Low Profile Video Card

[MblaZe7run]

Hey guys, I was wondering if there are any decent low profile GPUs out there. I have a buddy of mine who can't afford a full rig, and wants to make his old slimline HP usable again. He's looking to get back into some older games he used to enjoy (HL2 is the one title he really wants to play again). Currently, his computer (HP Pavilion Slimline s3020n) has an Athalon x2 3800+, 1GB RAM, and onboard Nvidia 6150LE graphics. I will be upgrading his RAM to the 2GB max with a kit I have laying around, so the biggest priority is a video card. The PSU with it is only a 160W, sadly, so I doubt there is any room for much expansion (also making me doubt the project as a whole). In an absolute worst case scenario, I'll be taking everything out and installing it in my spare case with a spare PSU until he can afford a full build (and if that's the case, I'll be throwing in my 650Ti BOOST SC).

 

Do you have any suggestions, or do you even think the project is worth it? Feel free to leave some opinions

[Guest]

Galaxy 750 Ti Razor

[Enderman]

Why not just save up $200 or $300 and buy a completely new PC...

that stuff is outdated as hell

[TheSLSAMG]

There is a low profile variant of the GTX 750 Ti and the GTX 750, but both would be massively bottlenecked due to the 2GB RAM and the dual-core (and very old) CPU.

 

Don't do it. Try to pick up a Core 2 Duo or Quad or a Phenom 4 core used with a motherboard, it will be more worth his time.

[Enderman]

Galaxy 750 Ti Razor

That's a full size card...not LP

[MblaZe7run]

Why not just save up $200 or $300 and buy a completely new PC...

that stuff is outdated as hell

I agree completely, but it's his money and his computer, so I'm not in a position to force him in that direction. Ideally, he's wanting something as a placeholder until money is less of a problem.

[Enderman]

I agree completely, but it's his money and his computer, so I'm not in a position to force him in that direction. Ideally, he's wanting something as a placeholder until money is less of a problem.

if money is an issue he shouldnt be spending it on "placeholders" which will eventually just cost more money in the long run than saving up and buying the PC all at once

[MblaZe7run]

if money is an issue he shouldnt be spending it on "placeholders" which will eventually just cost more money in the long run than saving up and buying the PC all at once

Again, not my money to spend. I've made suggestions to him, and I'm posting this more so on his behalf than my own. I'm just trying to find the best option that fits his request.

[Johannes_Lazor]

Here, Low Profile 750 ti, It will be Horribly bottlenecked and im not sure the PSU can handle it(60 watts).
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127836&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10487648&PID=1800524&SID=

This 610 would probably be more balanced,(Still not balanced though) And it also requires a lower wattage(29 watts) so it should work.
http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-1024MB-Graphics-01G-P3-2615-KR/dp/B00847TOLC/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1426886938&sr=1-1&keywords=low+profile

[Johannes_Lazor]

Here is also a CPU with about 25% higher performance that should work in that computer since it is both the same socket and architecture "Toledo", But it has a TDP of 110 watts while the 3800+only has 89 watts, It would also result in about 25% higher temps and PSU load, And at that point i dont think the PSU can handle anything more somewhat safely.
http://www.ebay.com/bhp/amd-athlon-64-x2-4800

[Briggsy]

I feel like I already answered a similar thread today with the same answer, but if you need an extreme low profile card, this is definitely one of them. http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA7BB2N99742&cm_re=r7_250-_-14-129-297-_-Product

[Johannes_Lazor]

And here is a 2x2gb kit RAM if he want more RAM(If the motherboard supports it)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Memory-RAM-4GB-2X2GB-DDR2-PC2-5300-DDR2-667-MHZ-DESKTOP-PC-240-PIN-PC2-5300U-/331341886435


Edit: Saw that you mentioned it didnt support more than 2gb.

[alfaomega]

Kida late but hopefully still of some help.

For that particula pc, anything more than even a gt640 and the cpu won't be able to keep up, not to mention the 2gigs of ram will not help either.

So he really only has two choices, either but a good card and then build his next pc around that. But keep in mind this would most likely mean upgrading his psu.

And the second option is to get a low end card pop that in there and call it a day. I would'nt recommend speding anything above $45. If you spend more than that you're either getting ripped off on low end card pricing or the pc won't take advantage of the extra graphic power. So my recommendation if he wants to go this rout is to get something like the 630/640/730 which almost all of them are low profile so you don't need to worry about that. Here's some rankings to compare some of the cards you might find http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/high_end_gpus.html

Try to stay around above 700 since anything below that is pretty much trash (for example the gt210). And no way in hell would i consider a low profile 750 for this build. They go around for $180 for an entry level card, yet for that same amount, you could be getting a 280x for a real build.