Need low profile low power gpu

JunkBear · Oct 28, 2015

Just got a Lenovo Thinkcentre M73 i5 3gigs with 4gigs ddr3 and 500gigs WD blue 16m cache. Would like to put the gpu inside so i make it a small gaming computer. What would you suggest as title specs says?

Toothless · Oct 28, 2015

The strongest low profile GPU you can get because honestly any low profile will barely run 720p.

CrackerJack · Oct 28, 2015

Pretty sure, not possible for that machine

JunkBear · Oct 28, 2015

I dont plan playing more than original BF2 multiplayer, Path of Exile and World of tanks.

Mussels · Oct 28, 2015

JunkBear said:
I dont plan playing more than original BF2 multiplayer, Path of Exile and World of tanks.

first two not a problem, world of tanks can be pretty demanding.

why not see what low profile options you can find where you shop, and get advice on the ones you find?

ne6togadno · Oct 28, 2015

Mussels said:
first two not a problem, world of tanks ~~can be~~ is pretty demanding.

why not see what low profile options you can find where you shop, and get advice on the ones you find?

fixed that for you

@JunkBear i think this is the best you will be able to get

BiggieShady · Oct 28, 2015

Power on PCIEx16 slot may be limited to 25W-30W max on this system, so GPU upgrades are extremely limited (and not worth it because all are very much in the range of the integrated GPU): http://psref.lenovo.com/PSREFUploadFile\Sys/PDF/ThinkCentre/ThinkCentre M73 Tower/M73 Tower.pdf

Mussels · Oct 28, 2015

that document seems to imply that a geforce 620 is about the best you can get.

humorously i actually have a 7750 and a geforce 620 here, but none of those games to test how they handle them (and WoT is too big a download for such a quick test)

silentbogo · Oct 28, 2015

I was recently trying to find something similar for my HTPC.
That's a hard quest - there are not that many low-profile cards on the market.
At the time I couldn't get past R7 240 or GT730, but today is your lucky day.

Both MSI and GIGABYTE now offer a low-profile versions of GTX 750Ti:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125680
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127836

I have a regular full-size dual-slot version of GTX750Ti in my current desktop and I do most of my gaming in 1080p. :toast:

Considering my previous posts in various threads, and how much positive stuff I told about this VGA already, people might've started thinking that I am a spokesperson for NVidia.
But I just can't help it - this little card kicks ass. :nutkick:

Additionally you should check the PSU inside that Lenovo - according to spec it has a 240W PSU, which is barely enough to run a GTX750Ti (NVidia actually recommends a 300W, but I successfully tested mine with 250W PSU)

If you want stable and reliable PC, you should also look for a 350-370W TFX PSU. 6-pin PCI-E connector not required.

BiggieShady · Oct 28, 2015

silentbogo said:
6-pin PCI-E connector not required.

2 issues ... those are not cards with brackets for SFF case and that PC has a propriatery motherboard not capable pushing 75W on PCIEx16 (25-30W max) ... 6 pin is not required but only if there is 75 watts on pcie

silentbogo · Oct 28, 2015

BiggieShady said:
2 issues ... those are not cards with brackets for SFF case and that PC has a propriatery motherboard not capable pushing 75W on PCIEx16 (25-30W max) ... 6 pin is not required but only if there is 75 watts on pcie

Gigabyte does, MSI does not, but you can easily find an aftermarket bracket on eBay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Low-Profile...106148?hash=item3d03768d64:g:bH8AAOSw3ydV4GnA

$2 is an okay price for a bit of aesthetic improvement.

75W is a max TDP for such type of card (which includes a 6-pin PCI-E powered versions). Most OC versions, like my MSI Gaming are capped at 70W, while non-OCed cards don't go over 65W.
While some proprietary boards do not allow such power on a PCI-E port, this PC definitely does not impose those limits. Would they offer a 60W Radeon HD 8570, if it didn't?

Tuna Yücer · Oct 28, 2015

http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/desktops/thinkcentre/m-series-tiny/m73/
Are we talking about this? This pc is too small for discrete gpus. Even for low profile ones.

silentbogo · Oct 28, 2015

Tuna Yücer said:
http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/desktops/thinkcentre/m-series-tiny/m73/
Are we talking about this? This pc is too small for discrete gpus. Even for low profile ones.

I believe it's this (an SFF M73 version):
http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/desktops/thinkcentre/m-series-sff/m73-sff/#tab-tech_specs

BiggieShady · Oct 28, 2015

silentbogo said:
Would they offer a 60W Radeon HD 8570, if it didn't?

Indeed, I see that offer on their web now ... either way, I agree getting a low profile 750ti would be best option if a board supports full pcie spec, but that's a big if ... it's not uncommon for OEMs to cheap out in these areas

PLAfiller · Oct 28, 2015

What is your budget? IMO low profile GPU with DDR3 is pointless. My suggestions: 1.) second hand GT640 DDR5 ; 2.) Brand new GT 730 DDR5 or GT740 DDR5 . If you really have the cash low profile GTX750 / 750 Ti -> Gigabyte/ Zotac and KFA2 make those.

silentbogo · Oct 28, 2015

The most worrisome part is a PSU.
I've tested a 250W PSU from the similar ACER slim desktop, but the entire rig was less power-hungry: Pentium G3250, 2x2GB DDR3, 2.5" HDD, no ODD, GTX750Ti Gaming.
With Core i5 in the picture it might not be enough (84W vs 53W TDP).

JunkBear · Oct 31, 2015

YUP you are right. 240W psu with a 84W cpu. Doesnt leave much space for gpu.

RealNeil · Nov 1, 2015

NVIDIA GeForce GT 730 4GB

The 4GB of memory will help out quite a bit.

GoldenX · Nov 1, 2015

Isn't a lp R7-250 GDDR5 a better option? Is in the range of 45w.

JunkBear · Nov 10, 2015

Still looking but I dont need super performance since most of time i play in 1024 x 768. strange that resolutiom fit better on my 1080p 32" tv than 1080p itself. At the limit it will be 720p depending of the game.

silentbogo · Nov 10, 2015

At that resolution you'll get by with a GT730. Just look for DDR5 version, because they are a bit faster and more efficient than GDDR3 version. Only 25W max TDP =)
eBay prices are kinda rough, but where I'm from they usually go for no more than $45-50. You can buy a new one on Newegg for $60.
Anything older or lower than that is not worth it. And avoid Zotac like a plague!

With GTX 750 Ti you can play almost anything at native 1080p, but it costs twice as much and most likely will require a 300W TFX power supply.

Mussels · Nov 10, 2015

JunkBear said:
Still looking but I dont need super performance since most of time i play in 1024 x 768. strange that resolutiom fit better on my 1080p 32" tv than 1080p itself. At the limit it will be 720p depending of the game.

you most likely dont have a 1080p hdtv. lots of older/cheaper ones were 1024x768 (certain plasmas) or 1366x768 (varies LCD). They may support 1080 inputs, but thats different to the panel resolution.

JunkBear · Nov 10, 2015

Mussels said:
you most likely dont have a 1080p hdtv. lots of older/cheaper ones were 1024x768 (certain plasmas) or 1366x768 (varies LCD). They may support 1080 inputs, but thats different to the panel resolution.

Its a LED tv.

thebluebumblebee · Nov 10, 2015

BiggieShady said:
Power on PCIEx16 slot may be limited to 25W-30W max on this system

I don't claim to know it all, but this is the first that I've heard of this. The specification for a PCI-e X16 is that it is to supply up to 75 watts. BTW, the GT 620 is a 49 watt GPU according to Nvidia.

Mussels said:
that document seems to imply that a geforce 620 is about the best you can get.

Just because that's the best GPU they ship it with does not determine what it will support.

BiggieShady said:
those are not cards with brackets for SFF case

silentbogo said:
Gigabyte does, MSI does not

Actually, a reviewer @ newegg mentioned that it does for the MSI. I can't fathom MSI shipping a card that is meant for LP, has LP in the P/N, and not including a LP bracket.

silentbogo said:
With Core i5 in the picture it might not be enough (84W vs 53W TDP)

JunkBear said:
YUP you are right. 240W psu with a 84W cpu. Doesnt leave much space for gpu.

240W-84W=156 watts Do you really think that 156 watts isn't enough to run a 75 watt (MAX) GPU and all of the rest of the computer? And that's assuming a 100% load on the CPU and GPU at the same time. Now the OP should stay away from running MAX CPU benchmark AND MAX GPU benchmark - at the same time.

RealNeil said:
The 4GB of memory will help out quite a bit.

No, it won't.

Those LP GTX 750 Ti's are the way to go, as long as there's no shady low powered PCIEX16 that @BiggieShady alluded to.

GoldenX · Nov 10, 2015

Those are custom-made motherboards, it wouldn't be strange to have a crippled port.

System Name	HTPC
Processor	Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 - 3.00/6M/1333
Motherboard	AsRock G31M-GS R2.0
Cooling	CoolerMaster Vortex 752 - Black
Memory	4 Go (2x2) Kingston ValueRam DDR2-800
Video Card(s)	Asus EN8600GT/HTDP/512M
Storage	WD 3200AAKS
Display(s)	32" Irico E320GV-FHD
Case	Aerocool Qx-2000
Audio Device(s)	Onboard
Power Supply	Enermax NoiseTaker 2 - 465w
Mouse	Logitech Wave MK550 combo (M510)
Keyboard	Logitech Wave MK550 combo (K350)
Software	Win_7_Pro-French
Benchmark Scores	Windows index : 6.5 / 6.5 / 5.6 / 6.3 / 5.9

System Name	Veral
Processor	5950x
Motherboard	MSI MEG x570 Ace
Cooling	Corsair H150i Elite
Memory	4x16GB G.Skill TridentZ
Video Card(s)	Powercolor 7900XTX Red Devil
Storage	Crucial P5 Plus 1TB, Samsung 980 1TB, Teamgroup MP34 4TB
Display(s)	Acer Nitro XZ342CK Pbmiiphx + 2x AOC 2425W
Case	Fractal Design Meshify Lite 2
Audio Device(s)	Blue Yeti + SteelSeries Arctis 5 / Samsung HW-T550
Power Supply	Corsair HX850
Mouse	Corsair Nightsword
Keyboard	Corsair K55
VR HMD	HP Reverb G2
Software	Windows 11 Professional
Benchmark Scores	PEBCAK

System Name	HTPC
Processor	Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 - 3.00/6M/1333
Motherboard	AsRock G31M-GS R2.0
Cooling	CoolerMaster Vortex 752 - Black
Memory	4 Go (2x2) Kingston ValueRam DDR2-800
Video Card(s)	Asus EN8600GT/HTDP/512M
Storage	WD 3200AAKS
Display(s)	32" Irico E320GV-FHD
Case	Aerocool Qx-2000
Audio Device(s)	Onboard
Power Supply	Enermax NoiseTaker 2 - 465w
Mouse	Logitech Wave MK550 combo (M510)
Keyboard	Logitech Wave MK550 combo (K350)
Software	Win_7_Pro-French
Benchmark Scores	Windows index : 6.5 / 6.5 / 5.6 / 6.3 / 5.9

System Name	Rainbow Sparkles (Power efficient, <350W gaming load)
Processor	Ryzen R7 5800x3D (Undervolted, 4.45GHz all core)
Motherboard	Asus x570-F (BIOS Modded)
Cooling	Alphacool Apex UV - Alphacool Eisblock XPX Aurora + EK Quantum ARGB 3090 w/ active backplate
Memory	2x32GB DDR4 3600 Corsair Vengeance RGB @3866 C18-22-22-22-42 TRFC704 (1.4V Hynix MJR - SoC 1.15V)
Video Card(s)	Galax RTX 3090 SG 24GB: Underclocked to 1700Mhz 0.750v (375W down to 250W))
Storage	2TB WD SN850 NVME + 1TB Sasmsung 970 Pro NVME + 1TB Intel 6000P NVME USB 3.2
Display(s)	Phillips 32 32M1N5800A (4k144), LG 32" (4K60) \| Gigabyte G32QC (2k165) \| Phillips 328m6fjrmb (2K144)
Case	Fractal Design R6
Audio Device(s)	Logitech G560 \| Corsair Void pro RGB \|Blue Yeti mic
Power Supply	Fractal Ion+ 2 860W (Platinum) (This thing is God-tier. Silent and TINY)
Mouse	Logitech G Pro wireless + Steelseries Prisma XL
Keyboard	Razer Huntsman TE ( Sexy white keycaps)
VR HMD	Oculus Rift S + Quest 2
Software	Windows 11 pro x64 (Yes, it's genuinely a good OS) OpenRGB - ditch the branded bloatware!
Benchmark Scores	Nyooom.

System Name	Red Radiance l under construction
Processor	5800x
Motherboard	x470 taichi
Cooling	stock wrath
Memory	TridentZ Neo rgb 3600mhz (2x8 kit)
Video Card(s)	Sapphire Vega 64 nitro+
Storage	970 evo nvme
Display(s)	lc27g75tq
Case	tt core x5 tge
Audio Device(s)	sennheiser's pc323d usb soundcard
Power Supply	corsair AX860i
Mouse	roccat burst pro
Keyboard	roccat ryos mk fx
Software	windows 10

Need low profile low power gpu

JunkBear

Toothless

Tech, Games, and TPU!

CrackerJack

JunkBear

Mussels

Freshwater Moderator

ne6togadno

BiggieShady

Mussels

Freshwater Moderator

silentbogo

Moderator

BiggieShady

silentbogo

Moderator

Tuna Yücer

silentbogo

Moderator

BiggieShady

PLAfiller

silentbogo

Moderator

JunkBear

RealNeil

GoldenX

JunkBear

silentbogo

Moderator

Mussels

Freshwater Moderator

JunkBear

thebluebumblebee

GoldenX

System Name	Windows 10 64-bit Core i7 6700
Processor	Intel Core i7 6700
Motherboard	Asus Z170M-PLUS
Cooling	Corsair AIO
Memory	2 x 8 GB Kingston DDR4 2666
Video Card(s)	Gigabyte NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB
Storage	Western Digital Caviar Blue 1 TB, Seagate Baracuda 1 TB
Display(s)	Dell P2414H
Case	Corsair Carbide Air 540
Audio Device(s)	Realtek HD Audio
Power Supply	Corsair TX v2 650W
Mouse	Steelseries Sensei
Keyboard	CM Storm Quickfire Pro, Cherry MX Reds
Software	MS Windows 10 Pro 64-bit

System Name	WS#1337
Processor	Ryzen 7 3800X
Motherboard	ASUS X570-PLUS TUF Gaming
Cooling	Xigmatek Scylla 240mm AIO
Memory	4x8GB Samsung DDR4 ECC UDIMM
Video Card(s)	Inno3D RTX 3070 Ti iChill
Storage	ADATA Legend 2TB + ADATA SX8200 Pro 1TB
Display(s)	Samsung U24E590D (4K/UHD)
Case	ghetto CM Cosmos RC-1000
Audio Device(s)	ALC1220
Power Supply	SeaSonic SSR-550FX (80+ GOLD)
Mouse	Logitech G603
Keyboard	Modecom Volcano Blade (Kailh choc LP)
VR HMD	Google dreamview headset(aka fancy cardboard)
Software	Windows 11, Ubuntu 20.04 LTS

