Compact Powerhouse: Nvidia’s High-End Graphics in a Small PC
5 February 2025Nvidia has once again managed to shrink its Founders Edition graphics cards, even as power consumption increases. The engineering effort behind this move is aimed at making high-performance GPUs viable for compact PCs. We put this to the test by building what may be the fastest Blackwell-powered PC within a 24-litre case.
However, assembling such a system presents greater challenges than ever. The high power draw and subsequent heat generation of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 pose significant obstacles for both power supply and case manufacturers. For this project, we selected the Corsair 2000D case along with an SFF power supply rated at 850 watts.
Cooling Complications in Compact Builds
Nvidia’s Double Flow Through cooling design is not particularly well-suited to any currently available SFF cases. In many instances, airflow either collides with the rear of the motherboard tray or heats other components—such as RAM and the motherboard itself—far more than intended. As a result, using an air-cooled CPU in such a setup is not a viable option.
High-End Hardware in a Small Form Factor
Our test system comprises an Asus B650 Mini-ITX motherboard, an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D processor, a 360mm AIO water cooler from Asus, 48GB of DDR5-6200 RAM from TeamGroup, and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition. For power, we rely on the Corsair SF-850, which carries an 80 Plus Platinum certification.
Despite the compact form factor, we made no compromises in performance. Users requiring even more CPU power or memory will find few limitations in component selection due to size constraints. However, assembling the system demands extra care and time. The small build necessitates a step-by-step approach, as missing a step often means disassembling parts of the setup to access key components.
Once the build is complete, the compact size is barely noticeable during actual usage. The system delivers the same seamless performance one would expect from a high-end machine costing over €4,000—just in a much smaller footprint.
Performance Under Load
The true test comes when the system is pushed to its limits. Modern power-saving mechanisms ensure that high-performance components consume minimal energy under light loads, making them comparable to budget-friendly options in efficiency. Under heavy workloads, the Corsair 2000D proves its worth, demonstrating that it is well-equipped to handle the high heat output of top-tier graphics cards.