Dell Optiplex GPU help please. 7010 MT and 9010 DT owners...What works and fits?

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
Status
Not open for further replies.
J

joeljoel1947

Distinguished
Nov 11, 2010
41
0
18,540
Hello Professionals,
Searched a lot here and this one is still, a few years later, a very vague answer. I think because they are so OLD. But because of the recent resurgence (yes, you read that right) into the OptiPlex line based off YouTube,for a cheap gaming PC, a lot of us are wondering what actually WORKS...


I've acquired both a OptiPlex 7010 Mid Tower ((MT), and OptiPlex 9010 Desktop (DT) computers. Both have basically the same thing on them : I5-3470 chips, Windows 10, 8GB Ram, CD Drive, WiFi Boards, and hard drives. And both the same baby 245-75 watt power supply.

I'm looking to add a GPU to both PC's. I have a Single Fan EVGA 4GB 1050TI en-route. Looking to add a cheaper one for the other.

300 watts on the PSU are needed, not worried about that. Dell power supplies are notoriously underrated and can deal with anything that fits in their slots. HOWEVER--- Like an idiot I bought the single fan EVGA 4GB 1050TI before seeing if it would FIT (like, Physically) in either PC. Also---looking to buy another GPU for the PC that the single fan EVGA 4GB 1050 TI computer that that GPU WON'T work in, any cheap suggestions?


If the 1050TI Won't work in either, I can return it. I do have a 450 Watt PSU on hand but from what I gather, that will only fit my 7010 Mid Tower. Its an Entec 450W.

If anyone out there has a 7010 MT or a 9010 DT and can confirm a RECENT GPU you have plugged in with success? That would also help! Thank you and Happy New Year!

Regards, Joel
 
Solution
clutchc


Yes, that Evga GTX 1050 Ti is an excellent choice. I had one of those awhile back too. It will...
Sort by date Sort by votes
I have a Optiplex 9010 MT I'm on right now. (same as your 7010) Recently upgraded it by repalcing the i5-3570 with a i7-3770 and adding a GTX 1070 Mini. I also replaced the Dell PSU with a Earthwatts 500W.

If you want to keep the Dell PSU, the GTX 1050 Ti is about the best you can do safely. Which single fan card did you buy? The short Evga 1050 Ti is a good card.
But whichever card you put in the MT, it has to be short enough that it doesn't cover the SATA ports. At least the ones you're using.

As to the DT, are you meaning the DT or the SFF? Sellers confuse those terms, sometimes.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Hi @clutchc thanks for the reply! Did not know the 9010 and 7010 MT were the same, so that is good to know. The 9010 is indeed a DT (Desktop) version. It's the tall skinny one. The card I bought was this one, small single fan from EVGA 1050TI:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MF7EQJZ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Will that work for sure in my 7010 MT? And if so, any thoughts on what to put in my 9010 DT? In the 9010DT there are 2 more slots under the blue PCI slot so I think only a low profile single slot GPU will fit in it. I think the 1050TI will be too fat at nearly 4" wide. Thoughts? Thanks again!!!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote


Yes, that Evga GTX 1050 Ti is an excellent choice. I had one of those awhile back too. It will work fine in the 7010 MT.
As you surmise, the 9010 desktop needs a low-profile gfx card. I had a couple Optiplex SFFs and put a L-P Zotac GTX 1050 Ti in them. (Optiplex 790 SFF Picture)
Since your DT has a slightly stronger +12v rail(s) than my SFF, it should be OK too. A bit of a load on the small Dell PSU, but Dell always seems to under-rate their PSUs. Mine ran for years before I sold it. And to the best of my knowledge, it is still working. And yes, you will want to use the blue PCIe x16 slot because the black slot is only x4 lanes electrically.

The 7010 and 9010 aren't exactly the same. But they are inwardly and outwardly physically the same. The 7010 was for the Sandy Bridge (2nd) generation of CPUs and the 9010 was for the Ivy bridge (3rd) generation. If your 7010 has a i5-3xxx in yours, it must have an updated BIOS to recognize the later CPU.

 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Solution
Thanks clutch!! Appreciate the advice and info! For the 9010 DT I ordered a GIgabyte GeForce GT 1030 2GB low profile card. Can’t afford another 1050 at the moment.

