Graphics Card

[timlab]

I'm old school computers, therefore, I ask to be forgiven. I recently purchased a HP Z220 I7 16 GB of RAM with a integrated graphics card with a Intel HD Graphics 4000 (you can see all the specs here: https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c03364712) . I have to say "I Love It". But that is not while I'm here, I'm here to learn a little and need assistance in getting a half way graphics card (PCI-e). Why do I want one, will the on board one does well with OBS (something I'm learning how to do, thanks to streaming and TV as if I tape it, I would want to get past all the commercials). But I have 1 game I do very much enjoy playing, but I have to use "Bluestacks" to play it. Now Bluestacks loads fine, but when I get the game to install, the graphics are very bad and sometimes, not even there.
My son did ask me to get a ASUS PH-GT1030-O2G GeForce GT 1030 2GB Phoenix Fan OC Edition HDMI DVI Graphics Card, so I did, put it in, and it worked like a charm, up to the point that OBS didn't work for me. My game worked great, but OBS didn't like it. After some research on it, I found out that OBS likes to have a card that can do NVIDIA NVENC
or NVIDIA NVENC H.264. I believe it's called hardware encoding. So I made the choice of sending back the Graphics Card and using the integrated card.

Now this is where I need the help at. I have a PSU that is 400 watts. Not willing to change it out. I'm not sure if it has a 6 pin or 8 pin or neither. I do know that I have a plug inside (from the power supply) that is used to plug in a hard drive (during my time (I'm not that old yet)). So with this information, does anyone have any clue on the type of PCI-e Graphics Card I could purchase that doesn't require this extra power, and can do NVIDIA NVENC or NVIDIA NVENC H.264 for less that $175.00?

[hydra3333]

Don't expect much, if anything at all, from a GT 1030 2GB as it is a VERY low spec video card with almost no memory.

A low power PSU, you won't be able to to install anything "big".

I had an old 1050Ti which worked "well enough" for h.264 encoding if you weren't too fussy, and it didn't need an external power connector but that depended on the brand/model I bought rather than the 1050Ti designation (I was willing to live with lower performance by not having the extra power available). Try googling in a few well-known computer stores in your location for local makes/models/prices/features, and the models you look at will also tell you the power draw if you look closely enough.

Here's the matrix to give you a kick start :
https://developer.nvidia.com/video-encode-decode-gpu-support-matrix
Notice a 1050Ti is probably the lowest "newish but definitely not new tech" thing you're likely to find with a reasonable nvenc.

Once you find something you like, try googling the make/model for user reviews so you don't buy a lemon.

edit: mine was a ASUS-STRIX-GTX1050TI-O4G-GAMING but you'd need to check its power draw and calculate what load is already on your system to see if it can handle adding it in

edit 2: do you know if "OBS" is fussy about which card ? if it is, you have limited choices right there

edit 3: a simple google also yielded this https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/gtx-1050ti-and-power-need.3269136/

[usually_quiet]

I would also suggest looking at the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti. It has relatively low power requirements and is the least expensive 10xx card that can do NVENC.

I found a few examples while looking at newegg.com that are within your budget and powered strictly via the PCI-e slot, with no PSU connector included:
https://www.newegg.com/msi-geforce-gtx-1050-ti-gtx-1050-ti-4gt-lp/p/N82E16814137081?It...82E16814137081
https://www.newegg.com/msi-geforce-gtx-1050-ti-gtx-1050-ti-4gt-oc/p/N82E16814137055?It...82E16814137055
https://www.newegg.com/gigabyte-geforce-gtx-1050-ti-gv-n105toc-4gd/p/N82E16814125915?I...82E16814125915

They are rated at 75W TDP and the required PSU wattage was less than 400W. However, one tester noted that the peak wattage for his card during a UHD/4k rendering demo was 84W so 400W may be cutting it close.

[hydra3333]

+1