Jacob Roach / Digital Trends
TheRTX 4090is a monster computer graphic circuit card . It continues to challenge even standard - sized PC case with its treble - one-armed bandit size of it , as well as its blockheaded major power transmission line that can save upward of 600 watts . I wanted to agitate back . I need to put the biggest GPU you’re able to buy in the smallest display case potential for the ultimate belittled configuration factor play experience , and that ’s exactly what I did .
Not without sight of takings , mind you , but I have the RTX 4090 up and running in a 10.4 - liter personal computer case . For context , even a midtower like theHyte Y40is 50 liters . It took a passel of planning , plenty of tinkering , and a spot of cubital joint lubricating oil , but the small material body agent microcomputer I ’ve always woolgather of is here . Here ’s how I did it .
Meet the build
I make this personal computer for play . I have an RTX 4090 in it , of course , but alsoAMD ’s Ryzen 7 7800X3D. That ’s an important component . Fitting the GPU into amini - ITX caseisn’t heavily , but doing so with a powerful central processor is . Before getting to that , though , here ’s the physique :
We need to start at the bottom because that ’s the only reason this build is even possible . The Fractal Terra is a beautiful small variety gene case , but it ’s also very unique . like to the Lian Li A4 - H20 , the Terra let in a chamber foryour graphics cardand a sleeping room for the rest of your flesh . class the part like this is the only way to get everything inside a display case this small , with the components confiscate to both side of an internal spikelet .
The thorn on the Terra , however , is adjustable . you may give yourself more elbow room for a central processor cooler or more way for GPU headway . I almost had to max out the GPU headroom to fit the RTX 4090 in , and even then , I barely have enough room . A clip on the corner of the Terra ’s side panel in reality catches on the boundary of the RTX 4090 . I have to contort the case to get the side panel to close properly .
That ’s the GPU lick , but as remark , the CPU plays a significant role here . There are plenty oftiny CPU coolers , but most ca n’t address the Ryzen 7 7800X3D — except for the ID - Cooling IS-55 , that is . With a Founder ’s Edition RTX 4090 and this C.P.U. cooler , you have just a few mm of clearance to get the side panels close . It ’s an extremely tight fit that result basically no way for cable management . I did n’t emaciate any blank inside the PC . I also had to go with some low - visibility PNY XLR-8 memory to get the CPU cooler to fit properly .
Although the form is together and functioning , I ’d do thing other than if I could go back . The Gigabyte B650i Aorus Ultra was a bad option . It interferes with the ice chest and does n’t ply a strong fit on the CPU . I was able to tack the tank and barely squeeze it into the Terra , but intelligibly this is n’t how the figure is hypothesise to go . It look like Asus ROG Strix B650E - i and MSI MPG B650I Edge both work without clearance yield .
The last government note is the Thermalright ASF - opprobrious wall bracket . You may have consider these types of anti - bending brackets for Intel ’s latest CPUs . I ’m not worried about flex with the Ryzen 7 7800X3D , but these type of square bracket apparently can reduce temperature by a few degrees . give the limited space for a CPU cooler — and the fact that the bracket was about $ 8 — I figured it could n’t hurt .
That ’s the build put together , and it ’s play just OK ( I ’m typing this clause on it now ) . But the question is n’t if everything would match . I be intimate it would match . It ’s how this anatomy really performs , particularly when it comes to warmth and thermals .
Optimizing the curve
I detest a noisy gaming PC , which runs counter to the musical theme of having a small form factor build . By extension , I detest a hot gaming personal computer , which not only heat up up my situation ( a reborn garage ) but also produces more rooter racket . And from the start , I had a job on my hand with this build .
The RTX 4090 was fine , but the CPU buff was loud and raging . At idle , I ’d clock temperatures sometimes cash in one’s chips above 70 level Celsius , and I ’d from time to time top out at the caloric terminal point of 89 academic degree in game . Noise was worse , climb up to 50dB while idle and sometimes even reaching up to 60dB under loud . you could see how thing held up under 15 minutes at idle and while playingDiablo IVbelow .
This was on the CPU , which is where I focused my optimization . The RTX 4090 has been entirely all right . unfounded , it ’ll get down to around 35 arcdegree , and I ’ve never seen it go above 65 degrees under a full shipment . I really did n’t have any work to do on keeping Nvidia ’s monster GPU cool .
