PCI EXPRESS 2 - 8 pin adaptor?

[apoppin]

*impossible*



good luck!
:thumbsup:

and check with at ... AMD tech Support right now ... get them started on a solution
--you know how long they take

 

[fern420]

ok, i found a good pic, they are different, the square oval pattern is different meaning the adapter plug wont fit. someones must make an adapter for this 8 pin pci express or just a small two pin plug you could add alongside the 6 pin pci-E plug to fill all 8 pins.

http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/image.htm...k0MTA0NU1IN2xkMnFWY1dfMl8xMl9sLmpwZw==



for anyone interested i just found this info on the 8 pin and it lists power supplies that are compatible.


http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1191115
http://www.jonnyguru.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1220
http://www.nordichardware.com/forum/pho...adeon-hd-2900xt-vt8433.html?highlight=


also after reading all this 8 pin stuff for a few hours i learned that the 2 extra pins are ground wires, they are there for safety, nothing more so essentially using the AMD gpu clock tool with only 2 six pins should have no ill effect on over clocking if there was truly an 8 pin connected.

i just hope someone comes out with an adapter really soon, allot of the info i uncovered also indicated these card manufactures were supposed to include a pci-e 6 to 8 pin adapter and it looks like noone did.

 

[nullpointerus]

Hmm...didn't realize that would cause quite a stir. I would've checked back here earlier, but our ISP is being administered by monkeys.

Yes, they're keyed differently:

P8:

[]oo[]
o[][]o

2900XT: (from memory)

[]ooo
oo[][]

Now I'm going to see if I can't get access to the rest of the WWW. :/

 

[ROEHUNTER]

I would think adapters would start showing up pretty quick now that the cards are out.
That's what I get for thinking!!!


Are there no adapters showing up yet???

 

[nullpointerus]

Originally posted by: fern420
also after reading all this 8 pin stuff for a few hours i learned that the 2 extra pins are ground wires, they are there for safety, nothing more so essentially using the AMD gpu clock tool with only 2 six pins should have no ill effect on over clocking if there was truly an 8 pin connected.

My HD2900XT came today. I set it up with 2x 6-pin PCIe connections, but the CCC is still reporting clocks at 507/514.

The AMD Clock Tool 0.7 is *not* working: it reports 2D clocks at 742.50/828.00 and 3D clocks at 743.00/828.00, which is ridiculous. Also, hitting the Set Clocks button brings up an error message.

Are there any utilities that can read clocks from a R600?

Any updates on the PCIe 2.0 adapter?

 

[ROEHUNTER]

Originally posted by: nullpointerus

My HD2900XT came today. I set it up with 2x 6-pin PCIe connections, but the CCC is still reporting clocks at 507/514.

The AMD Clock Tool 0.7 is *not* working: it reports 2D clocks at 742.50/828.00 and 3D clocks at 743.00/828.00, which is ridiculous. Also, hitting the Set Clocks button brings up an error message.

Are there any utilities that can read clocks from a R600?

Any updates on the PCIe 2.0 adapter?

The CCC will report the clocks at 507/514 as you are in 2d mode at the time.

As for the AMD GPU clock tool not functioning properly , I don't have an answer . Mine seems to run ok . It reports the correct clocks for both 2d/3d. My version is also 0.7

Edit: Just an afterthought , what drivers do you have installed?

 

[nullpointerus]

I tried loading a 3D game in windowed mode, hoping it would trigger 3D clocks, but CCC still reports 507/514. Maybe the CCC info panel was not written to detect the current clocks, just the default setting (i.e. 2D). I've never overclocked in CCC, so I don't know what to expect.

The clock tool may not be working properly because I'm in Vista x64. I had forgotten how many of the nVidia overclocking tools have such problems. The GPU clock tool may be reporting the correct clocks, but I can't verify that it's working--the tool won't let me *set* the clocks.

I have the latest 8.37 (the filename has "47097" on the end) from the ATI website.

