Wow ok that changes things. Gonna have to rethink my approach now.

So I've been messing with SFF builds for years and honestly, heat is ur biggest enemy in those slim cases. I actually went the used route for my last HTPC build because the new budget LP market was kinda stagnant for a while, and I wanted the most bang for my buck!!! - NVIDIA RTX A2000: If u can find one of these refurbished or on the second-hand market for around $240, jump on it. It’s basically a professional-grade RTX 3060 that only draws 70W. It’s way faster than the 1650 ur considering and handles video encoding like a champ.
- MSI GeForce GTX 1650 4GT LP OC: This is a solid "safe" choice if u want something brand new. It's quiet, reliable for 1080p, and usually fits even the tightest cases without any issues. Tbh, whatever card u pick, I highly recommend looking into undervolting. It keeps the temps down and prevents those tiny fans from sounding like a vacuum cleaner lol. Good luck with the build!!!

Hey there, caught this thread and wanted to jump in because LP cards are a bit of a niche minefield. Before I dive into specific benchmarks, do you know the exact wattage of your power supply and if it has any 6-pin or 8-pin power cables? Most of those slim HTPC cases are limited to 180W-240W, which really narrows down your options to cards that pull all their power directly from the PCIe slot (75W max). If you're trying to stay under that $250 limit and need something for video editing, you might want to consider the Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3050 OC Low Profile 6G. I know people complain about the 6GB VRAM compared to the full-sized cards, but for an SFF build, its 70W TGP is a lifesaver for thermals. It runs entirely off the motherboard power. It supports newer codecs which helps a ton with those light video editing tasks you mentioned. Its way more efficient than the older MSI GeForce GTX 1650 4GT LP OC, and youll get much better driver support for newer titles. Just keep in mind that the memory bus is narrower, so it's strictly a 1080p card, but it fits the budget perfectly.

It really depends on your budget and needs. If you want recent gen, the RTX 4060 has some low profile variants hitting the market. For more budget-friendly options, look at the AMD RX 6400 or Intel Arc A380 low profile versions. Consider your power supply limitations too - some SFF builds have weak PSUs that can't handle higher-end cards.