Dell OptiPlex 7050 and GeForce GTX 1060 compatibility

[garaj.martin]

Hi,

I am a researcher, and I need GeForce GTX 1060 in my work Desktop PC. I need to know, whether I can install the GeForce GTX 1060 right away, or there may be some troubles.

Setup Info :
Current configuration :
http://

Similar machine in terms of casing :
http://

Diemnsions of the OptiPlex 7050 Tower casing:
Width 6.1 in
Depth 10.8 in
Height 13.8 in

Power Source :
329-BDHN: OptiPlex 7050 MT 240W containing up to 85% energy efficient power supply (80Plus bronze)

The PCI slots avaliable are shown here :

http://


Questions :
1) Shall the regular GeForce GTX 1060 fit inside the case ?

2) Do I have the correct PCI slot for GeForce GTX 1060 ?

3) What Power Source to get, so I can safely install the GeForce GTX 1060 ? (are watts the only important thing ? do I need some special connector to power GPU ? )

4) The Dell OptiPlex 7050 comes only with AMD graphic cards (does that imply something ? does nVidia cards differ ?)

 

[R4lNM4N]

"Researching" at work, sure.

1) Smallest GTX 1060 I see on newegg is 10.5" x 4.5". This is unlikely to fit since Dell probably lists the outer dimensions of the case, not the space available on the inside.

2) It does have a PCI Express x16 slot according to Dell's site.

3) You'll need a 450W or higher PSU with an 8-pin power connector to the video card. Yes the wattage matters, more specifically the amperage on the 12-volt rail. Most any power supply of 400W+ will have enough. Regardless, Dell uses proprietary form factor for a lot of components and you'd likely have to order it from Dell. Ugh, Dell.

4) The fact that Dell is only selling certain product lines with AMD cards only implies that they have a contract them. You should be able to install either AMD or NVIDIA in any system.

Bottom line is it probably won't fit. Also, if this is a company computer, you don't want to start adding/removing components without the IT department's approval.

Looking at the picture you provided, it definitely looks too small and that power supply is definitely a Dell proprietary form factor.

 

[garaj.martin]

1) Is there any significant difference between GeForce GTX1060 cards, that could cause incompatibility ? (e.g. different power connector, different PCI connector, etc ...)

2) So the dimension is a problem, can it be solved by http:// ?

Yes, I will have it approved by IT dept.

P.S. GPUs are quite often used for science purposes these days, like in my case Neural Network training ... but sure, I believe it will handle games well

"Researching" at work, sure.

1) Smallest GTX 1060 I see on newegg is 10.5" x 4.5". This is unlikely to fit since Dell probably lists the outer dimensions of the case, not the space available on the inside.

2) It does have a PCI Express x16 slot according to Dell's site.

3) You'll need a 450W or higher PSU with an 8-pin power connector to the video card. Yes the wattage matters, more specifically the amperage on the 12-volt rail. Most any power supply of 400W+ will have enough. Regardless, Dell uses proprietary form factor for a lot of components and you'd likely have to order it from Dell. Ugh, Dell.

4) The fact that Dell is only selling certain product lines with AMD cards only implies that they have a contract them. You should be able to install either AMD or NVIDIA in any system.

Bottom line is it probably won't fit. Also, if this is a company computer, you don't want to start adding/removing components without the IT department's approval.

Looking at the picture you provided, it definitely looks too small and that power supply is definitely a Dell proprietary form factor.

 

[R4lNM4N]

Sorry - Correction on the power connector, it's 6-pin, not 8. You might want to consider the GTX1050ti. It is smaller and doesn't require a dedicated power connection, it draws power from the connection to the motherboard. It still recommends a PSU of 300W though...

