2 6-pin connectors for hd 6870?

[jhuert843]

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?

 

[henydiah]

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

 

[simon12]

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?

 

[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.

 

[RazberyBandit]

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.

 

[geekapproved]

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.

 

[jhuert843]

The wattage of my psu is 500w: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817148027

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/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812196870

 

[RazberyBandit]

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.

 

[lilotimz]

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.

 

[geekapproved]

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.

 

[RazberyBandit]

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.

 

[geekapproved]

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.

 

[RetiredChief]

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/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026or
or 500 W http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139027

 

[tomallwood]

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

 

[davcon]

The wattage of my psu is 500w: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817148027

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/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812196870

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=55789&vpn=CMPSU%2D600CX&manufacture=Corsair&promoid=1012
OCZ ModXStream Pro 500W Modular
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341016

 

[tomallwood]

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=55789&vpn=CMPSU%2D600CX&manufacture=Corsair&promoid=1012
OCZ ModXStream Pro 500W Modular
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341016

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

 

[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...

 

[davcon]

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/article/OCZ-ModXStream-Pro-500-W-Power-Supply-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.

 

[tomallwood]

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/article/OCZ-ModXStream-Pro-500-W-Power-Supply-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-ModXStream-Modular-Performance-compatible/dp/B001IZ7MHU/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1328239202&sr=8-3

for 83.44

 

[davcon]

Going with a 700W from Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/OCZ-ModXStream-Modular-Performance-compatible/dp/B001IZ7MHU/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1328239202&sr=8-3

for 83.44

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.