and I can tell you that on Windows 10 the GeForce GPU template works correctly. But you have to use VEN_10DE&DEV_249C

And while nVidia control panel won't appear in the list if you right click on your desktop, it does work if you launch it from the Start menu.

Also I read somewhere that Acemagic are working on a bios to remove this requirement. It sounds plausible since the device id's would be something they can change with a firmware flash.

Since they can change the device ID's, a good way to check what GPU you actually have is by running some benchmarks.

E.g. TimeSpy should give you the follow results:

RTX 3060 Mobile ~ 7500 points
RTX 3080 Mobile ~ 10400 points

And RTX 3070 Mobile should fall somewhere in-between

Just checked with 3D graphics mark , and got a score of 20785 which is between mobile 3080 and desktop lol

Just checked my device ID 249C as well. So for me the nvidia control panel did not come up at all when I tried to open it from apps.
So basically templates I need to go through one by one to see which one works with my 3080 Laptop GPU? What is the confirmation that it works? Nvidia panel launches?

 

[LukeD]

Here, try this driver I put together:

Dropbox

www.dropbox.com

 

[vetl]

Here, try this driver I put together:

Dropbox

www.dropbox.com

It did work, gpu benchmark passed as well, what did you use for template ?

 

[LukeD]

@vetl - the one listed in the tutorial:
GeForce GPU [134B.0008.1414] nvmsoig.inf

Try selecting all packages on the "Select Components to install" screen

 

[vetl]

@vetl - the one listed in the tutorial:
GeForce GPU [134B.0008.1414] nvmsoig.inf

Try selecting all packages on the "Select Components to install" screen

i thought 134B is the device ID, and I should be using tgose with 249C. Thanks let me try

 

[LukeD]

i thought 134B is the device ID, and I should be using tgose with 249C. Thanks let me try

So this is the point of using NVCleanstall is that we're changing the template, which is 134B to 249C, so that your device gets detected properly.

 

[SrVald]

I've been binging on Aliexpress PC's ... I've got issues, I know
But I think I found the perfect little gaming PC: LINK

Specs:
12700H - 14 core (6 performance, 8 efficiency)
GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile with 12GB RAM
2 x M.2 slots (one is NVME the other is SATA/NVME)
5 x USB 3.0 ports
2 x USB 2.0 ports (im planning on desoldering these, printing a 3d cover to replace the current one and soldering in a USB 2.0 to SATA adapter and connecting 2 x 8TB SATA drives)
1 x USB-C port
3 x HDMI ports
1 x SD Card reader
2 x Ethernet 2.5GB I225 (intel)
Size of the nuc11phki7
300W Huntkey power brick
$740 USD




Performance (in comparison to other similar specced units):

You need to supply your own: Memory, SSD, Wifi+bluetooth combo card

In terms of noise, the unit is very similar to nuc11phki7 or Morefine m600 (pretty much any 7840 or 6900 ryzen based mini pc)
BIOS has a ton of options, most you won't want to tinker with. Although you can set the color of the "skull" logo from the bios which is nice.
It does have an option for overclocking ram, but even with a JEDEC 5600 kit (KF556S40IBK2-32) I was only able to get it to run at 4800 (its set to 4400mhz out of the box). You might have better luck with other memory kits. I would recommend for lowest latency (CL) kit rated at 4800 MHz that you can get.
The chassis is made of very nice thick metal (not sure if steel or aluminium). Top and bottom cover are plastic.

The biggest pain in the a$$ was the fact that the nVidia driver doesn't install out of the box.
I contacted support and they hooked me up within a few hours with "custom" drivers.
They basically used NVCleanstall to customize the driver to add an unsupported device ID. I must say the driver was clean from the manufacturer, no viruses or malware.
Needless to say it was an old driver. I asked them if they can provide instructions on settings they used in NVCleanstaller as there's a lot of variables. But I don't think the seller knows, nor has the contacts to the manufacturer to ask. But with a little persistence and reverse engineering I was able to figure out how to customize nVidia's latest driver so you can do a 100% clean install.
See the 2nd post for more info.

