what do i do with the 6 pin power connector(s)?

[silverburn2000]

hi
im looking for a new graphics card and was thinking of getting a geforce gt 220or 240. ( my 7800gtx isnt working properly and ive decided to just get another 'cheap' card for about £60 as id probably have to update my whole system for a top level card to work best. may do so in future)

i was wondering about the 6 pin power cable thats currently connected to my card.
if my new card doesnt have a power socket, can i just not bother with it and leave it hanging or should it be disconnected, as its live?

also, if i was to fit a new card that has two 6 pin sockets, where/how do i connect to the other socket?

any info is greatly appreciated, thanks in advance


spec: asus a8n-sli deluxe , n force 4 motherboard. 550w psu. 4gb ddr ram (pc 3200, 400mhz) athlon 64 x2 4800+ dual core processor. 300gb hard drive
windows xp sp3 32bit. 256mb nvidia geforce 7800gtx

 

[ViRuS2k]

question 1 : just leave it hanging wont harm the system
question 2 : get a molex to 6pin adapter most graphics cards that you buy these days and take power ect come with them in the box

 

[Skyrocket]

What virus said. If u do go for a card with 2 or more connections check that ur psu can handle that card.
6850 is a nice card for u me thinks. Quiet, 1 connector, fast low power draw.

 

[silverburn2000]

cheers guys.
it occurred to me that as the motherboard is an sli ,ie ready to accept two graphics cards, the pc will probably have two 6 pin connectors available. surely the manufactures will have provided two??
ill need to open up the case again and look around!

i remember there are quite a few cables that seem to go nowhere, but how will i know what theyre for?

also how can i find out what my psu can handle?
theres just "hec ,sleeve bearing, dc 12 volt, 0.11a, fd1280205s-1a" on the back??

6850 is good but quite pricey! any thougths on a worthwhile card for about £60? just a half decent one to tide me over, if i can play games at medium settings or so, thatll do
(monitor is 19" viewsonic 924 at 1280x1024)
thanks very much for your help

 

[silverburn2000]

hi
i looked on the psu and it says:

d/c output: +3.3v/ +5v/ +12v1/ +12v2/ -12v/ +5vsb
......max A: 30a/ 38a/ 18a / 17a/ 0.3a/ 2a
+5v & +3.3v combined 185w
total output 550w

but how do i know if this is compatible with a particular card (i was recommended to go for a gtx 460!) but will it work???

if i need to use a molex adapter aswell as the 6 pin cable i already have, what does the molex connect to?
cheers


pc spec:
asus a8n-sli deluxe , n force 4 mobo, 550w psu, 4gb ddr ram (pc 3200, 400mhz)
athlon 64 x2 4800+ dual core processor, 300gb hard drive, windows xp sp3 (32bit) 256mb nvidia geforce 7800gtx

 

[steve258]

Just leave the unwanted cables unplugged it's fine. You can't actaully remove the cables anyway unless you have a modular PSU. 60 quid can get you quite a nice 2nd hand card to tide you over unless you must buy new? In that case the 8800GTS 320mb for 40 will do the job.

The molex connector connects to.. the 4-pin molex plugs. The +12V rails look a bit weak by today's standards but it will do the job. The GTX460 768mb is easily the best bang for buck card at the moment and should work just fine in your system with an adapter which is supplied with card.

 

[welshdragon]

cheers guys.
6850 is good but quite pricey! any thougths on a worthwhile card for about £60? just a half decent one to tide me over, if i can play games at medium settings or so, thatll do
thanks very much for your help

Second hand ATI 5770. These are going for about £70 (ish) now and should handle most things. Low power draw on them aswell and only need the one pcie connector. I'm currently running one and it handles starcraft2 maxed out fine. Also handled avp in med/high settings fine and civ 5 etc. Overclocks well too using msi afterburner.

 

[Cleeecooo]

5770 is the way forward. But to answer your first Q, My Dad bought a Dell XPS 420 and there were loads of cables left unplugged. When you do upgrade, i suggest you get a modular PSU.

 

[silverburn2000]

the problem with the molex connector is that i dont know where i plug the two 4pin sockets in to!( is the adapter male or female?)

the only 'spare' /suitable sockets in my case are on the same cable but the other end is attached to the motherboard, dont know why.

ie: cables (2x black, one red, one yellow.) come from psu to one 4pin socket, then theres 6" of cabling to another 4 pin socket then the cables run to another socket thats plugged into the motherboard between the cpu and the graphics card slot. (says EZplug next to it)
i dont know if this is a usable or not for a second power supply to gpu??
i dont understand why the end of this is plugged in to mobo yet theres two molex sockets on it, not being used?
i cant buy a new graphics card like a gtx460 till i know ill have enough power connections available, so any help will be very welcome,
cheers