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Could a GPU be added to the Airtop-D and Airtop-DIY models?

Posted: Sun Feb 21, 2016 11:23 pm
by Deleted User 9560
I noticed that in the specs for the Airtop-D and Airtop-DIY models that a GPU was not installed? Could one buy one of those models and then upgrade them by adding a GPU (if not a normal off-the-shelf GPU, then a GPU possibly sold by Compulab in the future)? Or are the graphics capabilities of each Airtop model "locked in", so to speak?

Re: Could a GPU be added to the Airtop-D and Airtop-DIY mode

Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2016 2:36 pm
by mbirger

Re: Could a GPU be added to the Airtop-D and Airtop-DIY mode

Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2016 9:34 pm
by Deleted User 9560
That only tells me that an upgrade via an off-the-shelf graphics card is probably infeasible -- which is why I included the caveat "if not a normal off-the-shelf GPU, then a GPU possibly sold by Compulab in the future" in the first place!

It does not tell me if a GPU upgrade path for an Airtop-D or Airtop-DIY has been blocked off outright.

Re: Could a GPU be added to the Airtop-D and Airtop-DIY mode

Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2016 9:13 am
by mbirger
It is possible, but can be cumbersome and inconvenient as it involves reworking the GPU in specific manner in order to thermally couple it to the chassis. Moreover it can void the warranty if something goes wrong.

Re: Could a GPU be added to the Airtop-D and Airtop-DIY mode

Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2016 11:09 pm
by Deleted User 9560
mbirger wrote:It is possible, but can be cumbersome and inconvenient as it involves reworking the GPU in specific manner in order to thermally couple it to the chassis.
Again, I'm not necessarily talking about an off-the-shelf GPU. Sheesh, I've said that three times already. I'm not even talking about doing a modification to an off-the-shelf GPU.

Let me put it this way. Is the GPU of an Airtop-G a discrete part that Compulab could (if it thought there was a market for it) sell as an upgrade for other Airtop models?

Re: Could a GPU be added to the Airtop-D and Airtop-DIY mode

Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2016 2:50 pm
by mbirger
The GPU card installed in Airtop-G models is a discrete part, but beside the GPU card itself there are additional parts that have to be installed in a correct manner (heat spreader, bolts, screws, washers, thermal grease,...), what makes the integration not straightforward.

Due to the above reasons Compulab will not sell discrete GPUs as stand alone parts.

Re: Could a GPU be added to the Airtop-D and Airtop-DIY mode

Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2016 11:01 pm
by Deleted User 9560
Thank you! That's the kind of thing I wanted to know.

In short, yes, for nearly all practical purposes, the the graphics capabilities of each Airtop model are indeed "locked in."

Re: Could a GPU be added to the Airtop-D and Airtop-DIY models?

Posted: Fri Mar 26, 2021 6:37 pm
by dlast
I have just added
ASUS GeForce® GT 1030 2GB (GT1030-2G-BRK)
https://www.asus.com/Motherboards-Compo ... 30-2G-BRK/

I had to file off a bit of metal from the cover panel, on the place indicated with an arrow:
graphics.png
graphics.png (38.36 KiB) Viewed 8008 times
Otherwise it is a good fit. The fan was terribly noisy and I simply detached it from its connector. The GPU temperature is indicated around 61°C(instead of 44°C with the fan before), and the monitoring application says that 95°C would be considered as a "High" temperature. There is around 3 mm space between the Airtop case and the card cooler.

EDIT: after filling the space between the card and Airtop case with a heat conduction pad, the temperature is even lower than with the fan: 42°C during a normal work, 55-60 when playing a game.