GTX760 Graphic card for dell T3500

davidcarey

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Can I install a GTX760 card in the T3500 . From the specs it seems to need a 6 pin ( which the PSU has ) and a 8pin which it does not seem to have . Is there any way I can get this to work without a new PSU - which may be a hassle due to the Dell Motherboard ? Alternatively I can fit a GTX660 which will work but not as well as the 760 . Either way practically anything is better than the FX570 currently installed .
 
Hi. I have re-purposed several of these T3500 for gaming and may be able to help.

These PSU have three 18 amp 12 volt rails, one of which supplies the 6-pin exclusively. So it is more than capable of powering the card. As you see, problem is connectors. The twin molex adapter linked above is not an option since the wiring harness only has one molex. And I am not a fan of asking two 12 volt wires to do job normally allotted to three.

Ran into same connector problem as you installing a 1070 into one of these Dell boxes. Fortunately a standard PSU fits. Just have to flatten the two Dell PSU retaining tabs on roof of the case so it will sit flush. You'll see what I mean when you get in there.

I went with the 550w Seasonic G series. Nice hefty single +12v rail. Only spec lacking was +5vSB (2.5a vs 4.0v in T3500). It is my understanding that rail is to provide extra power for Ethernet under standby mode in a networking environment. Not using it as such we have not experienced any problems.

One other thing I would suggest is an 18 inch (45cm) extender since the 8-pin EPS header is located extreme opposite lower corner of the motherboard.

>> https://www.amazon.com/BitFenix-Alchemy-Multisleeve-8-Pin-Extension/dp/B004OXXQ8W/
 
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Changing the PSU is not really an option at the moment , the Standard Dell 525w is pretty good and built for reliability . So I am looking for a card that will run from the installed PSU , I guess that limits my choice to a used GTX660 or a new GTX1050 or even a used hd5770 . On a different direction , you say the PSU is more than capable , so would it therefore not be possible to modify the PSU to have more connectors ? It seems to be a smarter solution than to replace the PSU . My self I have little expertise , but know people that do .
 
Sure. Someone with skills could easily modify the wiring to have more connectors. Alternatively, you could get a card that requires an 8-pin and use a 6 to 8 pin adapter on the Dell 6-pin connector. Which is what I have done with this box. Been running RX 480 with 6 to 8 pin adapter for over a year now. And these cards pull about much juice as a GTX1080.
 
I have a T3500 sitting at home right now just as a simple file/media server. Mine just has a 9800GT in it because anything else would be overkill. I did throw in an X5687 though and it runs Win10 fantastically. These T3500s are still very useful for today despite their age.
 
Price on used X5687 has dropped below $45 on eBay. They give these boxes a nice boost. Typically see 20% jump in Firestrike scores over exact same configuration running W3565.

I thought some 760s came with one 6 pin?
Perhaps one of the mini cards, though ones I have seen have an 8-pin. The nVidia reference spec is two 6-pin. Upper end 760s are 6-pin + 8-pin.
 
Price on used X5687 has dropped below $45 on eBay. They give these boxes a nice boost. Typically see 20% jump in Firestrike scores over exact same configuration running W3565.

Perhaps one of the mini cards, though ones I have seen have an 8-pin. The nVidia reference spec is two 6-pin. Upper end 760s are 6-pin + 8-pin.

Could get a dual 6 pin card and a 6pin splitter.
 
Still feel the prices on Xeons for this socket are kept artificially high . Most of those available come from China , but occasionally from Israel , which are cheaper , but sell out quickly ( maybe the Chinese buy them up ) . Was looking for a X5650 though my W3565 is coping well at the moment .
 
Still feel the prices on Xeons for this socket are kept artificially high . Most of those available come from China , but occasionally from Israel , which are cheaper , but sell out quickly ( maybe the Chinese buy them up ) . Was looking for a X5650 though my W3565 is coping well at the moment .

Look for non buy it now ones
 
Still feel the prices on Xeons for this socket are kept artificially high . Most of those available come from China , but occasionally from Israel , which are cheaper , but sell out quickly ( maybe the Chinese buy them up ) . Was looking for a X5650 though my W3565 is coping well at the moment .
Look for non buy it now ones
X5650. Buy it now. $28.63 shipped. Offered from New Hampshire.

>> https://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-Xeon...104382&hash=item33dd8731fe:g:0BEAAOSwTmtaNyv2
 
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Well ,I bought a GTX660 , really should have measured it first ! Not enough clearance under the hard disk tray ( the six pin GPU power connector is really at fault - if only they had made it horizontal instead of vertical ! ) , if I remove the offending part ( the removable part of the tray ) I will lose the space for the 2nd hard disk , I believe . Maybe I will have to get a 1050 , and sell the 660 . One question I have is this unit was designed for two cards , but only has one 6 pin power cable , so the cards originally authorised for use took only power from the slot ?
 
