• Welcome to TechPowerUp Forums, Guest! Please check out our forum guidelines for info related to our community.

Power adapters

Meverix

New Member
Joined
Jan 7, 2013
Messages
13 (0.00/day)
I'm a relative novice when it comes to this sort of thing so I'd much appreciate the kind of feedback a toddler might get if he were upgrading his computer with a new graphics card.

I got myself a GeForce GTX 570, but, not knowing a thing about how machines use power, didn't realise it required its own power source. My loose understanding has led me to understand my machine has a couple of loose AGP/Molex cables (I think - there are several loose four-pin connections in the machine that don't appear to lead anywhere but match the image in the graphics cards' manual), but the card requires two PCI-Express 6-pin connections.

I understand adapters can be obtained to get around this, but I hear there's some no-nos about doing this with regards to how you route the power.

Can anyone give me a dummy's guide-to on solving this? Happy to provide any further details that are within my limited knowledge.
 

Frick

Fishfaced Nincompoop
Joined
Feb 27, 2006
Messages
18,914 (2.86/day)
Location
Piteå
System Name Black MC in Tokyo
Processor Ryzen 5 5600
Motherboard Asrock B450M-HDV
Cooling Be Quiet! Pure Rock 2
Memory 2 x 16GB Kingston Fury 3400mhz
Video Card(s) XFX 6950XT Speedster MERC 319
Storage Kingston A400 240GB | WD Black SN750 2TB |WD Blue 1TB x 2 | Toshiba P300 2TB | Seagate Expansion 8TB
Display(s) Samsung U32J590U 4K + BenQ GL2450HT 1080p
Case Fractal Design Define R4
Audio Device(s) Line6 UX1 + some headphones, Nektar SE61 keyboard
Power Supply Corsair RM850x v3
Mouse Logitech G602
Keyboard Cherry MX Board 1.0 TKL Brown
VR HMD Acer Mixed Reality Headset
Software Windows 10 Pro
Benchmark Scores Rimworld 4K ready!
First we have to know what PSU you have. If you have no PCI-E connectors, it's very likely it's either old or underpowered or both. You will probably have to get a new power supply.

EDIT: Also, the rest of your system specifications. :)
 

Meverix

New Member
Joined
Jan 7, 2013
Messages
13 (0.00/day)
Well, unless I need to look further, the sticker on the power block reads 280W.

I don't suppose you could be more.. specific.. about the system specs? I'm never sure what's being asked for exactly.
 
Joined
Feb 26, 2008
Messages
4,876 (0.83/day)
Location
Joplin, Mo
System Name Ultrabeast GX2
Processor Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 @ 4.0GHZ 24/7
Motherboard Gigabit P35-DS3L
Cooling Rosewill RX24, Dual Slot Vid, Fan control
Memory 2x1gb 1066mhz@850MHZ DDR2
Video Card(s) 9800GX2 @ 690/1040
Storage 750/250/250/200 all WD 7200
Display(s) 24" DCLCD 2ms 1200p
Case Apevia
Audio Device(s) 7.1 Digital on-board, 5.1 digital hooked up
Power Supply 700W RAIDMAXXX SLI
Software winXP Pro
Benchmark Scores 17749 3DM06
280 is very low. I once had a power supply that said 330 + 130, and was a 460 w power supply. If the 280 is in fact correct, the video card would require just about that.

The 570 you have most likely exceeds the power requirements of your whole system as it is.

By specs: How many hard drives, what kind of CPU (this can be found in the computer properties, which you can get to by right clicking on 'my computer') or found on CPU-Z, and what other hardware. This gives us an idea of what other devices are using power.

Model number of the PSU might help also.
 

Meverix

New Member
Joined
Jan 7, 2013
Messages
13 (0.00/day)
280 is very low. I once had a power supply that said 330 + 130, and was a 460 w power supply. If the 280 is in fact correct, the video card would require just about that.

The 570 you have most likely exceeds the power requirements of your whole system as it is.

Aye, you're right. The maximum GPU power quote from where I bought it is about 219W.
 

Meverix

New Member
Joined
Jan 7, 2013
Messages
13 (0.00/day)
From 'My Computer'

Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo CPU E7500 @ 2.93GHz 2.93GHz

Installed Memory (RAM): 6.00GB

System Type: 64-bit Operating System (Windows 7)


PSU number pending, have to crack open the unit again.
 

