GTX 980 WINDFORCE and PSU

cameronmaddams

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Dec 9, 2017
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Hi,
I am looking to buy a GTX 980 windforce and it requires two 8 pin connectors. I have an xfx pro550w and it has one 6+2 pin connector and one 6 pin connector. do i need to get a new psu? or can i get an adapter of some sort? I am wondering because im building a new pc with the following specs:

cpu: i5 2500k (hoping to overclock)
cooler: coolermaster hyper 212x
mobo: a z68 or p67 board (not sure what exact model yet)
ram: 16gb ddr3 1333mhz
gpu: gtx 980 windforce
psu: xfx pro550w
case: deepcool tesseract
hdd: 1.3tb 7200rpm hdd
ssd: not sure which yet

All help is much appreciated :)
 
Solution

I agree! The PSU is the heart of your system, without it NOTHING works! The PSU is the only component that, if it fails, can destroy ALL of your other components!

I still don't understand how people can justify spending 3-400 dollars on a new graphics card or over a thousand dollars for a new build, then insist on spending $25 (or less!) for a crap PSU to power it! :pfff:

That being said, the XFX you have is not considered a crap PSU by anyone, it just doesn't have the needed connections in this case. As said before, adapters are only a stop-gap measure and are never recommended as a long...

cameronmaddams

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Dec 9, 2017
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hi ive pretty much used . up my entire budget so i need something really cheap
 

genca

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Dec 5, 2017
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Oh, my bad. I thought tdp for 980 would be much more than 165w. Also, i didnt know that xfx psu's are on tier 2 list, and they are made by seasonic. So you have nothing to worry about, your psu will handle it. Sorry for misinformation in my first answer.

 

cameronmaddams

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Dec 9, 2017
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all good, so would i need an adapter of some sort? if so what would i use? also i believe the gpu comes with a adapter which is 2molex to 8 pin. would this be safe to use?
 

cameronmaddams

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Dec 9, 2017
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It would be best to get a new PSU, if the PSU doesn't have the required connections to the GPU then it is not recommended to use it.

Adaptors are never a good idea.
 

cameronmaddams

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Dec 9, 2017
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would the adapters get me through for a bit though without causing any damage? until i can afford a new psu?
 
They do NOT give you the adapters if they were not safe.
Too many people on this forum thinks everyone is made of money and should have Tier 2/3 PSUs, that is not the case.

The reason they have given you the adapters is so you can use them, not wonder if you can use them or not. Ideal world, get a Tier 3 PSU with the connectors - job sorted.
But they supply these, because they know not everyone has a super modern PSU - so use the adaptor with the already 1 cable you said you had that goes in the GPU.

Not sure why people think they give you these things, because they want you to burn your house down? I think not.
 


It's possible.

The PSU you have is actually a good one (Tier 2), it's just dated and doesn't have the proper connections for the card.

It's never recommended to use adaptors however.
 

cameronmaddams

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Dec 9, 2017
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ah ok
 


Actually no.

Some put in adaptors as a stop gap until people can get the proper equipment that is needed.

Adaptors are not nor are they intended as a long term solution.

As far as PSU's go if people can afford higher end GPU's then they can afford a good PSU to power it.

Tier 2 PSU's are NOT generally that expensive, Tier 3 units are even less expensive.

PSU's are NOT something to cheap out on when running higher end systems, they will end up paying in the end one way or another if they do.
 

I agree! The PSU is the heart of your system, without it NOTHING works! The PSU is the only component that, if it fails, can destroy ALL of your other components!

I still don't understand how people can justify spending 3-400 dollars on a new graphics card or over a thousand dollars for a new build, then insist on spending $25 (or less!) for a crap PSU to power it! :pfff:

That being said, the XFX you have is not considered a crap PSU by anyone, it just doesn't have the needed connections in this case. As said before, adapters are only a stop-gap measure and are never recommended as a long term solution.
 
Solution

cameronmaddams

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Dec 9, 2017
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ok thanks for your help ;)
 


Yeah, but they do it all time, it is the 1st thing they will cheap out on, that an the CPU cooler.

But then there is a lot of bad info out there on YT with them using junk PSU's in some of the builds.

That and advertising them...
 
People can only afford what they can afford, otherwise none of you would be driving crappy cars.
Some people make less than $10 USD a day and have no disposable income.

Not everyone has money to spare and we all have to do the best we can do. So I still say, you can use the adaptors and if you don't believe me, why not email the company who makes the GPU and ask them if the adaptors are only meant to be used short time, I guarantee they say as long as you like. Preferbly, if you don't need to use them, don't but the adaptors are not going to melt.

There are also many old decent PSU's with only 1 PCI-e output as well.
 

I submit that if you can't afford a decent PSU, then you really can't afford a high-end graphics card or computer! The problem with adapters, is that people don't know how to properly use them, and put both molex connectors on the same line as other peripherals (HDDs,Optical drives, etc.) instead of connecting them to two separate unused supply lines. Running an adapter is like using the donut spare tire of you car because you can't get the flat fixed.