Power Supply PICO psu inquiries

chinamanch

Efficiency Noob
Original poster
Oct 14, 2018
7
1
Hello There

I'm a new member here and I'm currently on a personal project to put in a PC inside a PS2 case. I have all the parts I need and I'm almost 50% done except for one thing and that is how to power this project , I've opted for a pico psu or a flex psu I 'm thinking of choosing the pico but I have some questions first and hopefully you can help me. here . 1st if opted for pico 300 watts I would need a 12 volt DC power supply or brick to power the module . I was looking in Amazon for a decent power brick but its quite expensive for 240 watts. I was wondering if its possible to rig a standard ATX psu as a external supply for the pico since I have some spare ATX psu lying around rated at 300 to 350 watts in my place.

My system specs

- AMD Athlon x4 870k / Ryzen 3 1300x (in the future)
- Asrock FM2 mini ITX board FM2A68M-HD+
- x2 8 gb kingston 1600 ddr3
- Rx 560 low profile oc MSI
- x1 2.5 140 gb SSD
- x1 2.5 2t b SSHD
- PSU Either Pico or a 350 Flex psu.

Any inputs will be highly appreciated :)

Thanks !!!
 

Thehack

Spatial Philosopher
Creator
Mar 6, 2016
2,800
3,650
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You can if you're willing to deal with an exposed psu.

The point of a proper external psu is that it is completely covered and safe.

The PicoPSU 160XT + 192W adapter kit isn't too expensive so you should get that instead.
 
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NateDawg72

Master of Cramming
Aug 11, 2016
398
302
With the Athlon 870k or Ryzen 3 + low profile 560 I don't think you'll need 200+ watts, so I second Thehack's suggestion for the 160XT kit.
 

Steedsofwar

Chassis Packer
Oct 14, 2018
15
0
You can if you're willing to deal with an exposed psu.

The point of a proper external psu is that it is completely covered and safe.

The PicoPSU 160XT + 192W adapter kit isn't too expensive so you should get that instead.
Is it a requirement that the adapter needs to be a higher wattage component than the internal Pico PSU? What if the 160 Pico is coupled with a 156 adapter, for a system that won't draw more than 120 w?
 

LungButter

Efficiency Noob
Bronze Supporter
Sep 16, 2018
6
2
I recently picked up a used Dell 330w brick in excellent shape off of ebay for < $40 shipped. Another option to keep in mind.
 

NateDawg72

Master of Cramming
Aug 11, 2016
398
302
Is it a requirement that the adapter needs to be a higher wattage component than the internal Pico PSU? What if the 160 Pico is coupled with a 156 adapter, for a system that won't draw more than 120 w?
That would work just fine :) it doesn't need to be higher than the pico, but the adapter is what usually limits how much power the system can handle.
 
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chinamanch

Efficiency Noob
Original poster
Oct 14, 2018
7
1
You can if you're willing to deal with an exposed psu.

The point of a proper external psu is that it is completely covered and safe.

The PicoPSU 160XT + 192W adapter kit isn't too expensive so you should get that instead.

Thanks for the inputs :v

So I can go down that route my old PSU as external power brick for the Pico I just want confirm if it is possible :) that really will save me a lot !!!

Thanks !!
 
Last edited:

Thehack

Spatial Philosopher
Creator
Mar 6, 2016
2,800
3,650
J-hackcompany.com
No it will not.

You will need around 160W or more. I would not use an LED driver type. Those are out of specs. Power is not clean enough for powering PC.