Can I add a video card to a 90 watt psu?

matrix563

matrix563

Fully [H]
Joined
Sep 1, 2006
Messages
19,136
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4556/back-to-school-technology-buyers-guide/2

the 2100T mini itx system, comes with a 90 watt power adapter.

i have a low profile 4350 ati card. would adding that be too power hungry for the 90 watt psu, with the cpu, 8gb ram, and 2 2.5 inch harddrives?

or is the 4350 not really all that better than the onboard intel graphics?

i'm looking to build a daily use system when my server and gaming rig will be powered off most of the day.
 
The HD 4350 is more or less on par with the HD 2000 IGP(the one inside the I3 2100T) and well below the HD 3000 IGP as so it would be pointless to add one, the best thing you can do with the system is to drop the low power 2100T CPU and go for the 2105 which has the HD 3000 IGP and is well within the 90W envelope ;)
 
90 watts is.. rather low. The CPU already pulls a third of the PSU. A 4350 wouldn't be worth it anyways.
 
You people are answering the wrong question here:

The Antec ISK 100 80W PSU has NO EXPANSION SLOTS. End of discussion. Of course if you had read the article matrix, you would know that:

Perhaps its only drawbacks given its size are that it lacks an optical drive and it is not a gaming computer, nor can it be upgraded to become a gaming computer.
Click to expand...

If you want expandability, buy the MicroATX system build. It has the slots AND the power to support even a a high-end video card. You can still go with Intel if you go MicroATX, but you'll probably want a MicroATX motherboard with a Z68 chipset like this one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128523
 
Last edited:
matrix563,

I concur with defaultuser. Although the Asus P8H61-I motherboard does have one PCI-e x16 slot, the Antec ISK 100 case itself has no provision at all whatsoever for any expansion card slots. That renders the PCI-e x16 slot completely unusable in that combo.

Some miniITX cases do have one expansion slot cover. It's that the ISK 100 case has no slots whatsoever.
 
ah for some reason i thought it said that cause of the psu wattage. oh well :p
 
I didn't get any of this thread. If you wanted a gaming system you certainly wouldn't use a ISK100. Also you wouldn't use a 4350. Also the 2100T's graphics is probably fast or faster than a 4350. There's like...nothing logical anywhere here to be honest. ;) Sorry man, I'd say what you'd more want to do is maybe think the bigger brother isk300..and maybe think something like a 6570 or better.
 
why can't i find the isk 400? i think the 2100T and the onboard gpu are probably good enough. i mean i'll have a desktop gaming rig with 2 6950@6970 lol. thanks for all the tips :)
 
merliwolf said:
Also you wouldn't use a 4350. Also the 2100T's graphics is probably fast or faster than a 4350.
Click to expand...

To be honest, the HD 4350 is no faster overall (and at times slower) than the i3-2100T's integrated HD Graphics 2000. So, even if the OP's SFF system could accommodate a discrete graphics card, the HD 4350 would have increased the total power consumption by an additional 20W or so with no corresponding increase in GPU performance. That, in turn, would have left the OP's 90W PSU with even less room to accommodate a hard drive. Plus, the RAM and motherboard also eat up some wattage.
 
E4g1e said:
To be honest, the HD 4350 is no faster overall (and at times slower) than the i3-2100T's integrated HD Graphics 2000. So, even if the OP's SFF system could accommodate a discrete graphics card, the HD 4350 would have increased the total power consumption by an additional 20W or so with no corresponding increase in GPU performance. That, in turn, would have left the OP's 90W PSU with even less room to accommodate a hard drive. Plus, the RAM and motherboard also eat up some wattage.
Click to expand...

I think you completely misread my comment. I said that the 2100t is probably FASTER than the HD 4350.
 
I would upgrade the PSU. You can find plenty on Newegg that would work better than that 90............
 
wlvrne said:
I would upgrade the PSU. You can find plenty on Newegg that would work better than that 90............
Click to expand...

That would not have helped the OP, given that the ISK 100 case has no expansion slots whatsoever. Thus, even if the motherboard offers a PCI-e x16 slot, the OP cannot add a discrete GPU at all on any system built inside an ISK 100 case.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top