Connecting two computers to one graphics card

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Robert Gravett

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Mar 22, 2013
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Hey guys
I have an XFX R9 280X, which I intend to use for mining litecoins.
However, my main PC is using my 'good' power supply, and I have no single power supply that can power the 280X on a separate system.
I do, however, have two old PC's, one with a 430W PSU, the other with a 450W PSU
I was wondering if I could use the two systems to power the single PSU
ie Have the 280X in the system with the 450W PSU (And connect the 8 pin connector to the GPU), and then use the 430W system to power the 6 pin connector.
In theory, all I would need to do is turn each motherboard on at the same time right? What I am worried about though is turning them on and potentially frying the GPU, which I do NOT want to do, for obvious reasons.
So, to conclude, is this possible, and is it safe to do so?
(And yes, the rig would be on 24/7)
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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Mar 16, 2013
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So you have 3 PSUs. A "good" one, and two smaller ones that are not capable of powering the mining rig on their own. So you want to somehow use the two, which sit in different PC's, to power the mining rig?

Sniff sniff....I smell smoke.
 
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Robert Gravett

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Mar 22, 2013
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That's about the size of it.
Basically the two PSU's would be working independently of eachother, but powering the same GPU. My thought was that it would be a better idea than 'combining' the PSU's, since they are not identical
Also, when I say my good PSU, I mean the one in my main PC, which is 750W.
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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A better idea would be to get the mining rig its own PSU, properly sized.
 
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Robert Gravett

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Mar 22, 2013
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Trust me, I know that, and I really want to do so, but unfortunately I don't have any money around right now.
I assume that a 450W PSU is completely inadequate for powering a 280X under full load.
Alternatively, I could try and power my main rig with the 450W, but I assume that is out of the question too
(GTX 670 + 3570K @ 4.3GHz, 2 SSD's and 2 HDD's)
 
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Robert Gravett

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Mar 22, 2013
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I would have thought having separate motherboards would be better than having the non-identical PSU's directly connected to each other (soldering the 24 pin plugs like you would normally)
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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So in reality there are three motherboards in this equation.
1 each in the two PSU machines, and one in the mining rig with the GPU.

How are we planning on starting these all at the same instant?
I understand the 'budget' thing....but I can't see how this could actually work.

And if you don't have the budget for a dedicated PSU, do you have the budget for the increased electrical bill?
 
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Robert Gravett

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No, there are only two motherboards. One with the 450W, the other with the 430W. The 450W would have the 280X plugged into the PCIe slot and 8 pin connector, the 430W would be plugged only into the 6 pin connector.
As for power, I don't pay for that :p
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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Well...people have done it. But I'd imagine there are far more instances of it not working, than just using a properly sized PSU. Suggest you look up some actual instances of success and seeing how they did it.

And unless you have a large solar array or wind farm, someone pays for that juice.
 
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Nefos

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what PSUs do you have on the other systems? 450W should power a 280x and a small CPU and a small HDD, if it is good quality and can produce enough amp
are you sure that you want to mine with a single 280x? I am not sure if its actually can make enough money to pay the electricity it uses, nowadays everyone is mining with serious rigs.
Well, maybe if you start mining the kanye West inspired coins, but I am not quite sure if it will be successful, I mean I can pay for tickets with paypal easily and safely...
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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Might you release the magic smoke? Yes, that might happen. Might it work perfectly? That might happen instead.
 
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Robert Gravett

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Mar 22, 2013
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Well, I'll be using an old 40GB 2.5" HDD
An AMD Athlon dual core (Yes, this is a really old motherboard :p
And 4GB of DDR2 RAM
Like I said before, power is not an issue for me as I do not pay for it.
I just realised the 450W psu has written on the side of it: Maximum available wattage: 350W. That is why I wanted to see if I could run the two systems in tandem. And if they can't, would there be a risk of damage?
 
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Nefos

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if you really want to success then you should use the machne(s) 24/7. that means it will draw 400W/0.4KW per hour ( if calculate really good). that is nearly 10KW of electricity per day. That is like you are running your microwave oven for 10 hours per day. or running a 50W light bulb for 200 hours. and we are talking about a day, 70KW WILL make an impact at the electricity bill.
It will cost minimum £40 ONLY to run that single PC for 24/7.

So be prepared to pay some money for your parents! :)

 
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