Best 'low profile' graphics card

hmm how about this one.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
or something like this one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
idk much about low profile ones but i think those 2 might fit in that category.

Neither of those is low-profile. Low profile means they're about half-height except right at the back plate.

oh okay thanks for explaining that.
=]

how about this card? check it out. pretty weak card tho.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Radeon X1650PRO
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

GeForce 8600GT
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

The 8600GT is the most powerful low profile card, behind that probably the 8500GT by MSI and then the X1650Pro. The 8600GT is at least good enough to play current games, although not at high settings.

you should be able to take all the insides out and drop it into a regular case. then you no longer have to be limited.

i like all these people who buy these low profile cases who then complain they cant upgrade anything in them.

thats the sacrifice you make when you buy something like that.

make sure your power supply is upto the job too... 350W minimum for a 8600GT

Get the 8600GT it's the best you can do at the present time.
You psu is fine. 700w psu for a 8600GT would be way overkill.
8600GT = 300w@18amps

Thanks for all the replies. I'd gone to many other forums and got no where. Just found out about this one yesterday.

The stats on the 8600GT looks spot on.

Thanks

dblyth2007

Hi,

I just jump into the same situation as you.
I have this optiplex 320 with PCI-e x16 slot. And it has 25W power limitation.
So now I figure it out it is because it is for low-profile?

I know you post it long time ago, and i am just wondering if you or anyone has good suggestion for current best low-profile graphic card?

thx

or u can pay $50 and get a cheap mid case and not have that problem anymore...
im sure u can even get them cheaper than that...

Hi,
Can you elaborate a little bit more about the "mid case" you are referring to?
I mean it still didn't solve the fact that the PCI-e x16 only supply 25W for low-profile graphic card, if I understand it correctly.

http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.aspx?SubCategor...
anything that said "mid tower" or "full tower" is fine. as long as you know how does regular case look like, then you should be fine.

"I mean it still didn't solve the fact that the PCI-e x16 only supply 25W for low-profile graphic card, if I understand it correctly." I'm confused. i've never heard of pci-e x16 only supply 25 watts. I know that all micro atx and regular atx mother board supply 75watts max.

WTF?!? power supply has nothing to do with pci-e 16x slot, does it???

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/op320/en/...
and to correct my last statement. It is also a full-height card now the low-profile card, I just confirmed with Dell. Because it is so unclear on the spec.

The best low profile video card:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

The video card posted by 'palmfern' looks pretty cool but if your having trouble finding a local seller, you can also look at the:

Galaxy 9600GT 512MB DDR3 low profile.

This is what I've been running for the last 6 months ok. My PSU is only rated 280W, but all the levels check out fine.

How is your Galaxy 9600GT 512MB DDR3 low profile holding up with that 280w psu? Wanting to purchase one soon for my dell 745.

Thanks.... CMAC

1. the 8600GT does not need a 350w PSU, i ran one on a 300w with no issues.

2. whatever your thoughts are on Dell's, they do have very good PSU. I know people who ran the 9600GT and 9800GT on the Dell 305w PSU. The Dell 350w PSU will run 9800GTX (and re-brands) and ATI 4850. Check the dell forums to see what cards people have installed in their systems.

^ +1. A Dell 280W PSU in a slimline system can run a 9600GT.

I have a dell vostro 220s slim tower, it says it's a 250w psu, but I heard that dell underrates their psu's and it should actaully be 300w, but will a 9600 gt low profile run on it? I'm not sure about the amps/rail on it, so I'm not sure if it'll work.

Hi,

Sorry for late reply, a few months back I did a lot more research into the DELL mother board and how many Amps the Galaxy 9600GT pulls through the PCIe power connector and the through the mother board and decided I should upgrade my PSU to a comfortable 700W (for just £45.00).

With the DELL Psu removed there is now much better air circulation and the temperature of the card does not sky rocket. The new PSU sits quiely on floor behind the base unit as it has very long cables.

Hope this helps.

hey,
I have a dimension C521 as well and i have been wanting to upgrade my graphics card for some time. I read that you have the same and have tried the galaxy 9600 gt low profile for some time. I looked into this card and i like it a lot. Did it hook up to the computer with now problem and no adjustments? Also, i found that this card comes as low profile and low profile low power. To clarify, which one do you have? will both work? Thanks so much in advance.

hey,
I have a dimension C521 as well and i have been wanting to upgrade my graphics card for some time. I read that you have the same and have tried the galaxy 9600 gt low profile for some time. I looked into this card and i like it a lot. Did it hook up to the computer with now problem and no adjustments? Also, i found that this card comes as low profile and low profile low power. To clarify, which one do you have? will both work? Thanks so much in advance.

