dedicated PSU for a GPU?

hodgenutts · 01-06-2013, 09:04 AM

Has anyone ever had experience wither one of these dedicated GPU PSU's such as....

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817206001

lehtv · 01-06-2013, 09:08 AM

There are 11 customer reviews in there, did you check those out?

What sort of info are you looking for?

It would also help to know what setup you're considering getting one for.

hodgenutts · 01-06-2013, 07:33 PM

i read the reviews. They seemed ok but limmited on what they used the PSU for.

I ordered this micro atx case becuaus with I got it with the 400 watt PSU delivered for only $29...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811237028

I already have an i3 530 cpu laying around so was going to get a micro atx motherboard for around $45 and throw it in the case. Looking to make a small spare rig I can take with me on military trips and plug int flat panel TV's and be able to game at 1080p resolution with "eye candy" turned on. Anyway I didn't know how powerful the cheap 400 Watt PSU that came in the case really would be. It is a SFX 400 watt PSU. So anyway I thought about leaving out an optical drive and installing the GPU PSU...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...&Tpk=visiontek

to power a GPU if the SFX 400 watt PSU that comes in the case wasn't powerful enough.
I was thinking of going with a HD 7850 or GTX 660.

Red Squirrel · 01-06-2013, 08:10 PM

450w... $19? I'd be curious to do a load test with voltage monitoring on that to see how it holds out. That price seems too good to be true.

hodgenutts · 01-06-2013, 08:33 PM

it's on sale, it normally isn't $19, that's why I was thinking about jumping.

Zap · 01-07-2013, 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hodgenutts

Anyway I didn't know how powerful the cheap 400 Watt PSU that came in the case really would be. It is a SFX 400 watt PSU.

I would start by looking at the photo which shows the PSU label. I see it has 20A of +12v power, giving it 240W. I would assume that to be close to the true wattage.

What games will you be playing? You can probably run a Radeon 7750 on that PSU. Topower is kind of "meh" for their low end stuff, but probably not as horrible as some other low end stuff on the market. Past that GPU and you may even be CPU limited with your gen1 Core i3.

lehtv · 01-07-2013, 01:26 PM

Agree with Zap. 7750 seems like a good match for your components.

I kind of agree that a 7850 seems tempting even though it wouldn't always perform at full capacity due to the CPU. But I wouldn't be comfortable running it on that PSU, and I wouldn't want an additional "juicebox" either...

Zap · 01-07-2013, 02:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lehtv

I wouldn't want an additional "juicebox" either...

... and I agree with lehtv.

Not that it would matter with this particular product since the cable stays attached, but I used to have an FSP Booster x3 which was similar. It used a detachable cable that was not a normal PSU cable (I think it was like those 2-pin notebook cords). I once showed up to a LAN party without it.

Good thing it was around 10 miles away from home.

dawp · 01-08-2013, 01:43 AM

you may want to check the review of the epower version of this unit.

http://hardocp.com/article/2011/01/2...upply_review/9

it didn't do too well.

why risk your video card which tend to be among the most expensive parts in your computer?

just get a decent power supply that will run your whole system without an issue.

lavaheadache · 01-08-2013, 10:56 AM

I'm going to use it just to attach one of the 8 pins to one of my cards.

I tried overclocking my lightnings and was getting random crashes at 1200mhz which they can do rock solid otherwise

hodgenutts · 01-08-2013, 02:05 PM

Having trouble finding a 450 watt psu that fits the case, that's why I was thinking og going this route...

ElFenix · 01-08-2013, 03:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hodgenutts

Having trouble finding a 450 watt psu that fits the case, that's why I was thinking og going this route...

that case should accept any normal sized atx power supply, such as the corsair cx430 that constantly goes on sale for ~$20.

hodgenutts · 01-08-2013, 04:49 PM

I just got the case last night. I'll look at it again, but i'm not sure that a normal atx power supply will fit in it. It came with an SFX PSU, not really sure what the difference is...

The case seems built well. I like the way it's layed out. Just have to get a micro ATX 1156 MOBO for it.

The PSU that came with it says it's rated at 20 amps on the 12V rail... I'm not really sure what to use to test the dependabilty of the PSU.

As I said I just got the case last night. I will see if a normal ATX PSU will fit in it, if so that will make things a lot simpler, but I'm not getting my hopes up :0

On a note, I would like to thank each and everyone of you for your time and advice. I knew comming up with a mobile small form factor gaming rig wouldn't be simple on a budget, but figured it be worth the try. All your help is much appreciated

ElFenix · 01-09-2013, 04:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hodgenutts

I just got the case last night. I'll look at it again, but i'm not sure that a normal atx power supply will fit in it. It came with an SFX PSU, not really sure what the difference is...

so it seems. here i'd thought all uATX cases could take ATX power supplies. doesn't look like there's much room in there either. and you're very limited in terms of sfx supplies that would fit. the seasonic 350 watt is probably the best under $50 that you'd be able to find
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817151063

you could even run a 7850 off it.

i dunno whether a return and buying something else is possible, but if so, you may be better served by something like a coolermaster elite 361 case, which accepts full sized atx components but cuts down on size by mounting the power supply at the front of the case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119262

hodgenutts · 01-10-2013, 12:19 AM

I wonder if the seasonic could gtx 660 or gtx 660 ti I'd I used a ssd instead of a hhd...

lehtv · 01-10-2013, 01:29 AM

The Seasonic unit's +12v output is rated 312W. No PCIe connectors are included but it should handle a GTX 660 or 7850 fine using a molex to PCIe adapter

Zap · 01-10-2013, 02:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hodgenutts

Having trouble finding a 450 watt psu that fits the case.

Silverstone sells a 450W SFX that is modular and 80Plus Gold for around $100.

Otherwise, Silverstone and FSP sells 450W SFX 80Plus Bronze for around $70 or so. FSP also sells a 400W version for a bit less. FSP/Silverstone/Lian Li/Fractal Design all sell the same 300W SFX PSU too.