ITX (Mini-ITX) as a compact layout of the motherboard specifications, previously used in the chassis volume requirements of the limited scene, and then because of its small size of the chassis, but more than the desktop space is loved by many users, now the ITX specifications of the motherboard, chassis and other accessories on the market is also more and more abundant, to build a set of ITX specifications of the whole machine platform, it is no longer a difficult thing.
As the preferred type of ITX installed graphics card, short-version graphics cards have also been developing and iterating over the years, like the RTX 30 series generation, the dessert card RTX 3060 is not particularly high in terms of power consumption and heat dissipation pressure, and is a more suitable choice for short-version graphics cards.
Recently, Yingchi released Yingchi GeForce RTX 3060 12GB Metal Master Mini [FG] graphics card (hereinafter referred to as Yingchi RTX 3060 Metal Master Mini), [FG] suffix represents the NVIDIA RTX 30 LHR core, with low hash rate characteristics, more friendly to PC users.
So can this graphics card be a new choice for ITX users? Let's take a look at it.
First, let's take a look at the main features of this graphics card:
1. One-piece metal shell, meticulous workmanship
2. Compact size, single fan design (support intelligent start and stop), suitable for matching ITX chassis
3. 170W RTX 3060 graphics card, 12GB video memory, is the choice of gamers and content creators
Exterior analysis
The most proud thing about the RTX RTX 3060 Metal Master Mini is its compact size, with a length and width size of 168mm x 115mm, a thickness of 4cm double slot, and a better compatibility with the ITX chassis in size.
Here we use Coke as a reference, and we can see that the graphics card is only a little higher than the canned Coke.
Compared with the dual-fan NVIDIA public graphics card, it is simply a "small witch" compared to the volume.
The vest of the graphics card is made of one-piece molded die-cast aluminum alloy, which strengthens the appearance texture and enhances durability, while the all-metal shell can assist in heat conduction and improve heat dissipation efficiency.
The front is an eye-like design, and the symmetrical design on both sides makes the look and feel more harmonious.
In the middle is a static frost fan equipped with 11 cream fan blades to help the heat dissipation fins exert better heat dissipation effect.
The metal backplate has a hollow design at the end to effectively accelerate air flow.
The head and tail of the graphics card have air outlets for exporting graphics card heat, because the heat sink of the short version of the graphics card is small, so it is necessary to ensure that the heat can be discharged in time in the air duct design.
The graphics card uses a single 8Pin external power supply, and the power aspect can already meet the performance release of the RTX 3060 graphics card.
In terms of video output I/O, the graphics card is equipped with 1 HDMI2.1 and 3 DP1.4a interfaces, supporting video output 8K@60Hz resolution.
Installed picture appreciation
Here we take the cool extreme NR200P ITX chassis as an example, the graphics card for vertical installation, you can see that thanks to the small size of the graphics card, there is no space compatibility problem after installation, for some of the space is more compact ITX chassis, the graphics card will be more convenient to install.
Dismantle the appreciation
In terms of heat dissipation configuration, the Inchi RTX 3060 Metal Master Mini uses a cold star M radiator, which is designed for adaptability with the small size of the graphics card, consisting of an 11-blade static frost fan, a copper bottom, two copper tubes and a large area of heat dissipation fins.
The fan blade is designed with a small bend to increase the wind pressure and enhance the inlet air volume.
The copper bottom in contact with the core is smooth and flat, and it fits well with the core, and there is also a silicone grease that assists in heat dissipation in the surrounding display position.
The core power supply section at the bottom is also affixed with thermal adhesive, which helps DrMos to continue to operate stably.
The large-area fin configuration can accelerate the release of heat through the air flow, ensuring that the core temperature is maintained within a reasonable range.
Looking at the PCB again, it can be seen that this is a public layout, and the space is relatively compact.
Ga106-302-A1 core, produced in 43 weeks 2021, is an LHR low-hashrate version of the NVIDIA RTX 30 series with 28 SM modules, 3584 CUDA cores, 28 second-generation RT Cores, and 112 third-generation Tensors Cores. As you can see from the official website, this graphics card also has a version castrated from the GA104 core, but the performance is basically no different.
The 6 GDDR6 memory particles are from Samsung, FBGA number K4ZAF325BM-HC16, the single particle capacity is 2G, and the single memory bit width is 32Bit, which constitutes a total of 12G memory capacity and 192Bit memory width.
