Idea for a modular small form factor PC

[Cawa]

Hey guys!

I am currently working on case designs for a personal mini-itx build. My computer will be used predominantly for Solidworks, Altium, photo editing, and gaming. For Solidworks, I will want to use a Quadro M2000 or M4000 card, but for gaming I would need a GTX 1070 (You can't really game on a Quadro card). Having the flexibility to swap cards quickly or use the iGPU when on the go would be ideal for me.

What I was thinking of doing is separating the GPU from the rest of the system by using the Thunderbolt 3 interface and passing thru the power from the main system. This would allow me to make a very small system case and the smallest GPU enclosure, because it would not have it's own internal PSU.

My question is regarding the feasibility of doing something like this. I've never used an external GPU, so I don't know how the Thunderbolt 3 interface works, and whether or not it could even work like I want. If any of you have tried something similar I'd love to hear what your thoughts on this are.

Also, a little off topic, but I'd be interested to know whether or not there's any interest in a 3-4L case intended for half-size single-slot GPUs (like the Quadro M2000 or P2000).

Cheers!

 

[|||]

You can game on a Quadro. They just aren't optimized for it, so performance won't be as great if all hardware is equal, but they can be better when more parts of the chips are enabled.

That being said, to get up to GTX 1070, you'd want a P5000, which is quite expensive. You'll have to look at the trade-off between cost of adding on external devices (eGPU solutions aren't exactly cheap) and it's reusability against the cost of just upping the GPU performance to get the best of both worlds with a single card.

For the performance of TB3, degradation is limited and can actually be better when the eGPU is connected directly to an external monitor.

A case like the NFC-Systems S4 Mini can handle a card like the M2000 or P2000.

 

[Cawa]

I looked a a few eGPU solutions and it is indeed a lot more expensive. I guess I'll just bite the bullet and use this machine for CAD and light gaming.

I really like the S4 and it actually inspired me to try and make a case for myself. I think I could make it smaller, given that I'm only using a single-slot card.

 

[SeñorDonut]

Vega might work with SW, but it's not out yet