Can I still use a 9800GX2 with this power supply?

[Nightmare225]

I have a power supply which only has 6-pin power connectors. The GX2 needs one 8-pin. Is there a way for me to safely provide power to the GX2 without getting a new power supply? If there are any sort of adapters for this, I haven't been able to find them. Unless the card itself comes with one?

 

[Keysplayr]

It looks like the BFG GX2 comes with an 8 pin adapter.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814143128

And, it looks like it comes with an HDMI cable as well. Those things aren't cheap AFAIK. Bonus.

 

[Aberforth]

You need a SLI certified PSU.

 

[Keysplayr]

Originally posted by: Aberforth
You need a SLI certified PSU.

That won't guaranty him an 8 pin. He has to specifically look for a PSU that has it, or just get the BFG card since it comes with the adapter.

OP: What PSU do you have?

 

[Nightmare225]

Originally posted by: keysplayr2003
It looks like the BFG GX2 comes with an 8 pin adapter.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814143128

And, it looks like it comes with an HDMI cable as well. Those things aren't cheap AFAIK. Bonus.

What about the EVGA one? Everywhere I look, no one has deigned to put a picture of all the accessories online.

 

[Keysplayr]

Originally posted by: Nightmare225

Originally posted by: keysplayr2003
It looks like the BFG GX2 comes with an 8 pin adapter.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814143128

And, it looks like it comes with an HDMI cable as well. Those things aren't cheap AFAIK. Bonus.

What about the EVGA one? Everywhere I look, no one has deigned to put a picture of all the accessories online.

Huh? The eVGA card shows it's accessories. Whether or not they are ALL shown, I dunno. But the BFG card shows that it at least has the 8-pin.

But, if you're stuck on getting eVGA for whatever reason, I'm sure the 8 pin adapters are being sold somewhere. I did a Newegg search, but only came up with either 6 pin PCI-e adapters, or P8 motherboard connectors. Don't confuse the P8 connector with a PCI-e 8 pin adapter. FYI.

 

[Aberforth]

http://www.guru3d.com/article/Videocards/512/9/

 

[Keysplayr]

Originally posted by: Aberforth
http://www.guru3d.com/article/Videocards/512/9/

Interesting. And good to know. Having to cut the plastic retention clip because the GX2 housing isn't notched enough, and/or the connector clip is not designed properly. either or.

So what does this have to do with having an SLI certified PSU? You lost me?

 

[Aberforth]

Originally posted by: keysplayr2003

Originally posted by: Aberforth
http://www.guru3d.com/article/Videocards/512/9/

Interesting. And good to know. Having to cut the plastic retention clip because the GX2 housing isn't notched enough, and/or the connector clip is not designed properly. either or.

So what does this have to do with having an SLI certified PSU? You lost me?

I was mistaken that SLI certfied connectors fits without problems. I put that link as a reference.

 

[bryanW1995]

If you have a corsair 520hx they will send you an 8 pin pci-e attachment for just the cost of shipping. it's not an adaptor, either, since it's a modular psu. I'm not sure about other psu's, however. Talk to yellowbeard for info.

 

[Keysplayr]

Originally posted by: Aberforth

Originally posted by: keysplayr2003

Originally posted by: Aberforth
http://www.guru3d.com/article/Videocards/512/9/

Interesting. And good to know. Having to cut the plastic retention clip because the GX2 housing isn't notched enough, and/or the connector clip is not designed properly. either or.

So what does this have to do with having an SLI certified PSU? You lost me?

I was mistaken that SLI certfied connectors fits without problems. I put that link as a reference.

Ah, ok. Yeah, that is good to know. I hope the OEMs get the "corrected" cables in those retail boxes.

 

[imported_wired247]

This was the only adapter I could find on google.

http://www.frozencpu.com/produ...-E2_Adapter_Cable.html

I'm either going to get the BFG card, or the XFX with this adapter. Not sure.

I'm also trying to contact XFX to find out if they include an adapter or not, but I don't think they do.

 

[Nightmare225]

I heard its against some safety specifications and introduces a fire hazard, which is why some companies like EVGA didn't include them...

Thats a real bummer...

 

[imported_wired247]

If that's the case, then BFG will have some serious lawsuits on their hands if computers or buildings catch fire.

I will be sure not to let my GX2 run stress tests under load when no one's home.

 

[Keysplayr]

I'm not sure what wattage the 8 pin connector needs to draw, but it's a pretty safe bet that it is more than 75W, which is all the 6 pin PCI-e plug on a power supply is supposed to supply. If you use an adapter (6 pin to 8 pin), that may very well overload the PSU, or at least the rail that connector is on. I'll try to find out how well , or what wattage, the dual 4 pin molex to 8 pin PCI-e connector can provide, if one can be found even.
I would suggest looking into a proper SLI certified 8 pin PSU. check here

One that supports SLI'd 8800GTS's seems to be enough.

I'll also hunt around for a 2x 6pin to single 8-pin converter, for those folks who have PSU's with 4x 6pin PCI-e connectors.

 

[nRollo]

A SLi Certified PSU won't necessarily address this issue, but an ESA PSU will.

The deal here is the GX2's 8pin connectors are built to spec, but some of the early 8pin connectors on psu's are not.

Here's what NVIDIA themselves had to say about this issue, and a list of PSUs that will work:

The minimum recommend PSU for the GeForce 9800 GX2 is 580 watts. For two GeForce 9800 GX2 cards, we recommend a minimum PSU of 850 watts. You should use a higher rated power supply if your system has power hungry CPUs, hard drives and other devices.

