Is there a way to power a GPU from an AC power outlet?

I bought a new video card (Nvidia GTX 560) to play battlefield 3, unfortunetly my PSU cannot support it because i play the game for about a minute before the whole computer shuts down. I was told by a friend that I would need a PSU rated at least 500 watts. I had an idea, is it possible to get an adapter for the video card to plug it into the wall outlet? [since that would be cheaper than a new PSU]

560 video nvidia gtx gpu card psu

asked Jan 05 '12 at 09:41

iGeek3
1.6k●39●49●72

4 Answers:

oldest newest most voted

No that is not possible, depending on your PSU wattage you can actually downclock or remove some components to bring the wattage down. I did that when I was missing like 50 watts of power to drive my gfx card and it worked.

answered Jan 05 '12 at 14:53

Yarvaxea
4.0k●56●72●113

could you give examples of which components i might want to downclock or remove?

(Jan 05 '12 at 15:33) iGeek3

your not going to be saving much, you would only save a few watts (unless your CPU is overclocked) maximum you would save disconnecting all the drive is about 10-15watts.

it's not going to be enough to support your system when it's under load.

(Jan 05 '12 at 15:35) roguekiller23231

Well downclocking the GPU is the most efficient since it uses the most power. But don't bother downclocking anything unless you have a PSU of 400-450W. If you have lower than that I don't think you can run it.

(Jan 05 '12 at 17:26) Yarvaxea

0	the adapter is the PSU, you cant bypass it with a diffrent method. you have to have a PSU that will covert the power and power the graphics card and computer. answered Jan 05 '12 at 15:16 roguekiller23231 4.2k●72●104●142

0	PSUs really aren't that expensive.... especially compared to a GTX 560. I would recommend this power supply: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341017 After a rebate, it's only $50; half of what it's retailed for! answered Jan 05 '12 at 16:13 catchatyou 20.7k●89●165●383

0	Yes, such an adapter exists. It goes for around $50-100 and it's called a Power Supply. Note it need not necessarily be the same PSU as is powering the system itself. answered Jan 05 '12 at 16:26 tsilb 21.0k●65●199●333 edited Jan 05 '12 at 16:26

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Asked: Jan 05 '12 at 09:41

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Last updated: Jan 05 '12 at 17:26

Is there a way to power a GPU from an AC power outlet?

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