What’s a good, cheap, no external power GPU to buy for VMs? Want to chuck a few in my Dell R730 server to make my desktop VMs more usable. Right now have an old K620 for a Windows VM, seems like 1030s are a good bet since I have a bunch of low profile slots I otherwise have no use for.

  • scaryboat@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Intel arc a380 would be a good option, especially if you’re interested in av1 encoding. I know asrock recently showed off a low profile a380, don’t know if it’s available yet tho

  • JustEnoughDucks@feddit.nl
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    1 year ago

    If you are debating on eventually doing a media server, Arc 380 is small form factor, no external power, crushes all encoding benchmarks, and only $150. Plenty of good used card options from a few generations back like some mid-tier gpus, but pretty future-proof as far as server performance if you have kernel 6.3+

    Edit for anyone later: ARC sucks ass right now for gaming on linux as intel devs are 90% windows focused. Don’t take this advice for a desktop GPU

    • SirNuke@kbin.socialOP
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      1 year ago

      @JustEnoughDucks I am planning on getting an Intel Arc for my Jellyfin server at some point. Have an old Dell SFF with a 8700 that I think I’ll eventually stuff into a 2U chassis. It’s probably overkill for my VM server though, since the VMs really just need to not lag in desktop application work (aka IntelliJ) and play Youtube videos without obvious framing.

  • redcalcium@lemmy.institute
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    1 year ago

    I think the best slot powered GPU you can buy right now is a second-hand RTX A2000, specifically the 6GB VRAM version. It’s too expensive brand new, especially the 12GB version. But you might be lucky enough to grab a used one on the cheap.

    • SirNuke@kbin.socialOP
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      1 year ago

      @TrenchcoatFullofBats I think this is the winning answer. Looks like it’s about a 1060 6GB, which should be enough horsepower for several desktop VMs, and keeps open my full profile slots should I ever want to install something even more powerful in the future. vGPU support is also nice so I don’t have to juggle which VM gets which GPU.

  • Nugget@lemm.ee
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    1 year ago

    I’ve been using a Quadro P600 for encoding without issue. It seems to be able to handle everything I throw at it, though I never do any crazy multi-streams. I got it for about $80.

    Edit: I was too excited to reply. I have no idea if it’s good for driving a normal desktop VM. Sorry if this isn’t helpful!

  • Nilz@sopuli.xyz
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    1 year ago

    1030’s can be both low profile and passively cooled. They are cheap but their performance is quite low. I think it’s slower then modern integrated graphics. 1650’s are also available without external power.

    On AMD’s side you can go for either a Radeon 460 or a Radeon Pro WX 5100. I think those 4 are your best options.

    Edit: I think as someone else commented the RX 6400 might be the best option nowadays.

  • SirNuke@kbin.socialOP
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    1 year ago

    Actually I lied, according to the Dell manual the full profile slots have a connector that provides PCIe power though I’d have to buy a cable for it. Long term the answer might be to get a used V100 and dive deep into the vGPU rabbit hole (erp).

  • Shrek@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Nvidia RTX 4090 ti.

    Obviously a joke. I’d love to see some good suggestions here too ☺️