Dual PSU's - Split load???? will this work???

Jem F

Jem F

Jem F

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23 Jun 2010
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Ok so ive got a Packard bell PC. it has a 250W PSU - I have just bought a 300W one to power a new graphics card. However it doesn't fit in the case so - Can i power the HDD and CD drive off the old 250W PSU and just use the new one for the Motherboard and connect it through a gap in the case - or would I have to run everything off the new one - and put all of the wires through the case? The new one won't fit in the place of the old one.

I mean does the motherboard control all the power quantities - or can i just leave the majority of components with their old PSU?

I know having a PSU on the desk isn't exactly safe - but what I mean is - can you run half the PC of a different PSU or do you have to connect the whole thing to one?
 
If you really must.Leave the old PSU to power the board and the parts connected to it and just use the new PSU to power your new graphics card.
 
In early Tri / Quad SLi setups they needed a second PSU to power the cards in benchmarks so it can be done.
I wouldn't recommend having it sat on your desk as it would be subject to quite a few environmental problems.

I agree that it would be better off to simpley buy a better single PSU, if you can return your 300W one and get your £ back it would be best.

What graphics card do you need to power?
 
well... its probably not the best idea, but it will work. most people will tell you, using budget PSUs like the one that computer shipped with is a pretty bad idea.

If you must do this, you will want to do a bit of re-wiring. On the ATX power cable (the largest one), you will find several black wires, and a single green wire.

On the new PSU: separate the green wire and one of the black wires from the connector. You do not need the rest of the wires, you can cut them a off if you want.

On the old PSU: remove the pins for one of the black wires and the green wire from the connector. Attach the green wire from the new PSU to the pin with the green wire, and the black wire to the pin with the black wire. Do not remove the wires that are already attached. Replace the pins back into the connector.

This will make both PSUs turn on when you press the on button on the computer.
 
OK thanks for the info. The Graphics card says it requires a Min 300W Power Supply - the current PC one is 250W. I didn't wan't to take the old one out before it was broken just because, but I don't really need the combined power.

The problem is the PC wants a PSU 130 X 130 X60mm this is unstandardised and don't exist for sale anywhere at all - i haven't tried to fit the standard size one in the case but I don't think it will fit.

WHY DON'T PEOPLE MAKE EVERYTHING STANDARD???? - Oh Yes it because they wan't you to buy a new one rather than upgrade bits - i think this should be made illegal !!!
 
There is a standard ATX powersupply. But OEM PC's such as Packard bell etc use smaller non-standard cases and non standard power supllies.
 
What setup do you have that only requires an old packard bell 250w cpu but can justify a graphics card that requires a 300w psu? Are you teaming an AthlonXP with a 5870?
 
The PC is a Packard Bell imedia S3720 a.k.a. B2521UK

It has an nvidea integrated graphics memory and I wanted either the geforce210 or this Asus 1GB card. They say min 300W PSU. So I looked in the case and it has a 250W PSU.

So I thought to run a new graphics card I should change the PSU to a 355W one to be sure i had enough power
 
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OK so I have to admit I stopped reading after the first sentence. Secondly, listen to the guys here, on the most part they give good advice, and one of the first things said was buy a better PSU. A quality PSU is essential if you value your components. In PC repair, I've written off so many machines when their cheap PSU has blown out itself and other components (especially the motherboard) and I can say almost exclusively that they are from the same place as you got your machine.

On that note, as said, remove the links from your post before you get suspended, and familiarise yourself with the forum FAQ (above) to avoid being suspended or even banned in the future. If you're into PCs you'll find this place a great resource in the future!

Also, a 300W cheap PSU will not meet that output reliably over a sustained period of time, so you have a high chance of introducing further problems and damage to your system. 300W isn't always 300W between cheap and quality PSUs. A quality 400W PSU could well outperform a cheap 550W PSU or more. Be aware of this, and with this in mind, I strongly suggest sourcing a PSU from OcUK, as they only stock the quality kind ;-)
 
What brand is the PSU? My parents bought a PC world HP system a while back (P4 3.06Ghz while back) and it came with a 250W FSP unit - that punched well above it's weight.
 
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The current PSU is Hipro The one i got as a replacement was a 355W Jeantech PSU
- so is there really a high chance of damaging the entire system?

The PC has 250 currently but is it likely that the graphics card wouldn't need a new PSU - because i was told any dedicated card needs 300W min PSU
 
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