Underpowered PSU for GPU. What to do?

BigFoot96

BigFoot96

BigFoot96

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Hi,

Trying to help out child of a friend. They know little about PC's and although I know more I'm out of my comfort zone on this one.

In the autumn they bought an Intel i7 PC in a small form factor. But for Christmas the boy was given a GTX 4060 without anyone having much confidence in installing the thing.
This is where I came in. On installation I noticed the PSU didn't have an 8 pin power connector which led me to check the specs.

The box has a 300W PSU, and a quick internet search tells me the box might be underpowered for the GTX 4060.

So what do to?

How can I find out if it will be okay to buy an adapter for the PSU so the 4060 can be installed? or,
what other conclusion can be drawn?
There's nothing else installed on the motherboard apart from CPU and a 500GB SSD.

Thanks for any help.
 
Do you know the model of the small form factor PC?

I know there are some systems that are small form factor and can take proper GPU's but I suspect the PSU's are not going to be interchangeable if it's one of the really small form factors rather than something like a MicroAtx board in a small case.
What might be possible, again depending on the model of the machine he's got is to put it into a larger case with a normal PSU (if the current PSU isn't a normal ATX one).
 
Thanks for the quick reply.
Believe it's a UK built Xenta with the following box dimensions (WxHxD) 308x171x360mm.
I have always bought ATX, so wouldn't recognise the MicroAtx.
Motherboard only has one expansion slot if that helps.
Didn't inspect if PSU was replaceable.

What would happen if 4060 was fitted and he started playing games?
Would it blow up, and if so, which part?
 
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Is there a model number on the case ?

You could download speccy and that will give details of the pc spec but you need to find out what model PSU which can only be done by looking at it.
 
Yes you could use an adaptor. Whether or not the PSU is up to the job depends on what the GPU is used for. Both CPUs and GPUs can dissipate above their rated power for short durations (a few milliseconds and shorter). As a rule of thumb a GPU can peak at around 2.5 times rated power. I don't know the same for CPUs but it is less. This depends on the SW which uses it - if it goes from idle to using all cores then there will be a large inrush of current. My guess is that with a adaptor the PC could use that GPU for light and medium apps, but some apps will overload the PSU and likely the PC will crash as voltages dip (especially if the PSU shuts down).
 
BigFoot96 said:
What would happen if 4060 was fitted and he started playing games?
Would it blow up, and if so, which part?
Click to expand...
Most probable one of two things happen. Either you get a game/windows crash or PSU triggers over current protection and shuts down.
I struggle to remember how old must the PSU be to not come with a PCIE connector. Maybe it is just missing a modular cable?
2 molex to pcie should work, 4060 is low power card and could be undervolted further
 
The good news is you can fix it all...the bad news is you will have to throw some money at it. @therealdippy is correct that you could potentially power it with 300w but working on the assumption that the kid wants to game with it, a minimum of 500w is recommended which puts you in the £100 - £120 bracket.

Unless there is specific reason for a SFX, I would advise they purchase a mid tower ATX. Cheap ones are around £30-£40. Then buy a 600W beQuiet System 9 OEM for £45. Lands up being cheaper and more adaptable for the future. 600w would allow even a lower spec PSU to have sufficient headroom in case of power spikes
 
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Noughtboy said:
The good news is you can fix it all...the bad news is you will have to throw some money at it. @therealdippy is correct that you could potentially power it with 300w but working on the assumption that the kid wants to game with it, a minimum of 500w is recommended which puts you in the £100 - £120 bracket.

Unless there is specific reason for a SFX, I would advise they purchase a mid tower ATX. Cheap ones are around £30-£40. Then buy a 600W beQuiet System 9 OEM for £45. Lands up being cheaper and more adaptable for the future. 600w would allow even a lower spec PSU to have sufficient headroom in case of power spikes
Click to expand...
For the record, the 4060 is claimed to draw 115w at full pace, i7 at least that unless tuned (8700k is 116w according to Toms Hardware) and the later ones use more. So, you have to account for a minimum of 250w and I would not rate the chances of a cheapie 300w lasting long.
 
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