Question Do I have to use two separate PCIe cables to power my RTX 3060 12GB?

[Garen D]

Hi all, I was wondering if I needed to use two separate PCIe cables to power my GPU( ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 3060 AMP White Edition) or If I can get away with only using one. I've seen people saying that its a bad idea to use one, or that its a bad idea to use two because of GPU Sag. I'm trying to avoid using two cables because I want to minimize how many cables my build has for cable management sake. The Corsair RM750(2021) 750w PSU has a PCIe cable that has two 8pin connectors on a single cable so I was thinking about using just one of them to power the RTX 3060 with it's 2 8pin ports. As far as I am aware it should be fine as a couple searches later I think I am good to just use one because I see that some people only use 2 PCIe cables if the TDP of the GPU is 225W-250W. But I just need some peace of mind and to know any potential issues I might face using a single cable or if I should just use two.

TL;DR
Is it a good idea to use a single power cable that has 2 8pin connectors on the RTX 3060 with 2 8pin ports on it?

Build

• Ryzen 9 3900X
• Corsair RM750(2021) 750w PSU
• ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 3060 AMP White Edition

 

[Gaidax]

It's never a good idea to do that. Use 2 separate cables.

PCI-E Slot gives max of 75w.
Single 8-pin cable/PSU connector rated for 150w. Technically it can go a bit higher actually, but you would be going outside the specification.

TDP is not a gospel number, you can't rely on that and basic math from above and your PSU might not be able to handle all that on single cable or your connector might melt or who knows what else may happen... or well it can be just fine.

But, do you really want to take those unnecessary gambles?

 

[punkncat]

As above, when the option is available to use two different PSU cables, it should be taken advantage of. Actually, a good way to keep track of that cable as well.