8 pin power for GPU - all 12v?

[Ben-B]

I'm trying to squeeze a gaming setup into as small a case as possible - I've got a little Kolink Satellite plus case. I bought a semi-modular PSU, where plenty of the cables are optional, the main ones fixed.

The GTX 1070 I've got physically fits in the case, but blocks any of the plug-in power cables, so I'm hoping that the power I need will be alright from the main lead - Aside from the motherboard power and the sata power, there's an 8-pin, half yellow leads, half black. It looks the right size for the 1070's 8 pins, however the shape of the pins means I can't plug it in. (It's also a bit of a squeeze, as it plugs in at the exact point that this PSU chooses to have the cables coming out!

It has been a few years since I assembled my own so I'm probably being stupid, but is this cable OK to power the 1070? Or what else is it for? Can I get an adapter to make it fit? The instructions I'm sure say that the yellows are all 12v, and the blacks 'COM'.

I'm thinking if the pins are the wrong shape then it can't be the right arrangement of + and - so perhaps if I knew what it was called I could find an adapter to rearrange it!

Any ideas?



Any advice appreciated!

 

[RobCrezz]

That plug looks like its the EPS CPu power connector. You need a 6+2 PCI-e power cable.

 

[Ben-B]

Thanks for your reply - really shows I don't know too much about what I'm doing!!
On my current build I can't see that's even used - are they often not needed? Wondering, if it's not needed, whether it can be converted to power the GPU. As I've got no way of fitting any alternative power to my 1070 with it standing in the way of the power connectors.

Alternatively, I could fit my much smaller GTX 970, but that would be a shame as this was supposed to be a gaming build!

 

[RobCrezz]

So you cant use any of the modular cables?

What ones do you have available? You can get pci-e adapters for Molex and SATA, but we dont really "recommend" it. But if you have a free molex, then you could use that with an adapter.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/StarTech-com-Express-Video-Power-Adapter/dp/B006PHXLRG/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1548164377&sr=8-6&keywords=molex+to+pci-e

 

[Ben-B]

I've got the huge motherboard connector, then the EPS power as you say, then another with twin slim SATA power connectors. That's it for the hard-wired, the rest are modular. But, the card sits covering the entire panel for the modular cables, with about 5mm room!! So no way I could connect any.

To use my 1070 it looks like I need to convert either a SATA power, or convert this EPS CPU power, into the 8 pin PCI-E power that I need. If I don't need that EPS power, look like I don't?

 

[Ben-B]

Looking at adapters, a lot are twin sata to PCI-E, I can't imagine the power supply would be as good as the proper cable to use SATA, hence the need for 2x adapters, however I need to still use one sata and only have two, so that seems to be a bad idea

 

[RobCrezz]

yeah sata power connectors arent designed to supply the amount of power that a PCI-E connector does.

 

[Ben-B]

I actually can't find an adapter to use the EPS CPU power for the PCIE. A lot say they do, but when you look closer, they're just plain extensions, the same in as they are out.

Looks like I either need to find a PSU that somehow has a PCI-E power plug way out on a corner, or just use the 970 I've got, and keep the 1070 in my main PC (Which won't really be used for gaming, so that's a bit pointless!)

Unless anyone knows a better solution to use the EPS CPU power for my pic-e. If the wiring is the same, I guess I could buy a cheap extension, file away some corners to allow me to plug it in, but that sounds like a dangerous thing to do unless the wiring diagram is the same!

 

[Ben-B]

OK, looking around, it seems that would be a very bad idea! Diagram here: https://superuser.com/questions/1000679/i-plugged-an-8-pin-eps-cpu-cable-into-the-gpus-pci-e-port-is-it-damaged

 

[RobCrezz]

Or get a shorter PSU?

The wiring is not the same for EPS and PCI-e, youll just end up shorting or blowing something.

This adapter could take your 2x sata power and turn it into a 8pin pci-e:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/StarTech-com-Power-Express-Video-Adapter/dp/B007Y8FSMQ/ref=sr_1_18?ie=UTF8&qid=1548166592&sr=8-18&keywords=sata+to+pci-e

Not ideal, but could work in the mean time.

 

[Ben-B]

Yes. the twin sata could work, except I won't have any sata left for the SSD!

I may look into returning the PSU and find a slightly smaller one.
I really appreciate your help Rob. I leant quite a bit today!

 

[RobCrezz]

Yeah I think a smaller PSU that you could actually use the modular connections would be the best option.

 

[Ben-B]

OK, to update the thread, I've solved the problem! Instead of trying to find a workaround to use the PSU and GPU so close to each other, instead of splitting and borrowing power from either the CPU power, or sata power, I took your advice and simply returned the PSU and bought a slightly smaller one!
One that isn't modular too, as I knew that at least the cables would all come out of the PSU at one point, whereas on my modular PSU the plugs themselves had some thickness, and I knew I'd likely have the same problem of cables coming out exactly where the graphics card sits.
So it's no longer modular, and I have a big bundle of unused wires, but it now fits, all plugged in with exactly the correct plugs!

Sorry to start a thread about how to bodge the wiring to fit, when what I needed to do was buy a power supply to fit!
I appreciate your help

 

[RobCrezz]

Nice one, youve done it the right way now

 

[hang-the-9]

The case actually lists exactly the clearance you needed in the specs Clearance: VGA - 280mm, CPU Cooler 165mm, PSU - 220mm (with VGA card under 190mm), 140mm (with VGA card over 190mm) Could have saved some hassle there by checking on the specs first. Good idea to do when building things.

How deep is the PSU you got that is not modular? There are compact modular PSUs that are pretty small although cost can get up there https://www.amazon.com/SilverStone-Technology-Strider-Titanium-PS-ST60F-TI/dp/B009FU2A40?th=1 I think the Seasonic Focus models are all 140mm ones that should work. If you are interested in a cleaner setup that is. You can also look at SFX power supplies and an adapter.