Question Looking for suggestions on what possible GPUs I can upgrade a workstation to be at least on par with a GTX 670.

Jun 15, 2020
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I have a Dell Optiplex T3610. It has a proprietary PSU, so I am stuck with that PSU, but it can deliver 685 Watts. The issue though is that the PSU only has a single 8-pin connector for GPU power, shown (unplugged) here:

View: https://i.imgur.com/TbxbeFk.jpg


And the system came with a cable that converts that into two 6-pin connections shown here:

View: https://i.imgur.com/6zn45cK.jpg


From what I understand, this means my options for a GPU are limited to ones that either use motherboard power, a single 6 pin, two 6 pins, or a single 8 pin. And that trying to use a 6+8 pin or 8+8 pin GPU can risk overloading the port or even causing a fire.

So that's already my first limit, no GPUS with 6+8 or 8+8 pin power requirements. My second is budget, GPU prices seem to have gone up. November of last year I was easily able to get a GTX 770 for about $50, now though those seem to be $75 minimum. (You would think with the RTX 3000 series prices of GPUS hitting 8-9 years old would go DOWN...), even a GTX 670 is not that cheap right now. So on top of needing a GPU that fits with the power port requirements, I am also trying to find one that is around $50-70.

Can anyone recommend any GPUs that are about on par with a GTX 670 or better for that price range and with power ports my PSU supports?

Currently the system has a Quadro K4000 in it, not a horrible card, but not exactly ideal for gaming either.
 
Here's a useful thread for you. It's not perfect but its a really good general indicator of performance over many generations.


You can refer to that if you need an idea of how good a card you find is before you investigate further into the power requirements. You'll be looking at mid range (at release) cards and below, so x60 for Nvidia. Things are a bit more complicated for AMD, as they re-badged cards so many times a lot of their older mid range stuff is actually previous gen high end.

Shame about that PSU, its possible it would work with one cable on some dual PCI-E cards but it depends on he gauge of the cable and the configuaration of the PSU's rails. I'm not an expert on those things beyond knowing that, so I dont want to advise further.
 
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