Power

The GP2X can be run using an AC adaptor, or may use 2 AA-sized batteries, although due to the high current drain, Lithium or NiMH should be used in preference to standard alkaline batteries. Battery life can vary depending on the form of battery used and the type of activity performed, lasting from 10 minutes using alkaline batteries, to over 6 hours using high capacity NiMH batteries. Power can be conserved during audio playback by turning off the backlight and display.

Any main power supply must be rated 3.3V DC at 1A with a standard centre grounded connector. The power supply must also be regulated as voltage spikes will permanently damage the unit.

Storage

The GP2X uses the Secure Digital card as its primary storage device, which can be placed into a socket at the top of the unit. The cards must be formatted as either FAT16, FAT32 (FAT32 is more reliable) or ext, and the firmware currently supports SD cards up to 4 GB in capacity. The unit also contains 64 MB of internal flash memory storage, of which 32MB can be used for user data.

Expandability

The console has a proprietary EXT port on the base of the unit into which a special USB cable or break out box can be plugged, allowing for USB devices to be connected to the GP2X directly.

Although the connector used to expand the GP2X is sometime difficult to find, other cables may be used, such as the official GP2X TV-Out adapter or the Samsung e810/e730 and LG U8110/20/30/36/38 mobile telephone data cables.

TV Output

The GP2X supports TV-out with a special cable that plugs into the EXT port. This enables videos or software that are normally scaled down to fit the GP2X's screen to be played at native resolution on a TV. Although not all software supports this, a special application may be used to enable TV-out functionality in all applications, by launching a background process.

Overclocking

The two ARM cores in the GP2X can be overclocked beyond their rated speed in software, with maximum speeds reaching between 240MHz and 300MHz. Some distributors sell pre-tested GP2Xs, basing their price on the maximum speed that can be reached on that particular unit. However, testing is not guaranteed and may not be correct due to the influence of many factors such as temperature and battery power.