need to install GTX1060/1070 in Z240 Tower Workstation

[question1212]

Hello, 

Problem:  Client claims that  CAD Software  SketchUp Pro 2018   is slow in daily usage.   (probably due to the installed P1000)

We have  3 x Z240 Tower with this specs:

CPU: i7 7700k, RAM: 16GB DDR4, 
GPU (Grafik): NVIDIA Quadro P1000 4GB
SSD

Software Manufactorer    SketchUP recomends  Geforce GTX 1060/1070 

Is there a technical reason to use only the original HP GFX Cards? (beside warranty?)

Do you think we can use a 3rd Party GTX 1060  also From ASUS or PNY?

Do you think there will be problem in connection with Space inside the Chassis?

Do you think there will be a problem due to missing power connect between Powersupply, Mainboard oder Gfx?

https://www.videocardbenchmark.net/high_end_gpus.html

No AMD Radeon

https://www.sketchup3d.de/produkt/system-voraussetzungen/

https://www.sketchup3d.de/service/faq/#01

Thx, best regards

[DGroves]

the p1000 card draws it's power (47 watts) from the pci-e bus and has no external power jacks on the card

https://www.nvidia.com/content/dam/en-zz/Solutions/design-visualization/productspage/quadro/quadro-d...

the 1060/1070 cards require considerably more power (120 watt for the 1060)  than the pci-e bus 75 watt limit and as such have GPU aux power jacks on the card(s)

https://www.geforce.co.uk/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gtx-1060/specifications

the z240 power supply  is only 400 watts

http://h20195.www2.hp.com/v2/GetDocument.aspx?docname=c04760707

now it's time you start doing  the research to answer your question,

the links provided above give you all of the necessary information required to answer your posted question(s)  to your satisfaction in regards to the video card

my personal recommendation is that you tell your client to replace the current z240 (which is a low end spec system) which  is not really designed for cad/cam usage due to it's limited expansion options in regards to video upgrades

the fastest card you can install is the low profile nvidia GTX 750TI 2gb card model that does not come with a GPU pwr connector (some do, some don't)

https://www.nvidia.com/gtx-700-graphics-cards/?m=gtx-750ti

or the nvidia 1050 which is also available in a low profile model that does not require a GPU Aux pwr connector

note that for your client the cards onboard memory is also important so the 4gb model is the only one to consider

[BambiBoomZ]

Question1212,

Sketchup Pro is currently my principal 3D modeling software for architectural work.

I've used the following GPU's on z420's (3) and z620's (2):

Quadro K2200

Quadro K4200

Quadro P2000

GTX 660 Ti

GTX 1060 3GB

GTX 1060 6GB (current)

GTX 1070 Ti  8GB (current)

I've been looking for yet another GPU upgrade and the serious contender is the new RTX 2070 Super but my preference would be the Quadro RTX 4000.  I think Sketchup has some limitations in memory usage and limited muti-threading.

I've never been satisfied with performance, even on the office's main system:

HP z620_2 (2017) (R7) > Xeon E5-1680 v2 (8-core@ 4.3GHz) / z420 Liquid Cooling / 64GB DDR3-1866 ECC Reg / Quadro P2000 5GB + GTX 1070 Ti 8GB (MSI Aero)/ HP Z Turbo Drive M.2 256GB AHCI + Samsung 970 EVO M.2 NVMe 500GB + HGST 7K6000 4TB /  825W PSU /> HP OEM Windows 7 Prof.’l 64-bit > 2X Dell Ultrasharp U2715H (2560 X 1440)

[ Passmark Rating = 6280 / CPU rating = 17178 / 2D = 819 / 3D= 12629 / Mem = 3002 / Disk = 13751 / Single Thread Mark = 2368 [10.23.18]

I'd mention that as Sketchup does not use viewports, and if the 10-bit color support is not necessary or if there are no other viewport- applications, then a Quadro is not necessary. Consider a GTX with a 8GB, 256-bit  bandwidth as  optimal and go from there according to power supply, space, and budget limitations.

In all these experiments, I never noticed a strong improvement from a GPU: it was always a faster single thread performance from the CPU.  This was made apparent recently.  I was using a GTX 660 Ti in a z420 with a Xeon E5-1620 v2.  However, the SKP performance was a problem in that the z420 secondary system with a 40" 4K monitor would not open a 192MB SKP building model.  I changed to the GTX 1060 3GB and no noticeable improvement. The real improvements occurred, first when changing from 16GB of RAM to 64GB - it seems the system needed 37GB total to open the project and then when changing the CPU to a Xeon E5-1650 v2 which I could overclock to 4.3GHz on all 6-cores, using the free Intel Extreme Tuning Utility ("XTU").  The Passmark single-thread rating changed from 2089 to 2384.  I then changed to a GTX 1060 6GB and that SKP performance is quite good.

Sorry for all the history, but this is to support my contention that with large files, no system will make SKP  really shift pixels.

The system spec mentioned using an i7-7700K to me seems a very good platform for SKP. The highest rated z240 on Passmark using the i7-7700k is:

Rating= 6820  CPU=12549   2D=1091 (Quadro P4000)  3D =12462   Memory= 3266 (64GB)    Disk=15830 ( Samsung PM961 1Tb NVMe)

The 7700K .4.5 Turbo is excellent but is it can be overclocked that's even better, and if the projects are quite large, consider having at least 32GB RAM.  As it happens, the GTX 1060 6GB has a minimum power supply spec of 400W - it uses one 6-pin, so that would work.  I don't think there is anything above a 1060 6GB that will run on the 400W PSU. although there are two systems using a GTX 1070 and two using a GTX 970. The GTX 970 spec is for a minimum 500W PSU, suggesting what I've long believed about HP WS is that the power supply ratings are conservative and they can run above their rating.  It appears that Quadro P2000 is the most popular card and those run without a supplemental power connection. Also, check the dimensions before buying and keep in mind that a blower style card is preferable in smaller form factor case as the air flow is not as efficient. If it uses double or triple interior venting fans, it will heat the CPU and everything else.

I wish I could provide clear and effective upgrade recommendations, but through many iterations of 5 systems, I've never been able to achieve what I feel is satisfactory performance in Sketchup. 

I'm currently test driving Rhino 6,..

BambiBoomZ

PS: This is the secondary system:

HP z420_3: (2015) (R11) Xeon E5-1650 v2 (6C@ 4.3GHz) / z420 Liquid cooling / 64GB (8X 8GB DDR3-1866 ECC registered / NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB/ Samsung 860 EVO 500GB + HGST 4TB /  600W PSU > Windows 7 Professional 64-bit (HP OEM ) > Samsung 40" 4K

[Passmark System Rating: = 5644 / CPU = 15293 / 2D = 847 / 3D = 10952 / Mem = 2993 Disk = 4858 /Single Thread Mark = 2384 [6.27.19]