Prebuilt [SFFn] ASRock's DeskMini GTX1080 Reviewed - Epic Performance Density

[Kmpkt]

35 degrees, man that's hot. I think if you're dealing with those sorts of thermals in your room you should probably drop the DeskMini and run from your burning house.

 

[jØrd]

I think if you're dealing with those sorts of thermals in your room you should probably drop the DeskMini and run from your burning house.

pffft, its 30C in my house right now according to my desk clock D:
Knowing ASRock test up at 35 is a factor that will push me towards their hardware, all my gear cooks in summer

 

[GuilleAcoustic]

Same here, poorly insulated flat sees temperatures ramping up in summer. That's what keeps me away from passive cooling at the moment.

Been very interested in ASRock hardware and they scored another point in my heart. Maybe gonna impulse buy an ASRock ITX server board next ;-)

 

[Kmpkt]

Been very interested in ASRock hardware and they scored another point in my heart. Maybe gonna impulse buy an ASRock ITX server board next ;-)

AsRock is all I will buy from now on. This is because (in my opinion) they are the only company who does anything innovative in the SFF space. X99 and X299 on ITX is bonkers, Mini STX is awesome and Micro STX in my opinion has the capacity to completely supplant Mini ITX as fab processes continue to shrink (if executed properly and given reasonably priced and persistent MXM support). I think everyone in this community should seriously consider this fact when considering future hardware purchases. If ASUS and Gigabyte see they are losing ITX motherboard share to AsRock, then at least they might join the SFF party in some relevant way.

ALSO Bill Chen is my hero.

 

[ASRock System]

This is me!!

 

[Phuncz]

Now the SFFN crew knows who to talk to for all the STX questions at the tech shows

 

[chx]

3rd party cooling solution incoming! Also I'm pretty sure Aetina will sell MXM GeForce cards to the public

I have no doubt either. But, they are not interested in selling at a competitive price point. Remember that single slot low profile 1050 I found? Aetina wants $330 for it...

 

[confusis]

Now the SFFN crew knows who to talk to for all the STX questions at the tech shows

We already do - we had a fantastic chat with Bill at Computex 2017

 

[EdZ]

Maybe time to add a "Bill Chen fan club" shirt to the SFFN store?

 

[chx]

If ASUS and Gigabyte see they are losing ITX motherboard share to AsRock, then at least they might join the SFF party in some relevant way.

VivoPC and BRIX especially BRIX GTX Pro ? Yes, different segment but I always wondered how big is the SFF DIY segment vs these machines, various Intel NUCs etc

 

[Runamok81]

Bill Chen for president 2020!

 

[ASRock System]

President offers a special combo sale for you
DeskMini GTX1060 + i5-7400 = $799.99

https://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.3728236

By the way, we announced Z370 DeskMini GTX in this year.

 

[W1NN1NG]

President offers a special combo sale for you
DeskMini GTX1060 + i5-7400 = $799.99

https://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.3728236

By the way, we announced Z370 DeskMini GTX in this year.

Any word on the release of z370? And maybe a cpu bundle deal for the 1080 versions too ^.^ I really wanna pick up the 1080 version but the amount I save on the 1060 version has me leaning more towards the lower end of the scale :/

 

[QuantumBraced]

I know this is old, but I just finally read this review -- my question is, why did the MXM 1080 perform worse than the desktop equivalent granted it has the same boost clock (well, 26MHz lower than the Zotac card, but the difference in benchmarks suggested a much wider gap). My guess is that the boost frequency is simply not reached on the MXM version or not reached as much. Is that because of thermal or power limitations? I'm thinking it's power, because at the same temperature a founder's edition card boosts higher. But then how can it have the same boost clock if it's power-limited? Is that just a "burst" boost clock so to speak, that can't be maintained for as long as the desktop card?

I hope if MXM cards meant for desktop PCs do hit the retail market or if ASRock is able to gain more leverage in the industry, we get an MXM variant that is specced the exact same as the founder's edition card, i.e. same exact same TDP and power/thermal targets. The chips are the same, so it should be possible, though you may need some kind of VRM cooling.

 

[Kmpkt]

My suspicion is that the CPU used in the review (7700K) may have been slightly power limited on the tests I ran. The board was actually rated to handle 65W chips only and the 7700K is a 95W part. I am planning to repeat these tests on the new Deskmini Z370 (which has a more robust power system) with both a Zotac 1080 and Gigabyte 1080 Mini to give a better and more relevant comparison.

 

[QuantumBraced]

My suspicion is that the CPU used in the review (7700K) may have been slightly power limited on the tests I ran. The board was actually rated to handle 65W chips only and the 7700K is a 95W part. I am planning to repeat these tests on the new Deskmini Z370 (which has a more robust power system) with both a Zotac 1080 and Gigabyte 1080 Mini to give a better and more relevant comparison.

I see. You may be right, though I think it's more likely most of those benchmarks were GPU-bound, not CPU. Thanks for a great review, I look forward to reading your thoughts on the new Z370 board.

I'd also be curious to see if the 8700K works in it, and if so, whether there is a power limit. Clearly you can't even cool a stock 8700K (or even an 8700 I'm guessing) in such a small case, but still it would be useful information for someone who would like to get the unlocked CPU, so they can tweak it for lower power or use it in another system later, or for better resale value, etc.

 

[DeskMiniGTX1060]

Hi, I signed up just to post this. I've been a fan of SFF--particularly the ASRock Deskmini series-- since late 2016. Over that time I've built 4 DeskMini 110s for friends and family. People can't get enough of the little PC!

After 6 months of sitting on my hands, I bit the bullet and bought a DeskMini GTX1060. Considering my CPU and RAM were still recent (i7-7700, 32GB DDR2400), I decided it was best to go with the B250 rather than the newer Z370 model which would require new components.

So on Sunday, I began the mgiration from my DeskMini 110 to the GTX1060. The newer chassis is much easier to work in than the 110. Everything is just more accessible and I can see a lot of thought went into engineering the little beast. Great job ASRock!

Here is where I ran into a problem. I installed Windows 10 and noticed that my CPU was stuck at 800 MHz (8x multiplier). I double checked that the Windows Battery Profile was set to Maximum Performance with 100% for Maximum CPU. Yes, the DeskMini GTX 1060 shows as having a battery! Then I went into the BIOS and noticed that it was also stuck at 800 MHZ. I tried flashing the BIOS to the latest 1.6 and still no luck. I did notice in HWMonitor that the temperatures on two motherboard sensors were off the charts: TMPIN6/TMPIN8 reading 120 C. However, my CPU and GPU were a cool 35 and 40 C, respectively.

It was after hours of research that I found out BD PROCHOT was enabled. Something to do with the CPU receiving a signal from the motherboard that something is running too hot (not the CPU itself). I used a program called ThrottleStop to confirm this. To ensure that my CPU wasn't the culprit, I threw in a Pentium G4560 and it also throttled down. I removed all unncessary components, and still no luck. Looks to be a bad thermal sensor(s)? Maybe some experts here have an idea?

I contacted ASRock Technical Support to see if there's a setting I'm unaware of in the BIOS. I have my fingers crossed that it will be fixable. Unfortunately for me, I ordered from a U.S. retailer and had to pick up the GTX 1060 across the Canadian border. I paid a heft duty on it, but it was still worth it in my opinon. The excitement leading up to this point had me feeling like a kid on Christmas! I'm hoping ASRock can assist since RMA'ing the unit will be a logistical nightmare of shipment, travel, and possibly more duties.

Sorry for the long rant. Bill Chen 2020!

 

[JAugust]

I'm sorry but where can I actually buy those barebones + MXM? this tickled my interest

 

[confusis]

I'm sorry but where can I actually buy those barebones + MXM? this tickled my interest

Newegg currently has a few options of them available!