Each new generation of graphics cards from NVIDIA and AMD, especially in the case of NVIDIA, increases in size compared to the previous generation. At this rate, we will be forced to use computer case bigger when it should be the opposite. Due to their size, these cards are not an option for small computers, especially if they are mini PCs or small computers.
In these cases, as long as we have not already purchased the material, the simplest solution is to purchase a AMD APUs which includes integrated graphics. But otherwise, AMD and NVIDIA graphics are no longer an option, some models are even larger than some mini PCs.
If you want to add a graphics card to your mini PC, the solution is to use the Spakle Arc A380 and make a small modification by changing the heatsink like YouTuber ETA Prime did.
Low-profile Sparkle Arc 380 graphics card
Sparkle presented the Arc 3 series a few months ago with the A310 and A380 models. Both models share the same PCB size, However, the configuration in terms of dissipation and size varies from configurations with two fans and two slots (A380) to the model with one fan and occupying a single slot (A310).
ETA Prime wanted to take advantage of the Sparkle A380, which was more powerful than the A310, however, as it had a dual slot, it had no place in the mini PC. Minisforum where I wanted to place it. The solution was to replace the A310’s single-fan heatsink with the A380’s dual-fan heatsink.
In this way, it converted the A380 which occupied two slots into the A310 which only occupied one slot. But of course, the dissipation power was not going to be the same and to avoid heating problems, I used a heat sink above the graphics card processor.
There Intel Arc A380 It is based on a full ACM-G11 GPU architecture and has 8 cores, 6 GB of GDDR6 memory and a maximum power consumption limit of 43 W. Once the graphics card is modified so that it only takes up only one location, he inserted it into the mini PC where he carried out the tests with a more than surprising result.
Test results
As we mentioned above, ETA Prime used a mini PC from the manufacturer Minisforum, equipment managed by the processor Intel Core i9-13900H accompanied by 32 GB of memory LPDDR5 RAM a 5,200 MHz.
Although it is limited to a maximum consumption of 43 W, ETA Prime wanted to get the most out of it by overclocking it, increasing its consumption up to 54 W to increase the GPU speed.
To carry out the test he used the latest drivers available for this Intel model, performance tests with which he obtained 10,435 points in 3DMark Fire Strike and 4,044 test points 3DMark Time Spy.
Although it is true that it does not allow you to enjoy the graphics settings in the best quality, with an average configuration, this computer with the modified Intel Arc A380 graphics card allows you to enjoy games at 1080 and 60 FPS stable, reaching in some cases over 80 FPS.
