Can You Use 6 Pin Into an 8 Pin GPU? (Explained & Solved) – PCPartsGeek
Many beginner PC builders bought the wrong GPU & PSU combo, so they wonder whether they can use a 6-pin Power Supply cable into GPU’s 8-pin connector.
Graphics Cards: 11 Questions I Get …
Please enable JavaScript
Graphics Cards: 11 Questions I Get Asked A Lot(Answered!) | C4RE.GR
No! You can’t use a PSU 6-pin connector into a GPU’s 8-pin socket because both the cables (6-pin & 8-pin) carry different wattage. The 6-pin cable delivers up to 75W, whereas the 8-pin cable delivers 150W of power.
So, if you use a 6-pin PCIe cable for the 8-pin GPU, then the Graphics card won’t get the necessary power to run. Check the table below to understand which PCIe cable delivers how much wattage-
| Motherboard’s PCIe Slot | 6 Pin PCIe Cable | 8 Pin PCIe Cable | 12 Pin PCIe Cable |
| 75W | 75W | 150W | 600W |
Now, let’s understand why you can’t use 6 pin cable on eight pin GPU socket by taking an example.
Suppose you have an RTX 2060 Super GPU, which consumes 175W power and requires one 8-pin connector from PSU.
Now, if your PSU doesn’t have the 8-pin connector and if you use 6 pin connector cable instead of 8 pins, then the GPU will only get 75W power from the 6-pin cable & 75W power from the PCIe slot.
In combination, the RTX 2060 GPU will get (75W + 75W)= a total of 150W power, where the requirement is 175W. Most of the time, the GPU will not work; in some cases, if it works, then your GPU will not perform up to expectations.
If all these seem confusing to you, then don’t worry; by the end of this article, all your questions will be answered.
Table of Contents
What Happens If You Use 6-Pin Cable in 8-Pin GPU?
As we already know, it is not good to use a 6pin PSU cable for eight pins GPU, and if you closely check the 6pin & 8 pins GPU connectors, you will notice that the only difference between both the connector is that the 8-pin cable has two extra ground pins.
Rather than the extra ground pins, both cables have three pins that carry 12V. Most of the time, if you use a 6-pin cable in 8 pin GPU, your GPU will not work.
But, because of the matching 12V cables, sometimes, if you use a 6-pin cable for an 8-pin GPU, then your graphics card can run. Let’s dive deeper into this by taking the example of the RTX 2060 GPU.
The RTX 2060 GPU needs 160W power & it requires one 8-pin cable from the PSU. But, if you use a 6-pin cable instead of 8 pins, then the GPU will get 75W from the 6-pin cable and 75W from the PCIe slot on the motherboard.
By combining (75W +75W)= 150W, power will be delivered to the RTX 2060 GPU, where the requirement is 160W. In this situation, your GPU will run until you put an extreme load on your GPU.
But doing this kind of stuff is not recommended because it can limit your graphics performance & also affect the lifespan of the graphics card.
Sometimes using the 6-pin PSU connector for GPU 8 pin can cause black screen issues, and sometimes it can cause system crashing issues.
6 Pin PSU Cable But GPU Need 8 Pin: Here’s What To Do?
If your PSU has a 6-pin cable and if your GPU needs an 8-pin connector, then in a situation like this, you can use a different type of Adapter available in the market.
Different adapters are available in the market; which one you need depends on many factors. Below, I mentioned all those factors-
6 Pin to 8 Pin Adapter
This is the safest option if your PSU doesn’t have an 8-pin connector for your GPU. Check out this Cable Matters two-pack 6-pin to 8-pin PCIe adapter power cable on Amazon.
By using this Adapter, you will suck more power from the 6-pin rail than it is necessarily designed to support, which is absolutely fine as long as your PSU is capable enough to supply the power that your GPU will require.
Other Adapters
Besides the 6-pin to 8-pin adapters, various other adapters are available in the market that can be used for GPUs in specific cases.
Some of those adapters include the Molex to PCIe adapters & SATA to PCIe adapters.
Unfortunately, these adapters deliver different wattages; therefore, you must be careful before using these adapters.
