Power for GTX 1080 Ti in HP Z640 for VR

[nph995]

I am currently using a HP Z640 (K7S93PA) at work for CAD and 3D which is running a Nvidia Quadro K4200 GPU. We want to start doing VR work and apparently the K4200 isn't compatible with the HTC Vive and SteamVR so we're looking to swap the GPU out for a GTX 1080 Ti.

The K4200 is running off a single 6-pin PCIe power cable and the only free power cables I can see are another 6-pin PCIe, 1 x female molex and 2 x 15-pin SATA power cables. The GTX 1080 Ti GPU we are looking to buy requires 1 x 6-pin and 1 x 8-pin for its power. The PSU is rated at 925W.

What is the best way to 'convert' from the available power cables to the required 6-pin and 8-pin?

Should I use a 6-pin to 8-pin adaptor? Or a 2 x SATA to 8-pin adaptor?

Thanks in advance for any help

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

You can't and the motherboard and power supply are proprietary , won't run a 1080ti.

 

[nph995]

You can't and the motherboard and power supply are proprietary , won't run a 1080ti.

Thanks for the reply, but that puts a spanner in the works. So would we be limited to getting one of the newer VR capable Quadro cards like the P4000? Or are we better off just building a new machine around a 1080 Ti?

 

[iamacow]

You can very much put a 1080ti in that computer. Since you said it has a second 6-pig PEG cable you would need to buy a 6pin to 8pin converter. Those extra pins just go to ground anyways but the card won't boot without it. You want to make sure it has two 6pin connectors, otherwise you won't have enough power.

The other option is to get a 1080 which only requires a single 8pin.

However since you are doing CAD work, you DO NOT want a consumer card like a Geforce. The performance will be horrible. So if you want both worlds you will need a "NVIDIA Quadro P6000, P5000 or P4000". Otherwise you will be better off building another machine just for VR.

 

[dontlistentome]

The big problem with pre-built computers is lack of flexibility when it comes to upgrading. Pre-builts, whether consumer or enterprise, are made to hit a price point and so compromises are made. They assume you will buy the model you need, use it as is, then replace it with a new model when your needs change.

For this reason I always recommend you build your own system. With a bit of forethought, you can make sure you choose components which are standard form factors and which allow for later upgrades.