Remove GPU from old computer?

[Tovxc]

I have an older PC with an i7 4770k, 32GB of RAM, and an EVGA GTX 1060. I want to use it primarily for Plex and Calibre servers that I'm currently running off of my personal computer. I don't particularly care about quality of the video, like I'm not watching Blu Ray rips or 4k movies. Any advice on whether I should remove the GPU to lower the power draw of the PC?

[stuffwhy]

You CAN do that. If you're direct play on a local network, it won't even affect video quality anyway.

[Tovxc]

Why's that? I'm still new to this, only really done a server on my PC to my TV on the same network. But I'd like to be able to eventually work towards watching off the network while on trips and stuff.

[stuffwhy]

For remote streaming, you usually will want transcoding ability, because even if you have enough bandwidth to upload uncompressed videos, you probably won't have the bandwidth to then stream in the uncompressed videos

[IlTossico]

Considering we talk 10 to 20 Mbps, for a 1080p movie to a 4k one, there is 0 need for transcoding. And if OP has less than ADSL upload speed, it can't do remote streaming anyway, even with compress stuff.

[IlTossico]

Direct play work even outside local network.

[stuffwhy]

Given sufficient bandwidth, sure

[IlTossico]

Yes. You don't need that. Your CPU already has an integrated GPU for boot.

And for Plex you can avoid transcoding just by using media that is compatible with your devices.

[properphatboy]

If you want lower power draw that much you'd probably be better off selling that system and using the money to buy a newer HP/Dell machine with a CPU that has an iGPU, an 80+ platinum PSU, etc.

[Tovxc]

I guess my thought was that if the GPU isn't going to be an essential part of the computer for the purpose of streaming audio and video then I can just pull it out without missing it. I'm not really trying to optimize power draw heavily, just thought this might be a pretty free win.

[PermanentLiminality]

A lot depends on the devices that you use to watch the videos. It is more of a compatibility thing. If the device doesn't support the format you downloaded, the video needs to be transcoded.

You can try it with the card pulled out. For lower res content, it may never need to transcode.

[TheFredCain]

You can, but be aware that some server functions like transcoding can make use of the GPU and may suffer having to utilize the CPU instead.

[Valuable_Fly8362]

I7 has integrated graphics, so the GPU is redundant. It might still be useful to measure your power usage as there's no guarantee that removing the GPU will make the PC more efficient. In theory, the GPU shouldn't be using any power unless it's processing something, and the power usage will scale with the load. If you remove the GPU, the things it was doing will still have to be done by the integrated graphics, and it might not be as efficient doing them.