2 psus 1 computer

[NicholasNicholasNicholas]

so i have a pc with an i5 4460 and an rx 480 (undervolted) running on a 350w psu. 
my brother wants to overclock, so i decided to go loot some of my dead pcs. i found a 375w psu in a computer that had a pentium 4... so very old.
im just wondering, with a molex to pcie adapter, could the gpu run off that power supply alone and the mobo, ram and cpu run of the 350w psu i have now? or would that be dangerous and stupid. 

Thanks

[AnonymousGuy]

you should be able to run  everything off 1 PSU  since the cpu is practically free in the usage.

 

but yeah, you can run dual PSUs if you want.  I have an AX1200i doing nothing but powering hard drives for my storage server.

[MoonlightSylv]

Don't use molex to PCIe, I've seen way too many horror stories of those catching fire. If you get a slightly better secondary PSU you can.

[NicholasNicholasNicholas]

Just now, AnonymousGuy said:

you should be able to run  everything off 1 PSU  since the cpu is practically free in the usage.

 

but yeah, you can run dual PSUs if you want.  I have an AX1200i doing nothing but powering hard drives for my storage server.

no, i cant. even with an undervolt it shuts down sometimes. its only rated at 350w for a short amount of time, and the 480 has a 150w tfp. sure, its lowered with ther undervolt but its still taking a lot of power

[NicholasNicholasNicholas]

Just now, ShadowTechXTS said:

Don't use molex to PCIe, I've seen way too many horror stories of those catching fire. If you get a slightly better secondary PSU you can.

well we already are using that on it, as the 350w doesnt have a 6 pin either. 

[MoonlightSylv]

Just now, Nickathom said:

well we already are using that on it, as the 350w doesnt have a 6 pin either. 

Oh...

 

Buy a better power supply.

Spoiler

In theory you could use two, highly inadvisable though.

 

[NicholasNicholasNicholas]

Just now, ShadowTechXTS said:

Oh...

 

Buy a better power supply.

  Hide contents

In theory you could use two, highly inadvisable though.

 

haha, yeah, thats the plan. this is only going to be a temporary solution. though could old power supplies damage my pc?

[Ezzy-525]

I'd really recommend checking the PSU list and getting something with enough wattage and fits an acceptable price range for you.

 

MacGyvering PSU's into one system is doable, but likely to cause more issues than they alleviate.

 

Check my signature for the list.

[NicholasNicholasNicholas]

Just now, Ezzy-525 said:

I'd really recommend checking the PSU list and getting something with enough wattage and fits an acceptable price range for you.

 

MacGyvering PSU's into one system is doable, but likely to cause more issues than they alleviate.

 

Check my signature for the list.

i know, i know, we plan to upgrade. 
what are some of the problems?

[MoonlightSylv]

3 minutes ago, Nickathom said:

haha, yeah, thats the plan. this is only going to be a temporary solution. though could old power supplies damage my pc?

Possibly, but if it's temporary (a month or less) you'll be fine.

[NicholasNicholasNicholas]

Just now, ShadowTechXTS said:

Possibly, but if it's temporary (a month or less) you'll be fine.

what could go wrong? 

that wasnt sarcasm it was an honest question lol

[MoonlightSylv]

1 minute ago, Nickathom said:

what could go wrong? 

that wasnt sarcasm it was an honest question lol

Well worst case scenario is that it catches on fire.

[NicholasNicholasNicholas]

Just now, ShadowTechXTS said:

Well worst case scenario is that it catches on fire.

i see... what are some... less worst case scenarios? 

[MoonlightSylv]

2 minutes ago, Nickathom said:

i see... what are some... less worst case scenarios? 

Individual parts dying, like the PSU, GPU, CPU, Motherboard, etc.

[RollinLower]

3 minutes ago, Nickathom said:

i see... what are some... less worst case scenarios? 

your GPU just dies i guess, or the PSU goes pop and kills the entire system

 

do not ever cheap out on PSU's!

[NicholasNicholasNicholas]

Just now, RollinLower said:

your GPU just dies i guess, or the PSU goes pop and kills the entire system

 

do not ever cheap out on PSu's!

how would they die?

 

Just now, ShadowTechXTS said:

Individual parts dying, like the PSU, GPU, CPU, Motherboard, etc.

 

[Ezzy-525]

1 minute ago, Nickathom said:

what could go wrong? 

that wasnt sarcasm it was an honest question lol

Just the fact that they're two separate power feeds going into one system can (it's rare) give issues, uneven power flow is just asking for random reboots lol. Mainly it's the practicality, where are you putting the second PSU? How are you going to turn it on? And then you'll end up with power supplies starting up independently of one another etc. So you're mobo and cpu will boot then a second later the GPU? Again, if it's all you have for now and you want to mess around go for it. But personally I wouldn't bother. There's nothing quite like an old PSU to crap our and kill a GPU.

[MoonlightSylv]

Just now, Nickathom said:

how would they die?

 

 

Probably something like too much voltage or incorrect power delivery.

[NicholasNicholasNicholas]

1 minute ago, Ezzy-525 said:

Just the fact that they're two separate power feeds going into one system can (it's rare) give issues, uneven power flow is just asking for random reboots lol. Mainly it's the practicality, where are you putting the second PSU? How are you going to turn it on? And then you'll end up with power supplies starting up independently of one another etc. So you're mobo and cpu will boot then a second later the GPU? Again, if it's all you have for now and you want to mess around go for it. But personally I wouldn't bother. There's nothing quite like an old PSU to crap our and kill a GPU.

wouldnt it turn on automatically?

[RollinLower]

Just now, Nickathom said:

wouldnt it turn on automatically?

nope, you would need to jumpstart it through the 24pin connector. that's how they normally start too, but then the circuit closes through the mobo to start the system

[NicholasNicholasNicholas]

1 minute ago, RollinLower said:

nope, you would need to jumpstart it through the 24pin connector. that's how they normally start too, but then the circuit closes through the mobo to start the system

oh... damn. how would i turn it on that way? and would it shock me? would the power going to the parts at different times cause damage?

[MoonlightSylv]

Just now, Nickathom said:

oh... damn. how would i turn it on that way? and would it shock me? would the power going to the parts at different times cause damage?

Use a paperclip to connect 2 pins on the 24pin connector, look it up.

 

And no that thing specifically shouldn't damage your parts.

[RollinLower]

well, normally a system won't boot when the power cables to the GPU arn't properly connected (debug code 99 i believe), so you would need to have the power going to the GPU on before starting the system. (atleast, that's my experience!)