Gpu for my old desktop

[Alexventura]

What is the best GPU for my old Dell Precision t3400?

#1) I search around and come up with gtx750ti but I wonder if I can get the gtx1050ti 4gb. My psu seems to have a 6-pin but I think I should get one without and I think there is a gtx1050ti without.

#2) I wonder If it works if I buy a gtx1070 8gb and a psu for the t3400 and move both to a new system later on. Can old mobo even use the latest gpu's? Can dell t3400 use other psu?

CPU: Q8300 2.5ghz (Bios doesnt seem to allow oc even on latest so its stuck)
GPU: gt430 1gb
RAM: 4x1gb (Might spend for 2x4gb $60 pc2-5300 666mhz or $70-80 pc2-6400 800mhz)
HDD: 1tb
Drive: DVD-RW (Unplugged from mobo & psu cuz I almost never use it)
Sound: PCI HT Omega Claro
Wifi: PCI Rosswill RNX-150 b/g/n (I think)
PSU: 375w +12VA 18A +12VB 18A rails not exceed 360w

I'm just torn apart by what I should get for a new pc so I never got one. I'm saving $1.5k for an ultimate build, or maybe not. I have a laptop when I wanted to play the newer games.

 

[jr9]

If you are having thoughts about a new build, I'd honestly just wait for the 1.5k and then do that. Will these Dell PCs there is no guarentee that a 10 series card will even boot because they require a UEFI BIOS to function. This is rare on older computers and also rare on Dell ones. They are not designed for upgrades at all.

If you are running on a Core 2 Quad that will bottleneck any modern graphics card severely assuming it will work. You will see this as sudden slowdowns in any part of the game that requires the CPU to do a lot of work. A 1070 would be an unbelievable waste of money on a Core 2 Quad also and would not perform anywhere near what it should. The power supply would probably give out and I double it has the PCIe connectors the card would need.

TLDR: Wait to buy a new PC or build one.

 

[dontlistentome]

First, a lot of Dells may use proprietary front panel connectors, and thermal sensors, and proprietary power button connectors. If when you boot up, the computer bios doesn't detect these things as connected, then you will get an error message. You can bypass the message and continue to use the computer but that can be annoying. One way around that is to connect those three things(if present) in your new case, but then you may disrupt the aesthetics of your new case. And this is assuming the motherboard is a standard ATX or mATX design, which it might not be. So you might be stuck using the original case. Of course you can modify the original case all you want.

All in all, I think a GTX 750 Ti is a better match for this computer. I can't imagine what you'd do with a 1070 and that CPU. That case and motherboard both look like they use standard power supplies and power supply connectors, so a power supply upgrade is very simple if you should need to, or want to, do that.

I'd consider this a good low cost esports gaming computer. CSGO, a bit of Overwatch, etc. If Assassin's Creed Origins or PUBG are your thing, you'll want something more capable.

 

[william p]

Here are some builds for that system. The GTX1060 with the 6 pin connector should be good but you will need a better CPU first Q9650, or QX9650.
http://www.userbenchmark.com/System/Dell-Precision-WorkStation-T3400/3505
There's on one there that list scoring 57% CPU ranking with a QX9650 @ 4.15GHz
Aftermarket PSUs fit.
Core2Extremes can overclock in Windows using Throttlestop 6.00 software.
Newer GPUs don't all require UEFI BIOS. It varies from brand to brand.

 

[sonnieharker]

Your system has a 375w psu, i would recommend a gtx 1060 (3gb or 6gb), but you absolutely should lower the voltage by around 8%, this to make sure your system doesn't use more than 90% of the psu for system safety reasons.Use msi after burner (or any other gpu overclocking software) to lower the core clock and memory clock a little as possible, whilst lowering the gpu's voltage, as i said to around -8%. this is the best performance you will get with a 375w psu.

 

[william p]

Dell doesn't rate their PSUs the same way as aftermarket advertised power. They don't sell PSUs by the watt. The 375W rating is not a peak power, but a continious rating. The old dell 305W PSU when actually tested provides 400W before it safely shuts down. It's actually almost impossible to overload a Dell PSU because they don't have enough cables on them to connect excessive devices anyway. The 375W PSU states max. 12V. load as 30A. that's 360W 12V. a 130 W CPU, and a 150W GPU= 280W.
There was a 425W PSU option for these computers that has separate 18A.rail for 2X 150W GPUs, it has 2x 6 pin GPU connectors. Prices vary but I paid $30 for mine. A 225W GPU should be no problem. L425P-00

 

[sonnieharker]

Dell doesn't rate their PSUs the same way as aftermarket advertised power. They don't sell PSUs by the watt. The 375W rating is not a peak power, but a continious rating. The old dell 305W PSU when actually tested provides 400W before it safely shuts down. It's actually almost impossible to overload a Dell PSU because they don't have enough cables on them to connect excessive devices anyway. The 375W PSU states max. 12V. load as 30A. that's 360W 12V. a 130 W CPU, and a 150W GPU= 280W.
There was a 425W PSU option for these computers that has separate 18A.rail for 2X 150W GPUs, it has 2x 6 pin GPU connectors. Prices vary but I paid $30 for mine. A 225W GPU should be no problem. L425P-00

Great that means he can use the 1060 no problem, and thanks for the lesson

 

[william p]

What the OP is calling a desktop is actually a workstation model. It was designed for being used hard and long. It's quite a bit different than the Dell office machines, and home computer systems. That system with the optional PSU actually supports 2x 150W GPUs.

