ZOTAC has introduced its GeForce GTX 1080 Mini, the industry’s first video card for Mini-ITX systems running the GP104 GPU in its full configuration. The new graphics adapter will be compatible with miniature computers with proper cooling and will be the most powerful card for SFF PCs until something better emerges.

The ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1080 Mini (ZT-P10800H-10P) offers the same performance and connectivity as its larger brethren: it is based on the fully-fledged GP104 graphics processor (with 2560 stream processors, 160 texture units and 64 raster operations pipes) that works at 1620/1759 MHz (base/boost) frequencies and is equipped with 8 GB of GDDR5X memory featuring 10 Gbps and 320 GB/s of bandwidth. In fact, the GPU frequencies of ZOTAC’s GeForce GTX 1080 Mini are slightly higher when compared to those of NVIDIA’s reference cards which is worth mentioning. The board alo features three DisplayPort 1.4 connectors, an HDMI 2.0b port as well as one dual-link DVI header, which is exactly what NVIDIA’s reference cards carry.

To squeeze a GeForce GTX 1080 GPU into Mini-ITX form-factor, ZOTAC had to develop a brand-new PCB with compatible with GDDR5X memory (so, the PCB is different from ZOTAC’s GeForce GTX 1070 Mini launched earlier this year). It is unknown whether the manufacturer decided to go with NVIDIA’s 5+1-phase VRM for the GTX 1080, or altered the VRM design somehow, but the card has one 8-pin PCIe power plug as well as two SLI-HB connectors, just like other boards in its class.

Since the GeForce GTX 1080 consumes up to 180 W of power, ZOTAC also had to design a relatively small cooling system for the ZT-P10800H-10P board. The company came up with a cooler that uses an aluminum radiator with at least three thick (and long) copper heatpipes as well as two fans. In addition, the GeForce GTX 1080 Mini card has a backplate, which has positive and sometimes negative effects. The cooling system seems to be a little longer than the one used on the ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1070 Mini, but the whole graphics adapter is barely longer than 17 cm (6.7”) specified by the Mini-ITX spec. In any case, the majority of builds designed for gamers have a few cm of extra space inside and the length is not going to become a problem.

Specifications of GeForce GTX 1070/1080 for Mini-ITX PCs
  ZOTAC
GeForce GTX 1080 Mini
ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1070 Mini GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 1070 Mini ITX OC (OC Mode) GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 1070 Mini ITX (Gaming Mode)   NVIDIA
GeForce GTX 1080
Founders Edition
NVIDIA
GeForce GTX 1070
Founders Edition
Stream Processors 2560 1920   2560 1920
Texture Units 160 120   160 120
ROPs 64   64
Core Clock (MHz) 1620 1518 1556 1531   1607 1506
Boost Clock (MHz) 1759 1708 1746 1721   1733 1683
Memory Capacity 8 GB   8 GB
Type GDDR5X GDDR5   GDDR5X GDDR5
Clock 10 Gbps 8 Gbps   10 Gbps 8 Gbps
TDP 180 W 150 W   180 W 150 W
Launch Date Q1-2017 12/2016 7/2016   5/2016 6/2016
Launch Price ? $395 ?   $699 $449

ZOTAC plans to display its GeForce GTX 1080 Mini at CES and start its sales in 2017. The company did not announce exact pricing and ETA, but since this is a unique custom-designed product, it will likely be priced higher than NVIDIA’s reference designs.

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Source: ZOTAC

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  • Guspaz - Friday, December 30, 2016 - link

    Many mini ITX cases intended for gaming can fit regular 1080 cards... If the case is so small as to require a "mini" card, it may not have room for a dual slot card, and if it does, this sort of non-exhausting card is a poor choice for an SFF case since they often have limited or no case fans.
  • colinisation - Saturday, December 31, 2016 - link

    I see where you coming from but I think its worth noting that cases like the coolermaster elite 110 or the SG13 could benefit from this sort of innovation.

    My current build is around the Node 304 (4600k & 780) and I have been thinking of going even smaller in the next - given the lower power consumption of the 1080 vs 780, I reckon I can get away with an SG13 with, either a single 120mm fan in the front or an AIO on the GPU, along with a low profile CPU cooler (Cryorig C7 or Scythe Shuriken). This sort of thing requires a shorter GPU, exactly where this bad boy comes in.
  • DanNeely - Saturday, December 31, 2016 - link

    I'd be a bit cautious there if you're strongly committed to nVidia (eg have a GSync screen). Sooner or later there's going to be other generation where AMDs design works out better than nVidia's and they have to ramp the power on the xx80 up to ~300W to narrow the performance gap.
  • alyarb - Sunday, January 1, 2017 - link

    You might say it's something to consider on a case by case basis.

    GET IT???
  • fxxxit - Monday, January 2, 2017 - link

    FYI I'm running a EVGA GTX1070 in my SG13 including a Corsair H55 CPU cooler. It's very tight but it works.
  • MrSpadge - Friday, December 30, 2016 - link

    I'd be interested in a card with such a short PCB (or slightly longer), where the cooler extends significantly beyond the PCB. The Sapphire Fury X had such an arrangement with stellar acoustic and cooling performance. The key is that one of the fans doesn't blow against the PCB any more and that the hot air is directed towards the generally well-vented region of CPU and case coolers.

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