BTW, none of my subsequent searches have turned up a suitable 8-pin adapter although the one I previously thought would work (logisys) was actually mislabeled as being PCIe compatible in another online store. That mislabeling is how the confusion began, in fact. I'm going to contact my PSU and GPU makers to see what they recommend as far as this 8-pin adapter is concerned.

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: nullpointerus
I tried loading a 3D game in windowed mode, hoping it would trigger 3D clocks, but CCC still reports 507/514. Maybe the CCC info panel was not written to detect the current clocks, just the default setting (i.e. 2D). I've never overclocked in CCC, so I don't know what to expect.

The clock tool may not be working properly because I'm in Vista x64. I had forgotten how many of the nVidia overclocking tools have such problems. The GPU clock tool may be reporting the correct clocks, but I can't verify that it's working--the tool won't let me *set* the clocks.

I have the latest 8.37 (the filename has "47097" on the end) from the ATI website.

BTW, none of my subsequent searches have turned up a suitable 8-pin adapter although the one I previously thought would work (logisys) was actually mislabeled as being PCIe compatible in another online store. That mislabeling is how the confusion began, in fact. I'm going to contact my PSU and GPU makers to see what they recommend as far as this 8-pin adapter is concerned.

how about contacting AMD ?

they designed the damn thing . ... do they expect you to buy a brand new PS?

 

[nullpointerus]

apoppin, I have no problem with the fact that the card has an 8-pin connector that's required for CCC to overclock, but I think AMD would just refer me to HIS in connection with the 8-pin adapter:

Originally posted by fern420
i just hope someone comes out with an adapter really soon, allot of the info i uncovered also indicated these card manufactures were supposed to include a pci-e 6 to 8 pin adapter and it looks like noone did.

 

[apoppin]

of course ... you are right

why not contact HIS?

 

[nullpointerus]

That's what I'm trying, but either hisdigital.com or my network connection has fallen into its periodic "black hole."

I did manage to contact OCZ with a request for an adapter or at least information. Some PSU makers are apparently providing these adapters "after the sale" for recent PSUs free of charge.

BTW, if you're want first-hand knowledge about the 2900XT's cooler, this thing's exhaust was *HOT* as a blowdryer from the moment the system first POST'd. I've got very good airflow, too, since temps go down almost immediately after gaming. And my 7900 GTO hit 52C load (typical gaming, not stress testing). It *is* quieter than I was expecting--easily ignored, and I'm picky--but definitely a bit more audible than my 7900 GTO (which I would call "silent").

 

[apoppin]

keep posting info !

!!

i might want one ... besides for a hair dryer

LMK what you find out from OCZ ... my PS is really pretty new
[i just got the rebate Sat ]

 

[nullpointerus]

OK, I'll update tomorrow with some information. OCZ says they'll reply in 24 hours...hopefully that means a human response and not the typical "hi! you may have asked something that's in our faq, please take a look and tell us you *really* need help two days from now" autoresponder.

I checked out video in Vista x64's Media Center. The 7900 GTO was "perfect" IMO for SD. I mean, no interlacing or artifacting on cartoons, good motion without any blurring, etc. The HD-2900XT was *absolutely awful*. Still scenes are perfect, but any motion (including facial expressions) causes horrible pixelation. I tested the various de-interlacing methods, and only Bob appears to be working. Everything else produces a horrid mess, so the "auto detect" is messed up, too. Driver bug, most likely. The quality of the Bob setting is decent and on par with the 7900 GTO. I can't wait to see what the other modes will look like when they're finally working!

AMD's GPU Clock Tool 0.7 has begun detecting 2D clocks appropriately--no idea why. This utility reveals that the card is not going into 3D clock mode when I run Oblivion windowed. I'm 20/26/31 fps (low/avg/high) outside my Imperial City hovel w/ QTP3 med textures at something like 848x576--something's clearly wrong--although this framerate is almost identical to 1680x1050 4xAA. EDIT: Not so odd--ALT+TAB reveals that I'm getting 3D clocks in fullscreen mode. Framerates are still somewhat low--maybe the new driver that's not yet publicly released really does work some magic with Oblivion.

