Maxsun Demonstrates a Compact Workstation With a Cabled Graphics Card

Chinese manufacturer Maxsun demonstrated a compact workstation that places its graphics card on the opposite side of the chassis from its motherboard, while retaining a PCIe connection between them.

The system uses a Z890 Mini-ITX motherboard and MCIO connectors to route the PCIe link through cables. Maxsun showed the arrangement at Intel Connection 2026, installing the motherboard and graphics card on opposite sides of a Cooler Master i100 Air chassis. A Hyper 510 low-profile cooler handles the processor, and a V850 SFX Gold power supply provides power.

Mini-ITX boards measure 17 cm by 17 cm, which can limit component placement in compact desktops. Maxsun has previously confirmed that its Q870 and Z890 boards can route PCIe lanes through slim cable connectors, supporting x8+x8 and x8+(x4+x4) splits. The MCIO connector is reported to support PCIe Gen5, but Maxsun did not state the bandwidth achieved in this system.

Retail graphics cards do not have native MCIO connectors, so the setup still needs an adapter or intermediary board. Maxsun did not identify the graphics card or provide performance, temperature, or noise figures. It also gave no launch date or price. The demonstration shows that MCIO cabling can change where a graphics card sits inside a compact chassis, but does not establish the finished system’s performance or commercial status.