GPU upgrade options available for Dell OptiPlex XE3 SFF currently with RX 550

[S162216]

Hi,

I've got a Dell OptiPlex XE3 SFF with i7 8700 CPU and 16 GB RAM, currently equipped with a Dell RX 550 2 GB GPU. I mostly use it for general computing and moderate gaming with older titles. It can currently run games up to about 2016 or so with fair to good performance. I'm now looking at putting a bit more powerful GPU in and was wondering what others on here thought would be the best option. As it requires a low profile, single slot GPU, I am aware that the cards which can be installed are somewhat limited.

From my research, the most immediately obvious choice would be an RX 6400, but as the XE3 only supports PCI-e 3.0 there will be a slight loss of performance with an RX 6400 because of its PCI-e 4.0 4x interface. The other option for slightly more would be a low profile single slot Yeston GTX 1650, which I understand should be OK as I've found others have appeared to successfully installed GTX 1650 cards in the OptiPlex 7060 SFF that the XE3 is based off (with the XE3 having the advantage of an uprated 300 W PSU and cooling).

The standard 300 W XE3 SFF PSU does have a 6 pin PCI-e power connector from my understanding (it would be helpful if someone can confirm that for me) and I know that some people do put two slot GPUs in the 4x PCI-e slot for a slight loss of performance. That way, I could possibly stretch my funds to a Gigabyte or Asus low profile RTX 4060 could work (although it's unclear if either will ever be available in the UK), but I’m not sure how much a loss of performance there would be if I went that route (or if it is even compatible).

If anyone has any other suggestions or advice, then I would welcome them - at the moment I'm leaning toward the Yeston GTX 1650. This is especially if anyone is aware of anything better that is coming out soon, as when I brought the RX 550 in early 2022 to add to the XE3 it appeared to be the best option easily available and naturally the RX 6400 came out just a few months later (which I would have likely got instead given the choice)! I would prefer to have to avoid making any modifications to the case etc, but might consider it.

Thanks!

 

[Lew Zealand]

GTX 1650 is the best option as you can also overclock/undervolt it so there's fun to be had squeezing out max performance from it. I do this with my Optiplex 9020 MT and 1050 Ti.

No OC/UV on the Radeon RX 6400 but I used one in my Optiplexen, all of which are PCIe 3.0 and had no performance problems. Sure you'll give up a bit of performance in a title or two but most of those tests were at max settings which you're not gonna do on the 6400. At reasonable settings to hit 1080p 60FPS, you'll notice no difference. I used the Sapphire Pulse as it was reputed to have a better cooler than whatever the other one was (lol don't remember) and it performed very well with good temperature readings. IIRC the max I could get it to was around 68C but that's in a larger MT case and you have an SFF.

With a 300W PSU, I wouldn't want to use a 115W GPU like the 4060 and frankly I seriously doubt there's a PCIe power connector on the PSU as none of my Opti MT Dell 290W PSUs have one. Difference there is the Opti x020 MTs used a standard size PSU so with a simple adapter cable for the custom mobo power, it can be swapped out for a regular PSU with PCIe power. I have two of them with 500W PSUs and Radeon 5600 XT in each. Lol the GPU is usually waiting for the i7 4790 to finish it's business but you're in the opposite boat with plenty of power in that i7 8700 but a more restricted GPU choice.

Update: I looked at the 300W XE3 PSUs on eBay and the stock PSU in my 9020 and there are 2 cables from both of them which very likely function the same. A 4-pin for processor power and a 6-pin (which looks like a 6-pin PCIe power connector) which powers the motherboard. And I don't see a third power cable from either PSU. So you're stuck with 75W slot-powered GPUs only. Get the 1650 unless you don't want to mess with Yeston for whatever reason. Otherwise the 6400 is a very good GPU for your Optiplex.

 

[arbiter]

With a 300W PSU, I wouldn't want to use a 115W GPU like the 4060 and frankly I seriously doubt there's a PCIe power connector on the PSU as none of my Opti MT Dell 290W PSUs have one.

Ignoring the issues of power connections, probably want to underclock it a little if went that route to be safe. unless you go back with old generation you aren't finding many gpu's that draw near 100watts and of current, generally its 150watts+.

