Will a GT 1030 make any difference?

[Scuzi]

I have a HP Prodesk 400 G6 SFF which the kids use for school work and some very light gaming (Roblox, Minecraft). It’s a pretty rapid little machine for most stuff but thinking ahead it really isn’t meant for gaming. Despite this I want to give it a go before dropping big money on a gaming rig down the line.

Spec:
i7-9700
8Gb 2666MHz RAM
Intel HD630 graphics
256Gb m2
180w PSU (I’m assuming a proprietary design)
SFF case

My eldest son is showing an interest in some more demanding games. Whilst the Intel 630 does surprisingly well with Roblox and Minecraft at 1080p, I’m guessing it’ll struggle if any more demanding games are tried.

There is a PCIe 16x slot which can take a low profile card, so I looked at the GT 1030. Size and power draw are the limitations and based on some research I think I’ll just about get away with the 1030 on a 180w PSU.

Would a GT1030 provide a noticeable and worthwhile improvement over the Intel 630? I’m not expecting top level gaming performance, just something that would be good enough to run an array of games at 1080p on moderate settings at a frame rate that is relatively smooth.

Are there any alternatives to the 1030 which can match the performance : power draw ratio?

Thanks.

 

[Scuzi]

Thanks for the comprehensive reply. How do the alternatives compare in terms of power draw? I have used some of the online calculators to determine power draw under load and it reckons my system with a 1030GT will draw 163w under load which is probably okay but tight on a 180w PSU. It looks like a 750Ti would push that up to 192w and an RX550 to 198w. I don’t mind upgrading the power supply but I’m not sure how easy it would be to find one that will fit. On the flip side I have seen reports online of people successfully running a GTX 1060 in the same machine. The calculated load wattage is 254w and I can’t really understand how they are getting away with it.

I agree with you on value for money. Some of these cards seem to have gone up in price a good 30% or more. Although a card and an 8Gb stick of RAM will be a darn sight cheaper than a new case, mobo, power supply etc. on top.

 

[Scuzi]

I just opened up the case to have a look and it’s even tighter than I thought. Not only will it have to be low profile, it’ll have to be quite a slim card due to the proximity of the slot to the PSU. I guess that rules out all of the passive cooled options.


The RX550X seems to be quite rare so my options are even further limited. It’s looking more likely that I’ll need to move to a bigger case if the lads want to get into more demanding games, but if a cheap and slim card comes up I might jump on it to test the concept before spending more.

 

[Scuzi]

There are rare low profile single slot GTX 1650 and 1050 Ti - maybe you can find a used one.

I have found the ASL G1504 1050ti single slot low profile. Quick look at bench results suggests it’s a big step above the 1030.

I can only find it available direct from China. Unsure if it is worth the risk in case any warranty support is required.

 

[Scuzi]

Depends how much it is?

If it's any more than £100 then I wouldn't be bothering - better to put that money towards a new case/motherboard/psu (~£200), and then pick up any cheap used GPU (7870/7950/7970/270X/280X, GTX670/770) which are all similar or better performance to a 1050ti and can often be had for £30-£50

Just under £170 including shipping. I guess it comes down to whether or not it would be good enough for a while or if the need to upgrade again isn’t far off. Ideally I’d like to keep the SFF case as it fits neatly where it lives. But if the 1050ti would ultimately need upgrading in, say, under a year then as you say it would make sense to bite the bullet and move to a bigger case.

 

[Scuzi]

I have been looking into this again and came across a Yeston brand Chinese version of the RX550 (~£110) and RX560 (~£140). Both are single slot and low profile.

From what I can see they both should be better than a GT 1030 and I have seen one example of the 560 being used in a SFF HP like mine with the proprietary PSU.

Would the RX560 be worth the extra £30 over the 550? Any other watch outs?

 

[Scuzi]

Some food for thought, thank you. The more I think about it the more I’m leaning towards just buying the kids an Xbox. It just doesn’t sit right when these GPUs are going for double or more than what they did a while ago.