Prepare to be amazed! This miniature gaming powerhouse, known as the Wee Beastie Mini Fishtank, might look like a typical aquarium-style PC with its transparent panels and an array of fans, but its true genius lies in its incredibly compact 8.5-inch (217mm) height. This isn’t just any small build; it’s a testament to ingenious engineering.
The goal behind the Wee Beastie Mini Fishtank was ambitious: to shrink a formidable gaming PC, featuring a full-sized desktop Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 GPU, into an unbelievably small enclosure. Its immediate success on Kickstarter highlights the widespread desire for such innovation. Unlike most compact systems, cooling is paramount here. The design integrates an impressive 13 fans, with six strategically placed in the roof, to ensure optimal thermal management and efficient heat dissipation.
While the creators claim these numerous fans maintain a ‘whisper-quiet’ operation even under heavy load, it’s natural to be a bit skeptical. Smaller fans typically require higher RPMs to achieve similar airflow to larger counterparts, potentially leading to increased noise levels. Nevertheless, the system’s cooling efficiency, as demonstrated in the included footage, appears remarkably effective.
As one might anticipate for such a compact build, the Mini Fishtank primarily utilizes laptop-grade components. Buyers can choose between an Intel Core Ultra 7 255H or an Intel Core i7 13700H Raptor Lake CPU. The Core i7, in particular, remains a strong contender for gaming, offering six high-performance P-Cores capable of boosting up to an impressive 5GHz.
Memory is provided in SODIMM format, thankfully not soldered, allowing for up to a generous 128GB of RAM. Storage expansion is also flexible, with two PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots available for high-speed SSDs, giving users ample space and performance options.
However, the GPU is where this system truly shines. Rather than a mobile RTX 4070 with its 8GB GDDR6 VRAM, Wee Beastie includes a custom card boasting 12GB of GDDR6X VRAM and an AI processing capability of 466 TOPS. These specifications perfectly match the desktop RTX 4070, a remarkable feat for a system of this size.
The gaming performance appears robust. In the 3DMark Time Spy benchmark, which is demonstrated in the accompanying video, the system achieved an overall score of 13,787, with a graphics score of 15,466. While slightly below the average RTX 4070 desktop score of 16,577, it comfortably outperforms the RTX 4060 Ti’s average of 13,489, indicating solid capability for playing modern games at respectable settings.
While the Kickstarter enthusiastically claims ‘buttery-smooth 4K gaming’ and the ability to ‘crush titles like Cyberpunk 2077 or Elden Ring at high FPS,’ it’s wise to set realistic expectations. This GPU is certainly capable of excellent performance at high settings in 1080p, and even at 2,560 x 1,440 in many titles, but true 4K ‘crushing’ might be a stretch.
Powering this tiny beast is a 400W internal PSU, a rating typically lower than what’s found in full-sized gaming PCs. However, considering a test setup with a Ryzen 7 7800X3D and an RTX 4070 draws around 330W at full load, the 400W unit should be sufficient for this system, especially given its reliance on more power-efficient laptop components.
Initial deliveries for the Wee Beastie Fishtank PCs are projected for February 2026, with some units still available through the crowdfunding campaign. Pricing for the Core i7 13700H variant begins at $699 US, plus shipping. While this price point for an RTX 4070-equipped PC might seem incredibly appealing, it’s important to remember that this is a barebones system; users will need to supply their own RAM and storage.
Finally, it’s crucial to acknowledge the inherent risks associated with all crowdfunded projects, especially when supporting an ambitious technical product from an emerging company.