Question External GPU for Dell Inspiron 27 All-in-one 7777

[Aragorn1976]

Hi, I have recently increased the RAM of my Dell Inspiron 7777 to 32 GB, but I need a better graphics card (I currently have a Geforce 1050) for Photoshop. I was wondering if I can add a Thunderbolt port to my computer, so I can use an external GPU to boost the graphics. Any advice please? Many thanks in advance!!!

 

[USAFRet]

Hi, I have recently increased the RAM of my Dell Inspiron 7777 to 32 GB, but I need a better graphics card (I currently have a Geforce 1050) for Photoshop. I was wondering if I can add a Thunderbolt port to my computer, so I can use an external GPU to boost the graphics. Any advice please? Many thanks in advance!!!

No, you can't "add" a Thunderbolt port.

All In Ones are not upgradeable.
Basically, the non upgradability of a laptop, with the non portability of a desktop.

 

[Aragorn1976]

No, you can't "add" a Thunderbolt port.

All In Ones are not upgradeable.
Basically, the non upgradability of a laptop, with the non portability of a desktop.

Thanks for your reply. I thought you could buy a PCIe Thunderbolt port. My desktop has a PCIe/SATA port. I guess that the ports are not compatible with all motherboards?

 

[USAFRet]

Thanks for your reply. I thought you could buy a PCIe Thunderbolt port. My desktop has a PCIe/SATA port. I guess that the ports are not compatible with all motherboards?

Your All In One is basically a laptop motherboard.
Very for those to have additional unused ports.

 

[Aragorn1976]

Your All In One is basically a laptop motherboard.
Very for those to have additional unused ports.

Couldn't I use the internal PCIe/SATA for the new graphics card, and an external hard drive for the boot? Alternatively, could I replace the Geforce GTX 1050 with a more powerful card?

 

[USAFRet]

Couldn't I use the internal PCIe/SATA for the new graphics card, and an external hard drive for the boot? Alternatively, could I replace the Geforce GTX 1050 with a more powerful card?

The 1050 is almost certainly just built onto the motherboard.
Not changeable.

An external for the OS drive?
Even if you get all the trials and tribulations to get that running (non-trivial)...you're exchanging one slowness for another.
Running a Windows OS from an external is vastly slower than a regular internal drive.

You are MUCH better served by buying a whole new system that actually does what you need.
Sell this fashion piece AIO, and get a real PC or laptop.


Alternatively...
Do you really need actual Photoshop?
It is a resource heavy application.
And only really needed in a production environment. There are loads of other graphics applications that do 98% of what PS does, without all the Adobe overhead.

And if you DO really need real PS, a functional PC is just another business expense.

 

[Aragorn1976]

Thanks for your reply, I will consider to buy a real desktop for Christmas
Could you please suggest an alternative application that does 98% of what PS does?

 

[USAFRet]

Thanks for your reply, I will consider to buy a real desktop for Christmas
Could you please suggest an alternative application that does 98% of what PS does?

I use Paintshop Pro.

PaintShop Pro 2022 | Download Your Free Trial

Unlock new creative options fast with PaintShop Pro 2022. AI-powered Portrait Mode, Background Replacement and Style Transfer simplify complex tasks. Plus, new editing tools and workspace enhancements streamline the photo editing process for photographers of any skill level.

www.paintshoppro.com

Can be had reasonably cheaply (FAR less than PS).
Up until Jan this year, using PSP 2021 on a i7-4790k/RX580/32GB system from 2014.

and PSP can even use the same plugins for PS.

There is a 30 day trial you can check out.

Fully free alternatives I also use are paint.net or GIMP.

Paint.NET - Free Software for Digital Photo Editing

Paint.NET is free image and photo editing software for computers that run Windows.

www.getpaint.net

GIMP

GIMP - The GNU Image Manipulation Program: The Free and Open Source Image Editor

www.gimp.org