[SOLVED] Bought new Asus Strix Raid Pro sound card but psu has no spare 6pin connector for it

[Nuruize]

So I got a new Asus Strix Raid Pro sound card today for my new Tiamat 7.1 v2 headset but when i went to put it on my asrock z97 anniversary motherboard I realised it needs a 6 pin pcie connector and my evga geforce gtx 960 is using the only two that my 550w psu has. What can I do please i'm not very good when it comes to pcs. Does this mean I need to upgrade my PSU for one that has more than 2 6 pin connectors or is my psu fine and another solution is possible?

 

[geofelt]

Use a molex to 6 pin adapter.
https://www.amazon.com/Molex-PCI-Express-Video-Adapter-Converter/dp/B00DFZ7HDK

 

[Nuruize]

Thankyou for the reply, is that safe to do then for either the soundcard or psu?

 

[geofelt]

Thankyou for the reply, is that safe to do then for either the soundcard or psu?

That is a very good question.
The specs are unclear on just how much power the card requires.
I would have not thought it was much, certainly not the 75w that a pcie slot can deliver.
The fact that it also needs an aux 6 pin connector is troubling.
Possibly, that is because the design of the card does not use pcie power.

A normal GTX960 needs only one 6 pin connector.
I imagine that your evga GTX960 is one of the heavily factory overclocked versions that require a second 6 pin connector.

What to do?

I think, if your PSU is a high quality psu, I would go ahead and try the molex adapter.
It is certainly cheap enough.
The main problem comes if your psu is a cheap unit and fails under load.
If you have a noname psu, I would buy something like a Seasonic focus 650w psu.

 

[Nuruize]

Yeah it's the evga gefore gtx 960 ssc 2.0 acx edition.
Also my processor is intel core i5 4690k
Think these 2 are like the biggest consumtion on psus isn't it?
My PSU is: XFX TS 550 Watt Full Wired 80 plus bronze certified
if that helps on wether you know if my psu is decent or not and if you reckon using that adpapter will be fine or if a new psu is required?

The Link to the specs on my psu is here I think? http://www.xfxforce.com/en-us/products/ts-series-bronze-full-wired/ts-series-550w-psu-p1-550s-gren

 

[Nuruize]

Oh and if my PSU is good enough for it will this molex to 6 pin adpater be ok https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing-accessories/computer-accessories/power-and-cables/computing-cables-and-adaptors/dynamode-4-pin-molex-to-6-pin-pcle-cable-10cm-11885888-pdt.html#srcid=11026 and do I have to connect both the molexes up or just one of them

 

[geofelt]

I think you are OK.
That psu looks to be a good tier 2 unit:
https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/631048-psu-tier-list-updated/

Your specs say 44amps can be delivered on +12v. That translates to 528w.
+12v is what the graphics card and cpu/motherboard use.
The max draw on the graphics card is 225w but likely less. 75w for the slot, 150w for two 6 pin connectors.
The evga specs say you need a 400w psu assuming a i7 3.2 processor.
That tells me that you need one full 6 pin, but not the full power capability of the second.

The max draw on the sound card will be 150w. slot plus 6 pin. Likely, a lot less will be used.
I can't imagine a sound card needing half that much.
But, I suppose they know what they are doing.

So far, we have accounted for a max of 375w.

The processor is a 88w tdp unit, but since you have overclocked, it will be more.
Nothing else amounts to much.

Ultimately, it is the good quality of the psu that tells me you are ok.

Yes, that is the kind of adapter I had in mind.

 

[Nuruize]

Sweet, thankyou so much for you help I will connect my sound card up shortly and see what happens then!

 

[Nuruize]

Ok so i've got my soundcard and headset connected up and working but now something inside my tower is making a constant buzzing sound and i can feel it vibrating onto my desktop and also a weird ticking sound and whenever i put 7.1 on i can hear like a feint windy buzzy sound coming through the headset and when i test my mic as soon i talk it goes crazy and makes loud strange noises

 

[Nuruize]

Also should i be wiring my headset into the amp box thing that comes with the sound card because at the minute i just have it going directly into my sound card and don't have the amp box connected up. In the app menu that came with the sound card it only has option for stereo in th eplayback configuration dorpdown menu and not 7.1 surround? and the green cable is that supposed to go into the audio hole or front?

 

[Nuruize]

I may have even put it on the wrong pcie slot? Which one should it be on, my grpahics card is on the longest one, my sound card is right underneath my gpu on a smaller one but there is another long pcie slot, should it be on that?

 

[geofelt]

It will not matter which pcie slot you use.
A short card will work in a longer slot.

As to how sound cards work, I have no clue.
They always seem to be finicky.
verify that you have the correct driver installed.