Modder straps two desktop CPU coolers to ZTE handset, turns smartphone into a gaming PC — Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC with 24GB of RAM runs The Witcher 3 at 1080p ultra

A hardware enthusiast on Reddit experimented with an unusual method to enhance mobile computing power by attaching two desktop CPU coolers to the ZTE Nubia Z70 Ultra smartphone. The ZTE device is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC, which boasts 24GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 1TB of UFS 4.0 storage. This powerful chipset debuted in 2024 and can reach clock speeds of up to 4.32 GHz, though its predecessor, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, can hit 4.6 GHz.

The core idea behind this project was to push the boundaries of what a single smartphone could achieve by using it as a primary machine instead of combining several devices like a phone, gaming console, and PC. To achieve this, the creator removed the smartphone's camera, mobile network, and display hardware, mounting two full-size desktop CPU heatsinks on each side of the phone hardware. By doing so, the setup received improved heat dissipation, allowing for better sustained performance.

In a 3DMark Wild Life Extreme stress test, the modified Z70 Ultra maintained a 99% stability score over 20 loops, with scores ranging between 6,910 and 6,980, indicating impressive sustained performance. Notably, the system also managed to run The Witcher 3 at 1080p ultra graphics preset, delivering approximately 20–30 FPS, with GPU utilization reaching 99%.

While this doesn't make the smartphone a viable replacement for a modern gaming PC, it demonstrates the significant untapped potential of modern mobile chips that are constrained by pocket-sized form factors.