Question Can I run an RX 580 at 75W? (Mac Pro 5,1)

[ust4ever]

Hey!

I've just bought an RX 580 8GB Sapphire Pulse for my 2010 Mac Pro.

This card takes two PCI 6 pin connectors, but as of present I can only power it with one, as I'm waiting on the proper cable to come in from China.

Can I use the card with just the one connector, temporarily? It'd be great to use it so I can get the latest OS up and running. It wouldn't be for gaming.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

You need both PCIE connections.

 

[edgars.roga]

Wait, are you about to put a spliter that splits 1 PCI cable into 2? Im not sure if you would gain anything from that, i do know that you could use 6pin in gpu's that need 8pin, because 2 extra pins are ground, so the wire does not heat up. But if you dont have another 8pin you should not even bother, get a better PSU.

 

[ElectrO_90]

Wait, are you about to put a spliter that splits 1 PCI cable into 2? Im not sure if you would gain anything from that, i do know that you could use 6pin in gpu's that need 8pin, because 2 extra pins are ground, so the wire does not heat up. But if you dont have another 8pin you should not even bother, get a better PSU.

Splitters work, because even the manufacturers of these cards supply them. The difference being, is that they are normally of a good quality.
If your PSU is strong enough then you can use a splitter, if its not, then don't split. You haven't said what your PSU is.
In an ideal world your PSU would have its own plugs, but its not always an ideal world. Also people don't seem to understand that a lot of them, unless they are high end PSU's just run 2 plugs from the same load line anyway.

 

[TJ Hooker]

Open up your computer and take a picture of the label on the side of the power supply and post it here.

 

[ust4ever]

Splitters work, because even the manufacturers of these cards supply them. The difference being, is that they are normally of a good quality.
If your PSU is strong enough then you can use a splitter, if its not, then don't split. You haven't said what your PSU is.
In an ideal world your PSU would have its own plugs, but its not always an ideal world. Also people don't seem to understand that a lot of them, unless they are high end PSU's just run 2 plugs from the same load line anyway.

Basically, the Mac Pro provides two mini PCI 6 pin power connectors for GPUs etc.

The stock GPU, a Radeon 5770, uses only one of these. Each of them can feed a card with up to 75W of power AFAIK.

Because they're an obscure connector, I don't have the cable handy to feed the new card, an RX580, with both connectors, but I could power it with just one connector using the old cable.

The RX580 takes one 8 pin connector, which you feed with a two 6-pin to one 8-pin converter.

Hopefully this helps