Fourstaff

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Nov 29, 2009
Messages
10,020 (1.91/day)
Location
Home
System Name Orange! // ItchyHands
Processor 3570K // 10400F
Motherboard ASRock z77 Extreme4 // TUF Gaming B460M-Plus
Cooling Stock // Stock
Memory 2x4Gb 1600Mhz CL9 Corsair XMS3 // 2x8Gb 3200 Mhz XPG D41
Video Card(s) Sapphire Nitro+ RX 570 // Asus TUF RTX 2070
Storage Samsung 840 250Gb // SX8200 480GB
Display(s) LG 22EA53VQ // Philips 275M QHD
Case NZXT Phantom 410 Black/Orange // Tecware Forge M
Power Supply Corsair CXM500w // CM MWE 600w
It does sounds like you will need to upgrade your PSU, otherwise the 570 is going to turn it into a smoking wreck.
 

Meverix

New Member
Joined
Jan 7, 2013
Messages
13 (0.00/day)
I get the feeling that will be a costly process in itself.

While I'm here then, would anyone be able to recommend something more suited to my machine that's a little more up-to-date than the GeForce 9500 GT I've currently got?
 

Fourstaff

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Nov 29, 2009
Messages
10,020 (1.91/day)
Location
Home
System Name Orange! // ItchyHands
Processor 3570K // 10400F
Motherboard ASRock z77 Extreme4 // TUF Gaming B460M-Plus
Cooling Stock // Stock
Memory 2x4Gb 1600Mhz CL9 Corsair XMS3 // 2x8Gb 3200 Mhz XPG D41
Video Card(s) Sapphire Nitro+ RX 570 // Asus TUF RTX 2070
Storage Samsung 840 250Gb // SX8200 480GB
Display(s) LG 22EA53VQ // Philips 275M QHD
Case NZXT Phantom 410 Black/Orange // Tecware Forge M
Power Supply Corsair CXM500w // CM MWE 600w
It depends on your PSU. If you are planning to stick with the 280w psu for longer, than your choices are pretty limited to a few such as 650/7750. Some of them will need the molex -> PCIe power adapter, but their power consumption should not be too high.

If you are willing to upgrade your PSU, something along the lines of 7850/660Ti will be very good for your system, good enough not to be severely bottlenecked by your cpu, yet powerful enough for use when you upgrade your cpu in the future.
 

Meverix

New Member
Joined
Jan 7, 2013
Messages
13 (0.00/day)
It depends on your PSU. If you are planning to stick with the 280w psu for longer, than your choices are pretty limited to a few such as 650/7750. Some of them will need the molex -> PCIe power adapter, but their power consumption should not be too high.

If you are willing to upgrade your PSU, something along the lines of 7850/660Ti will be very good for your system, good enough not to be severely bottlenecked by your cpu, yet powerful enough for use when you upgrade your cpu in the future.

I'd be more than willing if I had any idea what the procedure involved. Any time I've changed RAM cards or - in this one instance - changing Graphics Cards, its been a matter of common sense when I opened up the unit and took a look.

Are PSUs expensive at all? And can you provide a guide to replacing them, or is it actually pretty simple?
 
Joined
Feb 26, 2008
Messages
4,876 (0.83/day)
Location
Joplin, Mo
System Name Ultrabeast GX2
Processor Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 @ 4.0GHZ 24/7
Motherboard Gigabit P35-DS3L
Cooling Rosewill RX24, Dual Slot Vid, Fan control
Memory 2x1gb 1066mhz@850MHZ DDR2
Video Card(s) 9800GX2 @ 690/1040
Storage 750/250/250/200 all WD 7200
Display(s) 24" DCLCD 2ms 1200p
Case Apevia
Audio Device(s) 7.1 Digital on-board, 5.1 digital hooked up
Power Supply 700W RAIDMAXXX SLI
Software winXP Pro
Benchmark Scores 17749 3DM06
It does sounds like you will need to upgrade your PSU, otherwise the 570 is going to turn it into a smoking wreck.

Most likely wouldn't even turn on, if so not for very long.
 

Fourstaff

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Nov 29, 2009
Messages
10,020 (1.91/day)
Location
Home
System Name Orange! // ItchyHands
Processor 3570K // 10400F
Motherboard ASRock z77 Extreme4 // TUF Gaming B460M-Plus
Cooling Stock // Stock
Memory 2x4Gb 1600Mhz CL9 Corsair XMS3 // 2x8Gb 3200 Mhz XPG D41
Video Card(s) Sapphire Nitro+ RX 570 // Asus TUF RTX 2070
Storage Samsung 840 250Gb // SX8200 480GB
Display(s) LG 22EA53VQ // Philips 275M QHD
Case NZXT Phantom 410 Black/Orange // Tecware Forge M
Power Supply Corsair CXM500w // CM MWE 600w
I'd be more than willing if I had any idea what the procedure involved. Any time I've changed RAM cards or - in this one instance - changing Graphics Cards, its been a matter of common sense when I opened up the unit and took a look.