Let me know if you've anything specific you want me to look into now that I've got the card.

Oh...screwless slots are a real problem. The stock cooler's plastic comes right to the bent part of the explansion slot bracket, meaning there's nothing for those screwless slot clips to actually grip. Luckily, my case has the "old fashioned" screw holes, too--something to keep in mind.

The card is heavier than my 7900 GTO (which is almost identical to a GTX physically speaking) and the cooler itself moves a ton more air. IMO people shouldn't be blaming the stock cooling; the chip itself is just extremely hot. Instead of overclocking, I may be looking at undervolting this thing LOL. Well, maybe not. Some mobile GPUs are made to run stably at 90C--perhaps all those respins give the chip a higher heat tolerance?

 

[fern420]

Originally posted by: nullpointerus
I tried loading a 3D game in windowed mode, hoping it would trigger 3D clocks, but CCC still reports 507/514. Maybe the CCC info panel was not written to detect the current clocks, just the default setting (i.e. 2D). I've never overclocked in CCC, so I don't know what to expect.

The clock tool may not be working properly because I'm in Vista x64. I had forgotten how many of the nVidia overclocking tools have such problems. The GPU clock tool may be reporting the correct clocks, but I can't verify that it's working--the tool won't let me *set* the clocks.

I have the latest 8.37 (the filename has "47097" on the end) from the ATI website.

BTW, none of my subsequent searches have turned up a suitable 8-pin adapter although the one I previously thought would work (logisys) was actually mislabeled as being PCIe compatible in another online store. That mislabeling is how the confusion began, in fact. I'm going to contact my PSU and GPU makers to see what they recommend as far as this 8-pin adapter is concerned.

you do not have enough power. im having the same issues as you and its all due to the 8 pin. im running two hd2900xt in crossfire and one of my cards will not kick into 3d clocks, it stays stuck at 2d all the time. after days of banging my head against the wall i finally contacted ati/amd customer support and spoke with a tech.

i have a duro 900 watt power supply and he informed me it is just not enough, the rails just wont support two cards and i bet thats the problem your having with one. if you can not get into 3d clock speeds you do not have enough power. he said if you did not buy your power supply after December you pretty much need a new one and he hinted to the only way its really going to run properly is to have the correct connection, one six pin and one eight pin in each card. when you do this each 6 and 8 pin plug is on its own power rail.

the best test you can do is put the 6 pin plugs on their own rail and remove anything you dont need plugged in, see if it doesnt kick into 3d clock speeds.

at least for me there was a financial alternative in a juice box power supply that fits into a cd rom bay and puts out 450 watts nominal. it has 2 six pin and 2 eight pin connectors made for quad sli or crossfire so this will end my 8 pin headache and ill have both of my cards hooked up the way they were meant to be. its brand new and just came out, check froogle.

http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?p=PS-EP4...9b5702824ef2ba45e28039e085e46333e1c1c5

its ati verified to run crossfire 2900xtx. look here, chances are even if your power requirements meet the standard your rails do not, the cheapest alternative is what i did by buying that juicebox.

http://ati.amd.com/technology/crossfire/buildyourown2.html


ive painfully learned that ati and amd put those 8 pins on that card for a reason, no matter what anyone says theres a reason for them and if you do not have a 8 pin in the card its not hooked up correctly.

 

[Matt2]

The hoops you guys are jumping through to make these cards work is absolutely ridiculous.

I only have a 560w PSU with 36a, so I know it's not going to be enough for one of these bad boys.

Throw in the price of a new PSU and an 8800GTX would give me better performance for less money.

 

[fern420]

Originally posted by: Matt2
The hoops you guys are jumping through to make these cards work is absolutely ridiculous.

I only have a 560w PSU with 36a, so I know it's not going to be enough for one of these bad boys.

Throw in the price of a new PSU and an 8800GTX would give me better performance for less money.

i agree, im having to jump through too many hoops to get this crossfire working properly but im just hoping future games and future drivers can make it somewhat worth my while.

its just that i had this bad axe board so crossfire was really the only dual gpu choice i have unless i wanted to go by an sli mobo, witch is looking like it would of been the better choice more and more each day, hehe.

im not knocking ati, im a supporter, i just think they should of been more honest about the power requirements and the whole 8 pin fiasco.

