PSU missing PCIe cables

PaulC2K

PaulC2K

PaulC2K

Associate
Joined
4 Mar 2010
Posts
2,126
I've just come to install a 4090 to replace a 1080 and realised i dont know where the unused cables are, and im wondering what my options are.
Its a Zalman ZM1250w Platinum, an OCUK Black Friday special from 2016 iirc, so not like its a common PSU to buy aftermarket cables, but its also perfectly suitable to my needs so dont want to buy a £200+ replacement
I have one of those 24-pin addons to connect and switch on a 2nd PSU (budget 650w Corsair), and was wondering whether it'd be safe to use 2x 8-pin PCIe from each, to arrive at a total of 4.

Are there any good options?
I could make look into making the cables, but that wont happen this month, and a new PSU isnt exactly a good option.
Replacement cables dont exist and Zalman discontinued it a long time ago.
It'd be extremely unlike me to have thrown it out, ive still got plenty of ancient stuff hanging around (200gb HDDs, ATI X800 gpu, DDR2 sticks, parallel & VGA cables etc) but ive turned the place upside-down and cant find em.
 
PaulC2K said:
I have one of those 24-pin addons to connect and switch on a 2nd PSU (budget 650w Corsair), and was wondering whether it'd be safe to use 2x 8-pin PCIe from each, to arrive at a total of 4.
Click to expand...

Yikes.

PaulC2K said:
Replacement cables dont exist and Zalman discontinued it a long time ago.
Click to expand...

Have you asked them? They might have more idea what the OEM of the PSU is (CWT?) and if you can use other cables with the same pinout.
 
Ive done some searching and found 3y/o posts from people in the same situation and Zalman saying they dont have em any longer etc. Likewise theres no relevant results for aftermarket replacements.
 
I suspect it is a rebrand, and was going to look for reviews to see if it was mentioned somewhere.
Contacting Zalman for the info seems a slow process from what was said by others 3yr ago for a 'we dont stock em any more' response. I found a datasheet but that just shows cables and the actual spec info which is on the side of the box. I also saw a picture with all the contents from the box, and the cables have a bag and thats exactly what i was expecting them to be in, it even has Zalman on the side so i cant believe i'd chuck it, but ive checked everywhere i can think of 2-3 times if not more in some cases.

I was hoping there would be a quick & easy solution like dual PSU, but i get the impression its about as good an idea as borrowing the cables from the Corsair PSU and using them :(
 
If you've got at least 1 of the modular PCI-E cables you could identify the pinout with a multimeter. You can then compare the pinout to more common modular cables (e.g. corsair) and see if anything is compatible (or could be modified with little effort)

To be honest though, at likely 7 years old, it's probably about had it's day, and not something I would be chancing to power a 4090
 
Last edited:
Yeah, I at least have 1 to work from.

I've also found a review where someone in the comments says "Let's wait and see how this CWT-made PSU does compared to other Platinum PSUs...". Cant say ive heard of CWT, but looks like Tetras was right.
I think chances are i'll be buying a new PSU, im not comfortable with electronics and i wouldnt have any help from someone who is for a good 3-4 weeks.

EDIT: Ive stumbled upon a LTT forum post through google and someone who apparently is (at the time at least) Corsairs PSU division engineer, who says CWT are telling him their Corsair PSU pinout is the same.
So i potentially have spare cables, but i havent a clue how to use a multimeter... but im pretty sure i have one in the garage.
Presumably i'd just need to confirm that each wire on the PSU side ends up arriving at the same pin location on the end of the cable, compared to the original? right??
 
Last edited:
PaulC2K said:
EDIT: Ive stumbled upon a LTT forum post through google and someone who apparently is (at the time at least) Corsairs PSU division engineer, who says CWT are telling him their Corsair PSU pinout is the same.
Click to expand...

Keep in mind that Corsair have used more OEMs/platforms than Geri Halliwell and while their cables are now standardised (type3/type4), I'm not sure when that transition happened.
 
Yeah, ive given up on it for now, and bought a Corsair RX1000x Shift, which had the knock-on effect of pushing me to buy the O11D XL Evo (almost bought it this week with the CPU/Mobo/Ram but decided to wait for watercooling it next year).
The Shift has the outputs on the side rather than the rear, which doesnt work great for the Phantek P500A I currently have, but it seems a much better option in the XL Evo.

I found the multimeter but forgot the leads broke and havent been replaced. I'll use the ZM1250 as a spare and see if i can figure out replacement cables down the line, or maybe they'll turn up somewhere.

Thanks for the help, both of you.

Armageus said:
If you've got at least 1 of the modular PCI-E cables you could identify the pinout with a multimeter. You can then compare the pinout to more common modular cables (e.g. corsair) and see if anything is compatible (or could be modified with little effort)

To be honest though, at likely 7 years old, it's probably about had it's day, and not something I would be chancing to power a 4090
Click to expand...
Found reviews from Summer 2012 :eek: and its definitely had its fair share of hours put through it (until elec bills shot up, would be on 24/7) so i've had my moneys worth out of it.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom