GPU [SFFn] ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 2070 Mini Review

[confusis]

This review written by @3lfk1ng

We would like to thank ZOTAC for providing us with a review sample of their ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 2070 Mini. Without their generosity, this graphics card review would not be possible.

Fresh off the heels of our NVIDIA 2080 Ti review, ZOTAC has provided us with their ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 2070 Mini. This GPU is perfect for those who don't need as much horsepower, are using something like an HDPlex PSU, desire a short(er) length GPU, or perhaps want to buy something with a much better price to performance ratio.

Below are a few resources that ZOTAC was kind enough to provide for use in creating this review:
ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 2070 Mini Product Page
ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 2070 Mini Brochure

Let's see what we're working with here: https://smallformfactor.net/reviews/zotac-gaming-geforce-rtx-2070-mini-review

 

[Biowarejak]

Neato! Nice knowing Ampere should be 4.0 compliant, i think i can upgrade my rig in a year

 

[Zephyraeon]

Great review, found a couple small typos though: this card is not exception to the rule (should be no). Also saw that Fire Strike was called Fire Stike a couple times in the text body.

 

[She loved E]

Great write-up! Surprised the length wasn't listed as a con. At 211 mm, isn't it quite a bit longer than other mini cards? Or is the mini designation so loose that that's to be expected?

 

[3lfk1ng]

While 211mm may seem long to some, I think it would still fit into a 5 liter Skyreach S4 Mini.

I tried to factor into that decision that all other RTX 2070s are nearly 270mm+ in length (The FE is 228mm due to the use of a vapor chamber).

At some point, there is a limit to how small these enthusiast GPUs can get so I'm thankful that ZOTAC even made the effort and was able to do so.

Also, like the 1080 mini, the shroud and fans could be removed to make it even shorter -which we've seen a lot of the M1 owners do.

 

[zurdo1981]

I couldn´t find on the review (sorry for my english); I owned a zotac 1080 mini and the only thing I hated was the absence of a zero rpm mode in idle (I think most of the discussion on the 1080 mini thread was about ways of achieving this). Is it the same in this one? or does it have a zero rpm mode?
Thanks

 

[mejobloggs]

Personally I really like the size. Always good to have options I guess. I like SFF but I don't go for super-tiny so this is a perfect mid-way point for me

 

[chx]

The Inno3D Twin x2 is still shorter: 196mm.

 

[3lfk1ng]

Is it the same in this one? or does it have a zero rpm mode?
Thanks

I reached out to ZOTAC to get confirmation on this one since the version I had was a review sample.

It turns out that the MINI series of cards do not have enough room on the PCB to add the MCU necessary to add semi-fanless.
I am going to have to call that a nitpick as I consider the noise of the fan especially quiet considering how effective this cooler is.

Another nitpick is that they their ZOTAC Mek Mini uses a variant of ZOTAC's RTX 2070 Mini that has a VirtualLink. The standalone GPU does not have this. Their reasoning was because their "target groups" favored DVI.

 

[Biowarejak]

But WHO favors DVI these days?

 

[SilverJS]

@3lfk1ng : Did you have a chance to try to disassemble the cooler assembly? Seems to me from the photos the PCB is a fair bit shorter (in terms of 'height' as it's regularly understood) than the shroud and backplate. Curious to see the actual PCB's dimensions, and raw photos of it if available, if one wants to ditch it and use Noctua fans. (Every mm counts in a brickless S4M...)

 

[3lfk1ng]

Unfortunately, not this time around.

There were a lot of variables at play this time.
Mainly, the GPU was a a loaner so they kindly requested a quick turnaround and in that time I ha d to leave town for a few days on a family emergency.

That said, I did confirm with ZOTAC at CES that the cooler and fans are the same as the one used on the 1080mini due to how effective it was.

They also told their engineering team to keep the shroud, after the end fan, as short as possible and so they did.

Hopefully someone will have one soon and we can pester them for more data.

 

[SilverJS]

Got it, thanks much!

 

[CC Ricers]

FYI Zotac now has a Magnus mini PC with a discrete 2070 card that is a true ITX length.
https://www.zotac.com/us/page/magnus-e-series

 

[Ganelon]

FYI Zotac now has a Magnus mini PC with a discrete 2070 card that is a true ITX length.
https://www.zotac.com/us/page/magnus-e-series

Yeah but Gigabyte now has true-itx length 2070s coming imminently as well, so getting the mini pc to tear it apart for the gpu would be silly.

Especially since Bykski reliably makes waterblocks for the Gigabyte mini cards.

 

[CC Ricers]

Yeah, I'll probably go with Gigabyte or MSI for a mini card upgrade to the latest gen.

 

[chx]

Ho-humm, three DisplayPorts and a USB C ? It's quite likely that USB C is DisplayPort alternate mode capable so did nVidia break the "quad displayport only on workstation cards" rule with this generation, I wonder.

 

[Arrandale]

Unfortunately, not this time around.

There were a lot of variables at play this time.
Mainly, the GPU was a a loaner so they kindly requested a quick turnaround and in that time I ha d to leave town for a few days on a family emergency.

That said, I did confirm with ZOTAC at CES that the cooler and fans are the same as the one used on the 1080mini due to how effective it was.

They also told their engineering team to keep the shroud, after the end fan, as short as possible and so they did.

Hopefully someone will have one soon and we can pester them for more data.

I just received mine, is there anything you need me to measure?