Question RX 570 MOLEX TO 8 PIN?

[xiaanliim]

Hi. I recently bought a GPU,it's Gigabyte Amd Radeon Rx570. My PSU is ATX-600WS, it is 600 watts but it doesn't have an 8 pin connector for my gpu.

Can I use a Molex to 8 pin adapter to power my GPU?

MOTHERBOARD: A68HM-E33 v2
Processor: AMD A8-7500
PSU: ATX-600WS
RAM: 12 GB

I'm kinda new to this stuff and a little help from you guys would be great. Thanks!

 

[bignastyid]

Get a new PSU. your current generic unit is garbage and using an adapter is likely to turn it into burning garbage.

 

[Kristomani]

A new psu I recommended, but if the molex adapter is of good quality and have thick wires, you could go for that option. The wires CAN get hot, and you CAN burn up your rig. I dont recommend this for high power consuming gpu over 150 - 200w. Be adviced that a new PSU is the best option.

 

[antonr]

Hi. I recently bought a GPU,it's Gigabyte Amd Radeon Rx570. My PSU is ATX-600WS, it is 600 watts but it doesn't have an 8 pin connector for my gpu.

Can I use a Molex to 8 pin adapter to power my GPU?

MOTHERBOARD: A68HM-E33 v2
Processor: AMD A8-7500
PSU: ATX-600WS
RAM: 12 GB

I'm kinda new to this stuff and a little help from you guys would be great. Thanks!

I also recently bought the RX 570 . And I love this GPU . I have only 450W PSU and it works fine . Your 600W PSU should have at least a 6 pin pcie connector if not two of them , or even a 6 pin with a 2 pin detachable connector to form an eight pin . Do you have neither of those ?

The best long term option would be 6 pin to 8 pin adaptor . That's what i did , after I have made meticulously sure that the PSU has an extra 120W power budget on the 12v rail (we will need about extra 10 amps for the gpu . This includes some margin as well (remember the GPU has 75W also available directly from the pci slot).

The molex to 8 pin is not good . On my PSU the molex wire gauge is even thinner than the 6 pin connector , and it only concentrates two wires , which makes the situation even worst. This connector is OK to bring up your GPU , but not to run FPS intensive games for long periods. The RX 570 has smart power management and does not consume 150W all the time, only when needed. Always remember that the 570 is one of your most valued components and do not skimp on connectors , power.

So look for those 6 pin adaptors and check the psu rating.

Make sure you have temp and power monitoring on your games. This GPU is like a motor car . You must check on its dashboard if you are operating in limit. Then this card is going to serve you well.

 

[Kristomani]

I agree with antonr 👍

 

[John Chesterfield]

Well I don't, adapters are never a good idea. Just get a PSU that's designed to power the card.

Adapters add another point of failure and are often not the same quality as the cables from a PSU.

$0.02

 

[antonr]

My learned friend unless someone here can provide clinical evidence re adaptors and not casual and informal opinions, I will trust my findings.

From a failure mode point of view, a six to eight pin assembly is triple redundant due to the 3 parralel paths. A dual 6 pin to 8 pin even doubles that. So the probability on one dry or faulty path causing failure modes is too low and willnot prevent me from sleeping at night.

Wether we like it or not, gaming and computer hardware are engineering science, and in engineering we do not like or dislike something, we base it on facts.

$0.02

 

[bignastyid]

6-pin connection is rated for 75w an 8-pin is rated for 150w. Op has a generic pile of a PSU with thin cables. So garbage psu + adapter that can potentially pull more than the connection is rated for = potential fire., dead components, instability, etc. Seems your "findings" lack real world experience which is a problem many engineers suffer from.

 

[mortemas]

Antonr, I hear what you are saying about the molex adapter, even though my preference is to avoid them. Problem is, they don't come with instructions. There is some math involved that I'm sure many people skip. I will say that I could never recommend SATA to 8 pin adapters - even the dual ones. They just don't add up to the rated 150W that the 8-pin should be able to provide. For each SATA power connector there's 3 x 12V x 1.5A = 54W max power provided. Note that wire gauge does not matter here - it's the contacts on the connector that are limited to 1.5A each. A dual SATA to 8-pin adapter would only be rated for 108W at best. That's a potential failure waiting to happen.

