Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UP7 - ATX4P connector

[Karami]

hello all,
i have the Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UP7 motherboard and i am getting a new GPU today, the Gigabyte N770OC-2GD GTX 770.
I was wondering, should i connect a SATA power cable to the ATX4P connector, even though i will only be running a single card? [i will SLI in the future]
Would it damage the card or motherboard in any way?
would it be fine to just plug it in and forget it?

This is what it says in the manual, [pg 7 and pg 19]
http://download.gigabyte.eu/FileList/Manual/mb_manual_ga-z77x-up7_e.pdf

"When two or more graphics cards are installed, we recommend that you connect the SATA power cable from the power supply to the ATX4P connector to ensure system stability."

Thank you

 

[Kane5784]

I had that board (though I returned it for a different model) and I can confirm it won't damage the card or MB if you plug in the SATA power cable with only one GFX card.

The SATA power connection is just so the board has an extra source of current for the PCI-Express interface, and helps keep your voltage stable. The amount of current remains the same, unless you tweak it in your MBs BIOS/UEFI.

 

[Damn_Rookie]

No, you don't need to plug it in when only using one card. That said, no, it won't cause any damage to the motherboard or graphics card if you do plug it in with only one card installed.

 

[Karami]

I had that board (though I returned it for a different model) and I can confirm it won't damage the card or MB if you plug in the SATA power cable with only one GFX card.

The SATA power connection is just so the board has an extra source of current for the PCI-Express interface, and helps keep your voltage stable. The amount of current remains the same, unless you tweak it in your MBs BIOS/UEFI.

Thank you. i will connect it and leave it.