Upgrading my HP Pavilion Desktop Graphics Card

[TheDirger]

I want to upgrade my desktop (which currently has a 180W PSU) graphics with a GTX GEFORCE 1060 card in the PCI Express x 16 slot. This card needs an external power source and has a 6 slot connector on the card. Their doesnt seem to be any such connector available. IS it hidden or am I going to have to upgrade the PSU - if so are there any recommendations?

Thanks in Anticipation..

[Red5_1 · Accepted solution]

That 180 watt PSU will not have a GPU Connector. It is not powerful enough to support cards that require the additonal connection. You would certainly need to do an upgrade.

Be sure to check the specifications of the GTX 1060 before you buy it. The few I looked at showed a requirement of at least a 400 watts power supply. Some of the cards are listed at drawing 120 watts. I would assume they all draw that much even if they don't say it. If you decide to do the upgrade, I suggest a 500 or 550 watt power supply. If you ever decide to add a few more things like a hard drive or additional cards, you will have the extra power. Also, the price difference between a 400 watt and 500/550 will not be that much. If you take some time, there is a pretty good chance that you will find a good deal.

I could not find an picture of the inside of that PC, but did one of a similar model. It looks like it uses a standard ATX power supply. A good 500/550 power supply will set you back around $40 to $75 depending on quality and if you want modular cables (cables you can plug and unplug as they are needed). I like Corsair, EVGA, and Antec. Good PSUs always have a lot of reviews on sites. Just make sure the one you choose as a PCI-E connection that matches what the card needs (probably an 8-pin for most/all 1060s).   🙂

Also, don't forget to check the length of the GPU vs the case. You don't want to buy a fancy new card only to find out that it will not fit!

[TheDirger]

Thanks for confirming what I thought. I will probably go for a 600w to make sure. Btw it was a tight fit..but just fit 🙂 thanks for the prompt response. It is an ATX format board.

[Red5_1]

If you can get a 600 watt at a good price, by all means go for it...but it may be a bit overkill unless you already have a fair amount of extra stuff already.

The 400 Watt requirement for the GPU is for when everything is running maxed out to the limit at the same time. They want to be sure there is enough power that THEIR GPU will still operate as expected. Even if you got a 400 watt PSU, you would be just fine...500 is plenty then. I have had a number of time where I was only going for something like a 450 and found a 500 or 550 at the same price. Why not then, right?  

Anyway, good luck. Have fun with the new GPU.

[TheDirger]

I finally got a corsair 550 W PSU so swapped the powersupply and installed the GPU. Only one little niggle was that the built in CD/DVD drive used a connector that wasnt available on the Corsair PSU, so I will use aUSB attached drive instead. Thanks again for your help.

ps.. the 550W PSU cost around £50... so not too bad.

[Red5_1]

Excellent. Glad it worked out for you.

BTW: There are adaptor cables that you can use to make that DVD Drive work. My bet is that your power supply did not come with Molex connectors (thicker ends with 4 large pins inside). If that is the case, a sata to molex adaptor is all you need to get that working as well. Something like this for instance.

[TheDirger]

Thanks for that. I've attached a pic of the power connector alongside a normal sata connector for comparison. The connector on the dvd seems to be split between power and a mini sata connector - 2 physical connectors. Hum ho.. The dvd power connector, marked P5