Do I NEED both 6-pin and 8-pin connectors to work?

[ivogelezarov]

Alright, so I bought this Asus HD 6950 card (link here:https://www.asus.com/Graphics-Cards/EAH6950_DCII2DI4S1GD5/overview/), and I've put it inside just barely as the card is massive. At this point, I'm not sure it's entirely inserted in or not, but when i connect it to the power without having either 6/8 pin connected to it a red light shines, so I take it that it IS connected to the pci-e slot and it IS drawing power. However, at this point, I've tried 2 things.

1.Connect the 6+2 connector from my PSU to the 6+2 port (leaving the 6 pin one open). I boot the PC and there's no video, no fans, no signs of life other than the illuminating red dot on top of the card.

2.Insert the 6 part of the 6+2 connector the the 6 pin port. Boot the pc. Fans start up, everything seems perfect but no display is shown.

So I am here to ask, would the problem be that both 6 and 8 pin ports MUST be connected? If so, then I'll scout around town to find a molex/sata to 6 pin adapter and try to get it to work (because all I have is a single 6+2 connector)

My psu is a Be quiet! e-400w (link here: http://www.bequiet.com/en/powersupply/83).
And before you go on and on and on about how the 6950 requires at least 500w, extreme PSU calculator showed that i only need 361W. And my PSU is not of the shit rank. The GPU requires at least 30 amps on the 12v rail and this one has 14+16v (as it is dual rail) and a combined output of 384W, so technically SHOULD be able to run my setup, right?

EDIT: I should probably note that I don't hear any beeps, my mobo has never given any beeps to begin with, it's pretty old and I actually think it doesn't have the ability to beep at all. It's a P5LD2 SE if anyone cares.

Also my PC is fully functional right now as I've reversed the installation and am on my HD 4670 right now.

All in all, the question is in the title. If the answer is "No, you only need 8/6 pin connected" then i'll probably go to some store and test if the gpu works or not at all.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

You need to upgrade to a proper power supply that has all the PCIE connections , and enough power.

Have to use both to power the card..Sorry.

 

[ko888]

Yes, both PCIe power connectors on the graphics must be plugged into the PSU.

Your PSU's maximum combined +12 Volt continuous current rating is definitely insufficient for that graphics card.

 

[rgd1101]

Yes. both need to be connected

 

[13thmonkey]

and using sata/molex to PCI-E is not a great idea, you have to ask yourself why doesn't your PSU come with the sufficient connectors, the usual answer would be that it can't supply enough power.

 

[ivogelezarov]

Thank you so much guys, now I'm so relieved to know what the problem is. I went to a shop and they told me to up my PSU asap, and to be honest with you guys, I would. I really would. If I had the money though. I truly believe this is a slightly above average quality psu and that it will last me for a while. I'm going to save for a better one though, probably around 650W for futureproof.

 

[Martell1977]

Yes, you need both power connectors to be connected, that is why they are there. The card needs more power than the slot + one connector can supply.

You are underpowered, if you read your link: "Excellent energy savings and robustness, with efficiency reaching up to 87%", you are looking to use approx 361w or 384w. That is not a good situation and neither is having multiple rails.
Your PSU doesn't even appear on the PSU list:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html

I would never recommend using a 2x molex/sata to PCIe adapter, there is probably a reason your PSU doesn't have all the right connectors. If you proceed with that PSU or try to, you risk damaging the GPU and/or other components.

 

[13thmonkey]

be prepared to buy a new card when your PSU kills it.
That PSU is OK from what I've heard, but it is too small by far, it needs to be 600W to be safe.

 

[ivogelezarov]

As I said, I'd REALLY like to get a new PSU but as I am a studen't I don't have much of an income. And to be honest, it was my horrible mistake that I got this GPU. The choice was between this and a 650 ti boost but at that point my mind was screaming "PERFORMANCE!PERFORMANCE!PERFORMANCE! SCREW EVERYTHING ELSE!!!" and it was my bad descision that lead me to this point. I'm going to get a sata/molex to 6 pin adapter and when it blows up, it will be MY fault for making this mistake. Mine and nobody else's.

On a side note: wouldn't underclocking help a little?
Actually yes, from what i've found on the internet it DOES reduce power consumption. My cpu is crap anyway so there's a bottleneck, it wouldn't really hurt if I underclocked it, would it? I mean, I know it's not going to completely solve my problem, but it should help as little as it would, right?