Graphics Card Compatibility Aspire TC-885-UR19

MMK360
MMK360 Member Posts: 35 Enthusiast WiFi Icon
edited March 1 in 2019 Archives
I would like to buy and install a small form factor graphics card like the GeForce® GTX 1060 Mini ITX pictured below in my Acer Aspire TC-885-UR19 for full virtual reality capability.


I have a power supply that I can upgrade with so that is not an issue I am seeking support on. If swapping out power supplies makes support staff or other community members uncomfortable answering, here is a picture of the Zotac GTX 1650 due to be released on April 22 which might be VR ready. It uses less than 75W, doesn't have a PCI power cable connector, and has a reccomended power of only 300 watts, which is exactly what this computer has as a stock power supply.


My concern is if dual slot cards like the ones pictured above would even fit over the short, white, PCI-E slot or would the slot block cards like those and force me to use a single slot card; none of which are available on the market that are VR ready?


Best Answers

Answers

  • JordanB
    JordanB ACE Posts: 3,729 Pathfinder
    I don't think you'll have any problem with either route you take.  I'll give you a link and a picture (worth a thousand words ;)

    https://www.userbenchmark.com/System/Acer-Aspire-TC-885/93029



    I'm not an Acer employee.
  • MMK360
    MMK360 Member Posts: 35 Enthusiast WiFi Icon
    I am slightly familiar with User Benchmark's site. I'm sure at least a 1060 and most certainly a 1070 will work well with any VR game or program. Not sure about the 1650 and especially the 1650 TI yet because no information about their performances or even specs have been confirmed. Looks like either the 1660 TI or 1070 come the closest to matching the performance of the CPU according to your benchmark picture which is a slight surprise since I was guessing 1660 or even 1060 6GB.

    My question though is if any of these mini-itx cards will fit over the white PCI-E x1 slot on the 885-UR19 motherboard? Obviously, I won't be able to use that slot for bluetooth or anything else but that is ok because I wasn't planning on using it for anything. I would just like to know if it will block a dual slot graphics card? Do those type of cards have sufficient height clearance when installed in the PCI 3 x 16 slot to go over the PCI-E x1 slot?



  • JordanB
    JordanB ACE Posts: 3,729 Pathfinder
    edited April 2019 Answer ✓
    I can't tell you with 100% certainty that the mini-itx cards that you referenced won't hit the PCI-E x1 slot, but I can tell you that someone with an EVGA 1060 in link below didn't have any problem.  Use the link I gave you in my previous post to help you.  You'll need to click on the link.  And then study the info.

    Here's the EVGA example.  It's a double slot card.  If you purchase a card that's not in the big userbenchmark list that I gave you, and it doesn't fit, then just send it back to the seller.  But the list I gave you has a ton of cards.  You'll need to spend some time studying them all and do some detective work.  Use your mouse and left click on the links.

    https://www.amazon.com/d/Computer-Graphics-Cards/EVGA-GeForce-Support-Graphics-03G-P4-6160-KR/B01IPVSGEC?th=1

    https://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/12572279




    https://www.userbenchmark.com/System/Acer-Aspire-TC-885/93029






    I'm not an Acer employee.
  • MMK360
    MMK360 Member Posts: 35 Enthusiast WiFi Icon
    Thank you very much for confirming that these cards will fit over the PCI-E x1 slot.

    Also, thank you for letting me know that longer cards are an option. Do you have an idea of the maximum length of a card that will fit in a TC-885 computer?
  • JordanB
    JordanB ACE Posts: 3,729 Pathfinder
    Answer ✓
    I don't know the max length.  On my desktop, I had to get out a tape measure to measure.   I wouldn't recommend a card over 10.5 inches as you might run in to heat problems as the hot air may not be able to escape/circulate fast enough from inside your TC-885 case.  I would try to keep the card under 11 inches in length. 

    I know a 10.5 inch card will fit because this person is using a 10.5 inch card.

    https://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/11594757

    https://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-Support-Graphics-08G-P4-6173-KR/dp/B01GX5YWAO?psc=1&SubscriptionId=AKIAI3VLI6HITR26KCBQ&tag=userbenchmark-20&linkCode=sp1&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B01GX5YWAO










    I'm not an Acer employee.
  • MMK360
    MMK360 Member Posts: 35 Enthusiast WiFi Icon
    That is about 3 inches or 100 milimeters longer than the 169mm (6.65 inch) Gigabyte card in the OP. It is really good to know that some double fan graphics card options might be available. 

    The heat dissipation is poor on mini-itx cards and I believe have their performance slightly throttled because of it. How neccessary is upgrading from the stock CPU cooler if I install a 1060 or better card in that tight and underventilated case? 

  • JordanB
    JordanB ACE Posts: 3,729 Pathfinder
    edited April 2019 Answer ✓
    I think the stock cpu cooler will be totally fine no matter what card you install.

    Those are good points you make about heat disappation, but unfortunately I don't know which is better.  For example, EVGA says their short 1660ti is good for small systems.  It has a bigger heatsink.....however, it also takes up 3 slots (because it's wider) which means you won't have as much clearance at the bottom of the case.  Catch-22.

