difference between 12-pin SATA & standard 15 pin?

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ives20

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Jun 4, 2013
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trying to find a solution to powering a gtx 660, my so called 'gaming pc' pre built i bought a while back has come with pretty insufficient psu connections i.e its lacking a 6 pin pci express, and currently there's only one available 4 pin connector I could use for the 6 pin adapter (which im assuming definitely needs 2 or there would be too much current for the one to handle on its own?)

but anyway there is also one unused sata power cable, exactly the same as the one powering the dvd drive, however these both have 12 pins, and after much googling i cant find any reference of 12 pin sata cables.

my hard drive's powered by a 4 pin to 15 pin sata adapter, so if that un used 12 pin would be fit to work with the hard drive instead, that would free up the other 4 pin that I need , so anyone know if that would be feasible? at the moment the cables are tied in position so i cant actually check if they would fit/ dont want to risk ruining something lol

any help would be seriously appreciated id rather not have to wait and splash out on a different psu with more connectors as well!
 
Solution
adycopilu
I would definitely change the PSU for the XFX, expecially if you plan to OC. That XFX is very, very good and at that price is really a bargain (it's Seasonic on the inside, that means top quality). Although 450-500W would be enough for your build (including the OC), I couldn't find a better deal in UK.
As for the GPU choice, I was also between 7870 and 660 and chose the 660 for the less power reqs (I have a 430W Seasonic S12-II, rest of the system similar to yours).
The 12-pin SATA must be a regular SATA connector with 3 pins stripped off (redundant, not necessary), so you should be ok for now. As you can see here, there are many redundant pins.
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adycopilu

adycopilu

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Mar 8, 2013
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hmm... never heard of the 12-pin SATA. Are you sure it's SATA? To they look the same? It's possible that some connectors are missing, like I know the +3.3V line is 99% not used (that's why we can use an adapter from 4-pin MOLEX to SATA), but anyway, I find it strange. I would not try to connect it to the HDD though, since you don't know how the connector is wired inside.
On the other hand, please post the components of your system, especially the PSU. GTX 660 is not a very hungry GPU, it draws 75W from the PCIx slot on the motherboard and the rest from the 6-pin connector, but it never goes over 125W (if you OC though, then it will go beyond that).
Connecting the 6-pin adapter (that you already have) to the only available connector (I suppose 4-pin MOLEX) should be enough, no need to use two 4-pins. But again, please give us more details about the system so we can make better recommendations. It's possible that your PSU can't handle properly your system since it doesn't feature at least one 6-pin connector as most new PSU do (even cheap and rubbish ones). Also some pictures of your strange connector can help.

LE: you can find more information here about standard PSU connectors: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/power-supply-specifications-atx-reference,review-32338-11.html
I also don't recommend using adapters, especially on the high-power devices like GPU. First of all, they are usually of bad quality and make imperfect contact, which can cause short power outages. Second of all, imperfect contacts tend to overheat and then melt. Depending on your system (the power reqs) and your budget, I would recommend a new, better PSU.
 
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ives20

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Jun 4, 2013
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yeh theres no evidence ive found of 12 pin sata cables anywhere ive looked.. they do look exactly the same from the front on but the 15 pin one says SATA/POWER on either side.

i got an answer from a dude on the storage board saying it would be ok so i disconnected my dvd drive plugged that cable into the HD, so freeing up another 4 pin, and sure enough everythings fine at the moment touch wood. I can try and get a pic of the 12 pin connector ill look around for a camera

It was a toss up between the 7870 and 660 and im leaning towards the 660 as i saw its less power hungry as you said, and needs 1 6 pin as opposed to 2 , but from the looks of it i think will need a new psu , I was planning to overclock it. heres a thread i found with my exact psu http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-1639721/win-power-500w-reliable-power-supply.html that wouldnt cut it right?

it sucks because the website freshtechsolutions i bought this from listed it as a 'branded power supply' with no further information and i didnt really consider the importance at that stage as I was just in a hurry to upgrade from a laptop!

And yes I thought the 6 pin pci e pins were standard nowadays, i guess this replacement psu like this would sort me ? http://www.scan.co.uk/products/550w-psu-xfx-core-edition-p1-550s-xxb9-85-eff-80-plus-bronze-sli-crossfire-eps-12v-quiet-fan-atx

I am on a budget so would that be the cheapest reliable option or could I go any lower without risking a meltdown?

my specs are i5 3470 x4 (3.6ghz) ,gigabyte z77-d3h, 8gb 'ballistix' ram 1600mhz, 1tb seagate barracuda , radeon 7750 at present (hence the need for gtx 660)
 
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adycopilu

adycopilu

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Mar 8, 2013
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I would definitely change the PSU for the XFX, expecially if you plan to OC. That XFX is very, very good and at that price is really a bargain (it's Seasonic on the inside, that means top quality). Although 450-500W would be enough for your build (including the OC), I couldn't find a better deal in UK.
As for the GPU choice, I was also between 7870 and 660 and chose the 660 for the less power reqs (I have a 430W Seasonic S12-II, rest of the system similar to yours).
The 12-pin SATA must be a regular SATA connector with 3 pins stripped off (redundant, not necessary), so you should be ok for now. As you can see here, there are many redundant pins.
 
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Solution
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ives20

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Jun 4, 2013
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yeah nice one man that xfx and gtx 660 now arriving thursday, cheers for the assistance in peace of mind!

Hows the 660 handling on your rig with whatever your putting it through?

Did so much trawling thru comparisons and even though a few places say the 7870 renders 1080p and AA better in some cases, it seems really dependent on which game . the asus OC edition with further stable overclocking and way cooler running temp was the clincher. really lookin forward to ramping up bioshock infinite with higher settings and physx now
 
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adycopilu

adycopilu

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Mar 8, 2013
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I'm not a hard-core gaming, I don't have much time for that. But when I do, I want my gaming experience to be good and the 660 doesn't let me down. What can I say, maybe 7870 renders some games better, but for other games 660 beats it. Anyway, I don't think the difference between them in terms of FPS are important. Is 62fps better than 60? Not for me. I'd rather have the slimmer, the quieter, the power efficient one. And in my country also the cheaper...
Asus seems to be one of the top cards with GTX 660, but it's also more expensive. So instead I've got myself the MSI OC version with TwinFrozer cooling system: quiet and cool. I don't do overclocking, other than the one provided by MSI, but I feel it can be taken even a step forward. With Asus, I think you'll be more than delighted, it's slightly better than MSI, according to all the reviews I've read. Cheers!
 
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