Can I run my GTX 750 off the motherboard power?

[Tommywx]

Can I run my GTX 750 TI off the motherboard power using one of them sata cable 6 pin thingies? Amazon says the wattage of the GPU is 150. Incase it's relevant, the motherboard is brand new MSI 970 gaming motherboard

My psu came with my pc and is only 500 watts. I don't mind if the GPU doesn't perform 100% I just don't want it to burn out or blow up or whatever might happen.

 

[Firecheetah13]

It is never safe to run off of motherboard power alone if your GPU provides a PCIe connector. This could cause damage to the motherboard through overvolting trying to get enough power to your card at once, which could fry your motherboard. Even a moderate load would probably cause these problems. It's not worth the risk.

 

[Fluffybunnyofdoom]

I could be wrong but most of the GTX 750 and 750 Ti models don't require a 6-pin connector to power them. So if there is no place to plug one in, you're fine (with a good PSU). Otherwise you should plug it into the PSU.

 

[Math Geek]

think your confused. the "sata cable 6 pin thingies" are a way to try and convert a sata connection to a 6-pin pcie one. that will pulll the extra needed power from the psu like it is supposed to.

those adapters are not recommended at all. if your psu does not have the 6-pin connection, this means the manufacturer knew it could not give that extra power. they left it off for a reason. changing a sata lead to a 6-pin one does not creat any extra power from the power supply. just tricks it into trying to give power it can't. you are very likely to see the psu fail using one of these adapters and if the psu is low quality, then it will likely take some or all of the system with it.

what psu do you have specifically? a 500w psu should easily handle 2 x 8-pin connections, so it is likely a very low quality junk model that should be replaced anyway. it is probably only a 225w or so unit despite the label.

can you look at the psu label and provide the model number to see what it can do?


if your 750ti card does not need any extra power, then it should be ok since it is designed to only use the mobo for power. what model 750ti is it? probably should know that as well as the rest of the pc specs to go with it. this way can do some math and figure out how much power you need vs what the psu can provide

 

[Math Geek]

I could be wrong but most of the GTX 750 and 750 Ti models don't require a 6-pin connector to power them. So if there is no place to plug one in, you're fine (with a good PSU). Otherwise you should plug it into the PSU.

some 750ti models used extra power up to an 8-pin. many used no extra but the overclocked and super cooled models used extra power.

 

[Tommywx]

The gpu is ASUS GTX750TI-OC-2GD5 - NVIDIA GTX 750Ti OC 1150MHz 5400MHz 2GB 128-bit that's what I copy and pasted. It has 6 little slots and I've been told those are where the pins go from the PSU into the gpu to give it the power it needs. only thing is my PSU doesn't have anything to connect it with

 

[Math Geek]

that's odd, specs say it does not need any extra power, but reviews show it needs the 6-pin. so i assume this is true as i see pics

this brings me back to what i said above then. if your psu does not have the 6-pin connection, then it is probably not strong enough to power the card. even something as power sipping as a 750ti.

so back to the psu itself. what is the model number of it? you'll have to open the case and look at the side of the psu for the label. need to see this to see what the psu can do and if one of those adapters is a good idea or not. they rarely are but sometimes there is enough power available just not with the right connections. but won'tknow until can look it up and see

 

[dontlistentome]

I think most people who use those adapters use molex to pci-ex 6 pin, not SATA to 6 pin. That said, I don't recommend it. If you have a 500W power supply and it does not have even one of those connectors I would not trust that power supply to output enough power. Even a 400W power supply has one of those connectors, IF it's a good quality power supply. By the way, if you try it you'd be more likely to kill the power supply than the videocard. Then again, if the power supply burns out it might take the videocard too.

 

[Math Geek]

yah molex to 6-pin is more popular as they are often packaged with a new card. but a dual sata to 6-pin actually gives as much power. did the research and it's true. so little harder to find but a sata to 6-pin adapter is roughly the same as a dual molex to 6-pin. actually gives a bit more power since sata provides more power than the older molex.

i agree completely and usually suggest against using them for just about all cases. but in a few, the psu actually has decent 12v amps but for some reason lacks the pcie connection. in that very limited case, those adapters can be an option. is why i need to know what the psu is, so can check what it can handle and whether ones of those adapters is a death sentence for the pc or a usable option

 

[Tommywx]

I open up the PC and it says on the PSU " ATX SWITCHING POWER SUPPLY MODEL : ATX 500B. It also says it's 230 voltage. Sorry I can't be more helpful. I also do not see any litle cables with 6 pins in them. There's one with 4 pins, but thatt's plugged in right near the CPU fan.

I'm completely new to upgrading pc's. I bought these parts in december and they've been sitting on my shelf because I'm clueless at what to do Any recommendations to get my gpu up and running?

 

[Math Geek]

can you take a picture of the label and post it for me to look at? that way i can pick out the info i need to figure out what the psu can do.

most likely you will need a new psu to run that card, or swap out the card to one that only needs the mobo for power. but please post a picture of the psu label so i can see if there is anything else you can do.