We know little about OP's PSU other than the claim that it provides 600 Watts of power. Is that average, or peak? How much on the 12v rail? How good is the crossload regulation? How old is it? What temperature is this 600W rated at? We need more information before making a final determination.

 

[ohio_buckeye]

Op. Don't do it. Once had to work on a computer that had a fire inside due to a molex to sata power adapter. But the connector on the hard drive melted. There were actually scorch marks in the case.

You don't want your card to be on fire literally. Spend 40 or 50 bucks on a better psu and don't risk your system.

 

[bignastyid]

Antonr, I hear what you are saying about the molex adapter, even though my preference is to avoid them. Problem is, they don't come with instructions. There is some math involved that I'm sure many people skip. I will say that I could never recommend SATA to 8 pin adapters - even the dual ones. They just don't add up to the rated 150W that the 8-pin should be able to provide. For each SATA power connector there's 3 x 12V x 1.5A = 54W max power provided. Note that wire gauge does not matter here - it's the contacts on the connector that are limited to 1.5A each. A dual SATA to 8-pin adapter would only be rated for 108W at best. That's a potential failure waiting to happen.

We know little about OP's PSU other than the claim that it provides 600 Watts of power. Is that average, or peak? How much on the 12v rail? How good is the crossload regulation? How old is it? What temperature is this 600W rated at? We need more information before making a final determination.

Op did include the model number which is enough to get some info on the unit. It's a generic unit and has many different no name companies that slap their name on it. The 12v rail is rated for a measly 17a(204w).

 

[mortemas]

Yeah, I tried searching for the PSU. Wow, you had better luck than me googling it, then. Oof, let's see, with a 150W GPU and 65W CPU that's 215W needed and only 204W available on the 12V rail. Well that's just a bad idea. Not to mention everything else in there that needs power from 12v.

 

[antonr]

Antonr, I hear what you are saying about the molex adapter, even though my preference is to avoid them. Problem is, they don't come with instructions. There is some math involved that I'm sure many people skip. I will say that I could never recommend SATA to 8 pin adapters - even the dual ones. They just don't add up to the rated 150W that the 8-pin should be able to provide. For each SATA power connector there's 3 x 12V x 1.5A = 54W max power provided. Note that wire gauge does not matter here - it's the contacts on the connector that are limited to 1.5A each. A dual SATA to 8-pin adapter would only be rated for 108W at best. That's a potential failure waiting to happen.

We know little about OP's PSU other than the claim that it provides 600 Watts of power. Is that average, or peak? How much on the 12v rail? How good is the crossload regulation? How old is it? What temperature is this 600W rated at? We need more information before making a final determination.

Duly Noted , thank you .

In my defence I have stated that the molex path is no good , and I made it clear that in order to use a 6 pin to 8 pin adaptor , one should excersize the responsibility to ensure that the 12v does have the intended power budget .

 

[antonr]

6-pin connection is rated for 75w an 8-pin is rated for 150w. Op has a generic pile of a PSU with thin cables. So garbage psu + adapter that can potentially pull more than the connection is rated for = potential fire., dead components, instability, etc. Seems your "findings" lack real world experience which is a problem many engineers suffer from.

With all respect , and especially to you as moderator , I have stated that molex path is no good , and I made it clear that in order to use a 6 pin to 8 pin adaptor , one should excersize the responsibility to ensure that the 12v does have the intended power budget . And if op is not equipped to deal with this , yes , he / she should upgrade. I also understand that you and reputable / senior members have responsibility on this forums , I get that . But I also feel that my post is maybe clumsy but certainly not with intent to mislead.

With reference to the 75W / 150W issue , the PCIE specifications refers, with particular reference to the 12V PCIE reticulation requirements :

(a) The 6 pin has three yellow +12 conductors + three return path conductors . (there is an exception to early rollouts where there were sometimes only two +12v conductors.

(b) The 8 pin has three yellow +12 conductors + three return path conductors . In addition , there is two sensing pins , of which one is a return path conductor , but only for the sensing input purpose.