I believe you need the 4 pin to 6 pin adapter to plug into the back of the Galaxy GeForce 9600 GT to make it work properly

Hi,

Sorry for late reply.

My Galaxy 9600 is still running beautifully. I did also here about the low profile/low power. I hunted down my card before the low power one came out (I think).

A PICe power adapter (4 pin / 6 pin, etc) comes with the Galaxy card.

It really was dead simple, just whack it in. It means I can still feal good about my Dell C521 ;-)

I've had the Galaxy for nearly a year now, I did discover a potentially better low profile card a few months back. I think it was from Sparkle.

google: sparkle low profile 9800gt

regards

Hi, I have a Dell c521 pc, too, and I have ordered the low power galaxy 9600 gt from Circuit city. If I am not mistaken the 9600 gt card uses a DVI-I (dual link) port. My dell monitor is LCD as a VGA. I've searched other forums about compatible issues.

It's a quiet little card, too, with plenty of power. Rarely do I hear it and when on a full load I doubt I'll even hear it then since I'll have sound coming from my games.

Brought life back into my C521. Plays Aion just fine with all settings set to full.

UPDATE: After a few days the fan acted up and I am currently working through Galaxy to get it replaced. I have looked on the internet about the fan problems with this graphics card and it seems only one other person had any issues with the Galaxy version and it was months after he had purchased it. Hang onto that receipt.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/262758-33-problem-gal...

Another thing, Circuit City has just recently added a rebate offer on the Galaxy 9600 gt low power card. So from $79.99 after rebate; $30 off the original price of $109.99. Began 11/1/09 and ends 12/13/2009. I just ordered happenstance on Nov 1st.

http://www.circuitcity.com/applications/SearchTools/ite...

Overclocking, I do not know much about, yet, but Galaxy has a software program called Extreme Tuner that allows overclocking and fan control options and other features. A couple of links to download it from:

http://www.techpowerup.com/downloads/1332/Galaxy_Xtreme...
http://files.aoaforums.com/I3711-XtremeTuner.EXE.html

Hi,

Would the Galaxy 9600 GT LP fit in a slimline HP s7640.uk case? It only has one PCI-e slot and i'm worried about the length of the card as opposed to the height.

Any ideas?

Hi there.

For those who are looking for the best half-height/low profile graphic card, here are some helpful information.

I went over all the information from Google that I could get and end up with this summary.
These are only nvidia GeForce cards (No ATI Radeon yet).

Follow the link.
http://bit.ly/4KDY8n

I have an Inspiron 531s that is supposedly rated at 250W....I'm currently running a 9500GT that pulls 350W with no problems but I'm trying to see if I could get away with the 400W 9600GT. Can I just buy any PSU and have it sit outside the case or just leave the case open since it's a slim tower?

I don't recommend leaving the case not put together because the tower is set up for air flow and the case open will mess that up and slow the computer down overall. I have a slim tower also I am looking for the best Graphics card I can stick in it at this moment

If you've got a slim case, check out the geforce 9500gt. Its a 1gb card and it can run bioshock. I'm parting out my old computer so I'm selling mine on ebay here http://cgi.ebay.com/XFX-NVIDIA-GeForce-9500-GT-512-MB-P... for $15 bucks, used. check it out, its a great card and ran great on a 220w psu, and the acer x3200 case was small as they come. Definitely recommend it.

Hi, this may be a rather stupid question, but here goes:
I also have a Dell Dimension C521, and I want to upgrade the graphics, but what's the point of getting a low profile card if the metal backing with the ports is too long for the casing? How do I fit it?
I bought a low profile card the other day, and the card itself fit into the casing, but the backing is just too big. Do I need to modify something to make it fit?

That plate can be removed, changed by loosening the cable stud~anchors. Of course you will need a half length one with the appopriate openings. Email the vendor, I'm sure they will send you one free, I saw this question/resolution in Newegg reviews for some half length cards that came only with full length install plates.

omg thank you so much for the fast reply. i already returned the card but thankfully the store's near by. i'll go buy it now then. thank you again!

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey