Looking to upgrade GeForce 6600

[humphriesb]

Hi, everyone. I'm a bit of a noob when it comes to buying new parts, but know that I am in need of a video card upgrade. I was hoping to get some recommendations on something that is hopefully compatible with my motherboard so I don't have to buy anything beyond just the video card.

Price range: $200 or less (preferably)
Purchase date: within the next month
Usage: I game a lot. Games I am trying to play: Diablo 3, Skyrim, Starcraft 2, Starcraft Heart of the Swarm. I'm sure there will be more, but this is the base. They don't have to run on super high settings, medium will be fine.

I'm not entirely sure what specs you guys need, so I got a profile on Belarc and figured I'd copy and paste the basics here:

Operating System
Windows 7 Professional (x64) Service Pack 1 (build 7601)
Install Language: English (United States)
System Locale: English (United States)
Installed: 3/2/2013 7:51:50 PM

System Model
Dell Inc. OptiPlex GX620
System Service Tag: BSQNWB1 (support for this PC)
Chassis Serial Number: BSQNWB1
Enclosure Type: Mini-Tower

Processor
3.60 gigahertz Intel Pentium D
16 kilobyte primary memory cache
2048 kilobyte secondary memory cache
64-bit ready
Multi-core (2 total)
Not hyper-threaded

Main Circuit Board
Board: Dell Inc. 0HH807
Serial Number: ..CN1374066S00C8.
Bus Clock: 800 megahertz
BIOS: Dell Inc. A11 11/30/2006

Drives
580.00 Gigabytes Usable Hard Drive Capacity
449.94 Gigabytes Hard Drive Free Space

PHILIPS DVD+-RW DVD8801 ATA Device [Optical drive]

WD 5000BEV External USB Device [Hard drive] (500.11 GB) -- drive 1, s/n WD-WXK0A69T3094
WDC WD800JD-75MSA3 [Hard drive] (80.00 GB) -- drive 0, s/n WD-WMAM9DR97223, rev 10.01E04, SMART Status: Healthy

Memory Modules
3584 Megabytes Usable Installed Memory

Slot 'DIMM_1' has 1024 MB (serial number 680C7029)
Slot 'DIMM_3' has 1024 MB (serial number 9A0C6A29)
Slot 'DIMM_2' has 1024 MB (serial number 99030408)
Slot 'DIMM_4' has 1024 MB (serial number 99038E07)


Sorry if this is way too much information. I figured it'd be better to post too much than not enough. I really appreciate any help in advance!

 

[johnnyq1233]

This might work for you..
http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX39457.
All depends if you have the room for it.

 

[bryonhowley]

Well there are a few things that we would still need to know about your system. Given the age of your rig is it a AGP or PCI-E based system. The Geforce 6600 came in both AGP and PCI-E. But AGP is not really a upgrade option anymore. Also what PSU do you have make/model and wattage?

The truth is with a 2 core Pentium D no matter what GPU you upgrade to it is going to hold you back. I know that is not what you wanted to hear but your rig is really out of date all the way around. Between the CPU DDR2 and not knowing what PSU you have plus the possibility of being on a AGP bus it is hard to even suggest a GPU upgrade for you.

Well alittle more searching looks like you do have one PCI-E x16 slot so we still need the specs on your PSU.

 

[SNA3]

which OptiPlex GX620 you have ?

and how much you want to pay ?


if you want to pay around 90$

this is your best option :

SAPPHIRE 100357LP Radeon HD 7750 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready Low Profile

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202002

it will fit in all big and small cases and has GDDR5 and works with 250watts power supply .

 

[humphriesb]

I have the mini-tower version. It looks like it's a PCI-E system. This system typically comes with a 305W power supply after some research, but is there any way to double check that without cracking it open?

 

[Kisianik]

I have the mini-tower version. It looks like it's a PCI-E system. This system typically comes with a 305W power supply after some research, but is there any way to double check that without cracking it open?

Yes, ask me.

Answer, Optiplex Mini Tower always comes with 300 or 305 watt.

The strongest option for you is HD7770, but this will require power supply upgrade. Power supply/GX620 would have to be modified to accept standard ATX power supply, no big deal, but work will be required, I have instructions. But HD7770 will bottlenecked by Pentium D.
A little about your CPU, the strongest supported is Pentium D 960 3.8GHz, so you are basically almost there.
So, cutting story short - the best and easiest upgrade is HD7750.

However due to the specifics of you case not every one of them can fit.

Let me explain.


THIS POST APPLICABLE TO MT (MINI TOWER) FORM FACTOR ONLY.

Unfortunately no card that is more than 7.5 inches long or 2 slots wide will PHYSICALLY FIT inside the case - it was found that only single bracket video card can fit due to BTX MOBO, where card internals facing upward towards PC internals, not ATX, where dual card design is blocking another PCI slot by facing downward.
If you prefer the card with beefier fan, then the length of the card must not exceed 7.5 inches, otherwise only "skinny" single bracket, single slot cards can physically fit.

Pictures below will prove my point.

View shows no room for dual bracket

Single bracket only, or you have to cut dual bracket in half

This is the other way to show my point

Here you can clearly see only single place for the bracket

Visual explanation

7.5 inches explained, also shown "obstacles"

This is the picture of actual "skinny" single slot video card (not sure which model)- perfect, "glove" fit.

So, I found 2 GDDR5 7750 cards (in addition to Sapphire 7750 low profile offered above) and one DDR3 4GB (GDDR5 is better than GDDR3, even if GDD3 offers 2 GB RAM or more), which confirmed in reviews to fit Optiplex gx620, 745 and 755 cases (the difference between those models are different processors).

Skinny, flimsier in terms of construction, completely single slot XFX 7750 http://www.amazon.com/XFX-DisplayPort-PCI-Express-FX775AZNP4-FX-775A-ZNP4/dp/B007Z3T5JC

A bit beefier cooler, not as skinny, more durable in construction PowerColor AX7750 http://www.amazon.com/PowerColor-AX7750-1GBD5-DH-Video-Graphics/dp/B00775OC28/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1362783129&sr=8-1&keywords=AX7750+1GBD5-DH

If you need Video card for working with high resolutions, BUT NOT FOR GAMING, PowerColor AX7750 4GBK3-H Radeon HD 7750 4GB is DDR3 card with huge 4GB memory, but is is not as fast as DDR5 and loosing in games http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131486&Tpk=7750&IsVirtualParent=1
Here is review of this card http://news.softpedia.com/news/PowerColor-Launches-Single-Slot-Radeon-HD-7750-4-GB-Video-Card-292712.shtml so this one is not for gamers!

Next will follow maximum possible upgrade, 7750 is weaker...

So far I found only 2 7770 video cards which will fit inside - PowerColor AX7770 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131477

HIS H777FN1G Radeon HD 7770 very tight fit, almost touching heatsink http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161433

7770 will require power supply upgrade, and this power supply has to be modified (I will find instructions, I have them somewhere).

This is about it.

Anything else I can help you with?

 

[SNA3]

I have the mini-tower version. It looks like it's a PCI-E system. This system typically comes with a 305W power supply after some research, but is there any way to double check that without cracking it open?

your best choice for that power supply is the HD7750 with GDDR5 , if you want better you will need to upgrade the power.

dont get DDR 3

this is the best for you

it is Overclocked to 900mhz

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121652&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

 

[SNA3]

I have the mini-tower version. It looks like it's a PCI-E system. This system typically comes with a 305W power supply after some research, but is there any way to double check that without cracking it open?

Yes, ask me.

Answer, Optiplex Mini Tower always comes with 300 or 305 watt.

The strongest option for you is HD7770, but this will require power supply upgrade. Power supply/GX620 would have to be modified to accept standard ATX power supply, no big deal, but work will be required, I have instructions. But HD7770 will bottlenecked by Pentium D.
A little about your CPU, the strongest supported is Pentium D 960 3.8GHz, so you are basically almost there.
So, cutting story short - the best and easiest upgrade is HD7750.

However due to the specifics of you case not every one of them can fit.

Let me explain.


THIS POST APPLICABLE TO MT (MINI TOWER) FORM FACTOR ONLY.

Unfortunately no card that is more than 7.5 inches long or 2 slots wide will PHYSICALLY FIT inside the case - it was found that only single bracket video card can fit due to BTX MOBO, where card internals facing upward towards PC internals, not ATX, where dual card design is blocking another PCI slot by facing downward.
If you prefer the card with beefier fan, then the length of the card must not exceed 7.5 inches, otherwise only "skinny" single bracket, single slot cards can physically fit.

Pictures below will prove my point.

View shows no room for dual bracket

Single bracket only, or you have to cut dual bracket in half

This is the other way to show my point

Here you can clearly see only single place for the bracket

Visual explanation

7.5 inches explained, also shown "obstacles"

This is the picture of actual "skinny" single slot video card (not sure which model)- perfect, "glove" fit.

So, I found 2 GDDR5 7750 cards (in addition to Sapphire 7750 low profile offered above) and one DDR3 4GB (GDDR5 is better than GDDR3, even if GDD3 offers 2 GB RAM or more), which confirmed in reviews to fit Optiplex gx620, 745 and 755 cases (the difference between those models are different processors).

Skinny, flimsier in terms of construction, completely single slot XFX 7750 http://www.amazon.com/XFX-DisplayPort-PCI-Express-FX775AZNP4-FX-775A-ZNP4/dp/B007Z3T5JC

A bit beefier cooler, not as skinny, more durable in construction PowerColor AX7750 http://www.amazon.com/PowerColor-AX7750-1GBD5-DH-Video-Graphics/dp/B00775OC28/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1362783129&sr=8-1&keywords=AX7750+1GBD5-DH

If you need Video card for working with high resolutions, BUT NOT FOR GAMING, PowerColor AX7750 4GBK3-H Radeon HD 7750 4GB is DDR3 card with huge 4GB memory, but is is not as fast as DDR5 and loosing in games http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131486&Tpk=7750&IsVirtualParent=1
Here is review of this card http://news.softpedia.com/news/PowerColor-Launches-Single-Slot-Radeon-HD-7750-4-GB-Video-Card-292712.shtml so this one is not for gamers!

Next will follow maximum possible upgrade, 7750 is weaker...

So far I found only 2 7770 video cards which will fit inside - PowerColor AX7770 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131477

HIS H777FN1G Radeon HD 7770 very tight fit, almost touching heatsink http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161433

7770 will require power supply upgrade, and this power supply has to be modified (I will find instructions, I have them somewhere).

This is about it.

Anything else I can help you with?

7770 wont work in his machine .. it is a 3.6GHZ 130 WATTS Pentium D CPU , Had it been 95 watts cpu I would have recommended 7770 ghz edition for him...

the motherboard and harddisks and DVD and fans are 100W + 130 W cpu +85 W VGA = 315 Watt ..

wont work

his only option is HD 7750

ASUS HD7750-T-1GD5 Radeon HD 7750 1GB 128-bit GDDR5

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121652&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

 

[Kisianik]

SNA3 said:
7770 wont work in his machine .. it is a 3.6GHZ 130 WATTS Pentium D CPU , Had it been 95 watts cpu I would have recommended 7770 ghz edition for him...

the motherboard and harddisks and DVD and fans are 100W + 130 W cpu +85 W VGA = 315 Watt ..

wont work

Have you read everything I said? I guess no, I said:

7770 will require power supply upgrade, and this power supply has to be modified (I will find instructions, I have them somewhere).

See now?

Since we both placed replies almost at the same time, you can take your Asus down now
Card Dimensions 7.8" x 5" x 1.7"
It is longer by 0.3", look on my pictures - this card would not fit against CPU cooler shroud.

Why you posted PowerColor picture and call it Asus?

No rush please.

 

[SNA3]

SNA3 said:
7770 wont work in his machine .. it is a 3.6GHZ 130 WATTS Pentium D CPU , Had it been 95 watts cpu I would have recommended 7770 ghz edition for him...

the motherboard and harddisks and DVD and fans are 100W + 130 W cpu +85 W VGA = 315 Watt ..

wont work

Have you read everything I said? I guess no, I said:

7770 will require power supply upgrade, and this power supply has to be modified (I will find instructions, I have them somewhere).

See now?

Since we both placed replies almost at the same time, you can take your Asus down now
Card Dimensions 7.8" x 5" x 1.7"
It is longer by 0.3", look on my pictures - this card would not fit against CPU cooler shroud.

Why you posted PowerColor picture and call it Asus?

No rush please.

I am tired lol , read like 100 threads

 

[humphriesb]

Wow! Thanks for the abundance of information and suggestions. I think I'm going to go with the 7750 as I don't trust myself to do too much tinkering. It looks like the XFX you suggested has a dimension of 8.3" x 0.8" x 4.4", which wouldn't fit in my current case right? The ASUS is also a bit big at 7.8" x 5" x 1.7". That would leave me with the PowerColor or the Sapphire. Since they are the same price with rebate and Sapphire has higher ratings/is a bit sturdier, I think I will likely go with that.

Let me know if I've followed along correctly.

 

[Kisianik]

XFX is very thin, look at the last picture of my guide, you can enlarge this picture, you will see what I mean - for thin card rules are different, otherwise, why would I recommend it, LOL.
I would not recommend something what is not going to fit or will contradict my own numbers.
Just to add, go to XFX newegg feedback section, on one of the pages you will find confirmation with Optiplex 755!

Anything else I can help you with?

 

[johnnyq1233]

The only card you posted that would theoretically fit is the powercolor AX7750 @ 6.6" everything else is ver the 7.5" you mentioned.
The GeForce I recommended is 7.3" and is a single slot and has the stability of nvidias drivers.
GDDR3 or 5, it doesn't really matter with that cpu anyways! The card I suggested is like 60.00 and that is all I would spend on a machine this old!
Here is a comparison: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/535?vs=612. It's first gen PCI-E so all the bells and whistles of PCI-E3.0 don't add up to squat! So why suggest cards that are worth more than the entire pc?
Here is another comparison with prices and scores. http://community.futuremark.com/hardware/gpu/NVIDIA+GeForce+GT+630/review.
I know you don't want to spend big on an old machine and I would agree.
Hope this helps.
JQ

 

[Kisianik]

The only card you posted that would theoretically fit is the powercolor AX7750 @ 6.6" everything else is ver the 7.5" you mentioned.
The GeForce I recommended is 7.3" and is a single slot and has the stability of nvidias drivers.
GDDR3 or 5, it doesn't really matter with that cpu anyways! The card I suggested is like 60.00 and that is all I would spend on a machine this old!
Here is a comparison: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/535?vs=612. It's first gen PCI-E so all the bells and whistles of PCI-E3.0 don't add up to squat! So why suggest cards that are worth more than the entire pc?
Here is another comparison with prices and scores. http://community.futuremark.com/hardware/gpu/NVIDIA+GeForce+GT+630/review.
I know you don't want to spend big on an old machine and I would agree.
Hope this helps.
JQ

just want to point out that you put GT 640 in your link, because there is no GT 630. I do agree that PCIE will limit speed of 7750, but it is applicable for Memory bandwith only, other characteristics a way above http://gpuboss.com/gpus/Radeon-HD-7750-vs-GeForce-GT-630

Your choice is cheaper, but money were not an issue.

The only card you posted that would theoretically fit is the powercolor AX7750 @ 6.6" everything else is ver the 7.5" you mentioned.

You obviously did not magnified last picture as well.

Let see. XFX FX-775A-ZNP4 Radeon HD 7750 $89.99 at newegg currently http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150612
Go to feedback section and go to second page

Traguez said:
5 out of 5 eggsRating: 5/5Great update for Dell Optiplex 755 MT
Pros: ....Itfit ssnugly in the slot and against the cooling shroud for the CPU in theDell Optiplex 755MTI am using hook up to my Visio 42 in TV

Optiplex 755MT and GX620MT are basically almost the same inside, only vital components are different. They both share the same CPU cooler, which is the problem for upgrading GPU.

Anything else I can help you with.