 

[Lew Zealand]

Ignoring the issues of power connections, probably want to underclock it a little if went that route to be safe.

Agreed. In another post here recently I explored the option of power restricting the 4060 by -25% (typically available in Afterburner) to 86W which doesn't get us quite there but could then provide a target clock speed to keep it under 75W.

Then maybe use a SATA-to-6 pin power adapter (LOL these exist!) to handle the remaining power needed as the GPU will not power up without the 6-pin power cable connected. The worst part of this is the GPU doesn't just draw 70W from the slot and then top it off with the 6-pin, rather it'll take 35-40W from the slot and another 30-40 from the power cable. SATA cables *should* manage that but is it really worth the risk to use a $300 GPU in an old office PC?

For me yeah cuz I'm curious if it'll work but not as an everyday gaming machine.

 

[A Computer Guy]

Agreed. In another post here recently I explored the option of power restricting the 4060 by -25% (typically available in Afterburner) to 86W which doesn't get us quite there but could then provide a target clock speed to keep it under 75W.

Then maybe use a SATA-to-6 pin power adapter (LOL these exist!) to handle the remaining power needed as the GPU will not power up without the 6-pin power cable connected. The worst part of this is the GPU doesn't just draw 70W from the slot and then top it off with the 6-pin, rather it'll take 35-40W from the slot and another 30-40 from the power cable. SATA cables *should* manage that but is it really worth the risk to use a $300 GPU in an old office PC?

For me yeah cuz I'm curious if it'll work but not as an everyday gaming machine.

The 4060 low profile uses 8-Pin PCIe power so no dice on that idea and putting that into a 4x slot probably isn't the best use case for the expense of that card.
Having good ventilation for the 4060LP is another issue. In my 7 liter case I had to do quite a few modification to get the necessary airflow.
I think Lew Zealands suggestions seem to be the best you can do.

 

[arbiter]

Agreed. In another post here recently I explored the option of power restricting the 4060 by -25% (typically available in Afterburner) to 86W which doesn't get us quite there but could then provide a target clock speed to keep it under 75W.

Then maybe use a SATA-to-6 pin power adapter (LOL these exist!) to handle the remaining power needed as the GPU will not power up without the 6-pin power cable connected. The worst part of this is the GPU doesn't just draw 70W from the slot and then top it off with the 6-pin, rather it'll take 35-40W from the slot and another 30-40 from the power cable. SATA cables *should* manage that but is it really worth the risk to use a $300 GPU in an old office PC?

For me yeah cuz I'm curious if it'll work but not as an everyday gaming machine.

you pointed out rx 6400 a GTX1650 is in that realm and accord TPU its 36% faster while being around 70 watts. while on top of least gigabyte one tested here completely power by pcie slot

Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1650 OC GDDR6 Review - Faster Memory Helps?

We put NVIDIA's new GTX 1650 GDDR6 to the test. The upgraded memory offers a +50% bandwidth increase, which definitely helps make up some ground against the GTX 1650 Super and RX 5500 XT. Since Gigabyte installed 14 Gbps chips and clocked them lower, memory OC works really well, too.

www.techpowerup.com

 

[SSGBryan]

You could always look around for a low profile Nvidia A2000 6gb.

You can get one off of ebay for around $200USD. They use all 16 lanes and the card only draws 75 watts. It will be fine with a 250 watt PSU.

If the one you get doesn't have a LP bracket, you can order one from Aliexpress - it will take about 2 weeks to show, but will fit just fine.

 

[Lew Zealand]

you pointed out rx 6400 a GTX1650 is in that realm and accord TPU its 36% faster while being around 70 watts. while on top of least gigabyte one tested here completely power by pcie slot

Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1650 OC GDDR6 Review - Faster Memory Helps?

We put NVIDIA's new GTX 1650 GDDR6 to the test. The upgraded memory offers a +50% bandwidth increase, which definitely helps make up some ground against the GTX 1650 Super and RX 5500 XT. Since Gigabyte installed 14 Gbps chips and clocked them lower, memory OC works really well, too.

www.techpowerup.com

There's no 6400 in that review. You need to compare the 2 GPUs directly in the same tests. According to TPU, they are the same speed so I don't know where you're getting 36% from:

Gainward GeForce GTX 1630 Ghost Review - Challenging the AMD RX 6400

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 launches today. The new card is targeted at the sub-$200 segment and goes head-to-head with AMD's Radeon RX 6400 and Intel's ARC A380. Unlike the Radeon, the GTX 1630 has support for the full PCIe x16 interface.

www.techpowerup.com

 

[KedsDead]

Why not a RX580? Its just as fast as a GTX 1650 Super and sometimes faster. Plus it comes with 8GB a VRAM?

