Low profile graphics cards have always been something of a niche market, but they've found homes in many HTPC builds over the years, especially passively cooled cards. Now Gigabyte has launched a rather odd looking low profile NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 based graphics card that simply goes under the name of GeForce RTX 4060 OC Low Profile 8G. The 182 x 69 x 40 (D x H x W) mm card still manages to pack in three fans and requires an 8-pin power connector to work, which somewhat unfortunately plugs in at the rear of the card, although there wouldn't have been too many other locations to place it. This means that this card might not work in some Mini-ITX builds, due to the card being too long once the power connector is plugged in.

The card width should've given away that we're looking at a dual slot card, which is also pretty obvious from the pictures. Gigabyte provides a full height and a low profile bracket with the card, which not all low profile cards have shipped with in the past, so this is a plus. Connectivity wise, the GeForce RTX 4060 OC Low Profile 8G comes with two DP 1.4a and two HDMI 2.1a ports, making this a card well suited for HTPC usage. Gigabyte has even overclocked the GPU from 2460 MHz to 2475 MHz, which seems quite pointless and is unlikely to bring any huge performance advantages over stock clock speeds.Update Aug 24th: During a recent meeting with Gigabyte we had a chance to go hands-on with their new RTX 4060 Low Profile card, here's some photos.

Giga Computing, a subsidiary of GIGABYTE and an industry leader in high-performance servers, workstations, and mini-PCs, today announced a newly designed ultra-compact, mainstream mini-PCs for the BRIX lineup, and they adopt the 13th Gen Intel Core U-series mobile processor. With Intel's 7 nm manufacturing process that produces Performance-core (P-core) and Efficient-core (E-core) architectures, users can benefit not only in a performance boost, but also compute with greater efficiency. Besides its lightweight, compact footprint, all new mainstream BRIXs still deliver powerful computing that fits perfectly in any IoT employment, whether for office use, education use, home use, digital signage, medical care, or KIOSK.

Upgrade to the future: Minimalism meets power
The most recent generation of mainstream BRIX products in 2023 adopts an all-new chassis design. Computing performance has increased, but the design does not require an increase in the size of the chassis. Its appearance has curved, soft, and twisted lines with a liveliness that makes it very unobtrusive. By the way it was assembled and layered, and designing oblique angles around the base, a sense of simplicity is created to achieve a lightweight design. This allows users to enjoy ultimate computing performance while also having a stylish and elegant product.

SilverStone Technology today announced the immediate availability of the latest installment from the MILO series line, MILO 12 - a 15.6L slim and compact Mini-ITX case suitable as a HTPC system that sits next to your TV or as a high-performance workstation.

MILO 12 sports a dual-chamber internal body structure as the ML08 and RVZ03, but with few adjustments and enhancements to adhere to today's high-end hardware standards. A modular design has also been implemented which allows for all 4 panels (top, bottom, left & right side) to be removed for a simple and convenient build process.

be quiet!, the German manufacturer for premium PC components, is today announcing an addition to its portfolio of air coolers: Pure Rock LP is a low-profile cooler with a height of mere 45 mm, making it the CPU cooler of choice for ultra-compact Mini-ITX builds that require reliable cooling, while featuring a brushed aluminium design.

Due to its remarkably low height of 45 mm, Pure Rock LP will fit into the tightest of systems, such as Mini-ITX HTPCs and small multimedia or gaming systems. Its compact design enables full configurations of RAM banks even in PC cases with limited space. Despite its small size, Pure Rock LP delivers high enough cooling power of 100 W TDP thanks to three high-performance 6 mm heat pipes and a 92 mm quality fan. The fan has an ultra-low height of 15 mm and supports a silent operation of 30,6 dB(A) with a maximum speed of 2500 rpm. With its brushed aluminium finish and mounting options for AMD and Intel, the black Pure Rock LP will look good in any compact build. The cooler comes with a full 3-year manufacturer's warranty.

Intel expanded its Arc "Alchemist" desktop graphics card series with the entry-level Arc A310. This GPU has specs that enable Intel's AIB partners to build low-profile graphics cards that are possibly even single-slot, or conventional sized with fanless cooling. The A310 is being pushed as a slight upgrade over the iGPU, and an alternative to cards such as the AMD Radeon RX 6400. Its target user would want to build a 4K or 8K HTPC, or even be a workstation/HEDT user with a processor that lacks integrated graphics, and wants to use a couple of high-resolution monitors. There is no reference board design, but we expect it to look similar to the Arc Pro A40 in dimensions (pictured below), except with full-size DP and HDMI in place of those mDP connectors, and a full-height bracket out of the box.

