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  • SharpEars - Thursday, February 2, 2017 - link

    Taking up two slots - the new low profile! Who cares if it's not as tall...
  • BrokenCrayons - Thursday, February 2, 2017 - link

    At 75W TDP its not exactly a good candidate for low profile systems anyway. Rumors have circulated about an as-yet-unreleased GeForce 1040 that might be a better option for those with the patience to wait (gambling on rumors) but currently the only good option for a half-height single slot discrete GPU is the GeForce GT 730 which is generations old and arguably has trouble competing with modern Intel integrated graphics.

    The lack of reasonable TDP and video card physical sizes was a big reason for me to dump PC gaming and make a move to handheld consoles. My PC can literally be any old pile of underpowered budget trash now so in a way, I've benefited greatly from being forced to move on.
  • Samus - Thursday, February 2, 2017 - link

    True, but there have been low profile single slot quadros that use a mini blower design instead of axial fans. The blowers are more industrial and reliable, so you'd expect them on an expensive card like a quadro or fireGL and unlikely to make the cut list in a $100 part like this.
  • BrokenCrayons - Thursday, February 2, 2017 - link

    The problem isn't just expense of the cooler. I agree, a copper cooler with a blower just isn't practical in sub-$100 graphics cards. However, that sort of cooling capacity might be necessary given the TDP that nvidia was targeting which puts OEMs in a bind when it comes to making a cost-effective, lower end card. I don't really get what NV was trying to accomplish with Pascal by raising TDP (or failing to lower it) in each resepctive performance class of their current generation GPUs.

    Fanboy Disclaimer: Yes, I'm aware AMD's TDP is comparable and the performace with the RX line is lower. They're not the company in being discussed and dragging them into this is off-topic...yet here I am preemptively addressing the matter because I simply see no way for it not to come up. Sheesh, brand loyalists...find a better way to spend your time that doesn't involve waving a company's banner without even having a financial interest in the whole thing.
  • DanNeely - Thursday, February 2, 2017 - link

    The TDPs are probably down to a combination of the new process not being as optimized, and prioritizing performance targets over thermal ones. Relative FPS performance vs the price equivalent AMD card is more important for overall sales than the TDP relative to the previous generation.
  • peterfares - Thursday, February 2, 2017 - link

    You stopped PC gaming because you wanted a low-profile single-slot card that was powerful and had little TDP? Why on earth do you have that kind of requirement? And moving to handheld gaming because you couldn't find something? That makes no sense.
  • BrokenCrayons - Thursday, February 2, 2017 - link

    The Nintendo DS has been a fantastic alternative and I just picked up a PS Vita recently because I think a Sony-branded product helps onlookers understand I can afford one and that makes me clearly a member of the social elite. (Is that enough tongue-in-cheek elitism for you, fanofanand? *smirk*)

    No really though, ditching PC gaming wasn't JUST due to GPUs not fitting a form factor and TDP envelope that I found acceptable. Yes, it played a big role in the happy day I heaved my gaming PC over to the ecycler, dusted off my hands, and walked away a happier person. There was a lack of desire to continue using Windows as a primary computer operating system too due to the telemetry and data mining. Linux gaming's come along nicely, but it's still a pain in my awe-inspiring behind so I'm happy to just use my Linux stuff for movies, e-mail, and creative writing. Some more idealistic person with more free time can struggle with that disaster. Then there's the on-going bother of getting new GPUs, processors, motherboards, and whatever other girly-esque accessories are necessary to fit the stupid "gamer" criteria that's discouraging. And, despite my obvious elitism, I despise the PC Master Race silliness that a small number of computer owners insist on touting to make themselves feel like the time they waste on thermal compound research and driver modding was all worth it for that oh-so-critical little nudge of the draw distance slider. And, of course, I was really looking to simplify my entertainment by removing concerns about the underlying platform from the equation and doing so in a manner that makes that entertainment even more portable than a laptop. Furthermore, I don't care much for adding heat to my home in the summer by running some thermal atrocity of a gaming system. Even fairly capable laptops dump considerable waste heat these days. It's inexcusable that a PC can't be both amusing and require nothing but passive cooling at this point. In my mind, technology really has gone the wrong direction as far as power and cooling is concerned (though arguably the Nintendo Switch with its active cooling fan is just as guilty, but I don't see myself purchasing one, partly over the cooling fan business.). Thanks to handheld consoles like the DS (various iterations) and Vita, I'm happy to say the mission is accomplished.
  • Meteor2 - Friday, February 3, 2017 - link

    TL;DR.
  • webdoctors - Wednesday, February 8, 2017 - link

    Two things:

    I've been gaming on Linux for years, its not bad now. You have to have an Nvidia graphics card, and the selection of games is limited but there's enough AAA titles out there that you won't get bored playing solely native Linux games.