 

[Lew Zealand]

Why not a RX580? Its just as fast as a GTX 1650 and sometimes faster. Plus it comes with 8GB a VRAM?

The RX6400 will be rendered useless on a pcie 3.0 slot

Lol it's not useless on PCIe 3. Of course I'm sure you tested one to arrive at that conclusion.

And explain how an SFF Office PC is going to power an RX 580?

 

[arbiter]

There's no 6400 in that review. You need to compare the 2 GPUs directly in the same tests. According to TPU, they are the same speed so I don't know where you're getting 36% from:

I was lookin at 1650super, not paying attention. Side effect of being up for almost 20 hours. Brain is half in bed.

Why not a RX580? Its just as fast as a GTX 1650 Super and sometimes faster. Plus it comes with 8GB a VRAM?

rx 580 uses over 200 watts, we are working in a sub 100watt perferable around 75watt power budget.

 

[KedsDead]

Lol it's not useless on PCIe 3. Of course I'm sure you tested one to arrive at that conclusion.

And explain how an SFF Office PC is going to power an RX 580?

Cut a whole in the side and attach a hood scoop..

Its been a long day.. I missed that part.. or just blanked it out..

Ok, another link..

RX 6400 vs GTX 1605 vs Intel A380

update.. I did see it.. SFF A380

ASRock Low Profile Arc A380 Video Card A380 LP 6G - Newegg.com

Buy ASRock Low Profile Arc A380 6GB GDDR6 PCI Express 4.0 ITX Video Card A380 LP 6G with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you Newegg!

www.newegg.com

 

[Selaya]

RTX A2000

 

[A Computer Guy]

Cut a whole in the side and attach a hood scoop..

Its been a long day.. I missed that part.. or just blanked it out..

Ok, another link..

RX 6400 vs GTX 1605 vs Intel A380

update.. I did see it.. SFF A380

ASRock Low Profile Arc A380 Video Card A380 LP 6G - Newegg.com

Buy ASRock Low Profile Arc A380 6GB GDDR6 PCI Express 4.0 ITX Video Card A380 LP 6G with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you Newegg!

www.newegg.com

If this picture is accurate one might also have to consider if the GPU will be restricted in airflow depending on size.

 

[Toothless]

A2000 is gonna be best bet honestly.

 

[Lew Zealand]

Cut a whole in the side and attach a hood scoop..

Its been a long day.. I missed that part.. or just blanked it out..

Ok, another link..

RX 6400 vs GTX 1605 vs Intel A380

update.. I did see it.. SFF A380

Why the #%&$%@$&W didn't freekin Intel make the A380 slot-power only????

If this picture is accurate one might also have to consider if the GPU will be restricted in airflow depending on size.

View attachment 331152

For the A2000 suggesters: it ain't gonna fit in there as it looks like the x16 slot is single slot width only and the A2000 is double slot width.

 

[S162216]

GTX 1650 is the best option as you can also overclock/undervolt it so there's fun to be had squeezing out max performance from it. I do this with my Optiplex 9020 MT and 1050 Ti.

No OC/UV on the Radeon RX 6400 but I used one in my Optiplexen, all of which are PCIe 3.0 and had no performance problems. Sure you'll give up a bit of performance in a title or two but most of those tests were at max settings which you're not gonna do on the 6400. At reasonable settings to hit 1080p 60FPS, you'll notice no difference. I used the Sapphire Pulse as it was reputed to have a better cooler than whatever the other one was (lol don't remember) and it performed very well with good temperature readings. IIRC the max I could get it to was around 68C but that's in a larger MT case and you have an SFF.

