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Thread: MSI 980ti - PCI-E cables have "empty" pins on PSU end?

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    MSI 980ti - PCI-E cables have "empty" pins on PSU end?

    Hi,

    I am currently waiting for my MSI 980ti to turn up (which is replacing an EVGA Titan) and have been looking through the power supply cables that came with my Corsair AX760 PSU.

    Currently, my Titan is connected using one PSU cable that splits in to 2 sets of 6+2 pin connectors and is using 1 set of 6+2 and 1 set of just 6 pin with the spare 2 pin just hanging spare.

    Now, I read somewhere that this is fine for GPUs with an 8pin and 6 pin connectors, but that for GPUs that need 2 x 8 pin connectors you should use 2 individual PSU cables that have just 1 set of 8 pin connectors on the GPU end.

    In the bag of cables that came with my PSU I do have 2 individual PSU cables that have the single 8 pin connector on the GPU end, BUUUUTTTTTT.... I have noticed that on the PSU end of these cables - which also have 8 pins - only 6 of the 8 pins have wires connected to them and the 2 right-hand pins are just empty. Is this correct and are these cables suitable for my 980ti?

    I have looked at the spare PSU cable that splits in to 2 sets of 6+2 pin connectors and on the PSU end of that cable only 7 pins have wires coming out of them (the lower-right one being empty), but the upper-right pin has 2 cables connected to it.

    I hope that I have explained everything correctly with the ends and pins being mentioned :-)

    Any advice and tips would be most gratefully received.

    As always, many thanks,

    Moley.

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    Re: MSI 980ti - PCI-E cables have "empty" pins on PSU end?

    Check your PSU manual, it's all down to how your specific PSU is wired up.

    The essential is to avoid overloading one of the PSU's rails, mainly a problem when you're using adapters but it's possible that two 6+2 pins may be attached to a wire or rail not capable of taking the 300W of using both at once.

    You may also want to distribute the load as evenly as possible across rails so they give similar voltages and have similar amounts of wear.

    Checking out the AX760 it appears as if it may just have a single rail and as a high end modular PSU it's unlikely to have economised on cables. In this situation it's unlikely any combination is wrong but check to see whether your manual gives any advice on the situation to be sure.

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    Re: MSI 980ti - PCI-E cables have "empty" pins on PSU end?

    Hi,

    Thank you for taking the time to reply.

    I went for the 1 cable solution and it all seems to be working at the moment, even when i tried overclocking the card too.

    Thanks again,

    Moley

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    Re: MSI 980ti - PCI-E cables have "empty" pins on PSU end?

    I have an AX760 and my 290x also requires 2 x 8 pin. I use the single cable with 2 8 pin connectors and everything is absolutely fine.

    I trust the Seasonic engineers know their stuff.

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    Re: MSI 980ti - PCI-E cables have "empty" pins on PSU end?

    Compared to the 6 pin PCIe connector, the 8 pin one just adds another two ground pins. I've seen more than one manufacturer achieve this by simply bridging across at the GPU end rather than running additional cables back to the PSU. Provided the conductors are of sufficient size it shouldn't be a problem - the additional pins seem to be treated more like a keying system than additional current-carrying pins.

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