A modder has transformed an Xbox Series X chassis into a fully functional gaming PC without skimping on any features. Using compact components and 3D-printed brackets, the modder managed to squeeze everything into the build, including a DVD drive.
In much the same way as modders have attempted to build their own Steam Machines ahead of launch, YouTuber PhasedTech has attempted the same feat in advance of Microsoft’s next-gen Xbox Helix. For those unaware, the latter is rumoured to be a hybrid PC console based on Windows. To bring his project to life, PhasedTech emptied the guts of a second-hand Xbox Series X and replaced them with off-the-shelf PC components.
As you can imagine, the Xbox’s compact chassis didn’t make the operation easy, since even a mini-ITX motherboard, which is the smallest standard format many SFF (small form factor) enthusiasts choose, is too big to fit. As a result, PhasedTech had no choice but to go with an Asus NUC 12 Compute Element, which is pretty much a complete system in a unit the size of an SFF graphics card. Despite its compact dimensions, this unit houses a Core i7-12700 12-core (8P+4E) processor, 32GB of DDR4 SODIMM memory, and a 1TB Crucial P3 Plus PCIe Gen 4 SSD.
Since PhasedTech wanted to imitate the Xbox Series X as much as possible, everything needed to fit inside the chassis, including the PSU and optical drive. For the former, the modder chose a 600W Flex-ATX PSU that should have more than enough juice to power the entire system. As for the latter, compact DVD readers aren’t hard to find nowadays.
After this, all that remained was a graphics card that could fit in the leftover space. This systematically excluded a lot of powerful options, leaving a low-profile Gigabyte RTX 5060 as the best candidate.
With all the gear selected, it was just a matter of installing a bunch of brackets and screw holders to fix everything in place. All these parts were 3D-printed, as well as the replacement backplate that was needed to account for all the I/O ports. PhasedTech also kept the Xbox’s power and LED board, which acts as the eject switch for the new optical drive. Lastly, cooling was managed by a single 120mm fan, located in a similar position to the original Xbox layout.
After installing Windows and putting it to the test, PhasedTech reported between 100 and 140fps in Arc Raiders at 1080p using medium to high settings, and around 250fps in Counter-Strike 2 using high settings. Most notably, the CPU and GPU did so while staying below 75°C, which is impressive for such a densely packed machine. That was a serious challenge, and one which PhasedTech passed with flying colours.
