R730 Server - GPU Recommendations

[nagetech 69]

Howdy everyone! Been a bit since I've last posted here.

 

Recently picked up a R730 server that I will be make into my new emby server. Currently running a T710, and the old girl has served me well.

I was thinking about toying around with putting a GPU in there and play with hardware transcoding.

Figured I'd turn to the wisdom of the masses here and see if someone could point me in the right direction. I did some research, but the information is a bit overwhelming.

 

Looking forward to hearing back from you guys

[Luke 40145]

@sooty234 may have some tips.

[nagetech 69]

Thanks for chiming in as always Luke!

[sooty234 266]

It's only a 2U chassis? The only way I see you getting a GPU in that, is to use a PCIe riser or ribbon extender. Do you have enough space to lay a card down and secure it? And you'd have to use something simple like a GTX 1050, possibly with no bracket and/or modified cooling.

[sooty234 266]

Something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Phanteks-PH-CBRS_FL22-Pci-Adapter-Shielded/dp/B07MFMBG19/ref=sr_1_9?crid=GYAFTE1HXQQN&dchild=1&keywords=pcie+riser&qid=1610944402&sprefix=pcie%2Caps%2C221&sr=8-9

[nagetech 69]

Thanks for the reply! It is a 2u chassis, but it was built to accept video cards. Even has a power point for it on the rear riser. 
 

what I was trying to figure out was, what’s the best bang for buck card  don’t want the bottom of the barrel but don’t want to take out another mortgage. 
 

Thanks!

[sooty234 266]

So the questions that need to be answered are:

1. What's your budget?

2. How much transcoding is required?

[analogking 2]

What cpu or cpus are you using?  You might not need a video card. 

The fans may spin faster after adding a video card.  My poweredge servers from the same generation got louder when I added a fiber channel or usb expansion card.
If sound is an issue, you might want to consider that. You can force them back down, but that may lead to a thermal event.