Mini ITX 4U 10in Rack Mount Enclosure

V3 MODEL: This version now supports full height PCIe cards up to 220mm in length. Note that full height cards will extend above the 4U height by about 5-10mm (measured from the rear I/O bracket - many cards are even taller than this!). Be sure that if you plan to use a full height card in this enclosure that you have ample space above it. I can confirm cards like the Powercolor Reaper RX 9060XT 16GB will fit (length wise) - see photos for fitment.

Coming soon: I am designing a standalone bracket that mounts at the rear of a GeekPi Rackmate T2 to support the GPU. Note that the T2 is deeper than other racks like the T1 and T0 - this bracket will only work with the T2. Once available it will be in the ‘Version 3’ folder to download.

V2 MODEL: This version features a lot of changes, which include:

• Lowered the main frame relative to the front panel to allow for taller CPU coolers (and full height, short length PCIe cards if you have space above the enclosure). This will now fit coolers like the Wraith Prism, without exceeding the 4U height. Full height PCIe cards will exceed the top of the enclosure by about 10-15mm. Card length is limited to about 185mm.
• Removed Steam Deck logo.
• Relocated power button into bottom area (still a 12mm momentary button).
• New grille design (printed circuit board style).
• Reinforcing frame around the front panel (this wasn't 100% needed but makes it sturdier).

Both the original v1 and the new v2 models are published. If you would like the v1 model without the Steam Deck logo, and with added keystones, check out this remix.

Pro tip - if you want to make the circuit board pop (with your RGB lights and what not) and have multimaterial printing capability, paint the inside a bright color (like white). See the photos for reference - paint by layer height to get the bright color deep into the grille, and then paint over the outside edges to clean it up.

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This 4U tall, 10 inch mini rack mount enclosure is designed to house a game streaming server. I frequently play AAA titles that only run on Windows, so I decided to put together a budget gaming PC and run it as a headless server for streaming Windows games to my Steam Deck. I have designed a logo inlay on the front for multicolor printing; simply import all three STLs as one and change the filament of each inlay part.

This enclosure/shelf features a tool free SFX power supply mount (SFX-L will not fit), provision for a 12mm momentary (power) button, mini ITX board and low profile PCIe card up to two slots in width (can use a regular height card if you want, but it will stick up above the 4U design).

Print as oriented, supports are recommended if your printer is not calibrated for bridging, otherwise print without supports. Use a material such as PETG or ABS/ASA, do not use PLA as it will sag from the heat of the components over time. Print with at least 4 walls, top/bottom layers, 20-40% gyroid infill.

Installation:

1. Plug in the cables to the PSU first, then slide the PSU into the mount with the fan facing down. The clips will hold the PSU in place securely.
2. Route the cables up through the cut out slot into the top motherboard tray, then install your motherboard with the I/O facing the rear (make sure it is mostly assembled, you cannot access the backside of the motherboard once installed) using M3x6 screws. Do not over tighten as the screws thread into plastic.
3. Route and plug in your cables, install your GPU, and install the momentary button for your power switch and plug it into the corresponding header pins on the motherboard.
4. Install in your mini rack and plug your cables in from the back. It is highly recommended (and probably a given if this is installed in a rack) to use Ethernet for a more reliable streaming experience. Note that you will need an HDMI dummy plug or a KVM device (I use a JetKVM) in order to use this as a headless server.

Parts I used:

• AMD Ryzen 5 5500 CPU (included stock cooler)
• Asrock B550M-ITX/ac AM4 Motherboard
• G Skill 16GB DDR4-3200 (2x8GB) RAM
• Inland 4TB NVMe SSD
• MSI RTX 3050 6GB LP OC GPU
• Corsair 750W SFX PSU

If this PC only streams to your Steam Deck at its native 1280x800 resolution, you don't need too beefy of components. I find I can play any demanding AAA title (even Battlefield 6) at medium to high settings with 60-90+ fps.

Update 10/17: Of course I wanted some more performance (and the Ryzen 5 5500 was serving as a major bottleneck), so I upgraded the GPU to a Gigabyte RTX 5060 8GB low profile card, and the CPU to a Ryzen 7 5800XT (with the Wraith Prism cooler). Adding this note to confirm that the longer card with an 8-pin PCIe power connector still fits in the enclosure, but the Wraith Prism cooler does stick above the enclosure by about 15-20mm. The 8-pin wires need to be ‘massaged’ in order to fit, but there is not too much strain on the cable once installed. If using this card, you will need to plug in the cable to the GPU first and then install it in the PCIe slot.

Tips for the best Remote Play experience:

• Make sure you have good AP coverage, or good RSSI on 5GHz where you plan to use your Steam Deck for streaming.
• Disable the WiFi power management in SteamOS (in the developer settings) as the WiFi chipset will enter a low power state after some time, causing low transmit power and a high TX retry rate to your AP (frames drops, connection loss, etc.).
• Disable hardware decoding in the advanced client settings, and enable HEVC.
• If you are using an Nvidia GPU, set the low latency mode to ‘Ultra’ in the Nvidia Control Panel.
• Set the advanced host settings to set the resolution to match the client.
• If you have a newer or high-end router, you can enable the ‘low latency networking’ toggle in the settings, but this is already handled by UniFi gateways (I do not recommend creating a QoS policy in the UniFi console as this will disable hardware acceleration).