Hello.
I am looking to improve the graphics capability of my computer, but it's been about 100 years since I have dabbled in that space. I am specifically desiring a card that supports NVENC for H.265 encoding.
This is my current setup:
Shuttle XPC SZ77R5
CPU : Intel i7-3770K @ 3.50GHz
RAM : 16GB DDR3 (4 x 4GB)
GPU : none, using integrated Intel graphics
Video ports : DVI and HDMI with 2 x 24" monitors connected.
OS : Windows 10 Pro
I bought the Shuttle as a barebones kit with motherboard, and all I have done hardware-wise is add a CPU, RAM and SSD+HDD+BluRay optical drive.
The specs says the m/b supports dual slot graphics cards with its PCI-E x16 3.0 slot, and mentions the GTX680 and Radeon HD7970 as examples. But I imagine those are old cards now. Specs also say the R series cases can support cards up to 27.3cm in length. The PSU is 500W with 6+8 pin power connectors.
Also I read a suggestion that cards that expel hot air out the back might be better due to the limited space in the small case, and the location of the power connectors on the card may also be an issue. Generally, builders and tinkerers from back when this system was new seemed to prefer the GTX cards.
Is there anything I need to be particularly aware of when considering the cards that are available today, or would it be a given that any such cards would not be compatible with my slightly aged system?
Thank you.
EDIT : I forgot to mention budget. If there is anything suitable under $500 I would be very happy.
EDIT EDIT : And if anyone can explain to me how a dual slot card can fit in 1 slot that would be most appreciated.