Gigabyte's Aorus Model S 12th is a Compact Mini-ITX Gaming System That Doesn't Rely on Liquid Cooling

[TheLostSwede]

Gigabyte has tried its luck at building compact gaming systems in the past, mainly part of its BRIX family of mini PCs, but none really took off. Last year the company introduced the Aorus Model S, although it didn't seem to garner much traction either, but it seems like Gigabyte is ready to give it another try, as the Model S 12th was introduced at Computex last week. Unfortunately there was no-one at the Gigabyte booth at the time that could tell us anything about it, so we had to go and dig up some details on our own. The base model appears to come with an Intel Core i7-12700K processor, which is fitted to a Z690 based Mini-ITX motherboard, paired with 32 GB of DDR5 4800 MHz memory. There's also a GeForce RTX 3070 graphics card with 8 GB of memory and a 2 TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD.

However, what makes this system a bit special, is that it has a massive combined CPU and GPU cooler, with the entire system being cooled by one 120 mm and one 140 mm fan. The design is reminiscent of the Corsair One, albeit a bit more square and not quite as refined. The Model S 12th comes with all the features you'd expect from a higher-end PC these days, such as 2.5 Gbps Ethernet, WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, a USB-C 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20 Gbps) port and a 750 W 80 Plus gold rated PSU. The system measures 190 x 189 x 400 mm (WxDxH) and has a volume of 14 litres. A decent, if not spectacular specification, although as we don't know the pricing, it's hard to say if it'll be good value or not.

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[Chaitanya]

So bigger version of Brix Gaming UHD from few years back but better ventilated.

 

[trsttte]

Cool looking system with a very inspired design

A bit of a pity that they didn't bother to design a better looking wifi antena to fit the rest of the design, or even the video outputs for the GPU which look kind a cheap. Are they specked for hdmi2.1 at least?

 

[ArcanisGK507]

I think the idea is correct, how this beauty would look like if it implemented a compact liquid radiator that would cool the 4 most important points: CPU, GPU, Ram and Chipset... if with a block we have this....

 

[TheLostSwede]

Cool looking system with a very inspired design

A bit of a pity that they didn't bother to design a better looking wifi antena to fit the rest of the design, or even the video outputs for the GPU which look kind a cheap. Are they specked for hdmi2.1 at least?

It's a "standard" 3070 card, so I guess so.
That WiFi antenna is also a standard Aorus part.

 

[FreedomEclipse]

"Without throttling..."

So if it throttles we can get a full refund??

 

[tabascosauz]

Cool looking system with a very inspired design

A bit of a pity that they didn't bother to design a better looking wifi antena to fit the rest of the design, or even the video outputs for the GPU which look kind a cheap. Are they specked for hdmi2.1 at least?

No reason to fix what ain't broke

The standard GB antenna is actually excellent, well-built, great reception and 5GHz speeds, and magnetic base. Don't see that combination on many vendors these days. The antenna Asus ships for Wifi 6 frigging sucks ass

 

[Kohl Baas]

"Without throttling..."

So if it throttles we can get a full refund??

Only if the exhaust exceeds 120db(A) while on full throttle.

 

[ppn]

Are you serious, 400mm is ATX, just go back to the drawing board.

 

[Chrispy_]

Nice idea, neat concept that's worked for pretty much every laptop in the last decade and things like the Mac Pro trashcan, but why is it so big?!

The whole point of this is to reduce the size but it's frickin' massive. 14L is well into mATX territory and air-cooled sub-10L mITX cases are plentiful now.

The other problem is that you're stuck with the components you get. The chances of dropping in a GPU upgrade a couple of years later are practically nil.

 

[lexluthermiester]

"Without throttling..."

So if it throttles we can get a full refund??

Good luck with that...

 

[trsttte]

It's a "standard" 3070 card, so I guess so.
That WiFi antenna is also a standard Aorus part.