The A310 is carved out of the 6 nm "ACM-G11" silicon by enabling 6 out of 8 Xe Cores (that's 96 out of 128 EUs, or 768 out of 1,024 unified shaders). You also get 96 XMX units that accelerate AI; and 6 ray tracing units. The GPU runs at 2.00 GHz, compared to 2.10 GHz on the A380. The memory sub-system has been narrowed by a third—you get 4 GB of 15.5 Gbps GDDR6 memory across a 64-bit wide memory interface. In comparison, the A380 has 6 GB of memory across a 96-bit memory bus. The card features a PCI-Express 4.0 x8 host interface, and with its typical power expected to be well under the 75 W-mark, most custom cards could lack any power connectors.

MINISFORUM today announced their UM580 mini PC, which is listed in their Venus series, to provide ultimate performance and work flexibility with AMD Ryzen 7 5800H processor & Radeon Graphics. UM580 is the upgrade version of the UM560 mini PC with a stronger CPU, more powerful adapter, and better heat sink. It is a multi-purpose mini computer designed for use in a variety of solutions, such as gaming, home office, media center/HTPC, printer management PC, digital signage, or mass-deployment enterprise IT solutions.

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800H is a high-performance octa-core processor of the Cezanne product family. It is originally designed for gaming laptops. But now Minisforum finds a way to put it in the UM580 mini PC. It is 8 cores, and 16 threads. Its base clock is 3.2 GHz and can be boosted up to 4.4 GHz. It has 16 MB of L3 cache and 35 W of TDP.

HDPlex announced what it claims to be the world's smallest ATX power supply. Measuring 170 mm x 50 mm x 25 mm, this internal PSU is smaller than most 100 W-class laptop power-bricks, but packs a surprising 250 W of power output that's sufficient for most HTPC builds. The PSU uses highly efficient GaN FETs in its switching circuitry, to achieve its power density, with the company claiming 94% efficiency.

The PSU comes with a discrete AC receptacle on one end, and connectors for modular cabling, on the other. Cables include 24-pin ATX, 8-pin EPS, three SATA power, one Molex, and two 6+2 pin PCIe power connectors. 250 W not enough? There's a unique feature that lets you sync two of these into a single unit, by combining their AC inputs through a Y-splitter, and an ATX signal cable.

STEIGER DYNAMICS just released the third iteration of its critically acclaimed LEET HTPC case. Except for a few subtle but elegant changes in design, LEET III Chassis shares the same one-piece, hand-brushed, full-aluminium shell that made its predecessors so iconic. Accompanied by the 7" front LED display that features our own LEET Monitor app, and full open-loop liquid cooling support, LEET III Chassis redefines the term "Luxury Living Room PC enclosure".

LEET III Chassis is available in the colors Space Black and Royale Silver. Measuring 17.1 in x 8.7 in x 15.4 in (43.5 cm x 22.1 cm x 39 cm (WxHxD), 37.4 L volume), the 3rd iteration of the LEET Chassis boasts an optimized interior layout for improved airflow and increased GPU waterblock compatibility up to GeForce RTX 3090 Founders Edition and EVGA FTW3 cards. The 240 mm side air intake/exhaust has been redesigned with a minimum resistance mesh, increasing airflow and cooling efficiency. With the capability to handle the latest NVIDIA 30-series graphics cards, as well as the latest Intel 12th Gen and AMD Ryzen 5000-series CPUs, the LEET III Chassis has more flexibility, quality, and potential than ever before.

Here's the first picture of the Akasa Maxwell Pro fanless HTPC case. This Mini-ITX case features an all-aluminium construction, with diamond-cut edges on matte-gray anodized aluminium panels. The case's body doubles up as passive heatsink for the processor, and the Maxwell Pro is one of Akasa's first few cases to feature a common fanless block design that supports both AMD Socket AM4 and Intel LGA115x/LGA1200. The case extends into heatsink ridges along the sides, while a series of four copper heat pipes links it with a base at the CPU socket. Akasa claims the case is capable of handling CPU TDP of up to 65 W without any fans.

The front-panel features a brushed-aluminium finish, along with a handful USB ports and a power button, although we can't spy an IR receiver port. The case measures 280 mm x 209 mm x 110 mm (WxDxH). An optional 150 W power-brick is included, along with an internal DC-to-DC switch that converts the 2-pin DC input from the brick to various ATX standard connectors. The company didn't reveal availbility or pricing.

