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Graphics cards are one among several computer components that consume a high amount of power voltage and when it is underpowered, a lot of things could go wrong.
Some applications have intense graphics and as such, they require more power than what is already due to effectively produce clear graphics that are well suited to the tasks.
Execution of such tasks can mount more pressure than necessary on the graphics card to require more power and when the needed power is not available, the performance level of the graphic card drops.
Why Does An Underpowered Graphics Card Result In Performance Drop?
When the graphics card is underpowered, it results in a significant decrease in the computer graphical settings which results in a drop in performance level. This reduction in the level of performance is sometimes accompanied by an error message which is transmitted from the graphics card to the computer, indicating that there is a shortage of voltage, which may affect the performance of the graphics card.
There could also be subsequently turning off of the computer which is most common in a multi-monitor setup, as well as visual artifacts, freezing, or video crashing.
How To Prevent Performance Drop?
To prevent such events from happening, it is important to know the voltage requirement of your graphics card ( which is sometimes indicated on the graphics card) as well as the voltage requirements of other components of the computer and to use a power supply unit that has more power voltage than required by the computer components to enable it to deliver sustainable power output to power all the components.
Some power supply units do not have enough power current to support a graphics card and that is why some graphics card manufacturers recommend branded power supply units that are most suitable to power their graphics cards.
Also, in some situations, the type of power supply unit suitable for graphics cards depends on the power connectors that are built with, that is why it is advisable to choose the power supply unit recommended by the graphics card manufacturer.