Video adapters are one of the main components of a computer. Every year they become more productive and require the presence of an additional energy source, since the tasks assigned to them are no longer a miscalculation of rendering one 8-bit image, but a complex 3D rendering. So what types of video card power supply exist and in what cases is it necessary?
Varieties of graphics cards
Depending on the type, graphics adapters consume different amounts of power. On older models, additional video card power was not required, since 75 W from the PCI slot itself was enough, and where passive cooling was used, half of this power was enough.
Energy consumption is almost entirely dependent on the type of GPU and cooling system. She may be:
- Active - on simple coolers (1, 2 or 3 fans) and water, where liquid is used for cooling.
- Passive - one large-capacity radiator is used without any electronics. There are separate versions of fairly productive graphics cards with this type of cooling. But, as practice shows, such a solution cannot always cope with the assigned tasks.
How does a video card eat?
There are three ways to power modern video cards:
- Via PCI slot. Maximum power consumption 75 watts.
- 6 pin connector. Extra 75 watts.
- 8 pin connector. Additionally up to 150 watts.
In this case, all three types of video card power can be combined or have two 6/8 pin connectors. This is necessary to power boards with a power of more than 250-300 watts for their stable operation or for video cards with several graphic processors that must receive energy through separate channels.
In addition to powerful flagship video cards, powered by a nuclear reactor, there are adapters on which it is possible to use only a PCI slot to receive all the necessary energy. Usually this type of connection is used by low-power and old video cards.
If someone wondered what kind of video card power to choose, then the answer is simple: the presence of an additional connector is present only where necessary. A more powerful card will always consume more power from additional sources.
It is possible that when the video adapters become multi-core or the number of processors increases, they will receive even more powerful additional power, or acquire their own PSUs, but now a 6/8 pin connector is enough.
SLI, Crossfire and Electricity Bills
Installing multiple video cards in one system is a fairly common solution to improve performance, especially in cases where the second video card is available for free. At NVidia and Radeon, many video cards support parallel technology called SLI and Crossfire. So you can connect several video cards into one powerful computing system.
The problem is that the power of video cards turns into the continuous consumption of a huge amount of energy. Well, if your unit is able to cope with this and it even has enough connectors - you won’t have to buy a new one.
Some craftsmen went even further - they install several low-power PSUs in one system. This solution helps to distribute the load on two blocks, make the assembly less busy and even reduce noise. True, this solution has some problems associated with synchronization of launch.
Additional power connection
Most modern power supplies have built-in outputs for the GPU and CPU 8 pin. They are very similar to each other, but have a distinctive pinout.
Typically, an adapter is supplied for the video card's auxiliary power socket. It is a 6/8 pin branching into two Molexes. What, in principle, will be enough when using two channels of 12 V. If the adapter was not in the kit, then it can be purchased separately literally for a penny.
Of course, power through connectors that are not designed to provide such power often leads to their burning and even failure, as well as the entire power supply. Therefore, it will be desirable to acquire a new PSU with a capacity sufficient for the normal functioning of all components.
Emergency Power Connection
Sometimes, buying a used video card, you may not find an 8 pin adapter in the kit. How to connect the video card power in this case? You can try to make a stub for the two remaining pins. To do this, you will need an old ATX power plug, CPU or GPU 6 pin connector. Pinout of contacts is as follows.
In 8 pin connectors, the difference is only in the presence of two GND pins. If you try to start the equipment with 8 pin from the 6 pin connector, then you will get an error about the insufficient power of the video card, and, accordingly, a failure to start.
Contacts No. 4 and 6 are not only GND, but also signal ones, which means that you can safely power either from another source (Molex connector as an option) or simply duplicate the GND channel from an already connected 6-pin connector, as in factory adapters. In theory, you can just stick a jumper between the contacts from a reliable wire, but it doesn’t look very, it is difficult to achieve a stable contact.
It is important to remember that each plug has its own keys, to prevent connecting to other connectors. Therefore, you need to cut off only those parts that are definitely suitable for the nest.
Connecting the video card with power in this way can help if you really understand the essence of what is happening and all the possible risks. And long work on such “crutches” is hardly ensured.
Power block selection
Power supplies are classified mainly by power. In the old days, a fairly productive computer lacked 300 watts of energy consumption. Now, one top-end card can consume such an amount of energy, and if there are two of them installed, or even worse three, even if not the most demanding ones?
PSUs with connectors for the video card began to be released immediately with the release of the first video adapters requiring additional power. In some power supplies, you can find connectors immediately with adapters from 6 to 8 pin, in which 2 pins are simply detached.
For the successful selection of a power supply for a video card, it will be advisable to use special calculators, of which there are quite a lot on the network. You just need to enter the names of the components and the recommended power will be automatically selected. If you plan on further upgrades or want a quieter operation, it is worth choosing a PSU with slightly increased power - 100-150 watts.