[SOLVED] Can I tell a Zotac gtx780 to chill?

[erogenesis]

hey peeps.

Question: Can I tell a Zotac to make due with 400W, or will I fry it?

Story behind this question: I have this old HP Z220 Workstation that I use for doodling around, and it came with a 400W PSU and a gtx660. Recently I ran a game called Ghost Recon Wildlands and its lowest recommended spec was a gtx 660, but I ended up managing to fry the card with it after 3 hours of playing (its definitely buggered, white lines across the screen). I do have a better gaming PC but I just wanted to have this HP for trying other stuff out.

Now I have this nifty old Zotac GTX780Ti 3Gb lying around and from what I read the minimum power specs running this boy is 550W. Do you guys know if there's a way to plug this thing into the HP and tell it not to demand so much power, or will I just fry it too?

As far as I can tell, bigger cap PSUs for these HP workstations aren't readily available, and its got some kind of unique motherboard plug or something. So I don't think upgrading the HP's power unit is an option... unless you guys know more?

Would love to know what you guys think!

Cheers!

 

[jay32267]

I think that if you take it easy with the video demands of the card that it may work.

The card only draws more when you ask more of it.....so when it's sitting idle....it's not drawing very much.

 

[Nirmith Akash Anawarathne]

How possible a card stops working due to less power. There should be something other than that caused it ... possibly a cooling issue. How is your air flow across the system?

 

[erogenesis]

I think that if you take it easy with the video demands of the card that it may work.

The card only draws more when you ask more of it.....so when it's sitting idle....it's not drawing very much.

cheers for the fast answer Jay! I figured something like that, but is there not a more secure way to limit it? like through the bios? Or perhaps software? I'd hate to accidentally fry the zotac too.

How possible a card stops working due to less power. There should be something other than that caused it ... possibly a cooling issue. How is your air flow across the system?

Not really sure. It was blowing like crazy but everything was doing its job and the side of the cabinet was open, so there was plenty of ventilation, and it was dusted beforehand too. I think its the card itself to be honest because the original card (the exact same) it came with was DOA and had it swapped with this one. I was actually using an old Ouadro k4000 for some 3D work before plugging this gtx660 in.

 

[SkyNetRising]

GTX 780 Ti requires 600W PSU.
With 400W PSU it will either trip PSU protections and PC will turn off or
with low quality PSU it can also blow up and kill your entire pc.

What's the model name of your PSU? Can you show photo of PSU label?

 

[Nirmith Akash Anawarathne]

cheers for the fast answer Jay! I figured something like that, but is there not a more secure way to limit it? like through the bios? Or perhaps software? I'd hate to accidentally fry the zotac too.



Not really sure. It was blowing like crazy but everything was doing its job and the side of the cabinet was open, so there was plenty of ventilation, and it was dusted beforehand too. I think its the card itself to be honest because the original card (the exact same) it came with was DOA and had it swapped with this one. I was actually using an old Ouadro k4000 for some 3D work before plugging this gtx660 in.

Power consumption will be lower if you can use frame limits in the game. but i don't how far this will effect becuse these old cards always get 100% in new games even if you put the lowest settings possible. And if you getting a lower FPS even at the moment then this is not possible but give it a try.

 

[erogenesis]

GTX 780 Ti requires 600W PSU.
With 400W PSU it will either trip PSU protections and PC will turn off or
with low quality PSU it can also blow up and kill your entire pc.

What's the model name of your PSU? Can you show photo of PSU label?

its probably some cheap pile of crap, but here's a pic:

edit: https://www.dropbox.com/s/zauq9eybgwexgpu/IMG_3143.JPG?dl=0

can you read it?

 

[erogenesis]

Power consumption will be lower if you can use frame limits in the game. but i don't how far this will effect becuse these old cards always get 100% in new games even if you put the lowest settings possible. And if you getting a lower FPS even at the moment then this is not possible but give it a try.

hehe yeah. I'm not sure if wildlands even allows you to set the FPS. The strange things is I even set it to the game's lowest settings, and I still had space to add more effects for the vram.

 

[SkyNetRising]

but give it a try.

That's terrible advice.
Try googling "psu explosion".

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6snWfd1v7M

 

[sizzling]

Don’t try it. When you switch on the pc there can be an initial surge, it probably won’t be 100% of what the gpu can take but it can be very high. This could easily kill an inadequate psu and the risks are frying something else when the psu dies. The 780Ti needs a good quality 600w.

 

[jay32267]

"cheers for the fast answer Jay! I figured something like that, but is there not a more secure way to limit it? like through the bios? Or perhaps software? I'd hate to accidentally fry the zotac too. "

Usually what will happen if you try and draw too much from a PSU.....what will happen first is.....the voltages will drop.

Then what happens next.....depends on the design.

....but a well designed supply will not let the voltages go any HIGHER than the spec. High voltage is what ruins components.....not low voltage.

 

[erogenesis]

yeah the voltage x amps story paints a pretty clear picture (and I've heard about those initial surges). So there's no way to limit this GPU then, even from start up?

So that leaves finding an alternative PSU for this HP Z220. I think the 24 pn power connector can be solved with adapter plugs, not so?
I couldn't find any alternative PSUs for this rig,and I think the dimensions of the casing are too small for something like a corsair... but does it really have to be IN the casing? can I just not tape it to the top lol?

 

[lynx1021]

Info on the power supply https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Busin...s/Z220-Power-Supply-Unit-Upgrade/td-p/6969035

 

[erogenesis]

Info on the power supply https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Busin...s/Z220-Power-Supply-Unit-Upgrade/td-p/6969035

Thanks! Yeah i stumbled on that one a few days back but was hoping to avoid ebay. But I think my problem is pretty much described in this thread:
https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/18-pin-motherboard-psu.1948663/

I think that's what I'll try! or just save up and buy a new little gaming PC and dump this thing in the trash lol

thanks for all the help guys!