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No 6-pin PCI power cable...
Brutal J
Sorry! Sorry, I'm sorry. Sorry.Registered User regular
Sorry! Sorry, I'm sorry. Sorry.Registered User regular
So against all reason, I am building my own computer, and have run into a snag.
I bought this graphics card: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?Sku=P450-9826 A XFX Geforce 9800 GT.
It requires a 6-pin, 2x3, PCI express cable from the power supply, i do not have said cable coming from the power supply.
The instructions advise against using a converter, despite my google-fu telling me many people use such converters just fine with other cards. Also it looks like Best Buy was selling this exact same card that had such a conveter packed with it.
So my question to you guys is, is it safe to use a 2 4-pin to 6-pin converter for the graphics card? Is there some kind of special instructions when using said converter that would prevent damage? Or am i screwed and need to purchase a power supply with this plug?
I bought this graphics card: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?Sku=P450-9826 A XFX Geforce 9800 GT.
It requires a 6-pin, 2x3, PCI express cable from the power supply, i do not have said cable coming from the power supply.
The instructions advise against using a converter, despite my google-fu telling me many people use such converters just fine with other cards. Also it looks like Best Buy was selling this exact same card that had such a conveter packed with it.
So my question to you guys is, is it safe to use a 2 4-pin to 6-pin converter for the graphics card? Is there some kind of special instructions when using said converter that would prevent damage? Or am i screwed and need to purchase a power supply with this plug?
Brutal J on
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You need to be sure that your PSU has what it takes to power the card though.
Wattage means nothing. We need to know make, model, and the number of amps available on your 12V rail(s). Look for the sticker on the side of your PSU. If you can't find it, that's a problem.
I'm going to guess this PSU came with your case, and that it's a Logisys.
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Not 100% sure I know what your asking, but under voltage output it has +12v and under it 25A
Under current it has -12v, .6A
Just to be clear, i'll just post the whole thing
Voltage Current Frequncy
V input 115v- 7.5a 60hz
230v- 4.5a 50hz
V output +5v +3.3v |+12v || -5v -12v +5vsb || ps-on pol com
30a 25a | 25a || 0.6a 0.6a 2a || remote p.g. return
Max 180 w | 300w || 3.0w 7.2w 10w ||
430w || 20w
450w
bah killed my spacing, wasn't needed anway though
That's what I was after. You can probably run it fine with the adaptor, but I'd suggest buying a better PSU when you get the cash for it - generic PSUs tend to inflate their specs by only posting "maximum output" (so in reality it can only manage ~300W sustained) or benchmark their output at unreasonably low temperatures (450W @ 20C) that are never seen except on a cold boot.
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What about plugging in the adapter? Is using two 4-pins from seperate lines really important?
Well, I won't bother with absurd worst-case scenarios, but yeah - if it can't power it, it'll either shut off or hard-crash the game. Just stress the hell out of it when you first get it and see if anything catches fire. :P
Yes, it's important that you don't just split one line into two and then back into the adaptor - you're trying to spread the load out as evenly as possible, rather that put too much load on one wire and trip your power supply's overload protection.
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Corsair makes some seriously solid PSUs; here's their 450W unit.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139003
That puts out 33A on the 12V rail, and it has the PCIe connector so you wouldn't need an adaptor. Give that some thought vs. the cost of the adaptor + new PSU.
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whoops it's a GTX, not a GT like you.
Nevermind then...
The presence of the converter, or the power requirements?
The former is vendor-specific - some will include them with all their cards, some will only include them for single-connector cards, some won't include them at all and tell you to get a better PSU.
The latter is hardware-specific - he's got a 9800GT, not a GTX - that's a respin of the 8800GT and only needs the single connector.
For a single-connector card, a convertor is OK IMO if the PSU is up to it - but I wouldn't use two convertors on one card (4 molex -> 2 PCIe -> 1 card) just because I doubt the PSU can handle it if you have to do that.
Ninjaedit - Too late, I minded. :P
Can trade TF2 items or whatever else you're interested in. PM me.