[SOLVED]Most powerful GPU that doesn't require any PCIe plugs.

[RyanGreener]

Well, the topic name says it all. What's the most powerful GPU that doesn't require power from the power supply? I haven't kept up with GPUs lately.

EDIT: Nevermind. Seems like it's the ATi 6670.

 

[Red Hawk]

Yep, the Radeon HD 6670 is currently the best GPU that doesn't require a PCIe power connector. On the Nvidia side the Geforce GT 440 is their best offer, but it's not as good as the 6670. It's not even as good as a last-gen Radeon HD 5670.

 

[jvroig]

Yes, the 6670 is the highest performing reference design that doesn't need a PCIe plug.

I'm sure you are aware of it, but just throwing it out there for clarity, but time and again there are non-reference designs of higher-performing cards that cut down on power and drop the extra PCIe power requirement. The best example I can remember is the 9800GT "green" edition (I can't be sure now, but I remember it was also low profile aside from not needing external power?). More recently, I believe a non-reference 5750 also followed suit.

Haven't seen any in the 6xxx or corresponding nV series any non-reference card to do such a thing, but who knows, so if you or anyone else is looking for the absolute best performing card without the need for PCIe power, a little window shopping might be a good course of action.

 

[Saico]

AFOX and Powercolor released their non-reference versions of 6850. They don't need any additional power.

 

[jvroig]

Welcome to the forums, Saico :thumbsup:

Thanks for dropping by and registering just to give us a heads up.

I tried searching for that Powercolor 6850 in their own site. They have a few versions of it, but the closest I can get was the single-slot edition - but according to the specs page, it still needs one PCIe power. I skipped the "game" editions (COD edition, DIRT3 edition, etc) so maybe I missed it there. Or maybe the specs page is wrong - after all, maybe they just copy-pasted it from the reference card.

 

[Saico]

Hello, jvroig.

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1593859
It looks like I was fooled by rumors. Powercolor single slot 6850 still requires additional 6-pin connector. That leaves only one option - AFOX.

 

[jvroig]

Ah, that explains it.

I googled AFOX, that's amazing, it is indeed just powered by the PCIe slot alone. Haven't really read the reviews, I'm just assuming some underclocking was necessary (IIRC, this was also a necessity with the "green" 9800GT cards), but I suppose it would still be faster than a 6670 (otherwise why bother with shipping a card like that).

 

[StrangerGuy]

Just because a card has the PCIE connector doesn't mean it will draw a lot more power than without.

 

[Red Storm]

Damn, a single slot, PCIe slot powered 6850? That card looks nice. Maybe it's time to upgrade this 5670.

 

[Sheninat0r]

Just because a card has the PCIE connector doesn't mean it will draw a lot more power than without.

The main concern probably isn't power draw but the fact that his PSU has no PCI-e plugs, and he doesn't want to sacrifice two molex cables to use an adapter.