Will a 6800NU PCIe run on the power from a 20-pin PSU?

[Ronin13]

I read through 'the ultimate "do i need a 24pin PSU ?" thread' stickied at the top and am still not quite sure about something.

My question specifically relates to the WinFast PX6800 TDH. As far as I know, this card draws all its power through the PCIe slot, right? (Meaning it has no extra power connector.)

Are any of you running it (or a similar card with equal needs) on a motherboard only fed from the PSU through a 20-pin (along with the 4 pin ATX) connector?

If so, what are the ratings of your PSU?

One thing that I learned from that thread, was that the 20 to 24-pin adapter doesn't seem at all appealing.

I want to use this case, which has a 1 fan version of this PSU, which is rated to deliver 16A on the +12V rail.

According to ASUS, the mobo I'm planning on using (P5GD1 PRO) can run on a 20-pin power connector, if the PSU can deliver 15A on the +12V rail.

According to Leadtek, the card I'm planning on requires a 350W PSU.

Am I cutting it too close, or do you think it'll work just fine?

On the 20 to 24-pin adapter, am I better off with or without it?

 

[Silversierra]

My antec 350w psu was listed as 16a on 12v, but when I got it, it actually was a 21a. I think they updated their psus.

 

[xtknight]

Yeah, there's no extra power required. Hmmmm...I'm not sure. I'm running an ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe with an Antec NeoPower 480W power supply. Not sure about the 20/24-pin adapters...I think the power supply will be adequate. What other hardware do you have?

 

[Ronin13]

It's going to be a pretty basic system. Currently I'm planning on getting the following parts:

ASUS P5GD1 PRO
P4 540J 3.2GHz
2x512 MB Geil PC3200 DDR RAM
Maxtor DiamondMax 10 200GB SATA 7200RPM 8MB
Leadtek PX6800 TDH
Some kind of DVD combo drive (not sure about model yet)
Antec SLK2650-BQE EC (comes with a 350W SmartPower PSU)

I'm pretty sure that the 350W SmartPower PSU adequately can run those components, I'm just a bit concerned about whether it can deliver enough juice to the GFX card through the 20-pin connector, as the card needs to get all it's power through the PCIe slot.

(Btw, I have a question about the ASUS mobo over here. Thanks for checking it out!)

 

[cbehnken]

Yeah I am running a DFI Ultra D with a 430 watt antec using a 20-24 pin adapter and the Leadtek 6800 you wanted. The adapter seems to cause no problems and actually made routing cables easier/cleaner.

 

[Ronin13]

*bump*

 

[Ronin13]

*final bump*

... to see if anyone else has any input on whether to go with the 20 to 24-pin adapter or not.

 

[xtknight]

bump

 

[ribbon13]

Gaming video card with Intel system? :shocked::shocked:

If you really want to be sure, I'd reccomend getting a Seasonic Tornado 400 A3. It would also help keep your system quiet. One of the, if not the most, quiet PSUs I've ever worked with.

Have you considered a X800 XL? I know I would

 

[Ronin13]

Originally posted by: ribbon13
Gaming video card with Intel system? :shocked::shocked:

If you really want to be sure, I'd reccomend getting a Seasonic Tornado 400 A3. It would also help keep your system quiet. One of the, if not the most, quiet PSUs I've ever worked with.

Have you considered a X800 XL? I know I would

On the 'video card with Intel system' comment, I've answered that in the other thread where you made a similar comment.

If this rig was for myself I'd propably go with a Seasonic PSU myself, maybe from the new S12 series. As it is, those are out of my budget, which is why I'm going with an Antec case, to get a decent PSU at a low cost.

As for whether I've considered a X800 XL, let me say this: From my first TNT card, through my GeForce 2 GTS card to my GeForce 4 Ti 4400 card, I've always been satisfied with nVidia's graphics cards. For my latest upgrade I swapped my GF4 for a Radeon 9800 Pro Ice-Q, due to it's great reviews. And while it indeed is a very good card, I had a lot of problems when playing Star Wars: Knight of the Old Republic. Problems that was linked to ATI's drivers.

Now, you may say that everybody gets problems once in a while, but I have 50 games sitting on my shelve which never caused me anywhere close to the amount of grief the ATI/KotOR combination did. I'm actually holding off my purchase of KotOR 2 until they release a patch, as the same problems have manifested once again.

So for me, it's back to nVidia.

Now, on the 20 to 24-pin adapter, where do most of you stand? To use or not to use?

 

[jonnyGURU]

The question should not be "will the power supply be enough" but "will the board get enough juice through the slot if I only use 20-pins."

Keep in mind that 20 or 24 pin connectors all get their power from the same source inside the power supply. The only detrimental variable that comes into play is a negligible amount of resistance caused by running more amperage through fewer wires, but obviously this wouldn't be a problem as it's not a problem for a number of other power supplies out there that inherently provide even more power over the same kind of connector.

The extra juice provided to the extra pins on a 24-pin connector provide power through additional traces in the motherboard. You can only push so much amperage through the traces of a motherboard. Solution? More traces.

So if there's any doubt, a 20 to 24 pin adapter will address the matter.

 

[fstime]

I would consider an A64, a 3200+ and the MSI K8N Neo4.

 

[Ronin13]

Originally posted by: jonnyGURU
The question should not be "will the power supply be enough" but "will the board get enough juice through the slot if I only use 20-pins."

Well, that's exactly my question, as I'm pretty confident that the 350W PSU will run the relatively few components in my build (as mentioned in the 4th post down).

So if there's any doubt, a 20 to 24 pin adapter will address the matter.

From your site I can see that you've done quite a bit of PSU testing. So in my particular situation, would you expect the 20 pin plug to deliver enough juice, or is this the kind of setup that calls for an adapter, in your opinion?

 

[jonnyGURU]

Originally posted by: Ronin13

From your site I can see that you've done quite a bit of PSU testing. So in my particular situation, would you expect the 20 pin plug to deliver enough juice, or is this the kind of setup that calls for an adapter, in your opinion?

The answer would be no. I would definitely use the adapter. There's no excuse for NOT playing it safe and an adapter is only $4. To cheap out on $4 and risk the stability of your system would be foolish.