Solved! Any low profile cards for Dell Optiplex SFF 3010 (Dell suggests AMD Radeon R5 240 1gb but I want something better.)

[Coyle]

At least 2gb, any suggestions?

 

[Insert_Nickname]

Since it's the SFF version, there are limited choices available.

For gaming, a low profile GTX1650 is the best you can fit in.

For multimedia use, a (perhaps single slot) GT1030 will do just fine.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

One of the weird things about Dell: The x16 slot on some of the SFF models is specified as being a max of 35W or 50W instead of 75W. The 3010 is spec'd for 50W. Either way, the 1030 is a perfect fit. The 1650 having a TDP of 75W may or may not run fine under a gaming load. It may just not boost clock as high. Or it may have issues with stability. I have not paired them, so imo in it is a crap shoot unless someone chimes in with anecdotal evidence.

 

[DeathReborn]

If you can find one there are some 4GB RX550 Low Profile cards that are rated to 50W like the "Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 550 4G G5 LP" and the "MSI Radeon RX 550 4GT LP OC". They're about 15-20% faster than the 1030, can find them in the UK/EU but unsure about US/Canadian availability.

 

[cKGunslinger]

Are you looking for gaming or something else?

1030 is probably best for gaming.

If not gaming, I'm been grabbing used nvidia quadro k620's off ebay (~$35) for some CUDA programming w/ older HP 600 G1 SFFs machines.

Nothing amazing, but they come in low-profile, no external power necessary, and are 30W max with 384 CUDA cores & 2GB RAM.

 

[Arkaign]

Are you looking for gaming or something else?

1030 is probably best for gaming.

If not gaming, I'm been grabbing used nvidia quadro k620's off ebay (~$35) for some CUDA programming w/ older HP 600 G1 SFFs machines.

Nothing amazing, but they come in low-profile, no external power necessary, and are 30W max with 384 CUDA cores & 2GB RAM.

I can vouch for those K620s as general desktop GPUs. I often buy used Xeon E5 workstations to convert to make a capable budget Gaming rig for someone, and they often come with various Quadros, including the K4xx/6xx stuff, and occasionally a 2000D or 4000 or such.

The K620 is enough for indie/2d gaming, maybe some light Minecraft, but in Windows, 2d, YouTube etc is quite adequate for sure. Something that is a pro is that they have Displayport support for 3440x1440 100hz and 2560x1440 at up to 144hz, and I've also used DVI output for 2560x1440@60hz. A slight negative is the lack of HDMI, though DVI to HDMI adapter will support 1080p@60hz just fine. The drivers are also excellent for the K620 under windows 10.

However, given that the OP wants something better than an R240, I am unsure that the K620 represents enough of a boost to be worthwhile. They're both in my category of 'just a way to connect and run a display' class of hardware at this point.

It is also extremely important to note that DDR4 and GDDR5 variants of the 1030 exist. And not even remotely the same performance category.

GT 1030 DDR4 vs. GDDR5 Benchmark: A Disgrace of a Graphics Card | GamersNexus

stub This is something we haven’t seen before. NVidia has taken a relatively successful card, the GT 1030, and has implanted DDR4 in place of GDDR5. It’s actually getting system memory on it, which is a tremendous downgrade. The memory bandwidth reduction is several-fold, dropping from 48GB/s to...

www.gamersnexus.net

 

[Coyle]

If you can find one there are some 4GB RX550 Low Profile cards that are rated to 50W like the "Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 550 4G G5 LP" and the "MSI Radeon RX 550 4GT LP OC". They're about 15-20% faster than the 1030, can find them in the UK/EU but unsure about US/Canadian availability.

I saw a video where someone put a GT1030 in the Dell 3010 SFF, he mentioned wanting to use an RX550 but not being able to find one that fit his budget.

 

[DeathReborn]

I saw a video where someone put a GT1030 in the Dell 3010 SFF, he mentioned wanting to use an RX550 but not being able to find one that fit his budget.

Yea I think they run at about $100 in the US. In the UK I can get a new 1030 for £70 or a new RX550 for £80, both LP.