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Tom's Hardware > Forum > CPU & Components > Power Supplies, Cases & Mods > 2 6-pin connectors for hd 6870?

2 6-pin connectors for hd 6870?

Forum CPU & Components : Power Supplies, Cases & Mods 2 6-pin connectors for hd 6870?

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I kind of messed up and bought a psu with only 1 6-pin connector, when the card I'm getting requires 2. Will it still run, or will i need to buy some sort of adapter? :??:

Reply to jhuert843
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if your PSU enough power watt , why not buy ..?

Reply to henydiah

You can attach an adapter to molex cables but only having 1 6 pin connector normally means it only has enough power for 1. What PSU do you have?

Reply to simon12

I forgot to say don't try to run it with only one connector it may try to draw to much power through the motherboard and kill it.

Reply to simon12

Most 6870 cards actually include at least one (and often two) 1xMOLEX-to-1x6pin-PCIe or 2xMOLEX-to-1x6pin-PCIe adapter. Of the 26 different 6870 cards Newegg currently has available, only 7 didn't show these cables within the accessories picture. (Not a single XFX model displayed them, and only the installation CD is included according to their own website.)

Using adapters does work, but only if the PSU has the available power in the first place. Whether or not your PSU has enough power to actually run the card is the real question. To answer that, we'd need to know what make/model PSU you have.

Reply to RazberyBandit

If your psu is powerful enough for your system, then using a molex adaptor is just fine.

I've had people tell me don't use those, but I use one myself and it's just fine.

If it wasn't fine, they wouldn't include them in the box with your graphics card.

------------------------------ Core i3-2100/Asrock H61/8GB1333/XFX HD5850oc/WD Black 500/Antec 300/Antec EA380w bronze
Currently playing Deus Ex:HR a second time on Hardcore
Reply to geekapproved

The wattage of my psu is 500w: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817148027

I used the newegg psu calculator and I'm pretty 500w is enough. I have the xfx version of the card, so no adapters were included. Will this adapter do the job? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6812196870

Reply to jhuert843

That cable will work, but that PSU is... well... junky. It's a 500W max, which likely means it only capable of about 300-400W of sustained output. (And 400W is probably a generous stretch.) I wouldn't risk hooking up my own equipment to a $20 PSU, let alone a brand new $200 video card. And yes, it's a $20 PSU - that's why it has a $20 rebate. Honestly, there are far better $40 PSU's out there anyway, like the Antec 380-D.


Message edited by RazberyBandit on 08-16-2011 at 08:34:34 PM
Reply to RazberyBandit

Replace it. It's a piece of turd. It doesn't even state how much power the 12v's can give out. It'll prolly blow sky high if you try to get more then 200-300 watts from it. Not to mention, the red 115/230v switcher means it's an old, inefficient design from years gone by.

Take Razberybandit's suggestion and hook yourself up with an Antec EA380D or 430D or CX 430 V2. All will power most a 6870 just fine and is well priced and of good quality.

------------------------------ i7-920 OC @ 3.6 ghz | CM Hyper 212+ |Asus Rampage 2 Gene | Asus enGTX 260 | Antec 300 | 9 gb ddr3-1333 | Hitachi 1TB HDD | Acer H223H 23" Monitor
Reply to lilotimz

Oh my lord. Do not even think about using that power supply for a 6870. Most likely it's a true 350w psu, and would probably explode anywhere near 400w.

 

You guys don't even know what cpu or components he has besides the video card, so recommending a 380w psu is kind of a stretch.


Message edited by geekapproved on 08-17-2011 at 12:14:51 AM
------------------------------ Core i3-2100/Asrock H61/8GB1333/XFX HD5850oc/WD Black 500/Antec 300/Antec EA380w bronze
Currently playing Deus Ex:HR a second time on Hardcore
Reply to geekapproved

Sure, we don't know the rest of the system's components, so it's not an absolute certainty the PSU I linked is ideal. But that wasn't the real point... My point was to show the OP a genuinely high-quality comparison product that's available at the exact same out-of-pocket price as his current PSU. Besides, unless he's got a 140W CPU, a 3-disk RAID-5 array, 2 burners, and 6+ fans churning away, a 380D will probably do the trick.

Reply to RazberyBandit

I wouldn't run the 380w with even a 95w cpu, it's cutting it too close. I have an extremely low power motherboard and a 65w cpu and I only have about 50w of headroom, without overclocking anything.