Gallery:


Summary:
Now why is this thing so good ?
Well, the balance between performance and power consumption. The 12GB of VRAM will mean this can easily pull 1080 - 1440p and even 4k in some games.
Its close to the Minisforum HX99G, but I would honestly prefer an nvidia GPU and 12GB instead of radeon and 8gb.
Via RPCS3 I can run Killzone 3 at 1080p @ 60 fps. Motorstorm Pacific Rift runs 30 fps @ 1440p.
Its a perfect blend of performance + efficiency cores + a GPU that can play anything 2010 without breaking a sweat and anything 2020's in high detail 1080-1440p.
Fantastic little mini PC.

Hi Luke, thank you for the post! I´m curious about the temperatures of this mini PC on gaming and high demand tasks?

 

[LukeD]

Hi Luke, thank you for the post! I´m curious about the temperatures of this mini PC on gaming and high demand tasks?

CPU temps can get to 95C when @ full load 4.8 GHz @ 100Watts. The CPU then throttles to about 2.8 GHz @ 75 c @ 50Watts. (using CPUburner 19/20 threads to test this)
The GPU on the other hand at full load hovers around 68C.

 

[LukeD]

Quick update on the custom GPU driver that is required for this system.
I noticed that when trying to compile a new driver for the system the GPU I was using before is now gone.
Not sure if this is a NVCleanstall or nVidia driver change, however I have some good news that I have found another GPU we can use as a blueprint to build this driver.

From the drop down Template select: Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design [1F36.0032.1414] nvmsoig.inf
Add the last 4 digits: 2520 to the (ID), so that the whole line reads as follows: PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_2520

This works with NVCleanstall v.1.16.0 and nVidia Driver: 552.44 Notebook.

One other thing I'll point out is that I tried to install Batocera on this system and because the device ID isn't valid, Batocera doesn't boot. Crashed when trying to load the display driver. There's probably a way to inject device ID into the image, but out of the box it won't work. Probably the same for other linux distros, so buyers beware

 

[leafar]

i just bought one what is first steps to do ?, thanks, 16GB OF RAM IS ENOUGH

 

[patrick hydar]

Quick update on the custom GPU driver that is required for this system.
I noticed that when trying to compile a new driver for the system the GPU I was using before is now gone.
Not sure if this is a NVCleanstall or nVidia driver change, however I have some good news that I have found another GPU we can use as a blueprint to build this driver.

From the drop down Template select: Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design [1F36.0032.1414] nvmsoig.inf
Add the last 4 digits: 2520 to the (ID), so that the whole line reads as follows: PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_2520

This works with NVCleanstall v.1.16.0 and nVidia Driver: 552.44 Notebook.

One other thing I'll point out is that I tried to install Batocera on this system and because the device ID isn't valid, Batocera doesn't boot. Crashed when trying to load the display driver. There's probably a way to inject device ID into the image, but out of the box it won't work. Probably the same for other linux distros, so buyers beware

Hello, I have the TANK 03 with the 3070m instead of 3080m, I used the method above and appended 249D to the ID instead of 249C or 2520, because 249D is the hardware ID of the rtx 3070 mobile, but it didn't work, oddly the graphics driver version I selected (game ready 560.70) appears as the driver, and all is good, but the performance in 3Dmark is as bad as if it hadn't been detected at all. I restarted multiple times
do you have anything that could help?

 

[LukeD]

Hello, I have the TANK 03 with the 3070m instead of 3080m, I used the method above and appended 249D to the ID instead of 249C or 2520, because 249D is the hardware ID of the rtx 3070 mobile, but it didn't work, oddly the graphics driver version I selected (game ready 560.70) appears as the driver, and all is good, but the performance in 3Dmark is as bad as if it hadn't been detected at all. I restarted multiple times
do you have anything that could help?

what does control panel show ? any errors ?