[SOLVED] Connecting Corsair RM850e to an AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX ?

[TemporalTuba]

I have a pre-built desktop computer running Windows 11, which I mostly use for gaming. The power supply is a Corsair RM850e, and the graphics card is an AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX.

I frequently get `DXGI_ERROR_DEVICE_REMOVED` crashes in games, indicating that the graphics card has become temporarily inaccessible. As part of my troubleshooting, I want to check whether my graphics card is getting sufficient power from my PSU.

The graphics card has three 8-pin PCIe ports. The vendor that pre-built the computer connected it to the PSU with the following cables:

• A cable with an 8-pin PCIe end on the graphics card side, and an 8-pin CORSAIR Type 4 end on the PSU side, and...
• ...a pigtail cable with 2 8-pin PCIe ends on the graphics card side, and one 8-pin CORSAIR Type 4 end on the PSU side.

Every 8-pin PCIe socket on the power supply is in use, which I think is why the vendor used a pigtail. The only unused ports are some 6-pin ports marked SATA/PATA.

Corsair states that a pigtail cable with CORSAIR Type 4 on the PSU side can supply 300 W to a component. Is this actually true in practice, though? Is this cable setup adequate for powering my graphics card, or do I need to buy a power supply with an additional PCIe socket to phase out the pigtail, such as a Corsair HX 1000i?

Details

• PSU: Corsair RM850e; 850 W; obtained when new; now 6 months old
• Disk drives: Two SSD drives (T-FORCE TM8FFW002T). Each has a capacity of 2 TB. One contains a Windows 11 installation and is about 50% full. The other contains an Ubuntu 24 installation and is about 30% full. I have a dual boot set up where I see the Ubuntu disk's GRUB bootloader on startup, and use it to select either operating system. I use Windows for games and Ubuntu for productivity. I never mount an OS's disk when using the other OS.
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D 16-Core Processor, 4201 Mhz, 16 Core(s), 32 Logical Processor(s)
• RAM: Four of the following RAM stick -- 16GB DDR5 6000MHz T-Force Delta RGB -- for a total of 64 GB
• Peripherals:
  • Mouse: Asus ROG Chakram
  • Keyboard: Keychron K1 Max QMK/VIA Wireless Custom Mechanical Keyboard
  • Monitor: LG 49WQ95C-W
  • Headset: HyperX Cloud Revolver (wired)
• Network: Wireless
• Games that have crashed (all on Steam):
  • Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
  • Baldur's Gate 3
  • Solasta: Crown of the Magister

 

[Ralston18]

Update your post to include full system hardware specs and OS information.

Include PSU: make, model, wattage, age, condition (original to build, new, refurbished, used)?

Disk drive(s): make, model, capacity, how full?

List of all connected peripherals.

Wired or wireless network?

What games do you play? Source?

 

[TemporalTuba]

Update your post to include full system hardware specs and OS information.

Include PSU: make, model, wattage, age, condition (original to build, new, refurbished, used)?

Disk drive(s): make, model, capacity, how full?

List of all connected peripherals.

Wired or wireless network?

What games do you play? Source?

Updated!

 

[QyInvoLing]

If this psu only have two 8-pin 1-divided-into-2 cables, you should connect the first 8-pin to the first slot on the graphics card, then connect the second cable's main plug to the second slot and connect the extended plug to the third slot.

 

[TemporalTuba]

If this psu only have two 8-pin 1-divided-into-2 cables, you should connect the first 8-pin to the first slot on the graphics card, then connect the second cable's main plug to the second slot and connect the extended plug to the third slot.

Two follow-up questions:

1. Would that setup be sufficient to power the graphics card?
2. Are you saying that the order matters? For example, that this...

...is meaningfully different than this?

 

[QyInvoLing]

Two follow-up questions:

1. Would that setup be sufficient to power the graphics card?
2. Are you saying that the order matters? For example, that this...

...is meaningfully different than this?

The order DO matters. If 'viewed facing fans' means that the Dp and Hdmi sockets are at the left side of the image, then use the order of the first image.
The more closer to the GPU core the power socket is, the more power it will provide.

 

[Ralston18]

@ TemporalTuba

Nice diagrams!

 

[drivinfast247]

The more closer to the GPU core the power socket is, the more power it will provide.

Where did you find this information?

 

[QyInvoLing]

Where did you find this information?

That's a common sense, I don't know where actually I get it

 

[Eximo]

Yeah, not so much. Theoretically, slightly less resistance, but in the distances we are talking, and for a power plane, not relevant. The distances between the VRMs power output and the GPU power pins is much more important, so really the main power source for the GPU will be the local capacitors and chokes on the board, not really the 12V incoming power.

With Corsair Type 4 PCIe cables, the daisy chaining is okay. They used 16 gauge wire rather than the common 18 gauge wire to accommodate the output. A little more resistance from the pins/splice, but minor.

 

[drivinfast247]

That's a common sense, I don't know where actually I get it

You just keep telling yourself that.

 

[TemporalTuba]

Yeah, not so much. Theoretically, slightly less resistance, but in the distances we are talking, and for a power plane, not relevant. The distances between the VRMs power output and the GPU power pins is much more important, so really the main power source for the GPU will be the local capacitors and chokes on the board, not really the 12V incoming power.

With Corsair Type 4 PCIe cables, the daisy chaining is okay. They used 16 gauge wire rather than the common 18 gauge wire to accommodate the output. A little more resistance from the pins/splice, but minor.

Thanks for clarifying! If I'm understanding you correctly, it sounds like this cable setup is adequate for powering the graphics card, so my crash issue is caused by something else.

I'll keep on looking; thanks so much!

 

[Eximo]

Number one thing I would focus on is:

• RAM: Four of the following RAM stick -- 16GB DDR5 6000MHz T-Force Delta RGB -- for a total of 64 GB

It is not typical for AMD to play nice with four memory sticks. I would be very curious what timings they ended up with, or if it is even running at 6000.

 

[TemporalTuba]

It is not typical for AMD to play nice with four memory sticks. I would be very curious what timings they ended up with, or if it is even running at 6000.

Good to know. I tried removing 2 of the memory sticks (double-checking that the remaining ones were in the correct positions). My games still crashed, unfortunately.