Often, the most intriguing hardware modifications are also the strangest. CherryTree Inc., recognized for its unique custom PCs, has provided Gamers Nexus with the GeeFarce 5027 POS, a contender that could rival the best graphics cards available today, or not.
There are several options for disposing of a damaged graphics card. You could reuse it as a paperweight or doorstop, or simply throw it in the dumpster; however, that isn't the most responsible action, as it contributes to e-waste. Instead, CherryTree had the innovative idea of repurposing a graphics card into a fully functional system. The Gigabyte graphics card is a few generations old, as indicated by the cooler design, which was previously used with the manufacturer's GeForce RTX 20-series (codenamed Turing) graphics cards released approximately six years ago.
When the shroud was removed, it became apparent that CherryTree had integrated a NUC into the GeeFarce 5027 POS. Although not the most recent model, the Asus NUC 13 Pro still has decent specifications. It's equipped with the Core i7-1360P chip (codenamed Raptor Lake), which wields 12 cores and 16 threads with a boost clock speed up to 5 GHz on the P-cores. It also has integrated Iris Xe graphics, with 96 EUs up to 1.5 GHz. CherryTree paired the 28W Raptor Lake processor with 64GB of DDR4-3200 SO-DIMM memory and a 2TB MP33 PCIe 3.0 SSD, both sourced from TeamGroup.
CherryTree only partially took advantage of the Gigabyte cooling system. Given the size of the NUC, the heatsink remained unused, whereas the triple cooling fans actually helped with active cooling of the NUC's components. You can install the GeeFarce 5027 POS into a standard expansion slot, effectively having a PC within your PC. However, the PCIe interface on the graphics card is non-functional. CherryTree converted the 8-pin PCIe power connector into a barrel connector, so the GeeFarce 5027 POS gets its power through an adapter from the wall outlet. Additionally, the outlet has hardwired a power button onto the side of the graphics card.
The NUC 13 Pro is placed close to the graphics card's I/O bracket. Therefore, you get access to the ports even if the GeeFarce 5027 POS is installed in a PC. The connectivity is the same as what you get from a NUC 13 Pro, so two Thunderbolt 4 ports, one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port, one USB 2.0 Type-A port, two HDMI 2.1 ports, and a 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port from the Intel I226-V controller.
As weak as the Iris Xe iGPU may be, the GeeFarce 5027 POS could run a few games. According to tests, games like Doom, Doom II, and Quantum Break ran fine on the device. Gamers Nexus performed synthetic tests on the GeeFarce 5027 POS, and unsurprisingly, the Iris Xe could not catch a GeForce RTX 2070 Super. Power consumption was within expectations, peaking at around 87W. P-core, E-core, and graphics cores peaked at 75 degrees Celsius, 70 degrees Celsius, and 60 degrees Celsius, respectively.
The GeeFarce 5027 POS is, unfortunately, just a fun project for CherryTree and is unavailable on the company's e-store.
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