Do I need a 6 pin?

[ryman23]

I recently purchased a GT 545 OEM from eBay and noticed that it has a 6 pin power connection. I was wondering if I need to buy a molex to 6 pin (older psu.) The card has a TDP of 105 watts and I hear that PCI-E 2.0 gives 150 watts on the bus. Can I run this card without a 6 pin or do I need one?

 

[simon12]

You need one the board can only let 75W to it

 

[ryman23]

I was reading somewhere that PCI-E 1.0 gave 75 watts on the bus and 2.0 gives 150 watts. Is this wrong?

 

[Pinhedd]

Correct. PCIe 2.x and 3.0 can deliver up to 150 watts. 1.x can only deliver up to 75

You will most likely still need to buy a power adapter though. Even cards with TDPs under 150 watts will still squeal like little girls if they don't have their precious auxiliary power

 

[Shotzo]

TDP is not the power usage of the card. It is only a measure of how much heat is expelled. 105 W TDP is the same amount of heat as 3 soldering irons.

So yes, you do need the adapter.

 

[Pinhedd]

TDP is not the power usage of the card. It is only a measure of how much heat is expelled. 105 W TDP is the same amount of heat as 3 soldering irons.

So yes, you do need the adapter.

Yes it is. The exact definition of TDP varies by manufacturer but it is usually either the peak power consumption or the nominal power consumption.

Neglecting the negligible amount of power that is transferred from the GPU to the display over the signalling cable all the rest must go somewhere and since GPU's don't make sound or move the only logical explanation is that it gets dissipated as waste heat.

 

[ryman23]

Best answer selected by ryman23.