Ever wondered what a mini-ITX Nvidia RTX 3060 Founders Edition might look like? Well, wonder no more, as that’s exactly what one Reddit user has created, though we’re fairly sure Nvidia hasn’t signed off on this one quite yet.
Redditor, Clashmains_2-account, created this RTX 3060 mini-ITX mod using a bit of ingenuity, some CAD design skills, and a 3D printer. Also crucial was the right choice of starting graphics card, with Clashmains_2-account opting for the already mini-ITX-friendly Gainward GeForce RTX 3060 Pegasus.
This Gainward card measures just 170mm long and uses a single central fan with a two-slot cooler, though the card is somewhat tall, rising to 125mm, making it not as well suited to low-profile mini-ITX cases.
Using this baseline, Clashmains_2-account removed the default fan shroud and 90mm fan then designed a new fan mount and shroud, using both black and silver PLA plastic, to recreate that signature black and silver look of the Nvidia Founders Edition cards.
The new fan mount incorporates a slightly larger 92mm Noctua fan that is surrounded by a panel of faux cooling fins in a Founders Edition angled style. We can’t help but wonder is this piece impedes cooling performance, but it does complete the look.
Clashmains_2-account already reports that the high temperature that the card runs at has caused some of the plastic pieces to sag – one of the key downsides of filament 3D printed parts is their low heat resistance. Resin 3D printing is a better bet in this regard, and that process would result in a much higher quality finish than the slightly rough one achieved here.
The Gainward card no longer appears to be available in a lot of territories but there are still plenty of RTX 3060 bargains to be had, with the card making for a decent choice when set against the likes of the RTX 4060. Neither card currently makes our best graphics card buyers guides, though, with the AMD RX 7600 being our top budget graphics card choice.
Despite the rough finish and high temperatures, we still love the creativity exhibited here and would love to see more custom GPU coolers of this sort.
But what do you think? Is this mini-ITX Nvidia RTX 3060 Founders Edition a work of genius or a waste of time.
Let us know your thoughts on the Custom PC Facebook page, via Twitter, or join our Custom PC and Gaming Setup Facebook group and tap into the knowledge of our 390,000+ members.