Dell Optiplex GPU

Toby_19

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Jun 7, 2017
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I'm planning on getting a budget gaming 'rig' based off of an old Dell Optiplex with an i5-2400, gonna upgrade the ram to 8gb (I've heard it gets difficult with the motherboard/BIOS if you want 16gb so that a problem for another time)
I'm mainly interested in a good GPU that wouldn't require 6/8 pin connectors as I'm very doubtful the PSU included will have the power for it and I'd rather not upgrade the PSU too
any and all support Is greatly appreciated
Thanks

Edit: meant to say it'll be an Optiplex 3010 most likely
 
Solution
I managed to snag a low priced i7-4790 Optiplex 9020 a few weeks ago. That was certainly worth it for the chip alone. Only downside is the 8-pin proprietary powersupply/motherboard. But they are fairly easy to rewire. Moddiy sells the adapters for like 15 bucks. I chopped up a dual 6-pin to 8-pin adapter and hooked up a standard ATX supply and dropped a GTX970 in it.

Not bad, just add hard drive and low power GPU:
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIAAJ277Z9088

Plenty of i7 in that price range as well. https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA7RB6GF8479

Occasionally I see some that are tempting. This one looks promising, though maybe too high a price. But a 480GB SSD is nothing to sneeze at, you could sell...
The 1050ti mentioned above is a good choice BUT some do have power connectors so you need to check closely before buying.

The other issue you may run into is many Dell systems have a problem running newer UEFI GPUs. You should search to see if there are any BIOS updates for your system.

In reality your best bet is to search the dell forums to see if anyone has ever put a GPU into the system you're working with. Some literally will not take a GPU due to the BIOS or a low power PCIe slot. The best place to find this out is Dell's own forums.
 
Try going for a slightly newer Optiplex, 4th gen prices aren't bad and you can sometimes snag SSDs for reasonable prices. You can get also get 8GB of ram pre-installed rather than having to mix memory or buy certified replacements. Dell BIOS aren't as forgiving when it comes to memory setup, basically just fires up whatever default is loaded into the RAM. If the memory uses XMP it will likely get stuck at stock speeds (which can mean DDR3 1066 or 1333)

What is your total budget? Building a Ryzen 1200 or even a 2200G based system might be more reasonable and get you into a modern platform.
 


I agree and the newer one is more likely to work with an aftermarket GPU.

But I also agree money is better spent on a cheap 2200G based system over this.
 



I've looked into this quite a lot and have my eyes on a £25 Optiplex and a £25 i5-2400 and 8gb or RAM for £20 on CEX, then upto 60-100 on a GPU, by my best deal searching the lowest i can build a ryzen 2200g build is around £270 (https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/user/tobytuszynski/saved/#view=c6yjcf) depending on deals which is a bit much for tbh

 


If you can save it though for £100 more you are getting a system that is upgradeable to new processor releases through 2020, is significantly faster overall, and will therefore last longer.
 


I've had a look at the Dell forums and theres quite a few cases of people upgrading RAM past dells recommended max (upto 16GB) but very little on GPUs, one crazy guy who put a 1070 in with a separate PSU but nothing on default PSU unfortunately here's the link though if anyone else reads tis and is interested
https://www.dell.com/community/Desktops-General/Dell-optiplex-3010-16-gb-RAM/m-p/5078822
 


If a 1070 worked though thats a good thing, because that means a 1050 or 1050ti will work.
 


Honestly I'm questioning it at all tbh, ill see how much i rely on my <Language please> ex-workstation this summer and how much i just play my PS4 (no hate please haha) I'll probably save a tonne on not buying games in the steam sale if nothing else
 
I managed to snag a low priced i7-4790 Optiplex 9020 a few weeks ago. That was certainly worth it for the chip alone. Only downside is the 8-pin proprietary powersupply/motherboard. But they are fairly easy to rewire. Moddiy sells the adapters for like 15 bucks. I chopped up a dual 6-pin to 8-pin adapter and hooked up a standard ATX supply and dropped a GTX970 in it.

Not bad, just add hard drive and low power GPU:
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIAAJ277Z9088

Plenty of i7 in that price range as well. https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA7RB6GF8479

Occasionally I see some that are tempting. This one looks promising, though maybe too high a price. But a 480GB SSD is nothing to sneeze at, you could sell that and buy a video card. (Or trade)

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIADUM6Z52794

But, for a Ryzen build:
$60 worth of rebates, just add OS. And you could always look at getting a cheaper drive, but I no longer see the point. Just add a hard drive later when more funds are available.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 2200G 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($94.59 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock - AB350 Pro4 ATX AM4 Motherboard ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: ADATA - XPG GAMMIX D10 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: ADATA - Ultimate SU800 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($63.99 @ Newegg Marketplace)
Case: Corsair - 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair - CX (2017) 450W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($22.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $361.53
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-05-21 17:48 EDT-0400
 
Solution


Thanks for the input, think If I do build this summer I'll do the ryzen 2200g one i mentioned earlier (https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/user/tobytuszynski/saved/c6yjcf)
luckily i already have a couple of 500gb hard drives that i can format and move over, we'll see