all possible GPU upgrades for Optiplex 790 MT

Question

Hi

i have optiplex 790 MT and i installed gt 1030 in it "due to money shortage" a few months ago ..it works fine but i want to know if i can install a modern graphic card later will it work or not ? so what are the possible graphic card upgrades for this system ? and what are the limitations of the upgrade ? " and i know that i should upgrade the psu for that so it's ok "

by the way , it's mentioned in the system manual that 790 MT supports full height card

Thanks in advance

redxps630 · Accepted Answer

the possibilities are multiple depending on you have i5 or i7 2nd gen intel cpu.

limitations are modern powerful gpu can be bottlenecked by old sandy bridge cpu that is not overclocked (Dell BIOS does not allow user OC).

In the past for i7-2600, there was GTX 970 which is still popular, or RX570.

for i5-2400, there was GTX 950/960.

1050, 1050 ti, 1060 gpu are also possibilities. 1070/1080 would be too fast for the cpu.

e.g., Intel Core i7-2600 (Clock speed at 100%) with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Clock speed at 100%) x1 will produce only 3.46% of CPU bottleneck on 1080p resolution. https://pc-builds.com/calculator/Core_i7-2600/GeForce_GTX_1050_Ti/0010VZlu/8/100

redxps630 · Answer

'This combination between GTX 1060 6GB and Intel Core i7-2600 @ 3.40GHz has less than 8% bottleneck in many games and is perfect match to avoid FPS loss. This combination between GTX 1060 6GB and Intel Core i7-2600 @ 3.40GHz is a perfect match to avoid FPS loss.' https://www.gpucheck.com/en-usd/gpu/nvidia-geforce-gtx-1060/intel-core-i7-2600-3-40ghz/high

SaltyBarnacle · Answer

Is it possible to put in a 6GB version of the 1060?

Diaa_Dio790 · Answer

Thanks so much  i understand now. and yes i have the i7 2600 system. So i should use the following GPUs : GTX 970 , RX570 , 1050 ti , 1060 but modern GPUs need a better CPU right ?

redxps630 · Answer

If you have a GTX 1080, 1070, RTX 2000 or 3000 series gpu, you should consider upgrading cpu to intel 6+ gen cpu or AMD Ryzen zen2+.

Diaa_Dio790 · Answer

ok , thanks so much i'm happy to be with you in the community

bradthetechnut · Answer

Google the card and watts. 120w or higher cards can't be used on a 265w PSU. 120w and higher cards also require extra power connectors. Max is 75w.

The best suggestion to go with your i7-2600 is the GTX 1050 ti.

Capture+_2020-12-12-20-12-53.png

speedstep · Answer

Every card up to 1080 ti works but not in the case and not with the stock power supply.

If you upgrade to EVGA 700BR you can use whatever you want that fits in the case.

https://www.evga.com/products/product.aspx?pn=100-BR-0700-K1

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/evga-br-series-700w-atx12v-eps12v-80-plus-power-supply-dc-dc-technology-black/6346160.p?skuId=6346160

If its too big you need an X16 Riser Cable.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07WHMYZYB/

https://www.amazon.com/Thermaltake-AC-045-CN1OTN-C1-Premium-Extender-Graphic/dp/B06Y1SX7ZN

If you do not have tower power supply must also sit outside the case.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5xvwPa3r7M

bradthetechnut · Answer

Hi @Diaa_Dio790 @SaltyBarnacle

I hope you're keeping up with the replies.

Anything above the GTX 1050 ti with the i7-2600 and the CPU becomes the bottleneck. So yes, with a higher watt PSU as speedstep suggested you can use higher than 75w cards,, but IMO it's not worth it in a 790.

Capture+_2020-12-13-11-44-18.png

Diaa_Dio790 · Answer

Yes thanks..it's good that the 1050ti gpu works with the system but i was thinking about the highest possible upgrade of the gpu for the 790 mt..if the 1050ti still can run todays games at low setting with acceptable fps , i'll consider buying it..however i don't know if it's still in the market.

bradthetechnut · Answer

As mentioned before, the 1050 ti is the highest upgrade for the 790 with i7-2600.

Check/Google your games' minimum and recommended requirements.

Yes, the 1050 ti is still on the market. Be sure to get LP (low profile) version. Remember it takes 2 of the metal slots. You can always check YouTube for installation if you want. Suggested YouTube search term: Optiplex 790 GTX 1050 ti

Running a 1050 ti is outside of past Dell specs. However, due to a few factors, like years of YouTube videos running 75w cards in certain SFF & DT models, and my having no negative feedback on GPU advice, my answers have the support of moderation, including a Dell engineer.

bradthetechnut · Answer

Hi @99cents, With using 185w GPU's, I take it the PSU's also got a nice upgrade?

99cents · Answer

I'm a bit late on this but I own 2 Dell Opt. 790s. I have RX580s (ddr4, 8gb). It took quite a bit of tweeking but they work just fine. For modern GPUs, you will need to make sure the bios is as up to date as possible. Then make sure the boot is set to UFEI and not legacy. Then do any and all updating. After you get all that install the gpu these larder cards will barley fit but they do. I have Powercolor RX580 Red Dragon cards (2 fans per card) I can only get one card in each pc as the second PCIe labe is only a x4 and not x16.

panoscy · Answer

Hello all,

i would like to ask for your advise on my setup:

So, i have an optipex 970 MT with an i5 processor and 4GB or RAM. Bios version is A22

I have recently attempted to upgrade the graphic card to an ASUS HD5670 but the BIOS doesnt recognize it. I have installed it on the "blue" slot.

If we exclude the possibility for the graphic card to be faulty, is there anything else i can do in order to revive it?

Thanks!

DELL-Cares · Answer

Hello, I see you are looking for technical assistance. If you need our help, you can start a private message with us and we will be happy to assist you.

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all possible GPU upgrades for Optiplex 790 MT

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