Concerned about friend's 12V rails

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Kriss0612

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Hello! My friend is getting himself a brand new GTX 1060. Only issue is that he has a generic PSU with 2 12V rails, one of which manages 25A while the other 20A. I read that the minimum recommended amps on the 12V rail for a 1060 is 20A. Id like for him to use the 25A one, as I feel the extra room would be safer. Im just unsure about which of the 2 6-pin connectors is connected to the 25A 12V rail.

Really appreciate any answer, and sorry if Im being dumb :D
 
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L
The only problem could be the wattage, an i7 will probably consume more than 90W, 120W on the GPU that's 230W, give the motherboard 50W, that's 280W. That's TDP, it's not the maximum power draw. He's probably safe, but that PSU is not good.
Two 12V rails will act as one, components will draw power from both if needed.
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the nerd 389

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Generally, one of the rails will go to the motherboard and the other will go to the peripherals. The GPU gets power from both in varying amounts. If the PSU is designed as I expect it is, you have nothing to worry about.

I would even venture to say that dual rail PSUs are safer in general. If all of the power is available on a single rail, many short circuits still offer enough resistance to avoid triggering short circuit protection. In dual rail systems, the short circuit protection kicks in at less extreme currents thus protecting components that a single rail system would fry.
 
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alceryes

alceryes

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Unless marked somehow (different colored wires maybe?), it would be difficult to distinguish.
You'd need a 25A multimeter and jury rig something by popping the wires out of the connector.

You could also just get a newer, much better, PSU for not a lot of money - I would go this route.
 
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TJ Hooker

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I don't think it usually works that way, a PSU with two rails and two PCIe power connectors doesn't mean that each connector is connected to a different rail. If I had to guess, I'd say one rail is connected to the motherboard power connectors, and the other rail connected to both PCIe power connectors. A 6 pin connector is only rated for 75 W anyway. It really shouldn't matter what connector you use.

Although generic PSUs are often pretty terrible, I don't know If I'd trust it. What CPU does he have, and does the PSU list a total max current for both 12V rails combined?
 
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lakimens

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Well, you should be worried that he's using a generic PSU. That PSU might not actually do what it says it does.
It actually doesn't matter how many 12V rails a PSU has, 30A on one rail or 15A on two rails is still 30A.
If the quality of the PSU is good, you have nothing to worry about. The Best PSU's on the market are single rail.
Take a look at Seasonic Prime, EVGA G2, Corsair RMx..

Back to topic, your friend's PSU is most likely very bad, buying a better one is the suggested option.
Seasonic S12II, CXM are the cheaper options.
 
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Kriss0612

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It says 432W max on both combined. He has a 2--- series i7, not sure which one
 
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Kriss0612

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Ok, so if I understand this properly, it shouldnt be a problem that he has 2, and the theoretical throughput of them both is 432W, which includes the GPU? He is going to buy a new PSU, just cant do it right now
 
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the nerd 389

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The fact that he has two rails should not be an issue. Back when dual rails were common, it wasn't something that you had to worry about except in some very niche cases. Generally, the PSU designers set the PSU up in a way that will work in 95+% of builds that the PSU might end up in.
 
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lakimens

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The only problem could be the wattage, an i7 will probably consume more than 90W, 120W on the GPU that's 230W, give the motherboard 50W, that's 280W. That's TDP, it's not the maximum power draw. He's probably safe, but that PSU is not good.
Two 12V rails will act as one, components will draw power from both if needed.
 
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