4870 pci-e power supply adapter questions

[pschweig]

Hi

I am considering buying an ATI 4870. I currently have an X1950XTX which uses 1 6-pin pci-e power connector. I have an Antec SP 500 PSU which was supplied with only one 6-pin pci-e cable. I believe that the 4870 requires 2 6-pin connectors.

I have found this adapter which takes 2 molex power connectors and adapts them to a 6-pin pci-e connector

PCI-E adapter on ebay

Has anybody used this kind of adapter to run a gfx card? Are they reliable or is it not recommended to use this kind of product?

I read that my PSU has 2 12v rails. Does the power for the gfx card have to come from a particular rail on the PSU? If so, how can I tell which cable is linked to which rail?

If I do use the adapter should I use 2 molex connectors that are on the same cable from the psu? Or does it not matter?

Will it matter if other molex connectors on the same cable are powering HDDs or DVD drives? Should I seek to use 2 molex connectors on a cable that is not powering any other devices?


Phew - what a lot of questions
any help is much appreciated

thanks
paul

 

[DaveSimmons]

Many cards come with a molex or sata to 6-pin adapter, look at the accessories pictures at newegg.com (for specific models you will buy from a UK store).

But yes, that shoudl work and 3 pounds shipped isn't outrageous. 2 x 12A should be more than enough (it's more than a 4870 needs in fact).

No idea on the other questions, somone in the Power Supplies forum might help if no one answers here.