Akasa this Computex unveiled half a dozen new premium cases for congested desks and living rooms, which make use of copious amounts of aluminium to both look good and stay cool without any moving parts (read: fans). The Dot and Gem made us go "awww" first. The Dot looks like a Lego brick that spent too much time in Pripyat (although not as big as a real brick itself). It can house several models of Raspberry Pi, ASUS Tinker Board, and ODROID-C2, which are ARM-based "makerboards." You also get an included SD card reader, and room for a Hi-Fi Berry DAC board to go with your Pi. The Gem has a nearly identical design, but with an eclectic top plate design.

The Skytale and Skytale-X, obviously so-named to catch PC enthusiasts' eyes as they passed by the booth, are sleek, silvery-aluminium HTPC cases with a monolithic design (as opposed to heatsink ridges sticking out of the sides). With a height of just 50 mm, both cases are designed for mini-ITX motherboards that needn't be thin. What sets the two apart is the presence of a full-height add-on card slot on the Skytale-X, which uses a PCIe riser. Lastly, we spotted a new variant of the Turing case Akasa launched in February, which comes in a racy shade of blue.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 has a significantly watered down multimedia feature-set compared to the other GeForce GTX 16-series GPUs. The card was launched this Tuesday (23 April) without any meaningful technical documentation for reviewers, which caused many, including us, to assume that NVIDIA carried over the "Turing" NVENC encoder, giving you a feature-rich HTPC or streaming card at $150. Apparently that is not the case. According to full specifications put out by NVIDIA on its website product-page that went up hours after product launch, the GTX 1650 (and the TU117 silicon) features a multimedia engine that's been carried over from the older "Volta" architecture.

Turing's NVENC is known to have around 15 percent performance uplift over Volta's, which means the GTX 1650 will have worse game livestreaming performance than expected. The GTX 1650 has sufficient muscle for playing e-Sports titles such as PUBG at 1080p, and with an up-to-date accelerated encoder, would have pulled droves of more amateur streamers to the mainstream on Twitch and YouTube Gaming. Alas, the $220 GTX 1660 would be your ticket to that.

As the world's most popular GAMING graphics card vendor, MSI is proud to announce its new graphics card line-up based on the new GeForce GTX 1650 GPU, the latest addition to the NVIDIA Turing GTX family. The GeForce GTX 1650 has been carefully architected to balance performance, power, and cost, and includes all of the new Turing Shader innovations that improve performance and efficiency, such as Concurrent Floating Point and Integer Operations, a Unified Cache Architecture with larger L1 cache, and Adaptive Shading.

Equipped with excellent thermal solutions, the MSI GeForce GTX 1650 series is designed to provide higher core and memory clock speeds for increased performance in games. MSI's GAMING series delivers the top notch in-game and thermal performance that gamers have come to expect from MSI. With solid and sharp designs, ARMOR and VENTUS provide a great balance with strong dual fan cooling and outstanding performance. The AERO ITX is a great option for gamers looking to include Turing power into a small form factor build. With this comprehensive line-up there is plenty of choice for any build.

HTPC case maker HDPLEX unveiled the DC-ATX 800W, a nano-ATX form-factor power-converter. This accessory, roughly as big as a power brick, takes in 6-pin PCIe, 8-pin PCIe, and 8-pin EPS connectors from your main rig, and depending on how many connectors you plug-in, puts out up to 800 Watts of power through a 24-pin ATX, and three downstream PCIe/EPS connectors, with the unit itself handing DC-to-DC switching of 12V to 5V and 3.3V voltage domains. This accessory is ideal if you have a high-Wattage power supply with multiple vacant EPS and PCIe connectors, and want to power a second mini-ITX machine, while saving a lot of space on the side. It uses some pretty high-grade components to ensure 24x7 operation, including Sanyo Japan-made solid-state capacitors, Infineon-made MOSFETs, Würth Elektronik inductors, and controller chips supplied by National Semiconductor and MPS. Available in the coming weeks, the DC-ATX 800W is priced at $190.

Here are some of the first pictures of HDPlex H3 V2 fan-less HTPC chassis. The H3 sits between the tiny H1 and deck-sized H5. It has the height of the H5 and the width of the H1. The case measures 270 mm x 264 mm x 93 mm (WxDxH), weighing in at 5.5 kg. Its main chamber can house mini-ITX motherboards, and a half-height add-on card that's no more than 1-slot thick. As with most fan-less cases, the chunky, ridged aluminium body of the H3 V2 doubles up as heatsink for the CPU/SoC, and can handle thermal loads of up to 80W. The CPU block uses eight 6 mm-thick copper heat pipes to transport heat to the body. The case also has room for up to four 7 mm-thick 2.5-inch drives. Available now, it is priced at USD $240.

