Question What Graphics Card

rs6mra

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Hi Guys,

Can anyone advice a Dell Model D08S Optiplex 3020 SFF i5 is capable of handling a graphics card. I have just installed an SSD to the system and despite this uses very little power I am a wee bit concerned as to whether it would cope with a graphics card.

Thanks.
 
From what I can find your system has a 255 watt power supply which may be lacking if you add a graphics card to your m/board. There is a slot for a card but unless you can put in a higher power supply then as it stands it is unlikely to work. I put a power supply calculator tool in below for you to try as an exercise just to be sure, hope this helps a bit.
Power Supply Calculator - The most accurate PC wattage calculator
 
Thanks. How frustrating! I took a closer look earlier and just didn't want to believe I saw 225 watts.
 
You don't give the rest of the specs, so power consumption is hard to estimate, but I'd certainly expect a 225W PSU to handle most low profile graphics cards. They tend to be 75W or less even at the high end, and if you just want the latest tech they can be 30W or less.

What do you want the graphics card for?
 
I just want to be able to watch videos in HD 1080p quality. I do not play games. At present the output is awful.
 
I just want to be able to watch videos in HD 1080p quality. I do not play games. At present the output is awful.

Awful in what sense? If it's stuttering/jumping or otherwise refusing to play then either it's an unusual and demanding format (HEVC/VP9?) or more likely a software issue. What's the CPU usage like?

If it runs fine but just looks poor then that's likely the quality (bitrate) of the video. Computer media players and monitors don't do a lot by default to disguise bad video like a TV would, as the detail may be important if you're editing or analysing the video.

If it's the latter then you want to investigate post-processing options in your media player of choice. They typically tend to be called things like de-noise, artefact reduction, filters or just post-processing.

A new graphics card might be required in some specific cases, such as a more demanding codec than your CPU can handle or top of the range post-processing like MadVR, but it's generally not the solution for awful video.
 
EndlessWaves - It more like it runs fine but just looks poor.
I have just reinstalled Win10 Pro on to the machine as well as Chrome & Firefox. No other software installed. What I would do later on this evening is connect the PC to another monitor.
I have just loaded a youtube video and the quality seems a lot better.
i'll report back later on.
 

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