 

[Matt2]

Originally posted by: fern420

Originally posted by: Matt2
The hoops you guys are jumping through to make these cards work is absolutely ridiculous.

I only have a 560w PSU with 36a, so I know it's not going to be enough for one of these bad boys.

Throw in the price of a new PSU and an 8800GTX would give me better performance for less money.

i agree, im having to jump through too many hoops to get this crossfire working properly but im just hoping future games and future drivers can make it somewhat worth my while.

its just that i had this bad axe board so crossfire was really the only dual gpu choice i have unless i wanted to go by an sli mobo, witch is looking like it would of been the better choice more and more each day, hehe.

im not knocking ati, im a supporter, i just think they should of been more honest about the power requirements and the whole 8 pin fiasco.

I completely agree. I'm not questioning your choosing these cards as your GPU solution. I'm sure when working properly, they give great performance.

I just think AMD really screwed the pooch with how power hungry this card is. I mean, Nullpointerous has a freakin 700w PSU and he cant even get one card to work? You have a 900w PSU and AMD is telling you straight up that it's not enough? C'mon AMD! Congrats on being the first company to require a Kilowatt PSU! 8800GTX SLi only needs a 750w PSU.

IMO, AMD should have just waited for the 65nm die shrink. This card for many people is utterly useless.

 

[fern420]

i think its more about the rails and amps than the total watts. you need each of those connectors in the card to be on their own rail, witch new power supplies do, old ones dont. they will put other stuff on the same rail with the pci-e connector.

i cant really complain, i mean i have one card not even going into 3d clocks and im pulling 15.5 in 3dmark 06 with a pretty tame cpu over clock, im hoping for 18k+ when shes all powered correctly.

i guess in comparison i have a few fellow clan members with quad cores and dual GTX's, no over clocking but they are barley breaking 14k in 3dmark 06 so i use them as a reference point, hehehe.

 

[nullpointerus]

Originally posted by: fern420

Originally posted by: nullpointerus
I tried loading a 3D game in windowed mode, hoping it would trigger 3D clocks, but CCC still reports 507/514. Maybe the CCC info panel was not written to detect the current clocks, just the default setting (i.e. 2D). I've never overclocked in CCC, so I don't know what to expect.

The clock tool may not be working properly because I'm in Vista x64. I had forgotten how many of the nVidia overclocking tools have such problems. The GPU clock tool may be reporting the correct clocks, but I can't verify that it's working--the tool won't let me *set* the clocks.

I have the latest 8.37 (the filename has "47097" on the end) from the ATI website.

BTW, none of my subsequent searches have turned up a suitable 8-pin adapter although the one I previously thought would work (logisys) was actually mislabeled as being PCIe compatible in another online store. That mislabeling is how the confusion began, in fact. I'm going to contact my PSU and GPU makers to see what they recommend as far as this 8-pin adapter is concerned.

you do not have enough power. im having the same issues as you and its all due to the 8 pin. im running two hd2900xt in crossfire and one of my cards will not kick into 3d clocks, it stays stuck at 2d all the time. after days of banging my head against the wall i finally contacted ati/amd customer support and spoke with a tech.

i have a duro 900 watt power supply and he informed me it is just not enough, the rails just wont support two cards and i bet thats the problem your having with one. if you can not get into 3d clock speeds you do not have enough power. he said if you did not buy your power supply after December you pretty much need a new one and he hinted to the only way its really going to run properly is to have the correct connection, one six pin and one eight pin in each card. when you do this each 6 and 8 pin plug is on its own power rail.

the best test you can do is put the 6 pin plugs on their own rail and remove anything you dont need plugged in, see if it doesnt kick into 3d clock speeds.

at least for me there was a financial alternative in a juice box power supply that fits into a cd rom bay and puts out 450 watts nominal. it has 2 six pin and 2 eight pin connectors made for quad sli or crossfire so this will end my 8 pin headache and ill have both of my cards hooked up the way they were meant to be. its brand new and just came out, check froogle.

