Building a "sleeper" PC, looking for a suitable GPU

[ElB]

Back when lockdown started I bought a cheap refurbished ThinkCenter M73 so that my daughter had something to do schoolwork on that I could keep completely free of distractions, but now life is returning to normal and it's no longer required I'm thinking about turning it into a "business in the front, party inside" sleeper PC - I actually quite like the aesthetic as it takes me back to the ThinkPad I had back in the 90s...

Anyway, I'm currently working out the pros and cons of switching the motherboard (it's one of those proprietary deals so it's not as simple as just buying a new one and dropping it in, I'd have to modify the case a bit), so in the meanwhile I figured I may as well tackle the GPU issue but I have two limitations:

• Space. Lengthwise it'll take a full size card, but when it comes to height I'm restricted to low profile. There's enough room to use a PCIe riser and mount a card parallel to the motherboard, although that would obscure the other PCIe slots which is not ideal, and it could cause some airflow problems.
• Power. The stock PSU is only 240W and has no PCIe connector, and I can't find a TFX PSU that's more than 300W which probably limits me to a card with a TDP of about 100W.

So, what're my options? I'm an Nvidia guy so my first thought was that a 1650 is probably about the best I can hope for, but do Team Red offer anything that can compete? Is mounting a full size card sideways a sensible idea?

 

[Besty]

Would add that you could buy a card with a higher tdp and apply a lower powerlimit on boot up using something like afterburner to limit it to 100 watts.

The GTX1080 is still watt-for-watt a great card if you can get a low profile version.

 

[ElB]

Zotac and Gigabyte made half length 1080s, but I don't think anyone ever did low profile ones which is a shame. That said, a shorter card mounted on its side might be a viable compromise - I'd still lose the other slots, but it would leave room for an extra fan or two. I also think my TDP limitation is going to be less of an issue than it seemed; I was going by the power consumption figures in Lenovo's documentation, but having worked it out myself it appears they were being super cautious (probably because this is a "business" machine) and I think with an upgraded PSU I can safely afford a TDP of 150W (and potentially even the full 180W for a 1080, although that puts me right at the limit).

 

[varkanoid]

• Power. The stock PSU is only 240W and has no PCIe connector,

Would add that you could buy a card with a higher tdp and apply a lower powerlimit on boot up using something like afterburner to limit it to 100 watts.

The GTX1080 is still watt-for-watt a great card if you can get a low profile version.

Classic doesnt read the OP properly situation.

best you can hope for is a 1650 as most dont need any external PSU. Sounds also like you have the SFF M73 so 1080 is definitely out. There will be no space even if you did miraculously source one of the mini versions.

M73's do come in a midi tower but you mentioned low profile so I`m assuming its SFF. This makes 1650's difficult as low profile ones are rare. I had one of the older thinkpads with the 4th Gen Intel CPU at one of my previous places of work as we were all Lenovo. Best I could find was a Gigabyte low profile 750ti they do pop up 2nd hand if you know where to look in the obvious place.
Other problem you have is the PSU they dont use ATX format for the PSU so you are going to struggle to find a better PSU.

Unless you can find a low profile card will really struggle its not worth it. Would have been easier if it was a M73 tower.

 

[Armageus]

Quadro P1000 - normally comes with low profile (as well as standard) bracket, rated at 47W, doesn't need much airflow and can be had for ~£100.

Should still offer pretty reasonable performance, as essentially is a GTX1050, but with 4GB of RAM

 

[ElB]

There will be no space even if you did miraculously source one of the mini versions.

I've been doing a bit of experimenting with a lump of wood, and with some work (and probably a lot of swearing) there's enough room to mount a full sized card in the empty space at the front of the case - I'd need quite a long PCIe riser cable and some HDMI extensions, some minor modifications to the card, and there would be some airflow issues that need resolving (something that a half length card would help mitigate), but it's doable although potentially more work than I'm prepared to do. As to sourcing them, finding any cards at the moment isn't exactly easy!

Other problem you have is the PSU they dont use ATX format for the PSU so you are going to struggle to find a better PSU.

It's a TFX form factor PSU (almost - it's slightly smaller and the mounting holes aren't quite right, but it wouldn't take much work to remedy), and be quiet! do a couple of 300W ones that will fit.

Quadro P1000

Interesting. I may pick one up and see how it goes.

 

[varkanoid]

Remember its not just the length its the width also

Modern GPU's are 2/3 slots wide.

 

[ElB]

If I move the hard drive and lose the optical drive and front fan I've got a space that's about 300x100x90mm, so based on an "average" 1080TI (270x112x40mm) there's just enough room to mount it vertically (rotated at 17 degrees along its longest axis), and use a 300mm PCIe riser cable to connect it. The biggest problem is that it would completely block the front (and only) intake vent so I'd have to add some new holes somewhere, which is why I think a shorter card might be a better bet.

 

[ElB]

Update: I have purchased a used Quadro P4000 - it cost slightly less than a 1070, has comparable performance with a lower TDP, and it's single width which gives me more wiggle room (it might even fit flat above the motherboard which saves a lot of cable routing).