The GeForce 9800 GX2 requires both a 6-in and 8-pin PCI-E power connector for proper operation.

Some 8-pin PCI-E connectors may have trouble fitting into the socket on the GeForce 9800 GX2. We designed our socket to specification. With a bit more push, most of these plugs will fit.

Two things are being done to help alleviate this issue. First, board vendors will be making available adaptors to help the oversized plugs work with the GeForce 9800 GX2. Second, PSU manufacturers are updating their designs to follow PCI-E specification. Please contact your board vendor or PSU vendor for further details.

PSUs That Will Work:

http://www.nvidia.com/object/g...800gx2_pwr_supply.html




Hope this helps those considering the GX2.

So far, I'm pretty much loving it. The performance is amazing for a single card, and two of them in Quad configuration leaves a nice big hole of airspace between them. (which is handy for cooling and using an expansion slot for sound card if you like)

Specific performance posts are NDA for a bit longer on Quad, but scaling is looking good.

 

[MarcVenice]

Why are you saying quad scaling is looking good ? In the reviews I've seen quad scaling was HORRIBLE, in fact, in some games 2 sli-ed 9800gx2's performed worse then a single 9800gx2 !

This is more a PSU related question though, and regarding corsair's PSU, check this thread: http://forums.anandtech.com/me...=2167888&enterthread=y

 

[Keysplayr]

Allright, I have info that just confirms what I was saying before. Some users are trying to use 6-pin PCI-E power
connectors to plug into a GeForce 9800 GX2's 8-pin connector using a molex connector. The issue with that is
that unless users have checked their power supply to make sure that they are getting 150W from the molex or
the 6-pin PCI-E power connector, then it won't properly power up the GeForce 9800 GX2. Now, not everybody
is able, or knows how to check this, or should be expected to check this, which is why Nvidia doesn't recommend
8-pin adaptors from the 6-pin or molex.

Here is a list of power supplies which have been tested to work on 9800 GX2. These power supplies meet the
requirements for power rating, have at least one 6-pin and one 8-pin PCI Express power connector.

9800GX2 Power Supply Compatability

Note taken from page:
"A number of system power supplies in the market use a modular power connector to provide 6-pin and 8-pin outputs from the same cable. These power supplies have PCI-E Express Power Connectors listed as ?8-pin/6-pin? in the table below. A subset of these modular connectors have a mechanical latch that is too wide and do not fit the 8-pin PCI-E power connector on the GeForce 9800 GX2 graphics card and are marked with an asterisk (*) in the table. These power supplies will work with the GeForce 9800 GX2 GPU with a PCI Express power connector adapter. NVIDIA is working with graphics card manufacturers and power supply vendors to offer an adapter to affected customers. Please contact your manufacturer of your product to obtain a replacement connector."

 

[imported_wired247]

Originally posted by: keysplayr2003The issue with that is
that unless users have checked their power supply to make sure that they are getting 150W from the molex or
the 6-pin PCI-E power connector,

I'm sure their concerns are well founded, but they are sure making it troublesome for people with powerful yet incompatible PSU's.

So, it sounds like there won't be any house fires just from using an adapter ... :laugh:

150W is only 12.5Amps, I'm pretty sure my psu can make the cut.

 

[Keysplayr]

Originally posted by: wired247

Originally posted by: keysplayr2003The issue with that is
that unless users have checked their power supply to make sure that they are getting 150W from the molex or
the 6-pin PCI-E power connector,

I'm sure their concerns are well founded, but they are sure making it troublesome for people with powerful yet incompatible PSU's.

So, it sounds like there won't be any house fires just from using an adapter ... :laugh:

If you use that adapter, it needs to be coming from a source that provides the 150W that is inteded for an 8 pin PCI-e power connector. Otherwise, you may not have proper power to your card.

I think the problem is those PSU's that utilize those "clippable 6 pin 8 pin connectors. See, as a six pin, it's fine with the latch clip in it's center. Now clip on the extra two pins. What happens to the location of the clip in relation to the pins? It is now off center. Out of spec.

Does anybody have a PSU that has "solid" (non clippable) 8 pin PCI-e connectors? If so, take a look at them and see if the latch clip is at dead center of them or not.

 

[imported_wired247]

Originally posted by: keysplayr2003

If you use that adapter, it needs to be coming from a source that provides the 150W that is inteded for an 8 pin PCI-e power connector. Otherwise, you may not have proper power to your card.

It seems that if one's 12V "rails" allow 18A that should be more than enough, even with an adapter.



Again the question arises, why is BFG confident enough in the adapter (given their min specs of 580W PSU, 40A on 12V combined) that they are offering lifetime warranty on their cards?

Answer: probably because of exactly what you said. 150W on a 12V rail is only 12.5A. Anyone with 40A combined on 12V rails should have at least that much, even with a few case fans.


I would think that as long as you adhere to their specs, you should be fine.

 

[Keysplayr]

Although the numbers add up, it is still best to contact the PSU manufacurer and see if the PSU's circuitry can handle delivering well over the spec'd 75W to their 6 pin PCI-e connectors. *Some* PSU?s have a fault detection shutdown mechanism, to prevent any damage. As far as the 9800 GX2, there is a detection circuit on-board that prevents damage to the card in this scenario. So, at least the card will not be damaged by not supplying enough juice to it.