One pin missing

Saif Uv

Reputable
Nov 17, 2014
378
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4,860
Whats up with the PCIe power connector. The mid yellow wire from upper row is missing and the 2nd pin in 1st row is missing too .
What does that mean ?
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Solution
A little more detail.

So you have a couple of things to look at when you are talking about 12V wiring in computers.

Wire gauge, expected load, and connection standards.

6-pin PCIe is really a 5 pin connector. The sixth is sometimes run as an additional ground. Expected TDP of 75W
8-pin PCIe is really a 7 pin connector. The eighth pin is sometimes run as an additional ground. Expected TDP of 150W.

Now you might note that the 8-pin connector only has one additional power carrying wire, yet is rated at twice the amount of a six pin connector. Generally 6-pin connectors with 18 gauge wire have the capacity to carry upwards of 120W @ 12V before seeing an appreciable voltage drop. Similarly an 8-pin connector can be rated at 180W.

18...
A little more detail.

So you have a couple of things to look at when you are talking about 12V wiring in computers.

Wire gauge, expected load, and connection standards.

6-pin PCIe is really a 5 pin connector. The sixth is sometimes run as an additional ground. Expected TDP of 75W
8-pin PCIe is really a 7 pin connector. The eighth pin is sometimes run as an additional ground. Expected TDP of 150W.

Now you might note that the 8-pin connector only has one additional power carrying wire, yet is rated at twice the amount of a six pin connector. Generally 6-pin connectors with 18 gauge wire have the capacity to carry upwards of 120W @ 12V before seeing an appreciable voltage drop. Similarly an 8-pin connector can be rated at 180W.

18 gauge wire being the accepted standard. Now some manufacturers can save costs by running a single wire, and then splicing it out to hit more then one pin. They might use a heavier gauge wire to accomplish this. On many high end power supplies you will see multiple PCIe connectors coming from a single cable. This is perfectly acceptable as long as the wires can carry the necessary current.

In this case of low-end supplies, they often just splice together a few wires knowing that the hardware they intend to install doesn't require that much power. Your average consumer video card doesn't require external power at all. And the ones that will fit in OEM chassis are generally not that powerful either. It is a small risk, but a potential savings of quite a bit over thousands of units sold.
 
Solution