This striking two-toned mini PC features a fully customised fanless cooling system for Framework and AMD's new Halo Strix motherboards
Have you ever been so excited for your new PC you put all the components you have together before everything already arrives? I know I have, but one PC builder has really taken this pre-build excitement to the extreme with this mini desktop PC built around the motherboard collab between Framework and AMD's Strix Halo line.
TheJiral has been posting their build-in-progress to SFF Network, where it was spotted by VideoCardz. While not finished, it's a striking little PC with a high contrast black and white vented case that will hopefully wick away heat from this soon-to-be fanless build. This Strix Halo system is built to feature the Framework desktop mainboard with the middle of the line Ryzen powered AI Max+ 395 with 64GB of DDR5 RAM which go for $1,299 USD.
The really interesting thing about these boards is the integrated graphics card they come with. The Radeon 8060S is looking to be a beast as far as integrated graphics go with AMD using it to forgo dedicated GPUs in laptops like its new ROG Flow Z13. Early tests say this could card could deliver console level gaming performance, and may even rival GPUs like the RTX 4060.
The only problem with that is it's not currently available. Checking out the Framework website these mobos are set to ship in Q3 of this year, which is anytime from now until September. Rumours imply these boards could be in limited supply, so hopefully TheJiral won't be waiting too long to complete this slick Storm Trooper aesthetic PC.
But with excitement this palpable, most of the build is already complete. This includes a completely custom cooling solution which could be the make or break for this rig. TheJiral used the Framework 3D model and technical drawings to help design everything to fit, but it'll have to wait for that motherboard to arrive before we can find out.
"Will the thermal concept work out? Only one way to find out." Explains TheJiral "Theoretically, the heatsink should be capable of dissipating 140W when I manage to get it up to 60°C, which of course necessitates that the APU is running very hot. I would hope it will work also under load without too much thermal throttling but that is what I shall find out."
Looking at it we see a fairly hefty chunk of metal applied to the inside of the case, complete with what look like metal pipes bent perfectly to fit. If it doesn't end up working, at least it looks about as clean and as tight as something like this possibly could. The duotone of the copper and silver metals even does a lovely job of mirroring the black and white of the outer case.
TheJiral also admits this fun tinkering project isn't exactly the most logical way to build a PC. It's not the most efficient, nor the most cost effective, but it does look like a fun project that could result in a gorgeous little desktop machine. It's got me excited not only to see how this build ends up working when Framework's motherboard arrives, but also to see what other creations the brand's new collaboration will deliver.