Graphics Card for Dell Optiplex 360

[Hokosaki]

My Optiplex has a Core 2 Duo 2.93 GHz cpu, 255w psu, pciex 16 slot. I would like to know if this graphics card will work for me.
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130606&ignorebbr=1&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-PC&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-PC-_-pla-_-Video+Card+-+Nvidia-_-N82E16814130606&gclid=CjwKEAiAlNbEBRCv9uy4j4SWrgwSJAB5MqJFdFz7IvBIr_f8yYGD3pxLfLRlDpZb5hZSC_KFPubR0RoCapzw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[Hokosaki]

I forgot to mention my computer has DX 11 and the specs for the card are DX 10.1. Is this going to be a problem?

 

[ichigokunbaka]

this is a better alternative
https://www.amazon.com/MSI-Profile-PCI-Express-R6450-MD1GD3-LP/dp/B004X6ABTM/ref=pd_sbs_147_1/151-1695735-2973826?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B004X6ABTM&pd_rd_r=FN4G5F9553CRZRW5VQ5D&pd_rd_w=oIU5Y&pd_rd_wg=PUgzL&psc=1&refRID=FN4G5F9553CRZRW5VQ5D

 

[dontlistentome]

Your PSU is not very powerful but that CPU and the 210 won't use much power, so I think it'll work. The card won't be able to handle anything that requires DX 11, whether that's a problem depends on what you want to use it for. This is not a gaming card, I'm not sure if you know that or not.

 

[william p]

The Optiplex 360 came in various sizes. From the 255W PSU I'm guessing you have the DT case and need low profile. On the GPU hierarchy chart the 210 is down among the Onboard GPUs in performance. A GT730 1GB DDR5 would be a better choice. I'm afraid at the $30 price point there won't be much improvement over the onboard GPU. If you save up for something better you won't have to spend twice. I'm seeing a 4GB memory limit at Crucial.com so a 1GB card should be the maximum. Dell does list E8500/E8600 CPU for that. Twice the cache, faster fsb, and higher clock speeds.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133542&nm_mc=KNC-MSNSearch-PC&cm_mmc=KNC-MSNSearch-PC-_-pla-_-Video+Card+-+Nvidia-_-PNY+Technologies++Inc.-_-14133542&gclid=CLGjoMKV-dECFSrjMgodUCYMig&gclsrc=ds

The 1GB DDR5 is faster than the 2GB DDR3 cards, and the GPU uses system memory to store textures. Avoid the cheaper 2GB cards. The GT730 also overclocks nicely.

 

[Hokosaki]

The Optiplex 360 came in various sizes. From the 255W PSU I'm guessing you have the DT case and need low profile. On the GPU hierarchy chart the 210 is down among the Onboard GPUs in performance. A GT730 1GB DDR5 would be a better choice. I'm afraid at the $30 price point there won't be much improvement over the onboard GPU. If you save up for something better you won't have to spend twice. I'm seeing a 4GB memory limit at Crucial.com so a 1GB card should be the maximum. Dell does list E8500/E8600 CPU for that. Twice the cache, faster fsb, and higher clock speeds.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133542&nm_mc=KNC-MSNSearch-PC&cm_mmc=KNC-MSNSearch-PC-_-pla-_-Video+Card+-+Nvidia-_-PNY+Technologies++Inc.-_-14133542&gclid=CLGjoMKV-dECFSrjMgodUCYMig&gclsrc=ds

The 1GB DDR5 is faster than the 2GB DDR3 cards, and the GPU uses system memory to store textures. Avoid the cheaper 2GB cards. The GT730 also overclocks nicely.

Thank you for that recommendation, I haven't seen this one yet. I have the tower 360 so there is room for full size cards but it doesn't matter. This card has much better reviews that the one I've been considering. It also supports the latest DX which is great because the 210 is no longer supported. I'm considering updating my core2 duo with a quad, do you know if this MB is compatible with that?