(c) The functional difference between 6 and 8 pin : the sense input of the 8 pin instructs the GPU that the connection attached is 150W capable , if the sense input is negated , it is 75W capable. And because the wiring is capable of both 75W or 150W , it merely infers the capability of the power supply.

so in lieu of (c) , If an adapter is being used to mate from 6 pin to 8 pin , it is the manual responsibility of the user to ensure the capacity is available.

Please correct me if I am wrong.


oh , and I have the utmost respect for real world experience / field experience . Hence my presence on various forums . Although I am new here , I have been a passive observer for long time and have gained insight to plenty things around here.

Thanks

 

[bignastyid]

With all respect , and especially to you as moderator , I have stated that molex path is no good , and I made it clear that in order to use a 6 pin to 8 pin adaptor , one should excersize the responsibility to ensure that the 12v does have the intended power budget . And if op is not equipped to deal with this , yes , he / she should upgrade. I also understand that you and reputable / senior members have responsibility on this forums , I get that . But I also feel that my post is maybe clumsy but certainly not with intent to mislead.

With reference to the 75W / 150W issue , the PCIE specifications refers, with particular reference to the 12V PCIE reticulation requirements :

(a) The 6 pin has three yellow +12 conductors + three return path conductors . (there is an exception to early rollouts where there were sometimes only two +12v conductors.

(b) The 8 pin has three yellow +12 conductors + three return path conductors . In addition , there is two sensing pins , of which one is a return path conductor , but only for the sensing input purpose.

(c) The functional difference between 6 and 8 pin : the sense input of the 8 pin instructs the GPU that the connection attached is 150W capable , if the sense input is negated , it is 75W capable. And because the wiring is capable of both 75W or 150W , it merely infers the capability of the power supply.

so in lieu of (c) , If an adapter is being used to mate from 6 pin to 8 pin , it is the manual responsibility of the user to ensure the capacity is available.

Please correct me if I am wrong.


oh , and I have the utmost respect for real world experience / field experience . Hence my presence on various forums . Although I am new here , I have been a passive observer for long time and have gained insight to plenty things around here.

Thanks

You seem to be missing a big part of the equation. The quality of the psu. You are treating it as a constant when it is a variable.

 

[antonr]

You seem to be missing a big part of the equation. The quality of the psu. You are treating it as a constant when it is a variable.

The quality of the psu is a parameter that was never my concern regarding the original argument. So I do not agree or disagree that the user psu is garbage. I am simply not equipped to gauge psu quality, I know very little about the model.

 

[Gam3r01]

The quality of the psu is a parameter that was never my concern regarding the original argument. So I do not agree or disagree that the user psu is garbage. I am simply not equipped to gauge psu quality, I know very little about the model.

Then in this case it would be better to not recommend a potentially hazardous setup without knowing the base components.
With this unit there is no adapter configuration that would be suitable.

In my opinion and experience, dual 6 pin PCIe to single 8 pin PCIe is the only acceptable use of adapters.

 

[USAFRet]

"but it doesn't have an 8 pin connector for my gpu. "

If the PSU is lacking the proper connectors, you need a new PSU, not an adapter.
Lack of that connector says a lot about the lack of quality of the PSU.

 

[otrebor76]

older psu sometimes did not have those connectors. As stated above it is not advised, i just know a bit about this matter because i was wondering doing the same for my rx580, turns out mine has the 6+2 pin cable so i won't be needing to do this anymore. But This was what i Found out in my research on this. First best to get a good psu to provide stability, sometimes budget doesn't allow and for the time being this adaptors are the only option - do this at your own responsability - 1st, find a good adaptor with thic wires not to overheat. 2nd Prefer molex over sata (sata doesnt have enought juice). 3rd, plug them into different cables from the psu (each psu cable has 2 molex you musn't draw the power from the same). 4th, the molex provides up to 80w but wasn't made for this purpose, so don't overdoit. pcie slot provides 75W, your gpu has a tdp of 150w. what i would sugest has many do for different reasons and my reason to do it is to lower the fan noise, is to underclock a bit your graphic card as it is just a rx470 with a bit more juice (same with mine 580) doing this you will loose very little of performance but you will reduce consuption and heating. OC that gpu with an adaptor is out of question and you should put a CO2 fire extinguisher next to it...