http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?p=PS-EP4...9b5702824ef2ba45e28039e085e46333e1c1c5

its ati verified to run crossfire 2900xtx. look here, chances are even if your power requirements meet the standard your rails do not, the cheapest alternative is what i did by buying that juicebox.

http://ati.amd.com/technology/crossfire/buildyourown2.html


ive painfully learned that ati and amd put those 8 pins on that card for a reason, no matter what anyone says theres a reason for them and if you do not have a 8 pin in the card its not hooked up correctly.

Thanks, but I'm sure that's not the problem. My PSU is only a few months old. I'm fairly certain that each PCI-E 6-pin is on its own rail--there's a diagram on the side of the unit detailing which 12V cables are on which rails--and, as I posted later, the card *does* get into 3D clock mode, but *only* when a fullscreen game is running. You actually have to ALT+TAB out of the game and check clocks in AMD GPU Clock Tool to verify this. TBH, I forget whether my 7900 GTO had this quirk with windowed mode games.

 

[nullpointerus]

Originally posted by: Matt2
The hoops you guys are jumping through to make these cards work is absolutely ridiculous.

I knew I'd have to do some jumping, but I'm betting these cards have a lot of untapped potential. Remember how awful the Radeon 8500 was at launch compared to how it was after ATi got the driver problems ironed out. I can live with the problems, at least for now.

 

[fern420]

Originally posted by: nullpointerus

Originally posted by: Matt2
The hoops you guys are jumping through to make these cards work is absolutely ridiculous.

I knew I'd have to do some jumping, but I'm betting these cards have a lot of untapped potential. Remember how awful the Radeon 8500 was at launch compared to how it was after ATi got the driver problems ironed out. I can live with the problems, at least for now.

ewww 666 post count that cant be lucky, hehehehe.


i just think that 8 pin plays a big role, i mean why would they put it on the card if everything worked fine and dandy with a 6 pin. i may be conscientious but i believe everything is done for a reason, hehehe. granted i had no issues with one card and two 6 pin connections, it did just fine but i didnt try nonfull screen 3d to check the clock speeds. im sure it has a bit to with the drivers too, they are a mess right now.

i should also mention on my system my power supply is running my water cooling also so that may play apart in my issues.

 

[nullpointerus]

OK, I've had it with HIS. Every time that I go to their website it's dog slow. Three minutes to load a page is unacceptable, and their support message form keeps timing out. I'm either spamming them or not getting through at all LOL. We'll see.

 

[apoppin]

dp

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: fern420

Originally posted by: nullpointerus
I tried loading a 3D game in windowed mode, hoping it would trigger 3D clocks, but CCC still reports 507/514. Maybe the CCC info panel was not written to detect the current clocks, just the default setting (i.e. 2D). I've never overclocked in CCC, so I don't know what to expect.

The clock tool may not be working properly because I'm in Vista x64. I had forgotten how many of the nVidia overclocking tools have such problems. The GPU clock tool may be reporting the correct clocks, but I can't verify that it's working--the tool won't let me *set* the clocks.

I have the latest 8.37 (the filename has "47097" on the end) from the ATI website.

BTW, none of my subsequent searches have turned up a suitable 8-pin adapter although the one I previously thought would work (logisys) was actually mislabeled as being PCIe compatible in another online store. That mislabeling is how the confusion began, in fact. I'm going to contact my PSU and GPU makers to see what they recommend as far as this 8-pin adapter is concerned.

you do not have enough power. im having the same issues as you and its all due to the 8 pin. im running two hd2900xt in crossfire and one of my cards will not kick into 3d clocks, it stays stuck at 2d all the time. after days of banging my head against the wall i finally contacted ati/amd customer support and spoke with a tech.