    The heat issue is negligible for a sub 100W graphics card. That's a single old school light bulb. I had a Radeon 4890HD, now that thing pumped out heat and noise. It was a full 130+W of extra power at the outlet. Modern graphics cards are pretty good efficiency wise.
  • HomeworldFound - Thursday, February 2, 2017 - link

    So two handhelds, one that's completely dead and another that's three generations behind now, instead of PC gaming. That makes a lot of sense for people reading an article about a graphics card for the PC platform.. to you know.. play PC games.
  • BrokenCrayons - Friday, February 3, 2017 - link

    No one forced you to read a reply intended for one particular person. Are you genuinely that insecure about your entertainment choices? It seems that way from here.
  • phoenix_rizzen - Thursday, February 2, 2017 - link

    I've got a GT 730 in my work computer, powering 3x 1080p screens. The CPU is only a dual-core Pentium something or other, so the GT is a heck of a lot more powerful than the onboard Intel graphics that only support dual-screen setups.

    Was hoping to upgrade to something newer, but there aren't any silent, low-profile GPUs available. Really hoping someone figures out how to make one using a 1000-series GPU. I really don't want to use a tower case. The slim desktop case I have now is mostly empty space as it is.

    Here's hoping a 1040 or similar comes out soon-ish, and that it's able to push 3 screens at 1440p or even 2160p in 2D.
  • StevoLincolnite - Friday, February 3, 2017 - link

    I have a Core 2 Quad Q9650 rig which is screaming for an upgrade from the old Radeon 6570 that's in it.

    But it can only have a single slot, Low-Profile GPU.
    A Geforce 1050 or Radeon RX 460 would be a perfect upgrade and give the machine a few more years of life.
  • tarqsharq - Thursday, February 2, 2017 - link

    I think you're confusing "low profile" with "single slot"

    This is low profile, perfect for repurposing old SFF business machines with half height PCI slots...

    It's the cheapest way to jump into a low end "gaming" rig is to pick up a refurbished business workstation for $200 and tossing one of these in there.
  • BrokenCrayons - Thursday, February 2, 2017 - link

    Caution is advised in doing so. In the case of Dell Optiplex workstations, some of their PCIe slots cannot deliver enough power. I bumped into that problem with a Sandy Bridge-equipped 390 slim desktop. The slot was rated to a maximum of something like 37 watts. Checking the detailed tech specs for the business desktop in question might be a good idea before making any such moves.
  • Samus - Thursday, February 2, 2017 - link

    Many of those older 60-series and 70-series chipsets (and even some 50-series going back to Nehalem) had a 4-pin molex connector next to the PCIe slot for supplemental power just for this reason. It's true many OEM systems simply cannot supply 75-watts to the PCIe slot, especially microATX systems these cards are targeted at. Most of those systems have ~200-watt power supplies.
  • nathanddrews - Thursday, February 2, 2017 - link

    I have three SFF HP machines around the house that I would love to upgrade with these.
  • Calista - Friday, February 3, 2017 - link

    I decided to upgrade an i5-2400 SFF from HP with a low profile GTX 750. It was (more than a year ago) less than $80 USD and gave the computer enough power to handle even games such as Witcher 3 at 1080p, albeit only at 30 fps with low/medium quality settings. Every game I tried played just fine, offering a great path moving from an Intel HD2000 unable to handle any kind of modern game to even high-end titles.

    Had I preferred a full-size card - certainly. But I had no such option unless replacing the entire system, something which felt like overkill since I rarely game. Look around you, and you will realize SFF systems are rather common, not only in business environments, but also among offerings directed at end consumers.
  • HomeworldFound - Thursday, February 2, 2017 - link

    This card could be a possible companion for the ASUS EX-B150M-V5 D3 shown yesterday, we could still rig a sound card in that second PCIe 4x slot. I always wonder though, why not reverse the card? There are lots of opportunities where a smaller system would benefit from a GPU and cooler on the other side of the board.
  • vseven - Tuesday, February 7, 2017 - link

    Just like the last 1050 low profile post this lists HDMI 2.0b but MSI has said their card is 2.0, not a or b. Someone either needs to talk to MSI and get a official statement or update the incorrect chart.

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