Question Is it ok to use daisy chain power cables to power a GTX 970 ?

knowledge2121

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So most GTX 970s have a 6+8 power connector...

My power supply has 2x 6+2pins on the same cable...

My understanding is that i should connect one 6+2pin to the 8 and one 6pin to the 6 with a 2pin not connected...

But i have heard that i should not use daisy chain power connectors...because it causes some issues...is this true ?
 
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DSzymborski

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Gigabyte just had a problem with PSU fires and is using a manufacturer that had no prior experience with consumer PSUs. And before those, they sold some real nasty group-regulated junk. If it's not one of the Aorus PSUs, which have gotten (mostly) OK reviews, Gigabyte PSUs are a complete non-starter without a better track record. There's a reason there's such a sale on that PSU; everyone's trying to give away their Gigabyte PSUs.
 

USAFRet

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I want to bclk oc the 6500 and oc a gtx 970 and ram...
For completeness, related to this thread:
 

DSzymborski

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What is a good budget 650w psu...

I am looking at masterwatt 650 but it uses cheap chinese caps...

Wait a second, do i even need 650w ?

I want to bclk oc the 6500 and oc a gtx 970 and ram...

Is 650w enough ?

You don't need 650 really. A quality 550W is fine. You'd be fine with a Corsair CX (a modern one, not an old green label that may be lying around somewhere). Though if there's a chance at a major GPU upgrade at some point, then you may want to be more ambitious.
 

DSzymborski

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The Gold-rated Masterwatt Elites are fine, if not actually elite in the quality sense.

The tier list will become outdated at some point as it's not longer being maintained, but it's still just fine right now.

 

DSzymborski

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Horrifying. Worse than any PSU mentioned yet.

While 500W would be fine, there are very few competent PSUs that are at precisely 500W.

And again, the tier list has all these relative qualities (or lack thereof).

 
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knowledge2121

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How about this one:

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B07WC79PPN/ref=ox_sc_act_image_1?smid=A3DWYIK6Y9EEQB&psc=1

Look at the VGA cable, will that work with a gtx 970 ?

71-STPv-PIyv-L-AC-SL1500.jpg
 

DSzymborski

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Really mediocre. Not what I would buy for long-term use.

But again, tier list. GPUs aren't cheap right now. Pretend nothing below Tier B exists and you'll end up just fine.

 

Karadjgne

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Most gtx970 use 2x 6pin connectors. Some (like Asus Strix) use a single 8pin. I'm sure that there are also some wierd boards that'll also think they need a 6pin + 8pin.

That said, I ran a 3770k with upto a 5.0GHz overclock and an Asus Strix gtx970 with a 28% OC, all from a Evga G2 550w. With no issues for over 7 years.

The math is simple. Very good psu = 550w, mediocre psu = 650w, piece of junk = 750w. I recommend the first, they have far better track records for reliability, best output voltage regulation, a bunch of protective circuits and are far cheaper on the electric bill as well as having less electric lost as converted heat.
 
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DSzymborski

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In my case 500w would be enough i guess...

I5-6500 has a tdp of 65w
Gtx 970 has a tdp of 148w

I am ocing 6500 to 4.5ghz and ocing 970 a little bit

You're completely missing the point. You're obsessed with the exact wattage number and continually glossing over the quality of the PSU. Quality should be higher if you're overclocking, yet you keep trying to find worse and worse PSUs so that you can cut costs in safety equipment. The PSUs you're finding aren't cheaper because they're 500W as opposed to 550W, they're cheaper because they're cheaply made PSUs with worse voltage regulation, ripple mitigation, part quality, etc.

If you're willing to accept a higher risk of the long-term health of your equipment to save $10, it's your equipment, your money, and thus, your prerogative. But spitting out TDP numbers doesn't make a low-quality PSU into a better one.
 
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DSzymborski

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Under $72 Canadian and far better than anything you've asked about.

PCPartPicker Part List

Power Supply: Corsair CXM 650 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Total: $59.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-05-28 10:38 EDT-0400


PCPartPicker Part List

Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower Grand RGB 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($65.99 @ PC-Canada)
Total: $65.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-05-28 10:40 EDT-0400


PCPartPicker Part List

Power Supply: Corsair CXF 650 W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ Canada Computers)
Total: $64.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-05-28 10:42 EDT-0400
 
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Karadjgne

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Single rail or multi rail doesn't make a difference. That's Where the power comes From, not Where it goes To.

In a 2 rail psu, power is split into 2x 30Amp rails, then is rejoined at the main buss bar to equal 60Amp total. In a single rail psu, it uses a 60Amp circuit instead. Both psus have 60A total on that buss. (in general terms). Multi rails are cheaper per actual component since they don't require larger components of higher value, but overall can cost more because they use more components.

DC voltage is Direct Current. It's supposed to be a dead straight line. AC voltage is Alternating Current, the line goes up/down like a wave. A bad quality psu will not convert AC voltage into DC voltage very well at all, so the DC line is still very erratic, tons of small ups-downs constantly, which makes stability nearly impossible, burns up gpus and motherboards and ram quicker etc. A good quality psu has far better voltage regulation, the DC looks more like the straight line it's supposed to be, makes stability easier and better, helps components live a longer life.

Bad quality psus have little to no protections. If power load is too great, the circuits over heat, too much amperage, you get a fire in your pc. Bad quality psus lie to you to make themselves sound better. A 6pin pcie is rated for 75w at 12v. If you see a 750w psu with 1x 6pin, where is all that power? Where is the remaining 675w going? It's not going to the pcie/vga guaranteed.

Any halfway decent 500w-550w will have at least a 6pin + 6+2pin, total of minimum 225w just for the gpu. Doesn't really matter if that's 1 cable or 2 cables unless it's a really cheap junk psu that doesn't use heavy guage wire.

Bronze, Gold etc is an Efficiency rating only. If your psu is Bronze, it means 80% or more of the power pulled from the wall is converted to DC. Meaning if your pc has a total power use of 240w, with a Bronze psu you pull 300w from the wall. Only 60w is lost as heat inside the psu. With a White or N (no color) rated psu, that efficiency can be as low as 50%, if your pc used 240w, you could pull 480w from the wall, 240w worth of heat lost inside the psu. That = good chance to start fires because components get far too hot when generating that much heat. The psu looks more like a toaster on full burn.
 
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