System Name	Main System \| Core 2 Quad
Processor	AMD A10-7850K @3.7GHz \| Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400 @3.55GHz
Motherboard	Asus A88XM-A AMD A88X \| Asus P5K SE Intel P35 + ICH9
Cooling	Cooler Master Hyper 103 \| Cooler Master Hyper T4
Memory	Gskill RpjawsX 44GB 1600MHz CL9 \| Kingston 21 + 2*2GB 888MHz CL5
Video Card(s)	Asus R7 260X 2GB 128-Bit GDDR5 Dual Fan \| Sapphire HD 4850 512MB 256-Bit GDDR3 Reference
Storage	WD Blue 1TB + Samsung 840 Evo 120GB \| Samsung 320GB + WD Green 640GB
Display(s)	Philips 224E5QSB/01 1080p DVI&VGA \| Asus VB171D 1280x1024 VGA
Case	Old Case Unbranded \| An Asus Vento Case
Power Supply	Corsair VS 450 \| Corsair VS 450
Mouse	Logitech G300S \| Lenovo OEM
Keyboard	Razer BlackWidow Chroma \| Logitech Internet Pro PS/2
Software	Windows 8.1 SL 64-Bit \| Windows 7 Pro 64-Bit

System Name	Sandfiller
Processor	I5-10400
Motherboard	MSI MPG Z490 GAMING PLUS
Cooling	Noctua NH-L9i (92x25mm fan)
Memory	32GB Corsair LPX 2400 Mhz DDR4 CL14
Video Card(s)	MSI RX 5700 XT GAMING X
Storage	Intel 670P 512GB
Display(s)	2560x1080 LG 29" + 22" LG
Case	SS RV02
Audio Device(s)	Creative Sound Blaster Z
Power Supply	Fractal Design IntegraM 650W
Mouse	Logitech Triathlon
Keyboard	REDRAGON MITRA
Software	Windows 11 Home x 64

System Name	Home Brewed
Processor	i9-7900X and i7-8700K
Motherboard	ASUS ROG Rampage VI Extreme & ASUS Prime Z-370 A
Cooling	Corsair 280mm AIO & Thermaltake Water 3.0
Memory	64GB DDR4-3000 GSKill RipJaws-V & 32GB DDR4-3466 GEIL Potenza
Video Card(s)	2X-GTX-1080 SLI & 2 GTX-1070Ti 8GB G1 Gaming in SLI
Storage	Both have 2TB HDDs for storage, 480GB SSDs for OS, and 240GB SSDs for Steam Games
Display(s)	ACER 28" B286HK 4K & Samsung 32" 1080P
Case	NZXT Source 540 & Rosewill Rise Chassis
Audio Device(s)	onboard
Power Supply	Corsair RM1000 & Corsair RM850
Mouse	Generic
Keyboard	Razer Blackwidow Tournament & Corsair K90
Software	Win-10 Professional
Benchmark Scores	yes

System Name	Ciel
Processor	AMD Ryzen R5 5600X
Motherboard	Asus Tuf Gaming B550 Plus
Cooling	ID-Cooling 224-XT Basic
Memory	2x 16GB Kingston Fury 3600MHz@3933MHz
Video Card(s)	Gainward Ghost 3060 Ti 8GB + Sapphire Pulse RX 6600 8GB
Storage	NVMe Kingston KC3000 2TB + NVMe Toshiba KBG40ZNT256G + HDD WD 4TB
Display(s)	AOC Q27G3XMN + Samsung S22F350
Case	Cougar MX410 Mesh-G
Audio Device(s)	Kingston HyperX Cloud Stinger Core 7.1 Wireless PC
Power Supply	Aerocool KCAS-500W
Mouse	EVGA X15
Keyboard	VSG Alnilam
Software	Windows 11

System Name	Main/DC
Processor	i7-3770K/i7-2600K
Motherboard	MSI Z77A-GD55/GA-P67A-UD4-B3
Cooling	Phanteks PH-TC14CS/H80
Memory	Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) LP /4GB Kingston DDR3 1600
Video Card(s)	Asus GTX 660 Ti/MSI HD7770
Storage	Crucial MX100 256GB/120GB Samsung 830 & Seagate 2TB(died)
Display(s)	Asus 24' LED/Samsung SyncMaster B1940
Case	P100/Antec P280 It's huge!
Audio Device(s)	on board
Power Supply	SeaSonic SS-660XP2/Seasonic SS-760XP2
Software	Win 7 Home Premiun 64 Bit