gpu power connectors

[Christian1987]

Im just connecting the power to my msi r9 280x. I have a 6pin and an 8pin connection which are side by side. Looking at photos online it seems i have to utilise both connections, is this correct. Also the cable from my psu splits in two at the end, enablind it to have the 6 pin and 8 pin on one line, is this ok. I have seen pictures online and it looks like two seperate cables are being used thats all.

Any help would be appreciated

 

[Ahmadjon]

Plug one 6+2pin to 8pin connector and second 6+2pin to 6pin power connecter and let two additional pins just hang inside of your case

 

[mickypheonix]

Hi christian1987
what psu m8 ,
i personally would not run both off the same line , i would get a 4pin molex adaptor to a 6pin pcie and use that for the other connection and use the eight pin on the twin lead only , something like this
http://www.zeppelincomputers.com/data/products/id522/web_kn-molex_to_6pin.jpg

 

[Rookie_MIB]

1) Yes you must use both connectors.
2) Having them both on the same line is a slightly different question which is determined by your PSU. Specifically - if your PSU has a single big high-amp 12v rail, then it won't matter. If your PSU has multiple smaller rails, it is possible that you could run into issues IF you don't have a pretty high-power unit. If your PSU is marginal (ie: 500-600w), and NOT a single rail design, putting the entire GPU on a single small rail could be iffy. Ideally, you want a 700+w single rail design PSU for the 280x/290x series.

 

[Christian1987]

My psu is a bequiet 630w. Im not sure about any other specifications of it. On the back it has 2 8pin pcie outputs which a red and green. They are no molex connections present. The two cables that were supplied were exactly the same. I.e an 8 pin block from the psu going to another 8 pin block situated half way dow bthe cable then a six pin block from the end. I could use the 8 pin block off one cable then use the other cables 6 pin block? Or could my psu i mentioned be sufficient to supply it off the same cable?

 

[mickypheonix]

this is your psu ?

you have two pcie power connectors on the back for you pcie card one colored green , one red, they even say pcie1 and pcie2

here are your cables

why are you not using one green end to a 6pin pcie for your card
and the red end to an 8pin pcie on your card

 

[mickypheonix]

on one of those 8pins should have what they call a breakaway two , two of the eight pins should come away from the remaining 6 making it a 6pin pcie ?

edit.
so yes you do need to power both the 8pin and the6pin pcie power connectors on your card.
Your Psu has the leads to do it
plug the green ended cable into your psu then the other to your card with either the eight or 6pin via a breakaway 2
plug the red ended cable into your psu then the other end to your card with either the eight or 6pin via a breakaway 2

 

[Christian1987]

Now that I know my gpu needs both conections. I wanted to know if I can use a single cable from the psu. I know the cables have suitable connections for both at once but if the psu can handle using a single output id prefer to do it thag way as I dont want loads of cables

 

[Rookie_MIB]

You'll have to connect both cables - I do know what you mean about not wanting the cabling all over the place, but not much choice in this case. Doing that (using one cable and rigging it) could result in the GPU pulling too much power through too little wiring - the net result of that is usually quite smoky and spectacular.

While it is smoky and spectacular, it's generally something you want to avoid when you're talking about potentially between one and two thousand worth of computer hardware.

 

[mickypheonix]

better off with two m8, cable tie or velcro tie the cables to reduce cable clutter if you are worried