1050ti from newegg.com
1050ti from newegg.com (small for factor)

 

[william p]

Zotac GTX1050Ti Mini, and 1050 Mini are very compact cards. Dell seriously under rates their PSUs. Efficiency is a big selling point in their market. A 305W Dell PSU when tested scored 400W rating by aftermarket "peak" power standards. if it runs off the PCIe slot the PSU should be able to handle it. Optiplexes almost always have a 95W CPU limit that the 300W PSU doesn't take into account. 95w+75W=160W so 80W left for the lttle stuff.

 

[R4lNM4N]

Wow, Id love to see the actual test of Dell "under rating" any component. In my experience with Dell, other than some high-end servers which I service daily, their components are total turds. Excuse my skepticism but, buying capacitors from the lowest bidders and slapping them into proprietary components like an 80+ BRONZE power supply makes me doubt they would ever under rate it. Not to mention the fact that it would break numerous industry standards.

If you have to go through the IT team for approval anyway, I'd get their advice since they have the unfortunate experience of working on these Dell machines every day.

Even if for some reason, Dell, labeled a 300W power supply with a 240W sticker, it's still 80+ Bronze. So at full load it'd be 246W at best (82%). And that's if it's supposedly a 300W psu.

I would advise against installing a $200 card, under-powering it, potentially damaging it or another component in the process, then having to troubleshoot it. But hey that's just me, I don't play around with dirty power on my gear. It's just an expensive gamble and a pain in the ass to toubleshoot when you break something.

 

[william p]

https://www.hardwareinsights.com/dell-h305p-01-power-supply-review/

 

[R4lNM4N]

https://www.hardwareinsights.com/dell-h305p-01-power-supply-review/

Thank you for proving my point - even though this is not the power supply in question. Just because it can "handle more wattage" doesn't mean it's rated at said higher wattage, which is why it isn't. The (overload) 400W test was only 69.3% efficient. And they cheaped-out on some of the capacitors (like I stated earlier) and even installed them at a poor location, which apparently discolored the PCB.

Directly from the pro/con section on the last page...

"Pros

• 
  Excellent ripple suppression
  Excellent voltage regulation
  Can handle more than 305W
  Quiet

Cons

• 
  Don’t use Teapo capacitors on the secondary side… (-1)
  …and don’t put them next to a hot resistor… (-1)
  …especially in such an inefficient power supply. (-1)"

Should anyone overload this power supply, they would start running into under/over voltages. At the very least causing BSOD's on a Windows system or worse: likely damage components, blow out the unit, and even possibly cause a fire.

 

[william p]

The 240W PSU in question is the 80% efficient version that replaced the 305W PSU in earlier Optiplexes. In some Optiplexes it was an optional upgrade.
I don't know what you think I proved for you. If you read the whole article it was a 2006 PSU being tested and it made 1/3 over its rated power with no ripple, or regulation problems. Maybe Dell tests their products and knows which capacitors work, and which ones don't. If you read the article they used Japanese capacitors in the position that fails most. If there was a REAL problem with the Taiwanese caps I think 10 years of degradation and an intentional overload would have revealed it. This seems to be an OPINION among people who are used to testing high end enthusiast PSUs. How could it damage components with good ripple, and regulation? How could it be overloaded in the real world without any extra cables on the PSU to connect excess loads to? The overload was totally artificial on a PSU test bench. Do you always run around yelling FIRE? I gave you an example of a Dell PSU that was under rated. Can you give me an example of a Dell PSU starting a fire?

 

[william p]

You did make one very valid point. That was that the OP didn't own the computer in question and he probably shouldn't risk the loss of use of the employers equipment. Even if it's just for his own protection. Usually my suggestions here are to people who own their own computers and want to upgrade them. But I have seen people change settings on a computer that rendered it useless to the business until someone form the main office IT department in an other state came and fixed it. They didn't know who did it (no it wasn't me) but it does happen. The upgrade in question may not be compatible with some present or future software item the employers uses. So it probably is a bad idea form that perspective.

 

[James Mason]

if OP linked his actual system, it doesn't matter.
He has a SLIM style case.
He can only put a low-profile GPU in there.
And there are no low-profile 1060s.