Are PSUs expensive at all? And can you provide a guide to replacing them, or is it actually pretty simple?

A cheap and decent one (~500w) will set you back by about $50 or less, so they are not that expensive (but still eats a significant chunk of your intended budget). They are pretty straightforward to upgrade. Unplug cable from component, plug in cable from new psu, done. Everything is size coded.

Brands to look out for - Corsair (common and reliable), Antec, Silverstone (quite expensive if you don't know what to look for), Thermaltake. No need to get top of the range ones, even the budget ones will perform reliably.
 
Joined
Nov 19, 2012
Messages
753 (0.18/day)
System Name Chaos
Processor Intel Core i5 4590K @ 4.0 GHz
Motherboard MSI Z97 MPower MAX AC
Cooling Arctic Cooling Freezer i30 + MX4
Memory 4x4 GB Kingston HyperX Beast 2400 GT/s CL11
Video Card(s) Palit GTX 1070 Dual @ stock
Storage 256GB Samsung 840 Pro SSD + 1 TB WD Green (Idle timer off) + 320 GB WD Blue
Display(s) Dell U2515H
Case Fractal Design Define R3
Audio Device(s) Onboard
Power Supply Corsair HX750 Platinum
Mouse CM Storm Recon
Keyboard CM Storm Quickfire Pro (MX Red)
It would be most helpful if you could tell us your intended budget, and then the maximum you're able and willing to spend as well. The other significant information would be your location, or at least what stores are planning to purchase from. Then we can make a much more accurate suggestion, and, more importantly, a more efficient one (price/performance/availability-wise).
 

Meverix

New Member
Joined
Jan 7, 2013
Messages
13 (0.00/day)
It would be most helpful if you could tell us your intended budget, and then the maximum you're able and willing to spend as well. The other significant information would be your location, or at least what stores are planning to purchase from. Then we can make a much more accurate suggestion, and, more importantly, a more efficient one (price/performance/availability-wise).

The budget is not a problem. Obviously I'd like to keep it as cheap as possible. And I'm in the UK. I'm not so good on stores, I just go where I'm recommended by trustworthy sites (Well, I followed nVidia's links to Scan.co.uk for most of my current hardware).
 
Joined
Nov 19, 2012
Messages
753 (0.18/day)
System Name Chaos
Processor Intel Core i5 4590K @ 4.0 GHz
Motherboard MSI Z97 MPower MAX AC
Cooling Arctic Cooling Freezer i30 + MX4
Memory 4x4 GB Kingston HyperX Beast 2400 GT/s CL11
Video Card(s) Palit GTX 1070 Dual @ stock
Storage 256GB Samsung 840 Pro SSD + 1 TB WD Green (Idle timer off) + 320 GB WD Blue
Display(s) Dell U2515H
Case Fractal Design Define R3
Audio Device(s) Onboard
Power Supply Corsair HX750 Platinum
Mouse CM Storm Recon
Keyboard CM Storm Quickfire Pro (MX Red)
Scan.co.uk is fine. I'd suggest this one, but it's unavailable, and since there's no ETA yet, this one will be fine too. They both offer more power than you really need, but the less powerful models (at the same quality level) aren't any cheaper (up to 5 GBP), so it'd be a waste to go lower, since you'll be able to re-use the new PSU in a new PC if need be.

Now, I'm not sure what size your PC case is, and what PSU standards fit, but if you need a smaller form factor, you're covered there as well. Now would be a good time to tell us exactly which PSU you currently own. Based on that info, we'll know for sure if your case can accommodate a standard ATX PSU, or if you need to get something smaller. Is your system a brand-name one? The 280W has a Dell-y ring to it :)
 

Meverix

New Member
Joined
Jan 7, 2013
Messages
13 (0.00/day)
Scan.co.uk is fine. I'd suggest this one, but it's unavailable, and since there's no ETA yet, this one will be fine too. They both offer more power than you really need, but the less powerful models (at the same quality level) aren't any cheaper (up to 5 GBP), so it'd be a waste to go lower, since you'll be able to re-use the new PSU in a new PC if need be.

