Help!!! Graphics card psu connectors

[San-J]

I am buying a GeForce 7900gs, and I need to know what pin connector to psu it takes. Looking at my psu, it seems there is only one 4-pin connector spare, so I need to know if that will be ok, or if I will need to buy a convertor, or a whole new psu!? sorry I'm a bit of a noob but I really need answers fast, as I am buying this card today if possible!!!!

Thanks

 

[13thmonkey]

it will need a PCI-E connector from the PSU, a little 2x3 connector. you can couple two std molex connectors together using an adaptor.

But it sounds like you only have one left.

What PSU are you using?

 

[San-J]

I'm using a Colors EN60590 400W psu. I only have a 2x2 molex connector availabe - is there any way I can get round this problem e.g an adapter to convert it to a 3x2?

Thanks for your help

 

[Crashman]

The square 4-pin is for powering the CPU through the motherboard. It's reverse polarity of the 6-pin PCI-Express graphics power connector, and you won't find an adapter.

 

[13thmonkey]

you can get 2x molex to 1xpci-e, but electrically it should try to work if you only plugged one of your molexes in.

But how many 12V Amps does your PSU have and how many does your card need?

I'd suggest that the reason the there are only 2x2 molexes is that it may not be able to cope.

Power is not as important as amps, as power is derived from amps, but amps tell the true story.

 

[13thmonkey]

The square 4-pin is for powering the CPU through the motherboard. It's reverse polarity of the 6-pin PCI-Express graphics power connector, and you won't find an adapter.

I was reading that as two molexs on two cables.

Thanks.

 

[San-J]

Well if i'm not going to find an adaptor, then I might as well buy a different card. Any suggetions for cards which don't need any connection to the psu via molex cables or whatever for around the same specs as the 7900gs?

 

[13thmonkey]

nope, beyond about 6600GT they all need external power.

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=434414

you could try one of these, it'd save you getting a new PSU.

You could try a molex doubler, and the PCI-E convertor.

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=1837

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=159192

BUT, and this is a big BUT, best case scenario, it works, anything other than best case will probably kill your PSU (dependant on quality of PSU), and perhaps other items on your Mobo inc CPU (again dependant on quality of PSU).

What amps have you got on 12V and what do you need on your card.

My initial assessment is that you are going to be very tight on power, and that your PSU isn't that good in terms of quality. I would not risk it, get a new PSU, or get an additional PSU.

 

[San-J]

Well...I went ahead and bought the 256mb 7900gs, and it works! There was a splitter with a 3x2 pin on the end included with the graphics card, and i bought another splitter, as I had one connector left over (sorry I really am a noob when it comes to this sort of thing, but it was long and it had 3 pins in it i think - there are lots of them coming from the psu!). So i connected it all up, and it worked! It looks awesome too, a huge increase from my previous piece of rubbish.

As this is my first graphics card that I have bought, I would like to just say that the chipset and cooler for these gaming cards are enormous! I had to move my modem down a pci slot to accomodate my new graphics card in the pci-e slot.

Anyway...its all good, now I just need to know where I can download a benchmark program from.

 

[RyanMicah]

Heh, you might still want to consider that new PSU...I'm not sure anyone's ever even heard of the brand of PSU you have. Where did you get it? If it came with a case there's a good chance it's very low quality. It sounds like you're splitting wires...once you start doing that it's likely that you're running low on amperage. Key note - too much power is bad for your hardware, but too little can be even worse. That said, your system might SEEM fine, but if you start to really tax it, it could crash. Most people will tell you not to skimp on your PSU. A good steady supply of power is a MUST. You might be alright too. You could try the online PSU calculators to figure out how much power you really need, and also check the amps you're using. As a general rule, if you want to avoid mishaps, do LOTS of homework.

Another note, since you might not be from the UK...check out Thermaltakes add-on PSU.

www.thermaltake.com You can find out more about it there (not a direct link to the product)

You may want to just consider getting that, it could always come in handy in future builds too and it costs a good deal less than a whole new PSU.

 

[Crashman]

Nah, you can't have too much power. It's like plugging a 7W nightlight bulb into one electrical outlet and a 1400W microwave into another, they only draw as much as the equation allows them to (V=IR)