Upgrade to GTX 1060 SC\SSC in Lenovo K450e

Apr 27, 2018
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Hello all!

I am looking to upgrade my graphics card with the affordable EVGA 1060 SC 6GB or 1060 SSC 6GB within the next few days. I will also be getting a new PSU to accommodate it. PSU I'm leaning towards the EVGA Supernova 550w g3 or 550w N1, $70 is the price point I'm looking at. I was going for the EVGA 500w bronze at first but read people prefer Supernova 550 g3 (the 500w is cheaper so if it's no big deal I can get that).

The system is a Lenovo K450e. The (sad) specs are: i5-4460 3.20GHz (an upgrade will have to wait for a future time), 8 GB RAM, & GeForce GT 720. The documentation for K450e says it's a Tower form factor, but threads I've read clarify it stating it is a mid-tower ATX.

The pics below show the mobo and PCIe slot. My concern: the length for either seems fine, but the SSC looks like the heat sink already on the mobo and/or the RAM slots above the PCIe slot would interfere w/ placement of SSC (possibly SC, too?). Will it? Dimensionally this works (measured the entire case), my question is if they/either can slot there without inner obstruction.

If it's hit or miss either way, I can probably get both (Amazon) and try them out but not sure.

Pics show the current GT 720 in place for comparisons and a view of the mobo.



Thank you!

(I previously posted this on Reddit, if that's okay. It's been a day with no replies and has been buried. Any help I can get would be appreciated. I'll delete that if this one is answered.)
 
Solution
If the length is fine, there should be no problems and your GPU should easily fit into your system judging by the pictures. The GPU's heatsink and fans point downward, and therefore away from the spots you were concerned about.

imjustin_time

Prominent
Apr 25, 2018
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If the length is fine, there should be no problems and your GPU should easily fit into your system judging by the pictures. The GPU's heatsink and fans point downward, and therefore away from the spots you were concerned about.
 
Solution
Apr 27, 2018
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imjustin_time said:
If the length is fine, there should be no problems and your GPU should easily fit into your system judging by the pictures. The GPU's heatsink and fans point downward, and therefore away from the spots you were concerned about.
Okay, so just so I understand, that silver heatsink already on the motherboard and the close proximity of the RAM slots won't have any effect on the placement of the card? Does that apply to both SC and SSC models? (Sorry for the multiple edits, trying to perfect this. I took a picture of the problem areas, the GT card I have now very nearly touches that sink, that's why I was concerned: https://postimg.cc/image/nysie069j/ )

Norcalsc said:
Something you should know the motherboard has a proprietary main plug you will need adapter for your psu. They're like 10 bucks on amazon. I use to have a lenovo that I put a 1060 in. It worked great. Just make sure your case has enough room for the gpu ...
Did you have the SC or SSC model? Also, for power supply, would the EVGA 500w bronze suffice or should I go with a 550 Supernova? I realize both fit power-wise, just trying to go a step above required. Thank you also for the info on the adapter! It looks like the main power connector on the motherboard has a 24 pin socket, but if this adapter is still needed, I'll get it. Photo below...

 
Does that heatsink sit up higher than the height of the locking lever on the end of the slot? If it's around the same or lower then you're fine, if it's higher you may have an issue.

As your motherboard does have a 24 pin main power connector, a standard ATX PSU is fine, no adaptors required.
 
Apr 27, 2018
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pete_101 said:
Does that heatsink sit up higher than the height of the locking lever on the end of the slot? If it's around the same or lower then you're fine, if it's higher you may have an issue.

The heatsink's highest point is lower than the locking lever on the PCIe slot (it's black plastic like the PCIe slot itself). So I think yes. But the slot itself is in line with the base of the sink (the sink is higher than the PCIe slot, but lower than the PCIe slot's lock). The lock just sticks up a bit. I'm probably not describing that correctly so I took 3 photos of it from different angles (with old GT card in). :)




 
I had msi gtx 1060 6gb ocv1 its one of the smaller 1060's. They all perform pretty much the same so don't get caught up in all the marketing. What's most important is that your case has proper airflow and your card can keep itself cool. That's how you'll get the best performance out of it
 
Ok, so the heatsink is lower than the locking lever, then you're fine as the back of the card is higher than the lever otherwise it wouldn't lock.

As for the EVGA cards, the SC model is fine (you don't need the SSC), but don't get the non SC version as it's cooler is crappy....it's a block cooler with fins (like an Intel stock cooler), where as the SC uses heatpipes and runs much cooler so will boost itself up higher. My SC boosts upto 2,000MHz without even being overclocked....that's the GPU boost 3.0 that NVidia uses in their drivers.
 
Apr 27, 2018
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Okay, this is great news. I will get the SC over the SSC since - as I understand it 1) there's no difference barring temperature increases if seriously overclocking, and 2) And as you and Norcalsc seem to indicate, everything else is mostly in the marketing: the SC performs well with its one fan.

Last question with this: is there a reason people prefer the 550w Supernova-line of EVGA PSUs to their white & bronze 500w varieties for the 1060? I'm not product locked into EVGA, they just seem to work from a price perspective (on Amazon and at/under $70). Just want to make sure I get something optimal that will last the life of this card.
 
The Supernova line are usually better quality than the other EVGA PSUs, but there are some poorer units in the line-up too. Look at some reviews of the units. Remember that the PSU is the heart of the system, if it fails it can mean the death of other components too.

 
Apr 27, 2018
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Awesome pete_101! I'll read up on the PSUs and get the GTX 1060 SC. Thank you all very much for your time.

I'm selecting the most direct answer since I can only select one (and it'll help others looking for that exact answer), but everyone contributed and helped me a lot.

4/28 Update: I decided to go reasonably priced but not cheap on the PSU and got the SuperNOVA 550 G3. The reviews are excellent for its price range. Hopefully everything will work out. Again, thank you all for your time.