With a 300W PSU, I wouldn't want to use a 115W GPU like the 4060 and frankly I seriously doubt there's a PCIe power connector on the PSU as none of my Opti MT Dell 290W PSUs have one. Difference there is the Opti x020 MTs used a standard size PSU so with a simple adapter cable for the custom mobo power, it can be swapped out for a regular PSU with PCIe power. I have two of them with 500W PSUs and Radeon 5600 XT in each. Lol the GPU is usually waiting for the i7 4790 to finish it's business but you're in the opposite boat with plenty of power in that i7 8700 but a more restricted GPU choice.

Update: I looked at the 300W XE3 PSUs on eBay and the stock PSU in my 9020 and there are 2 cables from both of them which very likely function the same. A 4-pin for processor power and a 6-pin (which looks like a 6-pin PCIe power connector) which powers the motherboard. And I don't see a third power cable from either PSU. So you're stuck with 75W slot-powered GPUs only. Get the 1650 unless you don't want to mess with Yeston for whatever reason. Otherwise the 6400 is a very good GPU for your Optiplex.

Thanks for your reply, I am very likely going to go with the Yeston GTX 1650.

The 4060 was a suggestion from another forum, although I'll admit I was skeptical that a 300 W PSU would be enough. Curiously, it does look like the XE3 SFF PSU has a 6 pin power connector as in the close up linked there are distinctly 3 power cords (the part number matches the Dell description so it is the right supply). https://www.dell.com/community/en/c...a8de1a56e8?commentId=647f9d5cf4ccf8a8de1a6a25

Ignoring the issues of power connections, probably want to underclock it a little if went that route to be safe. unless you go back with old generation you aren't finding many gpu's that draw near 100watts and of current, generally its 150watts+.

I do find it a shame that so few low power GPUs are available now. Replaced by iGPUs I guess.

You could always look around for a low profile Nvidia A2000 6gb.

You can get one off of ebay for around $200USD. They use all 16 lanes and the card only draws 75 watts. It will be fine with a 250 watt PSU.

If the one you get doesn't have a LP bracket, you can order one from Aliexpress - it will take about 2 weeks to show, but will fit just fine.

RTX A2000

A2000 is gonna be best bet honestly.

I have considered the A2000, but being a dual slot card I would have to put it in the upper 4x PCI-e slot and am unsure how much of a effect that would have on its performance?

If this picture is accurate one might also have to consider if the GPU will be restricted in airflow depending on size.

View attachment 331152

That's practically identical to how mine is. They do have fairly good airflow though (with uprated cooling compared to the 7060 it is modified from) as the XE series are designed to work in harsh environments where increased temperatures and dust are problematic.

 

[A Computer Guy]

The 4060 was a suggestion from another forum, although I'll admit I was skeptical that a 300 W PSU would be enough. Curiously, it does look like the XE3 SFF PSU has a 6 pin power connector as in the close up linked there are distinctly 3 power cords (the part number matches the Dell description so it is the right supply). https://www.dell.com/community/en/c...a8de1a56e8?commentId=647f9d5cf4ccf8a8de1a6a25

The 4060 low profile needs an 8-pin and puts out a lot of heat. I wouldn't recommend it for your setup.

 

[Lew Zealand]

Thanks for your reply, I am very likely going to go with the Yeston GTX 1650.

Sounds good, is it single slot?

The 4060 was a suggestion from another forum, although I'll admit I was skeptical that a 300 W PSU would be enough. Curiously, it does look like the XE3 SFF PSU has a 6 pin power connector as in the close up linked there are distinctly 3 power cords (the part number matches the Dell description so it is the right supply). https://www.dell.com/community/en/c...a8de1a56e8?commentId=647f9d5cf4ccf8a8de1a6a25

Hmmm that does look like a third power cable coming from that PSU, I'm intrigued. LOL I checked mine again to be super sure and only 2, someone stole my third cable!

I do find it a shame that so few low power GPUs are available now. Replaced by iGPUs I guess.

Yeah, the Radeon 780M is getting close to the 6400 and is really only constrained by memory bandwidth as it's other specs equal or surpass the 6400. Memory bandwidth is real important though.

I have considered the A2000, but being a dual slot card I would have to put it in the upper 4x PCI-e slot and am unsure how much of a effect that would have on its performance?

The 6400 will only use x4 anyway and the A2000 has 6GB which will mitigate this limitation somewhat. But $200 seems very optimistic and already pricey for an Optiplex add-in, and they seem to have crept up in price recently though I'm an eBay noob so maybe I'm missing something.