By chance, do you know much about adding a second hard drive to my machines? The 9010 DT has a 128GB SSD drive only and I’d like to add a regular 2TB HDD drive to it. The 7010 MT has a 500GB HDD and I’d like to add a SSD to it. Do you know what Dell hard drive caddy’s or additional wires/components would be needed to add a 2nd drive to both machines? I’m having a heck of a time trying to research it. Thanks again!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote


OK, all set then?
Btw, I've been buying my Optiplex drive caddys off of ebay. They are new or used and cheap.

I've worked on the MTs and the SFFs, but never the DT Optiplexes. But you can proably find a similar tear down site for them too. Or just use the Dell Manual. Bottom of page 15 for the drive. You may want to buy a 3.5" to 2.5" adapter for the SSD. That's what I do, anyway.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Yep, In my 9010 DT, the hard drive caddy can hold BOTH a 3.5" and 2.5" drive. This link is what helped me out:
https://www.dell.com/support/article/tt/en/ttdhs1/sln298073/optiplex-9010-desk-top-teardown-removal-guide-for-customer-replaceable-units-crus-?lang=en

And yes, I already have that crazy 3.5" to 2.5" adapter in mine, which is what caused my confusion because the 2.5" drive is where the 3.5" drive SHOULD be, because it has that adapter in the 3.5" slot where is where my 2.5" SSD rests currently. I'll be moving the 2.5" SSD to the "underbelly" of the blue caddy and put my 3.5" HDD on top, where it normally rests. I have 1 open SATA port left on the motherboard unused, so I just need to get a cable tomorrow. And some small screws....


Thanks again for your help. Gigabyte 2MB card arriving tomorrow for this 9010 DT, will be interesting to see what I can run on it with that in there. My 1050TI arrived today for the 7010 MT, so I have a lot going on all at once! Thanks again for the help, you are most certainly, "CLUTCH"!

 
Upvote 0 Downvote


Thanks Clutch, I'm working on one of them tonight. Yours is a BEAST!! Looks awesome!

ETA Prime on Youtube turned me on to these old OptiPlex's as gaming machines. I'm mostly into emulation and older stuff, so these are perfect for me. If you have a few minutes to kill, this recent video of his on some old Optiplex's like ours coupled with a 1050TI is worth watching:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUHQ-G6Lssk

Anyhow thanks again for all the help, our paths will likely meet again here as I go through the Opti upgrade process. Take care!

 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Clutch---one quick more question! How much did that i7-3770 CPU set you back? Is it like $40 or $400?? I'm sure somewhere in between depending on where the weather vane points.....I can't believe a modern CPU still works in these old dinosaurs! Good to know I can still upgrade it. Dell was smart in that regard. In my (old) day even in the early 90's Compaq was soldering in stuff to make it VERY difficult to mod. Thanks again man!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote


You bet...
I bought this Dell Optiplex 7010 SFF that had the i7-3770 in it and swapped it out with my i5-3570 in my Optiplex 9010 MT. Then (re)sold the 7010 SFF (for a minuscule profit even). Like even-swapping the i5 for the i7.

A lot of times, you can find beatup-looking Optiplexes going for the cost of the CPU alone.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote


Cool! Thanks for the info. Do you know what the CPU limit is for the motherboard? Like, can you chuck an I9 in it?? I know it would be dumb right now, because the chip would be 4-10 times the value of the whole PC, but theoretically, is it possible?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote


The CPU support would have to be recognized by the Dell motherboard BIOS. If it isn't on their CPU support list, then it would likely fail to recognize the chip. Besides, there weren't any Sandy Bridge or Ivy Bridge i9-series CPUs. The i9 didn't come out until Sky Lake. Totally different socket.

I think the i7-3770/3770K was the top of the line for our Optiplexes.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Yea, yea, no mother board support (yet!). We can only hope the OptiBEAST warrants a BIOS upgrade from DELL. Maybe a socket adapter, lol! Meanwhile, my 7010 (one of my two optiBEASTS) is coming along. All working! The 7010 now has a 250GB SSD, 4TB HDD, i5-3470, 8GB Ram, 1050TI SF, plus it has WiFi, lol! Could not be happier, this thing RIPS and my son is getting 80FPS in the latest Rainbow 6 game, which is all that matters. He's getting better performance from it then his 2 year old Alienware Laptop. His was $1700, my 7010 MT was $75 plus a "few" add ons..... 😀
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Status
Not open for further replies.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom