Low-power GPU for VM server
I recently got a Dell Precision T5500 workstation to use as a virtual machine server. So far its serving well in this role, but along with my gaming machine (i5-3570K & GTX 670) the two machines are producing a *lot* of heat in my little home office. Not a problem in the middle of winter, but it will be in a couple of months. So I wanted to try and consolidate the two machines into one cool (literally) box and still have a halfway decent gaming experience. Linus Tech Tips goes into the details here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuJYMCbIbPk
I've gotten PCIe passthrough working with an Quadro FX 3800 and can play Skyrim, but this old GPU really isn't even up to playing classic Skyrim at 1080p. Plus it can only do DX10. I could move my GTX 670 into the T5500, but the 670 produces a lot of heat already. So what I'm looking for is an Nvidia card that has decent performance, but produces little heat. I'm also on a tight budget, so a shiny new graphics card is probably out of reach. I was thinking a used 750 Ti might be the best bet. Team Red seems to be out of consideration since my research indicates that VMs have issues reacquiring AMD cards when they are soft-rebooted. My budget is extremely tight (under US$100), so I'm looking hard at used graphics cards. I'm thinking of upgrading to a hex-core CPU so I can allow more cores for the gaming VM (3 or 4), but may have to get a CPU with a high clock speed and, of course, more heat output.
System specs:
Dell Precision T5500
VMWare ESXi v. 6.0.0
Windows 8.1 x64 Guest VM
Intel Xeon E5620 (quad-core, HT @ 2.4Ghz)
16GB ECC DDR3 RDIMMs
WD Blue 640GB
Seagate Barracude 500GB
Nvidia 7300 GS (for server console)
Nvidia Quadro FX 3800 (for PCIe passthrough/gaming VM)
Current games: Skyrim (classic and Special Edition), Mass Effect 1/2/3 (currently playing through the trilogy), Divinity Original Sin (classic and EE) along with occasional forays into Dragon Age Inquisition and Witcher 3.
I recently got a Dell Precision T5500 workstation to use as a virtual machine server. So far its serving well in this role, but along with my gaming machine (i5-3570K & GTX 670) the two machines are producing a *lot* of heat in my little home office. Not a problem in the middle of winter, but it will be in a couple of months. So I wanted to try and consolidate the two machines into one cool (literally) box and still have a halfway decent gaming experience. Linus Tech Tips goes into the details here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuJYMCbIbPk
I've gotten PCIe passthrough working with an Quadro FX 3800 and can play Skyrim, but this old GPU really isn't even up to playing classic Skyrim at 1080p. Plus it can only do DX10. I could move my GTX 670 into the T5500, but the 670 produces a lot of heat already. So what I'm looking for is an Nvidia card that has decent performance, but produces little heat. I'm also on a tight budget, so a shiny new graphics card is probably out of reach. I was thinking a used 750 Ti might be the best bet. Team Red seems to be out of consideration since my research indicates that VMs have issues reacquiring AMD cards when they are soft-rebooted. My budget is extremely tight (under US$100), so I'm looking hard at used graphics cards. I'm thinking of upgrading to a hex-core CPU so I can allow more cores for the gaming VM (3 or 4), but may have to get a CPU with a high clock speed and, of course, more heat output.
System specs:
Dell Precision T5500
VMWare ESXi v. 6.0.0
Windows 8.1 x64 Guest VM
Intel Xeon E5620 (quad-core, HT @ 2.4Ghz)
16GB ECC DDR3 RDIMMs
WD Blue 640GB
Seagate Barracude 500GB
Nvidia 7300 GS (for server console)
Nvidia Quadro FX 3800 (for PCIe passthrough/gaming VM)
Current games: Skyrim (classic and Special Edition), Mass Effect 1/2/3 (currently playing through the trilogy), Divinity Original Sin (classic and EE) along with occasional forays into Dragon Age Inquisition and Witcher 3.
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