Hey Everyone I recently moved my HTPC to a Silverstone GD06 case to fit snug under the TV rather than being a dirty tower beside the TV. However I encountered an issue with the GPU cooler being too big and fouling on the top of the case. As such I've decided to upgrade the GPU (and PSU) to finish off the build. GPU: I'm aiming for £200-250 price range. I was eyeing up the Vega56 cards as they still have the blower style cooler and the cooler doesn't extend over the width of the card. However, all Vega56 cards appear to be too long (MSI should fit with 1cm to spare) which isn't ideal. The GTX 1660ti also caught my eye be none appear to have the blower style cooler Can someone spec a card (if one exists) in that price range, that would fit (279 mm / 10.984" absolute max length) and ideally has a blower style cooler. PSU: Any recommendations here? Currently I have a 400W Corsair one that I don't fully trust due to it's age and it isn't modular. Ideally under £100 would be good and quiet as possible (I believe most passive ones are outside this range). There is also an issue with PSU length (can't remember off hand) otherwise the PSU will foul with harddrive trays. Beyond that I don't really know what to look for so need recommendations. Thanks in advance
In cramped conditions Vega 56 would make a rather poor choice due to heat, power consumption and size issues. The next best thing at a "similar" price is the GTX 1660TI, you do lose the game bundle that comes with Vega so it is worse on the value front, but nothing from team red can touch it on terms of size, heat and power consumption and while the 2060 would be better... it basically starts £50 above budget. That does leave the problem of the blower you are asking for.. no 1660TI is currently in UK stock with one but considering the 1660TI produces very little heat to begin that should be fine. With that said I'd say grab one these: https://www.overclockers.co.uk/pali...ddr6-pci-express-graphics-card-gx-04p-pl.html
Can I ask why a GTX 1660Ti is needed in an HTPC? Are you using it for gaming as well? The reason I ask is that you can get a (slightly older) passive cooled GTX 1050Ti for £166?
This is a modding site. You're embarrassing us all! Cut a hole in the case for the cooler and save yourself £200
I assumed gaming was among the use cases since op said he was eyeing a Vega 56... but if there was no gaming happening then a Ryzen 5 2400G / i3-8350K / i5-8400 would be a much more sensible choice than a 1050TI.
Sorry yes. Bit of steam based couch gaming with friends (Sonic all stars racing, Lego Games, overcooked etc) and emulators with a view to VR (Wife recently experienced Beat Saber). The 1660Ti would be my first choice especially if they had a reference blower cooler for those reasons. My concern with that card is the small overhang for the cooler. Due to the orientation of the motherboard there isn't much clearance with the top of the case above the PCI bracket. It really should be my first choice shouldn't it? Saving it for a last resort in this case
The overhang from the cooler is less than you get from the power connector: https://www.guru3d.com/articles-pages/palit-geforce-gtx-1660-ti-stormx-review,4.html
The Palit RTX2060 StormX has the same cooler/power layout as the GTX1660Ti mentioned by Anfield and is only £304 at CCL with a free game. If the GTX1660Ti fits then so will the RTX2060. Slightly over your budget but hey, this is bit-tech!
Gonna need to review the benchmarks and see the difference between 1660ti and 2060 is worth it. From memory there was a slight performance bump so that offer is very tempting
It's well worth it. Normally I would say no, but you get so much more (performance and exclusive features) on the 2060 that I wouldn't touch a 1660ti with a 80ft pole. I would advise against Vega in these circumstances. They are hot SOBs.
I think the 1660Ti is a pretty good piece of kit, tbh. All depends on what model of 1660Ti or 2060 you're looking at and the price differential as to whether one or the other is better value for money, as well as whether you're interested in RT. Basically, you've got a choice of a couple of very capable cards there for HTPC / gaming use, so it comes down to what deal you can find. FWIW, there is no reference 1660Ti so I'm not sure how common blower versions are likely to be. Most, if not all, of the 1660Tis that I've seen are non-blower units.
Thats a good shout. Thanks everyone for the feedback. Gonna spend some more time researching the 2060 vs1660ti. If you have any more recommendations or advice keep it coming.
Just remember that since you'll be potentially limited on PSU length to add some allowance for cables... because PSU manufacturers "cheat" and don't include that in dimensions.
I definitely will. Been a really good learning experience for cable management and details you easily take for granted working with an HTPC case
In true spirit of "a little bit more" (plus lack of confidence in available 1660ti cooler height) I went with a Palit RTX2060 https://photos.app.goo.gl/ztNdZ57XLhd825VA9 https://photos.app.goo.gl/VDpFhQo3r6yZr8q26 https://photos.app.goo.gl/fGY7xke84HTa1pLr8
