Summary
- GPUs have become expensive, leading to the creation of a PC inside a GPU enclosure.
- CherryTree Computers successfully fit PC components into a GPU shell, creatively utilizing soldering techniques.
- The GeeFarce 5027POS holds an Asus NUC 13 mini PC, including Core i7, 64GB RAM, & 2TB NVMe, with working GPU fans and LEDs.
GPUs have gotten really chunky over time, haven't they? Not only have they slowly grown over the years, but they've gotten a lot more expensive, to the point where you could purchase a PC that runs off of integrated graphics for less than a single GPU.
That got someone thinking; if a GPU by itself can outprice a whole PC, then could you squeeze a PC into a GPU enclosure? Well, turns out, not only can you do so, but it runs pretty well, too.
Someone hid a desktop PC in the seat of their chair, and surprisingly, nothing broke
Just maybe don't spin around on it too much.
The GeeFarce 5027POS Micro Computer is a PC within a GPU shell
As spotted byHackaday, this cool feat was performed by CherryTree Computers, which sent it over to Gamers Nexus on YouTube for testing. It's called the GeeFarce 5027POS Micro Computer, which Gamers Nexus claims the initialism stands for "PieceOf ROPS." It's basically the guts of a mini PC stuffed into the casing of a busted GPU and rearranged so that everything fits in nicely.
If you're interested in how CherryTree Computer achieve this, Gamers Nexus took some time taking apart the Micro Computer and having a look at what's inside. It turns out that the folks at CherryTree computers knew what they were doing, as they took advantage of some clever soldering to squeeze all of the necessities onto the board.
While you unfortunately cannot purchase your own Micro Computer,CherryTree still published a product page for it. It's a great way to take a closer look at this computer and the thought process that went into making it:
Behold...we give you the one and only GeeFarce 5027POS.
This was a super fun build. We had the idea after the current GPU crisis with NVIDIA was heating up really badly and prices for even base models went through the roof.
It was then, when we heard someone on YouTube say "You can get a whole PC for the price of just the GPU nowadays..." that we thought about grabbing an old and broken Aorus 20something off one of our shelves and just gut it completely and put an Intel NUC in it.
The actual process was a bit more complicated and please bear in mind that this was made as an April Fool's Joke but it is actually a pretty nice little machine.
On the page, CherryTree reveals that the Micro Computer is an Asus NUC 13 mini PC, with a "13th Gen Core i7, 64GB DDR4 Ram, and a 2TB NVMe m.2 drive." Surprisingly, they managed to get the original GPU's fans working again, so that's your heat sink sorted. Plus, CherryTree was nice enough to kit the PC out with LEDs (because, as they claim, "Everything is faster with LEDs!"), which you can see in the video above.
If you're in the mood for a mini PC but want something a little more sensible than this, check out this article from our resident mini PC aficionado, João Carrasqueira, where theygush about their favorite model.
