[SOLVED] Connecting cables to a PSU with different amounts of pins...

[Al_Bie-04]

Right.

First of all, it’s good to acknowledge that I am soon building my very first PC. I would say that I know literally everything I need to know regarding the build, but 1 thing. I am going for the NZXT C850 PSU, which consists of 2 8 pin CPU (EPS) ports, and below that, 3 8 pin PCI-E ports.

Now...here’s my issue.

I am opting for the AORUS X570 Ultra motherboard, which has an 8 pin port as well as a 4 pin port. So how do I get a 4 pin connector to go into an 8 pin port on the PSU.

I have also now acquired the AORUS 3060 Ti MASTER GPU, which has an 8 pin as well as a 6 pin port, hence, my question is of course, how do I get a 6 pin cable to go into an 8 pin port on the PSU (and yes, I know that I can go for a 6+2 pin cable with 2 connectors just dangling down, but I don’t really want to do that).

I am also going to purchase custom cables from CableMod’s configurator, so I probably won’t be using the cables provided with the PSU.

Thanks for any help!

 

[Archaic59]

Right.

First of all, it’s good to acknowledge that I am soon building my very first PC. I would say that I know literally everything I need to know regarding the build, but 1 thing. I am going for the NZXT C850 PSU, which consists of 2 8 pin CPU (EPS) ports, and below that, 3 8 pin PCI-E ports.

Now...here’s my issue.

I am opting for the AORUS X570 Ultra motherboard, which has an 8 pin port as well as a 4 pin port. So how do I get a 4 pin connector to go into an 8 pin port on the PSU.

I have also now acquired the AORUS 3060 Ti MASTER GPU, which has an 8 pin as well as a 6 pin port, hence, my question is of course, how do I get a 6 pin cable to go into an 8 pin port on the PSU (and yes, I know that I can go for a 6+2 pin cable with 2 connectors just dangling down, but I don’t really want to do that).

I am also going to purchase custom cables from CableMod’s configurator, so I probably won’t be using the cables provided with the PSU.

Thanks for any help!

The two CPU cables from the power supply are both 4+4 pin. If the motherboard has 8-pin and 4-pin CPU headers you simply separate one of the 4+4 pins and use it along with the other 4+4 pin giving you a total of 12 pins connected to the motherboard. You will have a 4-pin connector wire hanging. The 4+4 pin ends of the cables must go to the motherboard.

The 3 PCIe cables each have two 6+2 pin connectors. The 6+2 pin ends must be used at the video card and not the PSU port. You cannot reverse the cable. If you don't want the unused 2 pin hanging off the video card simply use a small tie-wrap to attach it to the cable. It should not be very noticeable.

 

[Al_Bie-04]

The two CPU cables from the power supply are both 4+4 pin. If the motherboard has 8-pin and 4-pin CPU headers you simply separate one of the 4+4 pins and use it along with the other 4+4 pin giving you a total of 12 pins connected to the motherboard. You will have a 4-pin connector wire hanging. The 4+4 pin ends of the cables must go to the motherboard.

The 3 PCIe cables each have two 6+2 pin connectors. The 6+2 pin ends must be used at the video card and not the PSU port. You cannot reverse the cable. If you don't want the unused 2 pin hanging off the video card simply use a small tie-wrap to attach it to the cable. It should not be very noticeable.

Ok, thanks for your reply. Do you suggest then that I buy a 4+4 pin cable as well as an 8 pin cable for the CPU, and then a 6+2 pin cable as well as a 8 pin cable for the GPU?

 

[Archaic59]

Ok, thanks for your reply. Do you suggest then that I buy a 4+4 pin cable as well as an 8 pin cable for the CPU, and then a 6+2 pin cable as well as a 8 pin cable for the GPU?

Most motherboards can run with just the (4+4) 8-pin EPS connector and you can usually leave the extra 4-pin unused, but, I don't know if that's the case for every board. Some may require it to power on so you may want to have it available. If you're ordering cables you'll likely end up with the same cable ends you have now if they're already premade in a kit, but you should be able to get an 8-pin and 6-pin (without the 2-pin) when ordering custom made PCIe cables. Cabelemod can answer these questions better than I can.

It's critical to have the exact model of your power supply when ordering custom cables. The end of the cables that plug in to the PSU are not the same from brand to brand and model to model. So, you can't use modular cables from an NZXT PSU on another brand power supply and vice versa. Just want to emphasize that. They have to be made for your exact model because there's no industry standard for pinouts at the PSU end of the cable. Whatever you do, don't lose the stock cables since you may need them some day. People come here all the time asking what to do because they lost their cables.

 

[Al_Bie-04]

Most motherboards can run with just the (4+4) 8-pin EPS connector and you can usually leave the extra 4-pin unused, but, I don't know if that's the case for every board. Some may require it to power on so you may want to have it available. If you're ordering cables you'll likely end up with the same cable ends you have now if they're already premade in a kit, but you should be able to get an 8-pin and 6-pin (without the 2-pin) when ordering custom made PCIe cables. Cabelemod can answer these questions better than I can.

It's critical to have the exact model of your power supply when ordering custom cables. The end of the cables that plug in to the PSU are not the same from brand to brand and model to model. So, you can't use modular cables from an NZXT PSU on another brand power supply and vice versa. Just want to emphasize that. They have to be made for your exact model because there's no industry standard for pinouts at the PSU end of the cable. Whatever you do, don't lose the stock cables since you may need them some day. People come here all the time asking what to do because they lost their cables.

Ok. I have entered the exact PSU model, so should be fine with that. And yeah, they do have an option for 4-pin and 6-pin connector cables, I just didn’t get how the 6 pins would get into the 8 pin port on the PSU, leaving 2 just empty, or should I put it into the 6 pin SATA/Peripheral ports.

 

[Archaic59]

Ok. I have entered the exact PSU model, so should be fine with that. And yeah, they do have an option for 4-pin and 6-pin connector cables, I just didn’t get how the 6 pins would get into the 8 pin port on the PSU, leaving 2 just empty, or should I put it into the 6 pin SATA/Peripheral ports.

The 6-pin end goes to the video card. The cables will come with however many pins the PSU port uses, usually 8-pin on the PSU end of the cable and 6-pin for the GPU end of the same cable.