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Yes, it was designed for 2 cards 225W or less in total but larger single GPU units did take the power.. FWIW, dual slot cards would not work in tandem on a 3500 chassis. Too close ( and SLI not supported, Crossfire is ). As for the hard drive door, just remove the screws and pull the top off. There is still 2 3.5" bays in the front. one behind the vent and one below it. Also there is a spare 5.25" which you can put a 3.5-5.25 adapter in

What I did was use a dual 2.5" bracket on the lower HD mount and then used an SSD and a reclaimed laptop drive because I had it. Then I have 2 more drives in the 3.5" spaces.. Mine has an MSI GTX 1060 6GB in it and I used an 8 pin adapter. 0 issues with this box and it kills 1080P at ultra
 
That's the same one I used in my T3500. Works just fine on the factory 525W power supply and my 1060
 
I quite like the hard drive door , looked at the possibility of relocating to the normal position , but it does not seem to be possible - cannot see any screw holes , not really sure though . Measured the GTX 660 L=220 , GTX1050 L=191 , as there is no power cable the 1050 should be a breeze . The GTX760 @ L = 295 is a bit of a monster . That splitter cable looks neat though .
I am not looking for an expensive gaming rig , in the last year I have progressed from 2gb to 4gb RAM ,and 6 gb to 12 gb RAM. Graphics from bench of 19 to 119 and so the 660 will be a huge step up from there and the 1050 a little higher , between 7 to 30 % greater than the 660 depending on which benchmark you read .
 
Dells use quick latches. To put stuff in the top bays you have to pull the front aluminum panel off ( there is latches ), then the front fascia on the top comes off and then there is latches that grab the drives in the front somehow. It's been almost a year since I've had mine apart that far so I don't quite remember how it works, but it does.

That said, the 1050 will be decent in your T3500. But for sure, you can run a much better card if you wanted

I would use a 1050 TI mini. It's slower clocked than a 1050 but you can bump it with Afterburner or the like if you wanted.
https://jet.com/product/detail/a494...V2KEJ_P_jSqAovT_CRO-COq75YtdDLfRoCdiAQAvD_BwE
 
matt167 The top bay panel is a marvel of engineering , one that I have yet to understand how to remove . There is always something new to amaze me with this Dell case !
mnewxcv The 1050 ti is indeed much faster , but also 56% more expensive ( where I am anyway ) for a 30% power gain . At the end of the day you have to set some limit or end up with an insanely expensive card . I would have been happy with the 660 ( IF it fitted straight in ) , so will be more than satisfied with the 1050 ( saying that , a GTX260 would be a huge step up ! ) .
 
Once cast aluminum front panel is moved upward and off, removing the black plastic front drive cover to gain access is simply a matter of sliding the entire spring loaded blue piece downward (toward right in image) which releases the tabs. With case laying on it's side, it can swing downward, and will likely just pop off by itself. To mount a 2.5" drive you affix two screws on the left side, slide drive into the slot, then use two more screws on the right side to tighten things up. All shown in image below.
 

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Once cast aluminum front panel is moved upward and off, removing the black plastic front drive cover to gain access is simply a matter of sliding the entire spring loaded blue piece downward (toward right in image) which releases the tabs. With case laying on it's side, it can swing downward, and will likely just pop off by itself. To mount a 2.5" drive you affix two screws on the left side, slide drive into the slot, then use two more screws on the right side to tighten things up. All shown in image below.

Well I figured out relocating the 2 TB to the conventional position ( with much appreciated help ) , quite neat that Dell supply the special screws located behind the black front panel . I have removed the portion of the hard drive swing arm and finally installed the GTX 660 , which after using the Quadro FX 570 is a huge step up .
One question I have is how to mount another HDD under the DVD ROM , there must be a special caddy I think . I also mounted two 80 mm fans at the rear of the case .
 
Your talking about putting a 3.5" drive in a 5.25" space. For that requirement these cheap brackets fit and work great. They are not specific to Dell but fit just fine
 
You can use those spacer brackets in the 5.25" bay. Or you can squeeze a 2nd drive below the one you just installed. May be a black plastic piece to remove - slides forward and out. It's likely for an optional accessory we will never see. Will only be able to use one mount screw per side of the drive which should not be an issue unless you are transporting the box.

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In my gaming T3500 I eliminated the swing out HDD caddy altogether and put both drives up top in the manner described. That, short SATA cables, and bringing the power cables up top really cleans up the wiring.
 
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Just been out looking locally for one of those spacer brackets , 5 shops and a Lot of explaining later I ended up with nothing . Have to spread my net wider , I have two drives at present , 320 GB for the OS in the swing out panel and a 2 TB in the conventional place and I need to fit the original drive to extract the Data ( assuming it is not corrupted ) . The GTX 660 is working , so far , in excess of my expectations .
 
Computer stuff is almost never found local. Hard drives and graphics cards are all that is worth stocking unless you find a shop building computers
 
I have two drives at present , 320 GB for the OS in the swing out panel and a 2 TB in the conventional place and I need to fit the original drive to extract the Data ( assuming it is not corrupted )
If I read that correctly, you only need connect third drive long enough to extract the data. Why not connect the now unused cables, and let it sit beside the case with side panel off temporarily? Hold in place with duct tape if need be. We won''t tell anyone :sneaky:
 
tHAT
If I read that correctly, you only need connect third drive long enough to extract the data. Why not connect the now unused cables, and let it sit beside the case with side panel off temporarily? Hold in place with duct tape if need be. We won''t tell anyone :sneaky:
That sounds like a good idea
 
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