 

[jr9]

I'd be interested to see decent non-synthetic gaming benchmarks on an upper end Core 2 Quad chip paired with a mid-range to high end 10 series graphics card even compared to a modern low end chip like the g4560. My first thoughts would be that the bottlenecking would be severe and limit the potential of the GPU. I suppose it isn't theoretically impossible to create this setup by scraping by with the Dell PSU and hoping everything fits in the case and doesn't overheat, but the actual gaming performance I don't believe would be very impressive if you are trying to play modern games. I really like the creativity here in trying to squeeze some life out of that system but I can't seem to justify upgrading to a more powerful version of legacy hardware to get less performance that a refurbished Sandy Bridge system would get in gaming without overclocking the hell out of it.

 

[william p]

here are some T3400 builds. You can look at CPU rankings, and GPU rankings to see how they compare.
http://www.userbenchmark.com/System/Dell-Precision-WorkStation-T3400/3505
The best CPU ranking is 57% with a Core2 Extreme QX9650 @ 4.15GHz. I'll see if i can dig up the Firestrike score for that system. But the old 670 GPU isn't the best.
Best GPU looks like a GTX 980Ti at 93% (running with a Core 2 Duo of course!).
So whatever newer CPU scores 57% would be about equal. The older memory bus will slow things down somewhat. But 16GB is certainly enough.
The T3400 supports 2x full size GPUs. I have an HD6990, and HD6970 Trifire sitting in one. I haven't fired it up yet.
I don't know exactly what a non synthetic benchmark would be.
But if you want some better performance a Dell T3500 with W3690 6 core Xeon overclocked with 3 channel DDR3 1333 and dual GPU support should do it.
I paid $215 for mine with the CPU and 12GB RAM, and Win7 Pro shipped.
http://www.userbenchmark.com/System/Dell-Precision-WorkStation-T3500--/2522

 

[jr9]

I studied that page already as I found it greatly interesting, it is a new tool I can use for verifying certain cards will work on legacy motherboards without having to use my 1030GT testing card. Core 2 Extreme having a decent CPU score relative to the others doesn't surprise me that much, it was the dream CPU to have in 2007-2008 when I first started.

Core 2 Extreme or a Q2Q higher end would help if you can source one for cheap. Still, you've have to spend money to get it when an $80 dollar G4560 is 17% better on usermark for games and 42% faster overall.

I'm not sure if those GPU ratings are strictly focused GPU, I think they are. A Core2 Duo E8400, GTX 980 Ti build gets a 23 for CPU and 93 for GPU. Seems about right. In actual modern games that would definitely gimp you as the CPU is just as important as the GPU.

 

[william p]

There are a lot of unbalanced systems there. But you can usually see if there is or isn't a CPU limit of some kind. I bought a $20 Optiplex 380 because I saw 120W Xeon X5460, 8GB DDR3, and GTX1050Ti running there. None of it on the same system. I have an X5470 to put in it, and I already have 8GB, and GTX1050Ti running with Q9505S. This is a system that was sold with 2 core CPUs and 4GB RAM only. The big surprise is getting a hefty overclock on a Dell with a completely locked BIOS. For me that's the challenge, not trying to have the fastest gaming rig. The last C2X I bought was a QX6850 for$20, the most expensive was a QX9650 @ 2 for $80. I could build one fast computer for less money, but then that would be the end of my hobby. I just like modding and overclocking computers that everyone says can't be modded. Almost all of the Dells can run a Q9650 and score 40%CPU. Almost all of them can run a Zotac GTX1050Ti Mini. For me the challenge is going beyond those basic limits. When I got my 2006 Dimension E520 to 4GHz 2 years ago it was still relevant. Modern games require modern hardware, but personally I don't see the need for 120fps, and 4K monitors. I guess some people just feel the need to blow their opponents into smaller and smaller pieces. It's not the cost of the CPU, it's the monitors and GPU prices that keep me doing what I'm doing. My whole Opti 380 system costs less than just a GTX1060 video card.

 

[jr9]

Most techs and enthusiasts really scoff at the idea of pushing older hardware this hard. I generally just think in all cases "bad idea it won't work do a full rebuild" and I'm really surprised to see people trying things like 1070 and Core 2 Duo. I thought legacy BIOS would shoot that idea down out of the gate but people have got those cards to run on that system... It would get you laughed off the nVIDIA forums for sure but it's really interesting to see how heavily modified these OEM machines can get. I've never considered it to be worth it to upgrade from a slower chip in an older generation to a faster one but it seems at times you can source these parts for remarkably cheap, they no longer cost 1-2 paychecks. I'll have to remember this next time someone wants their LGA775 board replaced, I might actually do it instead of saying buy new hardware like I normally would, unless it's a proprietary board.

 

[william p]

It would take me about 2 hours to do a new parts build. I'm a retiree so I have some time to kill. Researching which OEMs can be modded, and which mods work, and hunting down obscure BTX cooling solutions (Like a Dell BTX Hybrid water/ Peltier loop assy. for $20) keeps it interesting. I also like doing original work. Like overclocking my Dimension E520 to 4GHz. As far as I can tell it was never done before. For 2 years I was in 2nd place at CPUZ for the QX6800 CPU with that machine. The 1070 C2D really doesn't make sense. But an overclocked QX9650 @ 4.15GHz/ 1070 does. Sort of. The thing is a GPU, or big PSU to power it can be moved forward to a newer build. So it doesn't hurt to spend for those items.