6 pin vs 6+2 pin

[Intervenator]

I plan on buying a sleeved 6 pin cable. Will it work with my 8 pin power supply slot, as well as my 6 pin video card slot? Any help is appreciated!

 

[i7Baby]

6 pin can supply 6 pin power only.

 

[photonboy]

Exactly.

Perhaps you should get a "6+2" pin cable. That will plug into the 8-pin slot (assuming it's compatible) but can supply either 6 or 8-pin.

You can't connect an 8-pin cable to a 6-pin power source because 8-pin is meant to provide up to 150Watts whereas 6-pin is meant for up to 75Watts. The extra two pins on the "6+2" cable supply the extra 75Watts.

That's also why you can join two 6-pin power sources to make an 8-pin connector if needed for a graphics card (75W + 75W = 150W).

*So again there's different power demands which is why we don't connect 8-pin cables to single 6-pin sources.