------------------------------ Core i3-2100/Asrock H61/8GB1333/XFX HD5850oc/WD Black 500/Antec 300/Antec EA380w bronze
Currently playing Deus Ex:HR a second time on Hardcore
Reply to geekapproved

I5-2500k (@stock), 6870 (@ stock, ), Blu-ray writer, 2 x 120 Gig Agility III, A 1 TB HDD

Idle = 110 Watts
FurMark, in window = 260 Watts
3DMark11 demo full screen = 210 Watts.

(1) His PSU is &*(%^^(, Ratings indicate it should work using an Molex->6 pin adaptor. 500 Watt rating, Probably 350->400 Watts and 12V rails = 16A (192W) + 18A (236 W) And probably knock that by 25%, because its a *()*^& pSU.

(2) While it should work, would I use it on my system - Nope, not even on my wife's low end system.

(3) A low end (CX model) corsair 450 would be an good choice.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 17139026or
or 500 W http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817139027

Reply to RetiredChief

RazberyBandit wrote :

Most 6870 cards actually include at least one (and often two) 1xMOLEX-to-1x6pin-PCIe or 2xMOLEX-to-1x6pin-PCIe adapter. Of the 26 different 6870 cards Newegg currently has available, only 7 didn't show these cables within the accessories picture. (Not a single XFX model displayed them, and only the installation CD is included according to their own website.)

Using adapters does work, but only if the PSU has the available power in the first place. Whether or not your PSU has enough power to actually run the card is the real question. To answer that, we'd need to know what make/model PSU you have.



Will a 6870 work with my build? It will need two molex connectors:

Phenom X4 3.2ghz 95W
XFX Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5
ASUS M5A88-V EVO AM3+
Raidmax 500W rx-500s
Ripjaws 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 1600 x2
5 fans
1 combo drive
1 7200 hdd

Reply to tomallwood

jhuert843 wrote :

The wattage of my psu is 500w: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817148027

I used the newegg psu calculator and I'm pretty 500w is enough. I have the xfx version of the card, so no adapters were included. Will this adapter do the job? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6812196870


Buy a new psu if you value your components!
Personally i'd buy a unit that already includes the 2 required 6 pins.
Corsair Builder Series CMPSU-600CX
http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=5 [...] omoid=1012
OCZ ModXStream Pro 500W Modular
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817341016

Reply to davcon

davcon wrote :

Buy a new psu if you value your components!
Personally i'd buy a unit that already includes the 2 required 6 pins.
Corsair Builder Series CMPSU-600CX
http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=5 [...] omoid=1012
OCZ ModXStream Pro 500W Modular
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817341016




The OCZ ModXStream is also only 500W.... why is this any better than the one I have?

Reply to tomallwood

OK, I take it all back. Junk PSU. Gonna get a better one, ashamed to be running it on the system now with a Radeon 4650...

Reply to tomallwood

tomallwood wrote :

The OCZ ModXStream is also only 500W.... why is this any better than the one I have?


You're in the same situation as the OP = crappy unit that is 500W max output not a continuous output unit.
Old inefficient crap units with red voltage switches have gone the way of the Dodo bird.
The OZC ModX is a modern unit with active PFC and very good power efficiency over 80%.
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/art [...] Review/973
I'm not saying the OZC is the best but it's a major improvement over an Apevia,Raidmax,Coolmax and the like.

Message quoted 1 times
Message edited by davcon on 02-03-2012 at 04:13:21 AM
Reply to davcon

davcon wrote :

You're in the same situation as the OP = crappy unit that is 500W max output not a continuous output unit.
Old inefficient crap units with red voltage switches have gone the way of the Dodo bird.
The OZC ModX is a modern unit with active PFC and very good power efficiency over 80%.
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/art [...] Review/973
I'm not saying the OZC is the best but it's a major improvement over an Apevia,Raidmax,Coolmax and the like.




Going with a 700W from Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/OCZ-ModXStre [...] 202&sr=8-3

for 83.44

Reply to tomallwood


The 700W model isn't as reliable as the 500/600W models.
I've seen enough feedback on this forum alone to make that assumption.
Plus make your own thread you're hijacking this one btw.


Message edited by davcon on 02-03-2012 at 04:30:05 AM
Reply to davcon
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