Solved Will this older Win7 system handle a GeForce GTX 750?

[tgm1024]

Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit. I need a little help---I'm out of touch by a number of years in video card specifications.

Among the games I'm trying to run, my kids are addicted to Crazy Machines 2 (which I've gotten to work by using the CD's older Aegis Physx dll and openAL drivers---so this may be a fragile installation), and minecraft.

But it's on an Optiplex 740 (older system). Rather than run through the details in text, here are the two pertinent screenshots in HWiNFO64. Please let me know if I can supply anything else at all.

System Summary (a lot of info):
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7Ny-yaLODS8QWxyS05uZjh1Rzg/edit?usp=sharing

Mother Board Specific:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7Ny-yaLODS8TUR2ZElTZ3FvdEU/edit?usp=sharing

Thanks!

 

[Britton30]

First, cheers for trying to keep an older system running!

The GeForce GTX 750 will work but not at its full potential, your board has PCIe ver 1 and the card is PCIe ver 3.0. However it should still run the games, but maybe better at lower settings. Your CPU may bottleneck it a little too.

 

[tgm1024]

First, cheers for trying to keep an older system running!

The GeForce GTX 750 will work but not at its full potential, your board has PCIe ver 1 and the card is PCIe ver 3.0. However it should still run the games, but maybe better at lower settings. Your CPU may bottleneck it a little too.

Understood. Two problems I just discovered. :-/

1. I believe my Optiplex 740 (inherited) only has a 275W PS.
2. It's only got room for a single slot video card.

 

[Britton30]

Well that's a kick in the gut, eh? The GPU specs say a minimum 300W PSU, and that would be on the very low end.

The case has no open rear openings?

 

[tgm1024]

Well that's a kick in the gut, eh? The GPU specs say a minimum 300W PSU, and that would be on the very low end.

The case has no open rear openings?

You mean an open tab slot for a double width card? No. It's got a single x16 slot with no room: Looking at the bottom right corner of the mobo in this pic, going upwards, it's x1/pci/pci/x16, and the x16 has no room left next to it.

 

[Britton30]

OK, I see what you mean now. I had an old OptiPlex too that looked identical to that one. Odd motherboard too, kind of a mirror image of standard mATX.

 

[tgm1024]

OK, I see what you mean now. I had an old OptiPlex too that looked identical to that one. Odd motherboard too, kind of a mirror image of standard mATX.

Well, they certainly did pull the Dell trick of making it impossible to remove the other cover to ease access to the CD cage, etc.

This a good website to ask about dropping a new PS in (or do you have a different place)? I did replace a PS once before with a Dell and found out just how horrendously non-standard they like to be in nearly every way they could possibly dream up in a haze of bong hits. Hope they're better now.

 

[Britton30]

It may be possible to use an ATX PSU but you'll probably have to do some surgery on the case. I had a OptiPlex GX280 that I did, and had to cut out a piece on the back of the case to fit it. It also had this really dumb clam-shell type case.

 

[tgm1024]

It may be possible to use an ATX PSU but you'll probably have to do some surgery on the case. I had a OptiPlex GX280 that I did, and had to cut out a piece on the back of the case to fit it. It also had this really dumb clam-shell type case.

I have an old 8300 still in the basement that looks exactly like that case.

Perhaps it's easier to transplant the existing mobo into the old unit? Or grab that PS. I think it's beefier. I don't see your cut piece.

 

[Britton30]

Yeah it may be easier to use the old case and move parts between them. The picture isn't my case, I found it with Google. The part I had to cut was where the power cable enters the PSU because the standard ones have it in a different place. Then I had to drill a hole to get the 4th mounting screw in.

 

[tgm1024]

Yeah it may be easier to use the old case and move parts between them. The picture isn't my case, I found it with Google. The part I had to cut was where the power cable enters the PSU because the standard ones have it in a different place. Then I had to drill a hole to get the 4th mounting screw in.

Well this restores my faith: I actually have an older 400W PS sitting hanging around that I never used. An ATX12V 2.2 compatible. Works perfectly---tested it. So long as I can remember not to accidentally throw the mechanical on/off switch on the back by accident when I reach behind the machine.

Now I only need to get a video card that will:

1. work with Crazy Machines 2 (not easy----needs older Aegis Physx---not onboard card---and older openAL). And this might mean geforce only. Arrrrgh.

and

2. Is single slot. None of the geforces of any ability seem to be single slot. The Radeon HD 7750 seems to be a semi-thumper (according to passmark), but I'm unsure of the compatibility nightmares I might get. I'd rather spend $100 on a card I can potentially use later if I upgrade rather than a junk $60 card that will never make us happy.

(Though, nearly anything is better than the Geforce 6150 LE I got in there now......OYE....)

 

[Britton30]

It may defeat your purpose in rebuilding an old machine, but a new case would help a lot, some ideas:

Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, LED LCD TV, Digital Cameras and more!

 

[tgm1024]

It may defeat your purpose in rebuilding an old machine, but a new case would help a lot, some ideas:

Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, LED LCD TV, Digital Cameras and more!

Point well taken. In fact, I didn't know I could get a case that cheaply that included the PS.

I would but I'm worried about something: the Dells always seem to have their CPU's carefully positioned with a custom venting hood that tunnels toward a back opening. I'm worried about something overheating.

So typical that a nwe case and videocard exceed the value of the existing system as a whole. :-/

In any case I ordered a single slot ASUS GTX750 that my 400w should handle (hope). The only question when it arrives is whether or not I can shoe-horn it in.

 

[Britton30]

Well I forgot about the silly Dell motherboard too, it wouldn't work in a normal case.
As for the CPU cooler, they are available after market.
There should be a listing for the 750's minimum PSU required.

 

[tgm1024]

Well I forgot about the silly Dell motherboard too, it wouldn't work in a normal case.
As for the CPU cooler, they are available after market.
There should be a listing for the 750's minimum PSU required.

Yeah, no kididng, Dell is one royal PITA when it comes to stuff like this. Don't know if the other big manufacturers are any better.

The card will be coming soon. If it's too big to fit, have you had any luck using those right-angle PCI-e riser cards? There's no exterior venting needed with this card.

 

[Britton30]

No I haven't tried one of the right angle adapters.

I think maybe Dell has went to standardized parts in the last couple of years. They did buy Alienware who has always used them. I have 2 older (2006) Compaqs which used a normal mATX board.

 

[tgm1024]

No I haven't tried one of the right angle adapters.

I think maybe Dell has went to standardized parts in the last couple of years. They did buy Alienware who has always used them. I have 2 older (2006) Compaqs which used a normal mATX board.

Well the card fits upright, but just barely. Presses against the heatsink of one of the mobo chips. I haven't tried moving the heatsink at all....perhaps I will. Interestingly, the card is bent, possibly from having been rammed in previously into a very similar slot. (It's an Amazon Warehouse thing).

It fired up once ok on the 305W PS, but it didn't the 2nd time, so I swapped out the PS for the 400watter and it seems good to go now.

Now there's a problem involving Crazy Machines 2 that keeps resurfacing that I found a solution to, but that'll go into the gaming forum.

Thanks for all your help man!

 

[Britton30]

Good work and patience with the project.

I'm sorry I don't game beyond Solitaire, but many here do and should be able to help you out.