 

[william p]

It's a low end system with only 2 memory slots. Dell only listed Core2 Duo. The chipset probably has a 65W limit set. So when it reads CPU ID number it rejects >65W chips. If you want a quad there are lot of Optiplexes that will take one. Many games and most normal use programs don't use 4 cores anyway.
The 4GB memory limit means any GPU over 1GB will take too much memory away from the operating system. The GPU caches textures in memory addresses from the top down. The E7xxx CPUs can be BESL pinmodded to 3.6Ghz and up to maybe 4GHz but that's about it. You can make a zippy web browser and office computer with low level gaming ability but that's about it. It's equally limited by CPU, memory capacity, and therefore CPU memory size. If you want more just get a better computer to start with.

 

[Hokosaki]

It's ok with me that it is limited as it is a transitional computer for me until I get my gaming rig built. I'm just exploring it's own little world to see what it can do. I downloaded WOW and it is actually playable with the onboard video however there is some annoying latency which I think the graphics card should take care of.
Thx for the help

 

[william p]

https://www.zotac.com/us/product/graphics_card/gtx-750-1gb
http://www.pny.com/gtx-750-1024mb
Since you have the MT size case there are GTX750Ti 1GB cards. You will have to remove the bracket and cut it in 1/2, and on the second card shown cut out the GTX 750 logo area so the air can turn and go out the rear vent. Avoid ones with 2 fans or a connector on the 2nd slot. My first recommendation was due to thinking it was a DT model due to the small PSU. But I guees that's there because of the 2 core/4GB limit. There are literally millions of Optiplex 305W MT PSUs out there. You should be able to get one easily.
Find out if your BIOS is UEFI or legacy. Legacy cards will run on UEFI but UEFI cards won't run on Legacy machines. It's easier just to get one that matches.

 

[Hokosaki]

I'm glad to know there are higher wattage psu's out there that will fit. Is the 305 the largest one that will fit? I went into the bios and all it said was the bios version was A02. It didn't say anything about UEFI or Legacy. Is the GTX750Ti card Legacy or UEFI? By the way, are the psu's in the small 360 the same dimensions as the ones in the Mid Tower 360?

 

[william p]

The Mini Tower takes regular PSUs, the others don't. If you have a 1/2" space between your MB and PSU then the 375W psu from the T3400 will fit. it has a single 6 pin PCIe cable and cable lengths that are suitable for a Dell. There are some really old ones from Dimension 9150 etc. that don't have SATA, just old IDE and Molex. Some GTX750 are legacy, and some are UEFI. MSI tends to be UEFI, PNY Legacy, others I don't know. Secure Boot is a UEFI setting.
https://community.amd.com/community/gaming/blog/2016/04/05/radeon-r9-fury-nano-uefi-firmware

 

[Hokosaki]

The Mini Tower takes regular PSUs, the others don't. If you have a 1/2" space between your MB and PSU then the 375W psu from the T3400 will fit. it has a single 6 pin PCIe cable and cable lengths that are suitable for a Dell. There are some really old ones from Dimension 9150 etc. that don't have SATA, just old IDE and Molex. Some GTX750 are legacy, and some are UEFI. MSI tends to be UEFI, PNY Legacy, others I don't know. Secure Boot is a UEFI setting.
https://community.amd.com/community/gaming/blog/2016/04/05/radeon-r9-fury-nano-uefi-firmware

Thanks Will, I appreciate all the help. I found an Nvidia GTX750Ti 1GB card that has 4.5 out of 5 stars reviews. Would you check it out and see if you think it will work?https://www.amazon.com/ViewMax-NVIDIA-GeForce-Express-Support/dp/B00WNO327Y/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1486619989&sr=8-2&keywords=gtx+750+ti+1gb

 

[william p]

That looks good. I would remove the bracket and make sure the card works OK. Then cut the bracket in 1/2 vertically to make it a 1 slot card. Reinstall the bracket.
One thing about Dell PSUs ( you won't need one with that card) make sure the 5V. rating matches your old one. Some of them come up short there.

 

[william p]

The GTX750 makes enough heat you will need an expansion slot blower to get the hot air out from behind it. Antec makes a good one.

 

[kevin_252]

It's a low end system with only 2 memory slots. Dell only listed Core2 Duo. The chipset probably has a 65W limit set. So when it reads CPU ID number it rejects >65W chips. If you want a quad there are lot of Optiplexes that will take one. Many games and most normal use programs don't use 4 cores anyway.
The 4GB memory limit means any GPU over 1GB will take too much memory away from the operating system. The GPU caches textures in memory addresses from the top down. The E7xxx CPUs can be BESL pinmodded to 3.6Ghz and up to maybe 4GHz but that's about it. You can make a zippy web browser and office computer with low level gaming ability but that's about it. It's equally limited by CPU, memory capacity, and therefore CPU memory size. If you want more just get a better computer to start with.

I got a core 2 q9550 to work in my sff with no modifications i use it as a secondary

 

[william p]

There are a lot of different SFF. Optiplex 780 will run Q9650, 16Gb RAM. But his is a low end model. There are 65W Quads. Q9550s and Q9505s. bu they're kind of expensive and might not work due to missing microcode.

 

[Hokosaki]

I upgraded my psu to an Antec 630w which is more than what I need but it was just sitting on the shelf and a sound-blaster-sb0410 card on the way and am ordering the GTX 750 this week. Not putting a lot into this computer since it is a backup but it's kind of fun working on something different from customs.

 

[Daniel524]

A GTX 750 or GTX 750 TI would suit it well. Make sure you get the model that does not use the 6Pin connector. You need to make sure it is the version that is powered by the PCI BUS also. The PSU should handle it no problem. I have owned alot of HP workstations in the past, HP XW4600 that used a Q6600 and q9550 and swapped out the video card to Both GTX 750 and 750Ti also had them running on a GTX 1050TI however I do not recommend a GTX 1050Ti as it would be severly bottlenecked.
GTX 750 would pair nicely with the Core 2 Duo.
I would also find out if that motherboard supports a Core 2 Quad as Id be swapping that Core 2 Duo with a Core 2 Quad such as the Q6600, Q9300 or 9550. You can find some cheap Cpus second hand, but u need to find out first if the Mobo supports it

 

[Hokosaki]

A GTX 750 or GTX 750 TI would suit it well. Make sure you get the model that does not use the 6Pin connector. You need to make sure it is the version that is powered by the PCI BUS also. The PSU should handle it no problem. I have owned alot of HP workstations in the past, HP XW4600 that used a Q6600 and q9550 and swapped out the video card to Both GTX 750 and 750Ti also had them running on a GTX 1050TI however I do not recommend a GTX 1050Ti as it would be severly bottlenecked.
GTX 750 would pair nicely with the Core 2 Duo.
I would also find out if that motherboard supports a Core 2 Quad as Id be swapping that Core 2 Duo with a Core 2 Quad such as the Q6600, Q9300 or 9550. You can find some cheap Cpus second hand, but u need to find out first if the Mobo supports it

https://www.amazon.com/ViewMax-NVIDIA-GeForce-Express-Support/dp/B00WNO327Y/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1486619989&sr=8-2&keywords=gtx%20750%20ti%201gb&tag=tomshardware_forum_vgl-20
This one does use the 6 pin connector so it looks like I need to find another one. I've been told this board will not support a quad cpu.

Ok, this one looks like it gets it power from the PCIE bus.
https://www.amazon.com/PNY-GeForce-GDDR5-Graphics-VCGGTX7501XPB/dp/B00IGHD812/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1487746296&sr=8-4&keywords=gtx+750+ti+1gb

BTW this is what my board looks like, can you tell me what the slot in the middle is?

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[Hokosaki]

Haha, I've had this project on the back burner for a while and am just now getting the components. I was going to get the ZOTAC NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 1GB GDDR5 2DVI/Mini HDMI Video Card on Amazon for $230 but I found the exact same item on https://www.atacom.com/product_list_atacom/video_atacom.html for $128 (that includes shipping). Saved over $100.

 

[william p]

Here are the 65W quad core CPUs that might work. The Q9505S @ $20 looks great but sometimes that's a bid in auction and not the final price. A C2Q witha gTX 750 would be a huge improvement.
http://www.delidded.com/lga-771-775-cpus/?filter=socket-lga-775&tdp-max=65#cpus

 

[william p]

There is a lot more you can do with that. I got fooled by the small PSU and SFF /.DT question. The 2 RAM slots and userbenchmark only showing Core 2 Duos on their compatability list threw me off.
http://www.userbenchmark.com/System/Dell-OptiPlex-360/4042
There is a little strangness in the CPU dept. No Q9650s. I tracked it down here.
http://www.delidded.com/lga-771-to-775-adapter/3/#dell
The best CPU is Q9550 C0 stepping This means only SLAN4 CPUs.
http://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/Core_2/Intel-Core%202%20Quad%20Q9550%20EU80569PJ073N%20%28BX80569Q9550%29.html
So the best CPU is Q9550 SLAN4
There is an LGA771 Xeon swap X5450 SLANQ that should work (=Q9650)
I found one down in the test results with 8GB RAM 2X4GB, 4GB DDR2 modules are uncommon, but hey this is good news.
http://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/3792336
This means the Zotac GTX1050Ti Mini is the best GPU and it fits with no mods.
So I would RMA the 750 Ti when it gets there.
Sorry I didn't get it right the first time. The small PSU and 2 memory slots confused things. It's also a little strange in the RAM slots and CPU support dept., But you can make it run at about 40% level.

 

[william p]

Since8GB RAM isn't supported by Dell, or Crucial.com we should go step by step here.
1- 4GB DDR2-800 exists. The benchmark shows it running in that system. The 8GB RAM is a game changer. So do it first. It affects GPU and OS choices.
2- Dell only uses low density RAM. This will require 512x64 configuration of the RAM modules. They will have chips on both sides of the Modules.Most 4GB DDR2 modules will be ECC or AMD only or Mac Pro, or FBDIMMs. You must avoid those. I think the AMD is high density. There may be other issues. Too bad because it's cheap.
3 Now to see if it really does what we need it to. it's possible that the benchmark is just reading the data from the modules ID chip and not actually counting the active RAM. So to test this you will need a 64bit OS.. (Crucial has a 45 day monet back guarantee on direct ordered RAM) A Linux Live DVD with 64bit Ubuntu will work for this. You can run it from DVD (HDD can be unplugged if you want).. This will tell if the 8GB is really available to the OS. They come with most Linux magazines. In System Tools/Details my 8GB shows as 7.7GB. If it shows 4GB or 3.7GB that would be a failure, and the GTX750 1GB would still be best. If it's there Then GTX 1050/ 1050TI becomes possible.
4 If this really works now the 1GB GPU limit goes away, and a 64bit OS will be needed to use the xtra RAM.

 

[william p]

https://www.ebay.com/i/282658007213?chn=ps&dispctrl=1
Here is a part # with the correct spec. and speed. 4GB Hynix HMP351U6AFR8C-S6
Dell used Hynix memory, also Nanya and others. But I looked at the spec. sheet for this one. 512X64 non ECC DDR2-800.
If you shop for memory for a Dell Precision T3400 workstation (supports 4X4GB DDR2 800 RAM) you should get the right parts. Non ECC of course.

 

[william p]

I looked at the 8GB Opti 360 and saw 5.8GB free RAM there so it looks like this is a good mod. It's recognizing over 4GB so there is no 4GB limit! So ypu can have the worlds fastest Opti 360. He has a 2GB GPU so that looks about right, and also shows why 4GB isn't enough RAM for a 2GB GPU. He would have 1.8GB System RAM if he didn't have the extra 4GB memory.