Now, I'm not sure what size your PC case is, and what PSU standards fit, but if you need a smaller form factor, you're covered there as well. Now would be a good time to tell us exactly which PSU you currently own. Based on that info, we'll know for sure if your case can accommodate a standard ATX PSU, or if you need to get something smaller. Is your system a brand-name one? The 280W has a Dell-y ring to it :)
Thanks for those suggestions. Is there anything I ought to know before I buy any of them? Do the dimensions have to be the same? And what's it like physically upgrading the PSU? Delicate work or are there few ways to really botch it? I know nothing about this whatsoever. Heck, I'd never heard of a PSU before seeing this site.
 

OneMoar

There is Always Moar
Joined
Apr 9, 2010
Messages
8,740 (1.71/day)
Location
Rochester area
System Name RPC MK2.5
Processor Ryzen 5800x
Motherboard Gigabyte Aorus Pro V2
Cooling Enermax ETX-T50RGB
Memory CL16 BL2K16G36C16U4RL 3600 1:1 micron e-die
Video Card(s) GIGABYTE RTX 3070 Ti GAMING OC
Storage ADATA SX8200PRO NVME 512GB, Intel 545s 500GBSSD, ADATA SU800 SSD, 3TB Spinner
Display(s) LG Ultra Gear 32 1440p 165hz Dell 1440p 75hz
Case Phanteks P300 /w 300A front panel conversion
Audio Device(s) onboard
Power Supply SeaSonic Focus+ Platinum 750W
Mouse Kone burst Pro
Keyboard EVGA Z15
Software Windows 11 +startisallback
that cpu is gonna bottle neck the hell out out of that 570
id seriously consider returning the gpu and start with a from scratch build you can get a pretty decent gaming setup for less then 600 bucks
 
Joined
Jan 17, 2010
Messages
12,280 (2.37/day)
Location
Oregon
System Name Juliette // HTPC
Processor Intel i7 9700K // AMD Ryzen 5 5600G
Motherboard ASUS Prime Z390X-A // ASRock B550 ITX-AC
Cooling Noctua NH-U12 Black // Stock
Memory Corsair DDR4 3600 32gb //G.SKILL Trident Z Royal Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 3600
Video Card(s) ASUS RTX4070 OC// GTX 1650
Storage Samsung 970 EVO NVMe 1Tb, Intel 665p Series M.2 2280 1TB // Samsung 1Tb SSD
Display(s) ASUS VP348QGL 34" Quad HD 3440 x 1440 // 55" LG 4K SK8000 Series
Case Seasonic SYNCRO Q7// Silverstone Granada GD05
Audio Device(s) Focusrite Scarlett 4i4 // HDMI to Samsung HW-R650 sound bar
Power Supply Seasonic SYNCRO 750 W // CORSAIR Vengeance 650M
Mouse Cooler Master MM710 53G
Keyboard Logitech 920-009300 G512 SE
Software Windows 10 Pro // Windows 10 Pro
Welcome to land of upgrades. OneMoar's suggestion of selling everything and starting from scratch is the optimum suggestion. The parts sold separately actually will get the highest price and this option would be the less painful one and would render better performance but will take some time.

You can swap out the PSU and run that 570. Changing a PSU is not that bad but your dealing with a proprietary case and there may be glitches in the process. Stuff not fitting right and so on. But it can be done just take it slow. You wont get the best performance out of that GPU with your current CPU but it will work
 

OneMoar

There is Always Moar
Joined
Apr 9, 2010
Messages
8,740 (1.71/day)
Location
Rochester area
System Name RPC MK2.5
Processor Ryzen 5800x
Motherboard Gigabyte Aorus Pro V2
Cooling Enermax ETX-T50RGB
Memory CL16 BL2K16G36C16U4RL 3600 1:1 micron e-die
Video Card(s) GIGABYTE RTX 3070 Ti GAMING OC
Storage ADATA SX8200PRO NVME 512GB, Intel 545s 500GBSSD, ADATA SU800 SSD, 3TB Spinner
Display(s) LG Ultra Gear 32 1440p 165hz Dell 1440p 75hz
Case Phanteks P300 /w 300A front panel conversion
Audio Device(s) onboard
Power Supply SeaSonic Focus+ Platinum 750W
Mouse Kone burst Pro
Keyboard EVGA Z15
Software Windows 11 +startisallback
Welcome to land of upgrades. OneMoar's suggestion of selling everything and starting from scratch is the optimum suggestion. The parts sold separately actually will get the highest price and this option would be the less painful one and would render better performance but will take some time.

You can swap out the PSU and run that 570. Changing a PSU is not that bad but your dealing with a proprietary case and there may be glitches in the process. Stuff not fitting right and so on. But it can be done just take it slow. You wont get the best performance out of that GPU with your current CPU but it will work

if hes intending on gaming with it at all it will be so slow it would't even be funny I suspect the op make have purchased said 570 expecting it to solve some sort of performance issue and it might help a little but his cpu is still a major factor infact its hurting him more then the 9500gt he has pouring any funding into that rig would be a waste of time by the time you dump enough parts into it he will be 3/4 the way to a whole new machine
 
Joined
Jan 17, 2010
Messages
12,280 (2.37/day)
Location
Oregon
System Name Juliette // HTPC
Processor Intel i7 9700K // AMD Ryzen 5 5600G
Motherboard ASUS Prime Z390X-A // ASRock B550 ITX-AC
Cooling Noctua NH-U12 Black // Stock
Memory Corsair DDR4 3600 32gb //G.SKILL Trident Z Royal Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 3600
Video Card(s) ASUS RTX4070 OC// GTX 1650
Storage Samsung 970 EVO NVMe 1Tb, Intel 665p Series M.2 2280 1TB // Samsung 1Tb SSD
Display(s) ASUS VP348QGL 34" Quad HD 3440 x 1440 // 55" LG 4K SK8000 Series
Case Seasonic SYNCRO Q7// Silverstone Granada GD05
Audio Device(s) Focusrite Scarlett 4i4 // HDMI to Samsung HW-R650 sound bar
Power Supply Seasonic SYNCRO 750 W // CORSAIR Vengeance 650M
Mouse Cooler Master MM710 53G
Keyboard Logitech 920-009300 G512 SE
Software Windows 10 Pro // Windows 10 Pro
Yes true but if he doesn't have $600 then it may be his only option. He can transfer the parts to his new build. It will get at least 60% and it will still be better then what he has now. Even though I don't know what that is?

Or take back the 570 and start saving
 

Meverix

New Member
Joined
Jan 7, 2013
Messages
13 (0.00/day)
Scan.co.uk is fine. I'd suggest this one, but it's unavailable, and since there's no ETA yet, this one will be fine too. They both offer more power than you really need, but the less powerful models (at the same quality level) aren't any cheaper (up to 5 GBP), so it'd be a waste to go lower, since you'll be able to re-use the new PSU in a new PC if need be.

Now, I'm not sure what size your PC case is, and what PSU standards fit, but if you need a smaller form factor, you're covered there as well. Now would be a good time to tell us exactly which PSU you currently own. Based on that info, we'll know for sure if your case can accommodate a standard ATX PSU, or if you need to get something smaller. Is your system a brand-name one? The 280W has a Dell-y ring to it :)

Right, I've had a peek inside and it looks like I'm using a "PowerMan Model No IP-P300AJ3-1"
 

brandonwh64

Addicted to Bacon and StarCrunches!!!
Joined
Sep 6, 2009
Messages
19,542 (3.68/day)
Right, I've had a peek inside and it looks like I'm using a "PowerMan Model No IP-P300AJ3-1"

That is a VERY VERY low PSU for anything above what you have now. I used one of these in a AM2 build once and it lasted less than a year taking out everything except the ram when it blew.
 

Meverix

New Member
Joined
Jan 7, 2013
Messages
13 (0.00/day)
That is a VERY VERY low PSU for anything above what you have now. I used one of these in a AM2 build once and it lasted less than a year taking out everything except the ram when it blew.

I guess I'm lucky this one has lasted almost three years now then.

Slightly unnerved by talk of starting from scratch with a new build. I simply don't have the time or technical know-how to do this, and if that's what it would take to play some decent games, then I maybe I just need to find another hobby!

Seriously though, if it can't be done, I'll start returning things. But if a new PSU is likely to resolve this, then I'll go with one of the suggested models.
 

brandonwh64

Addicted to Bacon and StarCrunches!!!
Joined
Sep 6, 2009
Messages
19,542 (3.68/day)
I guess I'm lucky this one has lasted almost three years now then.

Slightly unnerved by talk of starting from scratch with a new build. I simply don't have the time or technical know-how to do this, and if that's what it would take to play some decent games, then I maybe I just need to find another hobby!

Seriously though, if it can't be done, I'll start returning things. But if a new PSU is likely to resolve this, then I'll go with one of the suggested models.

A new PSU would get the 570 working but OneMoar does have a point of the E7500 being the bottle neck.
 
Top