    I would probably gamble and go with the EVGA 1660ti  (long or short) if I were buying a card for your system.  I don't worry so much about heat, I just don't like loud fan noise due to heat.  See links below.

    https://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-Gaming-Graphics-06G-P4-1263-KR/dp/B07NRD6DH4?th=1

    https://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-Gaming-Graphics-06G-P4-1263-KR/dp/B07N9XNC1B?th=1

    https://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-Gaming-Graphics-06G-P4-1263-KR/dp/B07NBHXKK6?th=1

     https://www.evga.com/products/product.aspx?pn=06G-P4-1267-KR





    I'm not an Acer employee.
  • MMK360
    MMK360 Member Posts: 35 Enthusiast WiFi Icon
    Thank you for confirming that I won't have to perform the dreaded task of removing a CPU just to upgrade its cooler. Too easy to break a pin.

    The 1660TI has only recently been released so there isn't any eBay auction bargains on those used. If I were to go the new card route, I'd probably opt for an RTX 2060 for the ray tracing and DLSS. That is probably the most of a card an 885-UR19 can benefit from without totally wasting money on further upgrade and even that would be pushing it since a 2060 costs about as much as the computer itself.

    I recently seen someone win a Gigabyte 1060 6GB on an eBay auction for $138 and a 1070 for about $50 as well,as a "Buy it now" 1070 for $220. Prices are going to drop further once the 1650 and TI are released Monday. 

    I am considering pulling the 600W Silverstone ST60F-ES from my old computer and putting it in the TC-885. Since it was first manufactured nine years ago would you have any idea if it will support tbis CPU/motherboard combo? The Silverstone tech support answered a question about fitting that I didn't ask because I think I already know it will and hasn't replied in days back about compatibility.

    https://www.silverstonetek.com/downloads/Manual/power/EN-ST70F-ES-ST60F-ES-Manual.pdf

    I haven't opened up the case yet to find out the exact make and model of the stock memory module installed. Crucial and Kingston are the only manufacturers that confirm which of their products are compatible with the TC-885 the former with the UR19 specifically. Both will only confirm a limited amount of modules that are on the very bottom of their 2400 and 2666 modules.

    I would like to select "yes" on your posts answering my questions but am afraid I'll close the thread if I do so I have been waiting until this conversation is over to give you a bunch of yes clicks on each of your posts.

  • JordanB
    JordanB ACE Posts: 3,729 Pathfinder
    edited April 2019 Answer ✓
    Compatible memory from either Crucial or Kingston will work fine no matter what Acer OEM memory you already have installed.  You can check with HWinfo64.

    Your computer uses a standard ATX power supply with dimensions 150mm x 86mm x 140mm.

    If you're on a tight budget, then a lot of people buy this one.

    If you want a better power supply, I would buy this one.

    I don't know if your old Silverstone power supply will work.  I'd probably buy a new power supply.

    A 1650 or 1650ti should work great, but I don't know their power requirements.  I would still probably upgrade the power supply even if the power requirements are only 300 watts, but lots of people use the stock Acer OEM 300 watt.
    I'm not an Acer employee.
  • MMK360
    MMK360 Member Posts: 35 Enthusiast WiFi Icon
    The 1650(TI) is a 75W card with a 300W minimum reccomendation so the stock power supply equals the minimum. I won't know if even the TI version will be a VR ready card until Monday the earliest. Probably won't get it either way.

    I guess you don't know the brand name for the stock memory module(s) for TC-885?
  • JordanB
    JordanB ACE Posts: 3,729 Pathfinder
    edited April 2019 Answer ✓
    It's either Micron (crucial) or Kingston or ADATA. 
    Crucial is the retail arm of Micron.



    You'll be totally fine if you buy compatible Kingston or Crucial memory.

    https://www.kingston.com/us/memory/search?DeviceType=2&Mfr=ACE&Line=Aspire&Model=99012

    https://www.crucial.com/usa/en/compatible-upgrade-for/Acer/aspire-tc-885

    https://www.crucial.com/usa/en/store-truth-about-memory-manufacturers

    I'm not an Acer employee.
  • MMK360
    MMK360 Member Posts: 35 Enthusiast WiFi Icon
    I was just about to say, "thank you for everything" but my OS just got completely corrupted and I cannot even use the "reset this PC" option in recovery manager. Looks like I am out of options short of buying a new Win10 OS since I could not make an external recovery imagine.
  • JordanB
    JordanB ACE Posts: 3,729 Pathfinder
    Answer ✓
    You're welcome.  You can use the vanilla Windows 10 for free.  You can create a USB drive on another PC using Microsoft's media creation tool and try to reset your PC using the USB drive.  Or you can order your recovery media from Acer.  It's up to you.  You can also check out Acer's videos on youtube on how to reset with the Alt+F10 method an lots of other How-To videos.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkYQ_ImHPiY

    https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/windows10

    https://store.acer.com/en-us/extended/recovery

    https://us.answers.acer.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/38535/~/windows-10%3A-recovery-options

    https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/12415/windows-10-recovery-options

    https://au.answers.acer.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/6814
    I'm not an Acer employee.
  • MMK360
    MMK360 Member Posts: 35 Enthusiast WiFi Icon
    None of those free options will work for me except maybe downloading the ISO from Microsoft. Even that can be a challenge to do from an Android phone.

    At least the computer is still under warranty from Acer Recertified. Maybe they'll just send me a recovery image file (DVD or USB) for free since it would be cheaper than shipping it back for repair?
  • JordanB
    JordanB ACE Posts: 3,729 Pathfinder
    Answer ✓
    Yes, give Acer recertified a call and see what they have to say.  Hopefully they'll send you out a USB or DVD at no charge.  But I don't work for Acer and am in no position to help you there or speak on their behalf.
    I'm not an Acer employee.

Categories