To strangely low pomp and fanfare, MSI has further increased its line-up of offerings for the RX 460 family of graphics cards, with the launch of the Radeon RX 460 4GT LP (4GB), as well as a 2GT (2GB) version. Based on AMD's Olaris 11 "Baffin" graphics chip, these graphics cards feature a 75 W TDP, thus eschewing any auxiliary PCIe power connectors. That TDP being tamed by a dual-fan cooling solution and the usage of MIL-STD-810G certified components mean that this is a card where MSI feels comfortable about its lifespan.

Connectivity-wise, the boards offer 1x DL-DVI-D, as well as 1x HDMI 2.0 with HDCP 2.2 support, which makes any of these a relevant choice for an HTPC. MSI has not revealed a MSRP for any of these cards, but considering the segment at which they fit in like a jigsaw puzzle, one can surely expect their pricing to not be that far off from those recommended by AMD ($109 for the 2 GB version, and $139 for the 4 GB one).

Joining in on other manufacturer's offerings for low-profile graphics solutions for HTPCs and other small fomr factor PCs, GALAX has recently announced that they too will be offering low-profile variants of the GTX 1050 and GTX 1050 Ti graphics cards. With 2 GB and 4 GB of GDDR5 at 7 Gbps respectively, both over a 128 bit bus, both cards make do without any additional power connectors, making do with exclusive power delivery from the PCIe socket.

The core clocks are set at 1303 MHz and 1366 MHz base clocks for the 1050 and the 1060 Ti respectively, with boost clocks seeing a healthy (but somewhat traditional)n uplift to 1417 Mhz and 1468 Mhz. As to connectors, both cards carry 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 1x DVI-D, and 1x HDMI 2.0b. Considering the cards' characteristics, they probably won't be sold much higher than NVIDIA's reference MSRP for both cards: $139 for the GTX 1050 Ti and $109 for the GTX 1050.

At CES 2017, ECS showcased a number of ultra-compact form-factor PCs. basically building upon their previous LIVA family releases, the new LIVA feature either Intel's Apollo Lake SoCs (with Celeron Processors N3350 / N3450 / N4200 and 6 W TDP) on the Z and ZE, or Intel's Kaby Lake-U processors (Intel Core i3-7100U / i5-7200U / i7-7500U and 15W TDP) on the Z Plus.

The Z Plus is obviously the most powerful of the lot, supporting DDR4 memory (the Z and ZE support only DDR3), having better integrated graphics (Intel's HD 620 versus the Intel HD 500/500 on the Z and ZE models), and having an expected extra energy consumption (an external 65 W adapter on the Z Plus versus a 40 W external adapter on the other two models).

Remember ASRock's Beebox? The original Mini PC was originally reviewed here on TechPowerUp to a glowing score and wholehearted recommendation, and now, the company has announced an upgrade to its innards that is sure to give a new lease of life to the device's appeal. The upgraded systems are powered by either Intel's Core i5-7100U (2C/4T, 2.5 GHz base and 3.1 GHz Boost clocks) or i3-7200U (2C/4T, 2.4 GHz base clock) CPUs, featuring the Kaby Lake micro-architecture, but are, apart from that, identical to their predecessors. The system can also be equipped with up to 32 GB of DDR4-2133 memory (two SO-DIMM slots), an M.2-2280 NVMe SSD and a 2.5" SSD/HDD depending on your particular demands. Meanwhile, Intel's 802.11ac Wi-Fi + BT 4.0 wireless module is pre-installed.

MSI proudly announces its latest and smallest mini-PC to date: the MSI Cubi 2. This tiny desktop is built on a concept of nifty technology and a brilliant design to suit the needs of both consumers and businesses. MSI upgraded the Cubi with the latest Intel Kabylake-U power saving processors. Users can benefit from a powerful handheld-size PC capable of carrying multiple modular hard disks that provide a large base for data storage. MSI Cubi 2 is mountable to a wall by VESA standards or can be combined with an HDTV, so the user can enjoy Ultra High-Definition and high quality media entertainment at home. With plenty of ports to connect to external devices, Cubi 2 is the essence of small, smart computing. A black and a white version of the MSI Cubi are globally available by end of September 2016.

Smaller than a lunchbox or an XL soda can, MSI Cubi 2 is the smallest mini PC in its kind, with a 0.45 liter case that still provides all the elements of a desktop-worthy PC. With curved edges, a smooth surface, a subtle ventilation frame and conveniently positioned I/O ports, the MSI Cubi 2 is not only the smallest, but also the smartest in its kind.

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd, a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, is pleased to announce the launch of four new models joining the company's extensive list of Intel Thunderbolt 3 certified devices: the BRIX GB-BSi5T-6200, GB-BSi5HT-6200, GB-BSi7T-6500 and GB-BSi7HT-6500.

Featuring the latest Intel 6th generation Core processors, and now official support for the world's fastest transfer protocol with Thunderbolt 3 over USB Type-C port, these new BRIX enter a new category of their own as a powerfully compact high-end PC.

Be quiet!, the market leader in PC power supplies in Germany for nine consecutive years, introduces the latest version of the Pure Wings 2 fans with PWM functionality. This allows for an even easier control of this proven entry-level fan and makes it suitable for a wide range of applications. The all-new Pure Wings 2 PWM offers the highest reliability and an extremely low noise level at an excellent price-performance ratio, just like the 3-pin version.

Be quiet! adds PWM functionality to the rock solid Pure Wings 2. This low-cost entry-level fan can easily be controlled over a 4-pin connector via Pulse Width Modulation, either automatically by the motherboard or manually through the BIOS or with the appropriate software. The flexible rotational speed of the new Pure Wings 2 is ideally suited for a wide range of applications and represents the ideal choice for air and water cooling setups. The fan can be mounted on the radiator, radiator body or in the case to support an optimum airflow.

MSI proudly announces an upgrade of its smallest mini-PC to date: the MSI Cubi N. This tiny desktop is built on a concept of nifty technology and a brilliant design to suit the needs of both consumers and businesses. Thanks to the implementation of a wide range of the Braswell Intel processors, users can benefit from a palm-size PC that is now more powerful than ever! It is capable of carrying multiple modular hard disks drives that provide a large base for data storage and has a new fanless design to insure ultra-silent operation.

MSI Cubi N is mountable to a wall by VESA standards or can be combined with an Ultra-HDTV, so the user can enjoy Ultra High-Definition and high quality media entertainment at home. For commercial applications, Cubi N comes with plenty of ports to connect external devices, and is the essence of small, smart computing. The MSI Cubi N is globally available by end of October 2015.

Fractal Design showed off its latest wares at Computex, beginning with the Node 202 and Node 202+ mini-ITX cases for HTPC builds. Featuring a slick, minimalist design, and dimensions that compare to game consoles (10.2L volume, 377 x 82 x 330 mm), the Node 202 has room for a standard-height mini-ITX motherboard, CPU coolers up to 56 mm tall, an SFX power supply, a full-height, dual-slot graphics card (using a PCIe x16 riser) up to 31 cm long; and two 2.5-inch internal drives.

There are two 120 mm fan mounts in the add-on card chamber, with dust filters. One such dust filter hovers over the CPU socket area, so your cooler doesn't breathe in dust. The Node 202+ has all that, plus a factory-fitted Fractal Design Integra 450W SFX PSU, with 80 Plus Bronze certification, 24-pin ATX, 8-pin EPS, and two each of 6+2 pin PCIe and SATA power connectors. The Node 202 will be priced at US $79.99; the Node 202+ will go for $139.99.

Noctua today announced two new additions to its portfolio of premium-quality, quiet CPU coolers with 140mm fans. Whereas the NH-D15S is a high-compatibility single fan version of the elite-class dual tower model NH-D15, the NH-C14S replaces the proven top-flow cooler NH-C14. Both the NH-D15S and NH-C14S feature an asymmetrical layout in order to avoid blocking the top PCIe slot.

"140mm coolers have become the default choice for enthusiasts who seek superior cooling performance for overclocking or near-silent operation, but these tend to block the top PCIe slot on many current motherboards," says Mag. Roland Mossig (Noctua CEO). "With the NH-D15S and NH-C14S, we've updated our successful 140mm dual tower and top-flow coolers with asymmetrical layouts that ensure the best PCIe compatibility."

ORIGIN PC launched today their new line of home theater PCs, the ORIGIN OMEGA, for gamers and enthusiasts all over the world. The ORIGIN PC OMEGA is the ultimate Home Theater PC designed to bring the power and flexibility of a PC to any living room. Featuring a variety of customizable HTPC cases to choose from, support for 4K gaming at 60+ fps, the ability to boot directly into Steam Big Picture Mode and with optional mouse emulation software support for your wireless controller, the ORIGIN OMEGA redefines the HTPC category with countless options and unlimited forms of entertainment. Also featuring custom airbrushed paint in any design or color, up to Triple NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 graphics cards in SLI, and hot swappable hard drive bays with SSDs or HDDS, the new ORIGIN OMEGA is the ultimate solution to bring true next-gen PC gaming to your big screen TV.