iM 4,1-14,4 PSU Upgrade on A1311 21.5" iMac?

[Oldmopars]

I got a really good deal on a 21.5" iMac. It has a Core i7 2600s already, but I plan to upgrade it as far as I can. The biggest upgrade being the GPU.
However, I know that the PSU is limited to 210 Watts(?) and that if I got to a more powerful GPU, I will quickly hit the limits of the PSU and have big problems.
So, my question is, has anyone ever upgraded the PSU? I have looked at the 27.5" PSU, more power, but it is also larger and it is not a bolt in swap.
I have a 3D scanner, 3D printer, Laser, and small CNC, I can fabricate any brackets needed to mount a new PSU. I also will be removing the optical drive, so I was thinking I could move the PSU over there and extend the wires.
Yes, heat will be an issue, but I have some ideas for that. Right now the PSU is where I am getting stuck.
What voltages does the PSU put out? If it is 12V and 5V like the Mac Pro, I can do a remove mounted 3,1 Mac Pro PSU and run the cable into the original power port. 900+ watts is way overkill, but it would keep it all "Mac" and I have a few extras.
Any thought? Anyone done this before?

 

[Nguyen Duc Hieu]

I got a really good deal on a 21.5" iMac. It has a Core i7 2600s already, but I plan to upgrade it as far as I can. The biggest upgrade being the GPU.
However, I know that the PSU is limited to 210 Watts(?) and that if I got to a more powerful GPU, I will quickly hit the limits of the PSU and have big problems.
So, my question is, has anyone ever upgraded the PSU? I have looked at the 27.5" PSU, more power, but it is also larger and it is not a bolt in swap.
I have a 3D scanner, 3D printer, Laser, and small CNC, I can fabricate any brackets needed to mount a new PSU. I also will be removing the optical drive, so I was thinking I could move the PSU over there and extend the wires.
Yes, heat will be an issue, but I have some ideas for that. Right now the PSU is where I am getting stuck.
What voltages does the PSU put out? If it is 12V and 5V like the Mac Pro, I can do a remove mounted 3,1 Mac Pro PSU and run the cable into the original power port. 900+ watts is way overkill, but it would keep it all "Mac" and I have a few extras.
Any thought? Anyone done this before?

Modding just destroy the appearance of an AIO. Any other kind of PSU will have to be installed outside of the aluminum case of iMac A1311.
If you don't really care about it, then the 310W PSU from iMac A1312 is the easiest one to connect.
I would just search for another working A1312 to upgrade GPU, rather than cramping a big PSU to the cramping space inside the iMac A1311.

More info about the iMac A1312 PSU is in the below link.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/looking-for-schematic-diagram-of-27-2009-2011-imac-power-supply-pa-2311-02a-liteon.2243174/post-33362941

 

[shloimy95]

However, I know that the PSU is limited to 210 Watts(?) and that if I got to a more powerful GPU, I will quickly hit the limits of the PSU and have big problems.

Which GPU are planning on getting? Generally newer compatible GPUs are more powerful but also made with newer technology so actually more energy efficient and therefore will not stress the PSU. The main advantage of a more powerful PSU is if you want to upgrade to a 90w CPU (your current 2600s is 60w).

Regarding upgrading the GPU in the 21.5 inch iMac you also need to take into account the physical space, only a MXM-A card will fit, the more powerful cards are usually larger MXM-B models. Additionally the large cards require more cooling, many of the larger cards for the 27 inch require using the 3 pipe heatsinks which are not available for the 21.5 inch iMacs.

I also will be removing the optical drive, so I was thinking I could move the PSU over there and extend the wires.

Be careful mounting anything large in that space as the GPU heatsink relies on the ODD fan for cooling so you don't want to disrupt the airflow