 

[S162216]

Sounds good, is it single slot?



Hmmm that does look like a third power cable coming from that PSU, I'm intrigued. LOL I checked mine again to be super sure and only 2, someone stole my third cable!



Yeah, the Radeon 780M is getting close to the 6400 and is really only constrained by memory bandwidth as it's other specs equal or surpass the 6400. Memory bandwidth is real important though.



The 6400 will only use x4 anyway and the A2000 has 6GB which will mitigate this limitation somewhat. But $200 seems very optimistic and already pricey for an Optiplex add-in, and they seem to have crept up in price recently though I'm an eBay noob so maybe I'm missing something.

Yeston do a unique single slot version that seems to be pretty well regarded. They also sell it themselves which make it much easier than having to purchase through Alibaba etc. https://yestonstore.com/products/ye...gaming-graphics-card-4gb-with-fan-gtx-1650-4g

PSUs for the XE series are different from the ordinary OptiPlex ones, which probably explains why your one doesn't have the 3rd cord (the XE3 MT version gives 360 W but also works with the SFF). Officially the XE PSUs are supposed to be incompatible with ordinary OptiPlexes and they used different MB connectors until recently. I think the 3rd power cord is provided to power other peripherals as the XE series are designed to be used in harsh industrial, healthcare, retail environments etc.

Best price I could find in the UK for an A2000 on Ebay was £260, but I don't think it had an LP bracket. Next best was £310, ironically for a Dell LP A2000. That's nearly what I paid for the whole PC a couple of years ago, although it was an absolute bargain in practically perfect condition and with 2.5 years remaining on the top of the line Dell warranty that was transferred to me. Considering Dell listed a package like that for about £1300 I don't think I got a bad deal!

I'm not realistically expecting to make my PC a real hot rod, mostly I'm playing older games from 2010-2016 at the moment anyway as I'm catching up on the last 15 years of games that I've missed. A 6400 or 1650 will easily do for what I'm going to be using them for. There are a few more recent games that I am interested in though, but I'm prepared to temper my expectations.

Thanks for your help everyone!

 

[KedsDead]

Why the #%&$%@$&W didn't freekin Intel make the A380 slot-power only????

The A380 is slot power. Isnt it? 75W rated

 

[Assimilator]

I'm gonna buck the trend and suggest the RX 6400 here, purely because you can stick it in the top PCIe x4 slot and the GPU cooler's fan won't be pressed right up against the top of the hot PSU.

They do have fairly good airflow though (with uprated cooling compared to the 7060 it is modified from) as the XE series are designed to work in harsh environments where increased temperatures and dust are problematic.

One front fan is not "fairly good airflow".

That's nearly what I paid for the whole PC a couple of years ago, although it was an absolute bargain in practically perfect condition and with 2.5 years remaining on the top of the line Dell warranty that was transferred to me. Considering Dell listed a package like that for about £1300 I don't think I got a bad deal!

That PC is not a bargain in any shape or form, whether at 1,300 quid or 250 - what you save in money on these Dell shitboxes you pay for in being horribly restricted in what components you can use. There are plenty of standard small-form-factor PC components that will give the SFF experience without requiring you to jump through hoops to find components that will fit them.

The standard 300 W XE3 SFF PSU does have a 6 pin PCI-e power connector from my understanding (it would be helpful if someone can confirm that for me)

... you have the PC, why can't you confirm it by literally using your eyes to look?

 

[Macro Device]

I really would've replaced the PC case and the PSU and slotted something semi-decent like an RTX 3060 in there. Of course it's a hassle + more expensive than getting an RX 6400 kinda stuff but, y'know, three times the gaming performance is three times the gaming performance.

 

[wNotyarD]

The A380 is slot power. Isnt it? 75W rated

Afaik the Asrock A380 LP is slot-powered, yes. There are some 2-slotters which do have a PCI-E power connector.

 

[Lew Zealand]

The A380 is slot power. Isnt it? 75W rated

Afaik the Asrock A380 LP is slot-powered, yes. There are some 2-slotters which do have a PCI-E power connector.

Ah! All the models I saw reviewed had a power connector on them which clearly made me rather annoyed. That's great to hear that Asrock makes a slot power only model.