The 6-phase core power supply adopts a combination of capacitor + DrMos + fully enclosed inductor, and each phase core power supply is equipped with an NCP302150 DrMos chip from ON Semiconductor, and a single chip can provide 50A of current.
On the other side is a 2-phase video memory supply, and drMos is the QM3816N6 from UBIQ.
The core power supply PWM control chip is uP9512R, which supports the control of up to 8 power phase outputs.
The memory-powered PWM control chip is uS5650Q, which is an old regular in the dessert card control chip.
Introduction to the test platform
Theoretical performance testing
First of all, look at the reading information of the GPU-Z software, the Yingchi RTX 3060 Metal Master Mini uses a low hash rate core, which is more friendly to gamers, the GPU base frequency is 1320Mhz, the Boost frequency is 1777Mhz, and the maximum core power consumption is 170W. The core temperature is 31.3 degrees celsius during standby, and the intelligent start and stop of the fan has taken effect.
The RTX 3060's low power consumption is indeed a good choice for ITX users with small SFX power supplies.
In terms of theoretical performance, we use the 3DMARK graphics card performance tester to test the performance of the graphics card, including: Fire Strike, Fire Strike Extreme, Fire Strike Ultra, Time Spy, Time Spy Extreme and Port Royal, which can better reflect the theoretical performance of the graphics card.
After the test, the Shadow RTX 3060 Metal Master Mini had a Fire Strike score of 22384, a Fire Strike Extreme score of 10472, a Fire Strike Ultra score of 5034, a Time Spy score of 8650, a Time Spy Extreme score of 4045, and a Port Royal score of 5103.
From the performance point of view, the performance of the Yingchi RTX 3060 Metal Master Mini is good, and the core frequency of the graphics card remains stable at about 1.8Ghz during the test, which is lower than some three-fan RTX 3060 graphics cards, but the performance gap is only 1 to 3%.
Daily benchmarking
To simulate the experience under everyday use, we use the PCMARK 10 Extended benchmark to measure common PC features, productivity, content creation, and gaming experience.
Finally, the entire platform scored 10285 points, including 11871 points for common basic functions, 10661 points for productivity, 13368 points for digital content creation, and 17879 points for games, indicating that the 12th generation Core and RTX 3060 graphics card can have a better daily use experience.
Rendering benchmarks
Next, use blender and V-Ray software to test the rendering performance of the graphics card.
It can be seen that with the blessing of the new Ampere architecture, the graphics card can complete the rendering test at a faster speed, and if you want to form an ITX host as a graphics rendering worker, this graphics card can be better qualified for rendering work.
Game frame rate test
At 1080P resolution, the average frame count of the graphics card is 88 frames, and at 2K resolution, the average frame count of the graphics card is 74 frames.
At the same time, we use the in-game Goliath Racing to simulate the actual number of frames experienced in the game, at 1080P resolution, the average frame number can reach 108.1 frames, and at 2K resolution, the average frame number can reach 86.8 frames.
In addition, we also tested the average frame rate of the five mainstream AAA masterpieces, which were tested at 1080P and 2K resolutions at extremely high and ultra-high image quality.
It can be seen that at 1080P resolution, the game can run very smoothly in high quality, and at 2K resolution, the game can maintain basic fluency in high quality, if the frame rate is higher, you can appropriately adjust the special effects to increase the frame rate.
Furmark & Stability Testing
Finally, we conducted a Furmark grill test and stability stress test on the graphics card, and after 15 minutes of the Furmark software grill, the core temperature of the graphics card remained at 72.7 degrees, the power consumption was 170W, and the temperature performance was quite outstanding.
The graphics card also passed 3DMARK's TimeSpy stress test with 98.7% stability, which also demonstrated that the graphics card can continue to operate stably under high load for a long time.
Review summary
For it's an ITX host with a "small footprint" of internal space, it's hard not to be a favorite of ITX users with a small size and excellent performance.
Today's review of the GeForce RTX 3060 12GB metal master Mini [FG] graphics card, using an all-metal material shell, single fan design, very small in size, has better compatibility in the ITX chassis.
In terms of performance, the graphics card in the latest Ampere architecture and cold light star M heatsink blessing, showing a single fan short card good cooling performance, can fully release the RTX 3060 core performance, whether it is daily use, productivity, rendering performance is good, the game can also bring high frame rate game experience under high quality.
Editor's Note: If you're looking for a small, high-performance ITX short card, this GeForce RTX 3060 12GB Metal Master Mini [FG] graphics card is worth considering.