The solution for the CPU?Undervolting . Undervolting is n’t about running a processor at a lower speed . It ’s quite the reverse , in fact . The idea is tooverclockyour CPUbut cap the frequency . By tell your CPU to die hard at a higher clock speed , but restrict it from reaching that clock focal ratio , you move the whole curved shape of voltage up . This intend your CPU will hit its normal hike clock stop number at a lower voltage . If a central processing unit can hit 5.2GHz at 1.2V , for example , you may overclock it to hit 5.4GHz at that same voltage . With this applied , you ’ll gain the original 5.2GHz at a lower voltage .
That ’s a technical explanation for something that is actually middling simple to do , peculiarly with an AMD CPU . you may use the Curve Optimizer either within your motherboard ’s BIOS or with the Ryzen Master utility to make a electronegative offset . It essentially makes it so that , for any impart clock fastness and voltage , you ’re reduce the emf by a certain amount . AMD allow you to set an counterbalance of up to -30 , but not all chips will be capable to gain that level . For my Ryzen 7 7800X3D , I found that an first of -20 was static .
After arrange the offset , the next stair is to set some kind of hood , be it on clock speed , temperature , or power . The Ryzen 7 7800X3D is rated for 120W of great power , but it rarely reach that point . Even under a full Cinebench burden , the CPU never went over 90W , and in game , it would rarely crack 50W. There ’s a whole disjoined discussion to have here , but I settled on a power limit of 70W. It sound like I ’m shave 50W off of the chip , but I ’m really not .
This took some test and erroneous belief , and if you plan on undervolting , you ’ll have to go back and off a bit , as well . you’re able to see the massive difference it made under a full Cinebench load , though . I was actually above to gain some clock speed back due to the processor not thermal choking , and while shaving 10 degrees off of my maximum temperature . For all of that , I dropped 1 % of the performance , which is n’t enough worth highlighting .
Going a step further
The mainframe was the biggest vault to overtake , but I want to optimize further . That commence withundervolting the RTX 4090 , which was less useful than I thought it would be . I ended up knock off 95 millivolt , taking the voltage from 1.05V to 0.945V targeting 2,775MHz as the boost clock pep pill . The RTX 4090technicallyhas a rise clock speed around 2,500MHz , though there ’s quite a range . I found that the add-in I have settled at 2,775MHz under a full payload .
you’re able to see how the undervolt decease in Cinebench R24 ’s GPU benchmark . I shaved a hair of power and temperature while keeping an almost monovular account , but I would n’t say this is a significant change . you’re able to see a difference in a 10 - minute Cinebench run , but I have n’t noticed a meaningful difference in longer gameplay seance . Still , this is technically better , and I ’m not losing any performance , so I have the undervolt running .
From there , I sharpen my efforts on a proper fan curved shape , render to combat the randomness that I was drive out of the PC . I ’m happy to have the fans ramp up under a full incumbrance , but I prefer to keep things subdued when there is n’t much form on the PC — even if that means running at higher temperatures .
For the task , I usedFan Control . I ’ve written antecedently aboutsetting a proper devotee curve , but just like undervolting , it ’s a outgrowth of trial and computer error . Checking my idle temperatures after the undervolt , I tried to localize the bend to keep the fan speeds small around that area , hold on them from ramp up until I transition into something more demanding . I ’m still dialing in the curve for the CPU , but I ’m moderately felicitous with where it ’s at now .
After undervolting on the processor and GPU , and dress a proper fan curve , here ’s where I ended up after 15 minutes at idle and inDiablo IV :
It ’s a Brobdingnagian advance . Temperatures are way down compare to where they were at previously , and dissonance has been significantly reduced , as well ( particularly while playing game ) . I ’m not totally satisfied with the idle temperature , so I ’ll be work to balance the noise and temperatures with the fan curve go ahead . Compared to where the personal computer was at , though , this is a massive betterment .
Since work up this personal computer , I have n’t stop looking over in awe at just how much ironware you may compact in such a small box . It ’s been a transition go from a standard midtower to a humble form factor case , particularly with the interference and passion . But after getting my hands dirty with undervolting , I ’m glad with where the PC has terminate up .
I ’m saving a gross ton of desk infinite without sacrificing any power , as well . This is just about the highest - end play PC you may build right now , but it takes up less distance than a plot console . I ’ve never really considered myself enceinte on small human body cistron PCs , but after moving the RTX 4090 into the Fractal Terra , I might ’ve been converted .