This is just my opinion as did everyone else in the forum so, go ahead and do as you want aware of the perils

 

[John Chesterfield]

My learned friend unless someone here can provide clinical evidence re adaptors and not casual and informal opinions, I will trust my findings.

From a failure mode point of view, a six to eight pin assembly is triple redundant due to the 3 parralel paths. A dual 6 pin to 8 pin even doubles that. So the probability on one dry or faulty path causing failure modes is too low and willnot prevent me from sleeping at night.

Wether we like it or not, gaming and computer hardware are engineering science, and in engineering we do not like or dislike something, we base it on facts.

$0.02

You clearly have no concept of the term 'single point of failure', something very important in the IT world. You were offering advice without considering the quality of the power supply itself and the adapter cables you are recommending, basically safe in the knowledge that it's not your money or system at stake. So I'll leave that one out there and let others decide if this was good advice you were giving.

OP, what did you end up doing?

 

[John Chesterfield]

older psu sometimes did not have those connectors. As stated above it is not advised, i just know a bit about this matter because i was wondering doing the same for my rx580, turns out mine has the 6+2 pin cable so i won't be needing to do this anymore. But This was what i Found out in my research on this. First best to get a good psu to provide stability, sometimes budget doesn't allow and for the time being this adaptors are the only option - do this at your own responsability - 1st, find a good adaptor with thic wires not to overheat. 2nd Prefer molex over sata (sata doesnt have enought juice). 3rd, plug them into different cables from the psu (each psu cable has 2 molex you musn't draw the power from the same). 4th, the molex provides up to 80w but wasn't made for this purpose, so don't overdoit. pcie slot provides 75W, your gpu has a tdp of 150w. what i would sugest has many do for different reasons and my reason to do it is to lower the fan noise, is to underclock a bit your graphic card as it is just a rx470 with a bit more juice (same with mine 580) doing this you will loose very little of performance but you will reduce consuption and heating. OC that gpu with an adaptor is out of question and you should put a CO2 fire extinguisher next to it...

This is just my opinion as did everyone else in the forum so, go ahead and do as you want aware of the perils

So much misinformation here its difficult to know where to begin.

But it's safe to say and good advice to point out one basic rule here:

If it doesn't have the power connectors you need, it wasn't built to power the device you have.

 

[otrebor76]

So much misinformation here its difficult to know where to begin.

But it's safe to say and good advice to point out one basic rule here:

If it doesn't have the power connectors you need, it wasn't built to power the device you have.

That, or like in the case of one sistem i own, when the psu was bought the graphic cards were not so power hungry.
either way, i have one older setup running with adaptor but of course the graphic is 120tdp.
also, if any of you would like to here's some info about psu...
PSU connectors

Also, just because i said how to also said it was not how it was intend to be used and to proceed at his own responsability. But i like when brighter than me say so much disinformation... i might be new to this forum, but been mounting desktops for over 20y for me and friends, and i know what its like to adapt hardware to ones needs and what its like mixing old and new components and the headaches that it brings.
I now just don't care when i'm building a setup and buy everything i need and sometimes i even get stuff i end up not using, but money wasn't always this loose...

 

[John Chesterfield]

Also, just because i said how to also said it was not how it was intend to be used and to proceed at his own responsability.

When you would have been better just telling the truth and giving the right advice to just get the correct unit. Easy to say the above when it's not your money and your hardware.

I don't care how long you've been "mounting desktops", I didn't mention the fact I've been doing it almost twice as long because it isn't relevant, wrong info is wrong info. I am wrong sometimes but I at least can admit that and have done on several occasions.

On this occasion I'm not though, whether you accept that or not is your choice. But you were clearly advising the use of Molex, which is never the correct thing to do with graphics cards. Whether you like it or not, that's bad advice that can easily be dished out if it isn't your hardware or money at stake.

I understand that money can be tight for some, but unfortunately cutting corners can potentially put someone in an even worse situation should your 'workarounds' not actually end up going well. I don't doubt your intentions were good when giving that advice, it was just incorrect advice.

 

[bignastyid]

Since there is no good reason to continue necroing this thread I'm closing it.