I meant the little internal dongle that connects the backplate to the gpu, it's an easy place to screw up because the bean counters decided the 2.0 or 1.4 dongles were cheaper and good enough. It's a bit of a paranoid question but as the old saying goes "thrust, but verify"

No reason to fix what ain't broke

The standard GB antenna is actually excellent, well-built, great reception and 5GHz speeds, and magnetic base. Don't see that combination on many vendors these days. The antenna Asus ships for Wifi 6 frigging sucks ass

I guess, but after going to the trouble of designing a small case with a custom heatsink solution and all that, a wifi antena that better fits with the overall design doesn't seem to me like too much to ask for.

 

[Lionheart]

Looks cool, beefed up Series X but only a 3070? Was expecting more.

 

[chodaboy19]

I applaud them for trying at least.

 

[phanbuey]

The glued-on antenna and the grossly inadequate cooling kind of kill it for me. Compromising performance for sure.

 

[5 o'clock Charlie]

"Without throttling..."

So if it throttles we can get a full refund??

I'm sure it'll explode before that happens...

 

[Zareek]

The glued-on antenna and the grossly inadequate cooling kind of kill it for me. Compromising performance for sure.

Actually, the Wi-Fi antenna has a magnetic base, it's not glued on. I have no idea if 140mm + 120mm can keep it cool. I like the concept, much better than relying on an AiO that starts to dry out after 3 years. I don't however trust Gigabyte to properly stand behind anything anymore. The last two Gigabyte motherboards I bought failed in warranty! Two completely different boards in a row to boot. The first one was a decent experience, it took less than a month to have a replacement. This last one took over six months to resolve! I had to buy another motherboard for the same CPU. Never Again!

 

[TheLostSwede]

Looks cool, beefed up Series X but only a 3070? Was expecting more.

Note, base model spec. There's at least a Ryzen 8 5900 SKU with a 3800 card. I guess it has something to do with how much that single heatsink can handle.

 

[watzupken]

If they are using a desktop version of GPU, they should have considered using a mobile Intel/ AMD CPU. The problem with the design is the limited cooling solution for both the CPU and GPU that requires very high power requirements at full tilt. Under gaming load, I think it should manage well enough since the CPU generally don’t draw more than 70 to 80W in most if not all games.

 

[TheLostSwede]

If they are using a desktop version of GPU, they should have considered using a mobile Intel/ AMD CPU. The problem with the design is the limited cooling solution for both the CPU and GPU that requires very high power requirements at full tilt. Under gaming load, I think it should manage well enough since the CPU generally don’t draw more than 70 to 80W in most if not all games.

And then people would've complained about the performance...

 

[ppn]

There is No problem with the performance I would install H610 ITX and 12400/12100F, no more since there is no need for overly expensive Z690 MB at 269 euro either.

the GPU sitting directly on the slot with own cooling, without the need for PCIe extender cables. , that way it would be open for upgrade path for the GPU.

I would move all connectivity on the top of the case by tilting the system on its front, and using ITX GPU with short PCB, all PCB are short even on 3080 anyway, just avoid triple fans models, stick to under 250mm, that would define the height, instead of 400mm, and big 3 slot cooling with 120mm noctua type fans, one of those would be 1/2 pass through fan overhanging the PCB for better cooling.

The current way it is built now it must be scrapped, heat tunnel or cheminee is good, but its just wrong on so many levels overall.

 

[phanbuey]

Actually, the Wi-Fi antenna has a magnetic base, it's not glued on. I have no idea if 140mm + 120mm can keep it cool. I like the concept, much better than relying on an AiO that starts to dry out after 3 years. I don't however trust Gigabyte to properly stand behind anything anymore. The last two Gigabyte motherboards I bought failed in warranty! Two completely different boards in a row to boot. The first one was a decent experience, it took less than a month to have a replacement. This last one took over six months to resolve! I had to buy another motherboard for the same CPU. Never Again!

Yep - my last gigabyte (Aorus) motherboard was x370 that died during tightening memory timings in the bios, and when it did finally come back to life it was without the second dimm channel working....