i have a duro 900 watt power supply and he informed me it is just not enough, the rails just wont support two cards and i bet thats the problem your having with one. if you can not get into 3d clock speeds you do not have enough power. he said if you did not buy your power supply after December you pretty much need a new one and he hinted to the only way its really going to run properly is to have the correct connection, one six pin and one eight pin in each card. when you do this each 6 and 8 pin plug is on its own power rail.

the best test you can do is put the 6 pin plugs on their own rail and remove anything you dont need plugged in, see if it doesnt kick into 3d clock speeds.

at least for me there was a financial alternative in a juice box power supply that fits into a cd rom bay and puts out 450 watts nominal. it has 2 six pin and 2 eight pin connectors made for quad sli or crossfire so this will end my 8 pin headache and ill have both of my cards hooked up the way they were meant to be. its brand new and just came out, check froogle.

http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?p=PS-EP4...9b5702824ef2ba45e28039e085e46333e1c1c5

its ati verified to run crossfire 2900xtx. look here, chances are even if your power requirements meet the standard your rails do not, the cheapest alternative is what i did by buying that juicebox.

http://ati.amd.com/technology/crossfire/buildyourown2.html


ive painfully learned that ati and amd put those 8 pins on that card for a reason, no matter what anyone says theres a reason for them and if you do not have a 8 pin in the card its not hooked up correctly.

ok ... maybe my idea to "give them away" was pretty silly
... stupid, even
---100,000 people all hitting AMD tech support at once
:Q


... and i got my PS in March ... so i probably still can't run Xfire ...

keep us updated ... you guys are the true pioneers! ... as to the "hoops" ... i remember the complaints about the 8800 series and drivers when they first came out
--seems to be fine now

i just can't see this card [anymore] as being "popular", however ... but still, something i might like ... if the issues can be solved and driver suppport improved

 

[nullpointerus]

I've got mail! From OCZ:

Originally sent via email by OCZ Support

Description: Need 8-pin PCIe 2.0 power adapter for HD-2900XT

-------------------------------------------------------

Please be advised that the status on your trouble ticket
has been changed from Acknowledged to In Progress
with the following comment:
-------------------------------------------------------
Comment: Hello -------, yes we will have a 8pin connector out, our engineers
are working on it. im not sure on a release date yet. but it is in the works.
-------------------------------------------------------

Personally, I don't mind if it takes a month or so, just as long as it doesn't get shelved.

When my HD-2900XT came, I was really unimpressed with its performance. Performance in some cases (i.e. FEAR) was significantly higher than my 7900 GTO, but in other games there was little difference between the two cards. Oblivion and NFS: Carbon were really indecipherable using fraps. I tried various resolutions and AA settings to isolate driver bugs, but no luck. This was with the 8.37.4.3 official drivers from ati.amd.com.

Then I downloaded the 8.38 (Catalyst 7.5 RC2) off the Internet. Someone had said that they worked under Vista and w/ the HD-2900XT specifically, but this driver wouldn't install no matter what download site I tried. I think this driver is for the mobility 2400/2600 parts only.

Finally, while I had all ATI stuff uninstalled ATM, I thought I'd try the 8.361 drivers off the HIS setup disc. WOW!! Huge performance boost, this HD-2900XT completely left my 7900 GTO in the dust. NFS:C average framerates basically doubled (25fps to 60fps) and its minimum framerates nearly quadrupled (14 to 52) on the same settings (1680x1050, high, 4x AA, and "AF" at whatever level the game sets it--motion blur disabled). I also checked with AA off, 2x, 4x, and 8x to be sure and performance was WAY up. These results are from in the long double highway that runs through the last section in the game--the one with all the neon lights that brought my 7900 GTO to its knees. Oblivion gained a non-staggering but still solid 5-7 fps min/avg/max with 4xAA.

So why are older drivers "boosting" performance so much? Are they "older," or is it really 8.361.x.x vs. 8.037.x.x? The numbering confuses me. Is 8.361 the driver release that had AA problems? I'm definitely taking a bit of a performance hit with 8xAA and can see that it's doing something--although an AA expert might point out significant differences, I don't really see anything wrong--but performance is still up. So the question is now which drivers have a problem: 8.361, 8.37.4, or both.