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No 6-pin PCI power cable...

Brutal JBrutal J 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?

Brutal J on

Posts

  • Macro9Macro9 Registered User regular
    edited September 2008
    If they hurt then manufacturers would stop bundling them with their cards.

    You need to be sure that your PSU has what it takes to power the card though.

    Macro9 on
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  • Brutal JBrutal J Sorry! Sorry, I'm sorry. Sorry. Registered User regular
    edited September 2008
    My worry was that this card may be different. Power Supply is 450 watt, which the description of the card says should work.

    Brutal J on
  • PeregrineFalconPeregrineFalcon Registered User regular
    edited September 2008
    Brutal J wrote: »
    My worry was that this card may be different. Power Supply is 450 watt, which the description of the card says should work.

    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.

    PeregrineFalcon on
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  • Brutal JBrutal J Sorry! Sorry, I'm sorry. Sorry. Registered User regular
    edited September 2008
    ATX Switching power supply, model just says 450w.

    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

    Brutal J on
  • PeregrineFalconPeregrineFalcon Registered User regular
    edited September 2008
    Brutal J wrote: »
    ATX Switching power supply, model just says 450w.

    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

    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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  • Brutal JBrutal J Sorry! Sorry, I'm sorry. Sorry. Registered User regular
    edited September 2008
    Alright, so it won't fry the card and worst case it just won't get enough power and just shut off?

    What about plugging in the adapter? Is using two 4-pins from seperate lines really important?

    Brutal J on
  • PeregrineFalconPeregrineFalcon Registered User regular
    edited September 2008
    Brutal J wrote: »
    Alright, so it won't fry the card and worst case it just won't get enough power and just shut off?

    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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  • Brutal JBrutal J Sorry! Sorry, I'm sorry. Sorry. Registered User regular
    edited September 2008
    cool, I'll go to a local computer shop later and see if they got an adapter and check out their power supplies. Thanks for the help.

    Brutal J on
  • PeregrineFalconPeregrineFalcon Registered User regular
    edited September 2008
    Brutal J wrote: »
    cool, I'll go to a local computer shop later and see if they got an adapter and check out their power supplies. Thanks for the help.

    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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  • TharghorTharghor Registered User regular
    edited September 2008
    I got a converter in the same package as I got an 9800 so it's probably not gonna be a problem. But I'm pretty sure my 9800 gtx needs 2 6-pin cables... yeah it does. Does that depend on whoever's producing them?

    whoops it's a GTX, not a GT like you.
    Nevermind then...

    Tharghor on
  • PeregrineFalconPeregrineFalcon Registered User regular
    edited September 2008
    Tharghor wrote: »
    I got a converter in the same package as I got an 9800 so it's probably not gonna be a problem. But I'm pretty sure my 9800 gtx needs 2 6-pin cables... yeah it does. Does that depend on whoever's producing them?

    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

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