SATA connectors / 6pin PCI-E adapter

invid_91

Distinguished
Jan 14, 2011
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Hello everybody,

My question is about a 700W PSU.
It has:

1 x SATA cable with 2 SATA connectors
2 x MOLEX cables with 2 MOLEX connectors each
24pin for motherboard
4pin 12V
6pin PCI-E

Now, some of the components are

HDD: WD Caviar Blue 1 TB
DVD-RW Drive
GeForce GTX 460 2GB GS

Since the GFX card requires 2 x 6pin PCI-E cables, it's a good thing its box already contains an adapter, since the PSU only has a 6pin cable.
Now, my question is if I can connect the two hard drives into the single SATA cable or should I buy a SATA adapter?
My opinion is that if the PSU came with a single SATA cable then it can be used completely. Still I want confirmation.

In this case my next question is about the 6pin adapter. Must I plug the 4pin peripheral MOLEX connector into separate cables?
I ask because of this quote:

"If you use an adapter then be sure to plug the 4 pin peripheral connectors into separate cables coming from the power supply. If you plug them both into the same power supply cable then you are drawing all the power of the PCI Express connector through a single 18 gauge wire. You can usually get away with that but there's no reason to do it."

Many thanks.
 
Hello everybody,

My question is about a 700W PSU.
It has:

1 x SATA cable with 2 SATA connectors
2 x MOLEX cables with 2 MOLEX connectors each
24pin for motherboard
4pin 12V
6pin PCI-E

What is the make and model of the psu?

Since the GFX card requires 2 x 6pin PCI-E cables, it's a good thing its box already contains an adapter, since the PSU only has a 6pin cable.
Now, my question is if I can connect the two hard drives into the single SATA cable or should I buy a SATA adapter?
My opinion is that if the PSU came with a single SATA cable then it can be used completely. Still I want confirmation.

The pci-e adapters connect to 2x 4 pin molex and the sata drives can be connected on the same cable.

In this case my next question is about the 6pin adapter. Must I plug the 4pin peripheral MOLEX connector into separate cables?
I ask because of this quote:

"If you use an adapter then be sure to plug the 4 pin peripheral connectors into separate cables coming from the power supply. If you plug them both into the same power supply cable then you are drawing all the power of the PCI Express connector through a single 18 gauge wire. You can usually get away with that but there's no reason to do it."

I have mine on the same cable and haven't had any problems.
 

Paperdoc

Polypheme
Ambassador
Yes, both SATA drives on the same cable that has 2 connectors - no problem, The actual power consumed by a modern HDD is small - around 10 W per drive.

To get enough power for the second PCI-e connector to your graphics card, I'd suggest using 4-pin Molex connectors from DIFFERENT cables. That may NOT be necessary.But there's a better chance doing it that way will distribute the load between two different power output buses from the PSU and avoid any chance of pushing one bus to its max. Note that doing this will NOT max out both Molex lines - you can still use other output connectors from the same wires to power other devices like a fan or a HDD or optical drive, if needed.
 

invid_91

Distinguished
Jan 14, 2011
9
0
18,510
It's LINKWORLD LPG19 700W, not one of the best and famous ones. I bet nobody knows it :D

So thanks to both, problem seems to be solved. It is to be seen when all components are assembled together ;)