Building my new computer here and I'm having problems with the video card. The video card has 2 x 6 power plug and I'm not sure which one to plug the power in. I also got a splitter with the card, do I need to play 2 leads from the power supply into the splitter?

mobo is asus PQ5-SE and power supply is 460w that came with the cooler master case.

edit: the splitter im talking about:
http://www.ixbt.com/video3/images/rv670-4/msi-3850-complect.jpg
bottom cable.

edit2: I get the following erorr "You have not connected one of your video card power connectors to the power supply."

f*** i dont think my powersupply is strong enough.

Im going to go out on a limb here and say look at the instructions.

you need 2x pci-e 6 pin cables. Also get a decent power supply, if it doesn't even have one pci-e cable then it really is old and most probably underpowered.


* waits for post about psu blowing up in an explosion of blue sparks and smoke
*

last edited by flagger at 00:20:48 20/Nov/08

Im going to go out on a limb here and say look at the instructions.

You should checkout the instruction booklet... its 2 pages. It's useless.

Whats a good powersupply to get?

thermaltake or corsair 600w+
modular ftw, it'll run you $100+ but its well worth it

ok thanks tequila.

Would anything been damaged by the lack of power?

I connected both cables into my 4870..That's the way I understand it..

Won't do any damage, your games would just run like s*** or not at all

Considering the card sucks over 200W itself you'd DEF wanna get a better PSU.

i run an overclocked hd4870 and an overclocked e8400 (3.6ghz) off the Corsair HX520 and it does it in its stride. They're about $140.

It's not so much a power supply with a massive power rating you need...what you're after is a quality supply with a big 12V rail capability.

its a 4870 not a 4780 ... typwned

Would anything been damaged by the lack of power?

Nothing...the GPU would usually just under clock itself I think to lower power consumption I think (happened to my brother with his 2900).

that PSU has max of 26A on the 12V rail (combined). I think it's going to struggle to run the HD4870 and the rest of the system.

well P=I²R so the better the rails (i.e. less resistance and/or thicker/better wires) the more power available. The metal used affects these.

PSU's aren't limited by the thickness of the wiring dude.

of course they are orbitor?

4870x2 on a gigabyte 1200w odin orrrr yea

Also recommend the corsair HX520 or HX620.

I'm running P5Q-SE, E8400, HD4870 512MB, etc all with my Corsair HX520W no troubles. If you're overclocking, I recommend the 620W over the 520W.

Not over clocking anything. I'd love to get a good PSU but Im broke, gonna get a generic one.

how's that gonna change anything then???

I thought the problem was that my 460w PSU was too weak to handle the card and thats why I'm getting a 650w generic one. Unless I'm missing something here...

It is only the heart of the system... its not important /sarcasm

Most of the generic PSUs are not true ratings.

Generally their ratings are absolute max before exploderating.

last edited by rubba-chikin at 14:06:42 20/Nov/08

Your broke but your installing a 4870 ...

Yeah, WTF?

You bought about $1000 worth of gear: mobo, vid card, cpu and you won't back it up with the quality of power it requires for another ~$100?

Good luck when you post your next thread of "My computer f***ed up and I don't know why".

edit: generic 650W ($110), Corsair 520W, known to host same setup x2 ($139). $29 bucks difference. Priorities mate.

last edited by Seven at 18:38:36 20/Nov/08

650W generic generally equals about 300W fancy brand.

/me smacks head

dude get the hx520, if you can splurge get the hx620. I bought an enermax noisetaker 620w nearly 4 years ago. Even though its only atx 2.03 it came with 2x 6 pin pci-e cables and the 8 pin CPU cable (with 4 pin adapter of course). Buy a decent psu and it should last you years. Currently running a overclocked e8400 and 4870 and several peripherals no sweat.

I'm broke because I am installing a 4870. I know I should have gotten a proper brand PSU but atm this will have to sadly do. Going to pray that it doesn't f*** up haha.

BTW rubba chiken, I did the exact same mistake as CHUB. Forgot that 6 pin plug and thought I f***ed up everything.

Thanks for the help everyone (and please dont eat me).

650W generic generally equals about 300W fancy brand.

man I can't wait to see you explain that bulls***

Reduaram, I have a Thermaltake 650w VGA (a power supply that mounts in the front of your case that takes up 2x 5.25" slots) PSU lying around going to waste if you need it for ~$100. I run around town most days... can drop off sometime during the week

last edited by koopz at 22:22:59 20/Nov/08

easy, generic brands inflate their ratings significantly.

Or they put power on the rails you wont ever use.