Regarding the AIO: the cheapo asetek units really do last for longer than 3 years, in my experience, and they don't leak. They also allow you to cram a ton of cooling into a simple design... I've had issues with EK and some of the fancier ones but just the bog standard aseteks have been great (and cheap). Here's my 13.3L case (smaller than this case):

1. 280 mm aio and unrestricted bottom panel (325mm 3 slot gpu) that dumps heat out the side.
2. No PCIE risers
3. 2x120mm unblocked exhaust fans restricted.

The amount of heat, even with modest hardware and fairly tame temps, that this thing puts out is seriously impressive. The cat loves it. But there's no way this gigabyte isn't going full toaster oven with that cooling setup. Those DDR5 sticks will actually bake.

 

[5 o'clock Charlie]

Yep - my last gigabyte (Aorus) motherboard was x370 that died during tightening memory timings in the bios, and when it did finally come back to life it was without the second dimm channel working....

My last Gigabyte board was a P45 chipset. I loved that board until a capacitor exploded. Luckily, it was under warranty and was repairable. I have not gone back to Gigabyte since there have been better options out there for my needs.

Regarding the AIO: the cheapo asetek units really do last for longer than 3 years, in my experience, and they don't leak. They also allow you to cram a ton of cooling into a simple design... I've had issues with EK and some of the fancier ones but just the bog standard aseteks have been great (and cheap).

I had a 92mm rad made by asetek back in the Ivy Bridge days. It was able to handle an Intel 3770k without issue. It outlasted the motherboard, so close to 10 years without performance degradation or leakage. It still works to this day but no board to mount it.

Here's my 13.3L case (smaller than this case):
View attachment 249720View attachment 249724

1. 280 mm aio and unrestricted bottom panel (325mm 3 slot gpu) that dumps heat out the side.
2. No PCIE risers
3. 2x120mm unblocked exhaust fans restricted.

The amount of heat, even with modest hardware and fairly tame temps, that this thing puts out is seriously impressive. The cat loves it. But there's no way this gigabyte isn't going full toaster oven with that cooling setup. Those DDR5 sticks will actually bake.

Is that the "espresso machine" in your system specs? I have never heard of the SLIGER S610 case before, reminds me of the NCASE M1. I always wanted to build a SFF case like that, but could not justify the high cost of those cases. Excellent system name...now I want more coffee!
Cheers!

 

[Zareek]

Yep - my last gigabyte (Aorus) motherboard was x370 that died during tightening memory timings in the bios, and when it did finally come back to life it was without the second dimm channel working....

Regarding the AIO: the cheapo asetek units really do last for longer than 3 years, in my experience, and they don't leak. They also allow you to cram a ton of cooling into a simple design... I've had issues with EK and some of the fancier ones but just the bog standard aseteks have been great (and cheap). Here's my 13.3L case (smaller than this case):
View attachment 249720View attachment 249724

1. 280 mm aio and unrestricted bottom panel (325mm 3 slot gpu) that dumps heat out the side.
2. No PCIE risers
3. 2x120mm unblocked exhaust fans restricted.

The amount of heat, even with modest hardware and fairly tame temps, that this thing puts out is seriously impressive. The cat loves it. But there's no way this gigabyte isn't going full toaster oven with that cooling setup. Those DDR5 sticks will actually bake.

See, I have a five-year-old Corsair H60 AiO that makes a gurgling noise in the pump at random. I know, a 120 AiO is not much of an AiO. I haven't bothered with overclocking in 15 years, so if it keeps my CPU under 75C while playing a game, it is good enough for me. It worked well enough to run everything I threw at it until it started gurgling. From what I understand, this sound is there not being enough water/coolant in the closed loop due to evaporation.

It's not that I'm against water cooling now but for my needs air coolers are just fine, especially my NH-D15. Dead silent and keeps my CPU much cooler than the H60 did. The NH-D15 was also easier than getting a new case that could fit a 240 or 280 AiO. I can't find a case that I like enough to bother.