External Power Brick for SFF PC?

Irish Wristwatch · August 17, 2017

A while ago I saw the "Hot-Rod" build that LTT did in the NFC S4 Mini - with a 7700K and a GTX 1080 Mini. Due to the size constraints, the power was supplied by an external 300 Watt PSU... which brings me to my current question:

Ever since I saw reviews for the Dan Case A4 SFX, and since moving into a very tiny apartment, I have been thinking about a SFF build - but because I have no common sense, I am also trying to make this build as insane as possible. In short, I have been thinking about omitting the PSU from inside a Dan Case v. 2 build, and instead filling that space with a custom watercooling loop (pump, reservoir, hardline to MB and GPU) and probably also locating SSDs there because I would be putting the radiator along the top where the drives normally go. I am no stranger to modification, but for this build, I would be keeping the layout essentially the same, save for likely some "custom" holes in the middle partition for coolant piping.

First, how stupid is this idea, and second, where would I go to find an external power supply (and AC-AC adaptor for inside the case)? If I wanted to go balls-to-the-wall, what is the most power I could supply a system with one brick? Are there AC-AC adaptors that can take multiple power inputs if I wanted 600W instead of 300W power supply?

August 17, 2017

AC to AC?

I think you mean AC to DC (the power brick) then DC to DC (a Pico PSU).

Here's the thing.. Largest power brick that you can easily find on the market is 240W. Largest Pico PSU for DC to DC is 200W.

If you REALLY need that much power, I suggest two power bricks. +12V output to plug directly into the graphics card and then a second brick with the Pico PSU to power the rest of the system.