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6 pin to 8 pin adapter for PCI-E?
I thought it might not hurt to make a new post about this...
Upgraded from a 560ti to a 760, I purchased the wrong version which required one 6 pin and one 8 pin. So I ended up using the adapters that came with the card. I plugged my two 6 pins into the 8 pin converter/adapter and I used my two molex for the 6 pin converter/adapter.
I've had my PS with my current rig for 5+ years, it's not the best - but it's a 850w and it meets the volts and amps needed by the 760. My question is does the adapter affect performance, can it damage the card, and can my display fail on me?
I spoke with the tech at EVGA and he said that it shouldn't be a problem... Just wanted to double check.
Comments
It will most likely have some small impact on the card due to irregular power flow. Each PCI-e pin is designed to be plugged in so there should not be an issue with using a 6 pin, and 2 - 6 pin to 8 pin Adapter. There will be some transfer loss with the adapter, that's basic physics, but the amount will be so minuet it should not affect the card. The Molex to 6-pin will be a bit more worrying. The Molex are designed for use on Drives, not really the GPU. Molex can have varied amps and volts running through it compared to the PCI-e pins that are of a standard.
I would also be worried about any 850w PSU that does not have at least 4 - 6pin PCI-e connectors. Personally, I don't like re-using parts that are more than 5 years old since the chances of fault are higher. Even though something like an HDD can last 10 years comfortably, I would rather swap them out at 5 years.
You will probably be OK.
The difference between a 6-pin and 8-pin is that the 6pin can supply 75W, and the 8pin 150W.
A molex 4-pin connector can officially handle 11A per pin, and there's a 12V and 5V set, so that's 132W on the 12V line (which is all the PCI-E connection uses), so that's more than enough to push the 75W 6-pin you need.
2 6-pins each providing 75W going into an 8-pin wouldn't hurt anything at all. The power supply is designed to do that (if it's a properly designed power supply, which may be a big assumption).
A power supply, when they provide connectors, put them on rails or loads where they know the extra bit of power won't affect the overall power supply.
If you use adapters, there's a chance you could overload something; however, taking 2 6-pins and converting it into a single 8-pin isn't going to do anything bad, your taking 2 75W feeds and turning them into a single 150W feed, the math works out there. Same with taking a 132W feed and using it for a 75W feed - the math works out ok there too.
If you have a single rail power supply, it won't make a damn bit of difference anyway, it all comes off the same rail anyway, and the only risk you have is in over-drawing from your power supply anyway (and at 850W, it's unlikely, even if it's a mediocre power supply).
The only time you'd see problems is if you have a multi-rail power supply and you lose the lottery and hook that pin adapter up to the wrong molex or 6-pins and overload one rail -- or if you flat out overloaded your entire power supply somehow. With a single 760 - your not going to overload an antire power supply.
I have no idea if your power supply is single rail or multiple rail - mutliple rails were en vogue back in the mid-00's, but they have fallen out of favor recently, and most power supplies in the last 4-5 years have been single rail.
I found this link regarding my PS; Solytech SL-8850 EPS
http://www.plugloadsolutions.com/80PlusPowerSuppliesDetail.aspx?id=65
I have no idea what it means though
That link doesn't mean much, but going off the model, it's ... less than ideal.
It ~probably~ won't blow up... but I use the word probably loosely and if it were me, I would replace it with nice 600W for around $70 and then not have to worry about it at all - and get the proper PCI-E connections without needing adapters.
But that's up to you - your existing power supply works fine. It's just kinda like driving a Pinto - they will get you from Point A to Point B, but god help you if anyone taps your bumper at a traffic light.
When you click the link for my particular model it includes a report:
http://www.plugloadsolutions.com/psu_reports/SOLYTECH ENTERPRISE CORP._SL-8850EPS (PI)_ECOS 3071_850W_Report.pdf
The 2 x 6 pin to 8 pin adapter is very simple technology. It just routes 8 out of those 12 pins directly through it, and 4 aren't routed anywhere as they aren't needed, and the result should be a 8 pin power connector that matches specifications as long as the connected 6 pin adapters did also match the standards.
While it's not as good solution as a power supply that would have 8 pin connector, it should work. Even if it doesn't work, you're connecting 2x75 W into a 150W input, and using the correct 12V voltages, so the graphic card shouldn't be damaged.
One thing I'd watch out though: Now that your power supply has to supply more power, it'll also generate more heat than it used to. So especially with 5+ year old power supply, check out that its fans aren't covered with dust and that it'll be able to cool itself.