The Molex to 8-pin adapter or SATA to 8-pin adapters can deliver power up to 54W. At the same time, the dual Molex to 8-pin adapters and dual SATA to 8-pin adapters can deliver power up to 108W.
Suppose you have an RTX 2070 GPU that consumes 175W power and requires one 6-pin & one 8-pin connector.
Now, if your PSU doesn’t have the 8-pin connectors, you can use a Molex to the 8-pin Adapter or SATA to the 8-pin Adapter.
If you use these adapters, then RTX 2070 will take 75W power from the motherboard’s PCIe slot, 75W power from one 6-pin cable, and 54W via adapters.
By combining all the wattage (75W +75W+ 54W)= 204W, power will be delivered, where the requirement for the GPU is only 175W. The GPU will work smoothly unless you do any overclocking.
You can read this entire article that I wrote about what you should do if your PSU doesn’t have enough pins for GPU.
Can You Use 6+2 Pins For 8 Pins GPU?
Yes! You can definitely use a 6+2 pins cable for the 8 pins GPU; in fact, the PSU 6+2 Pin cables are designed in a way so that you can install both types of GPUs a 6-pin GPU as well as an 8-pin GPU.
Modern Power Supplies from a reputed brand always come with 6+2 pin PCIe cables, so you won’t face any issues installing different GPUs.
The 6-pin PCIe cable would deliver power up to 75W, and if you attach the extra two pins with the 6-pin, then it would provide power up to 150W.
PSU Has 8 Pin Slot & GPU Has 6 Pin (What To Do?)
Many beginners are wondering if their Power Supply has an 8-pin connector, but their GPU only has a 6-pin port, so what should they do in a situation like this-
Most of the time, the PSU’s 8-pin cable will be split into (6+2) pins, so you can use the 6-pin and leave 2 pins.
But if your PSU doesn’t have this splitting 8-pin cable, then you can buy the 8-pin to dual 8 (6+2) pins adapters from Amazon.
With the help of these adapters, you can easily connect a 6-pin GPU.
Pro Advice
Using different adapters can be complicated, especially if you are new to PC building; that’s why expert PC builders always recommend picking a compatible PSU with your GPU.
Before picking a power supply for your GPU, you have to check two things, whether the PSU can supply the required power for your GPU and whether the PSU comes with the necessary cables for GPU.
Check this complete guide about Power Supply & Graphics Card compatibility.
Wrapping Up
The gist of the discussion is that using 6 Pin PCIe cable for 8 pin GPU is unsafe, and instead of doing this, you can buy different types of 8-pin adapters available in the market.
This article clears all your doubts about using a 6-pin PSU connector on an eight-pin GPU. If you have any questions, then ask in the comment section.
microcontroller — Since my power supply doesn’t provide an 8 pin cable to connect it to my GPU, then what should I connect to my GPU?
I replaced this graphic card:
With this Asus Dual GeForce RTX™ 3060:
And this GPU needs 8 pins but my power supply has these.
Since my power supply does not provide 8 pin, to connect it to my GPU, then what should I connect to my GPU?
Molex and SATA power connectors:
Overview of inside PC:
- microcontroller
- power-supply
- cpu
- pci-express
- gpu
6
Your main problem, even if your existing power supply can theoretically send enough power, is that 6-pin cables are limited to 75W, whereas 8-pin can send 150W. The PCI rail can also send 75W.
The 7th & 8th pins provide an additional ground & a sensor to let the system know it is dealing with 8 pins, not 6. The extra pins themselves do not provide this extra power.
So, whatever your card, it can pull a theoretical maximum of only 150W, rather than the 225 it may need.
Chances are, if it needed less than 150, it would only have a 6-pin — but you really need to check the card’s spec.
The image of the PSU’s spec plate would be further evidence that the PSU itself is nowhere near powerful enough to handle a 225W card.
The 12v rail is only 180W [this is between all devices].
You need a new PSU that can handle the new GPU’s power requirements.
Your current PSU can provide up to about 250W of power, and only 180W of that power can be delivered through the 12V rail (or rails).
This graphics card will need between 150W and 225W of power from the 12V rail. The upper limit is the sum of power provided by the PCI-e slot (75W) and through the 8-pin connector (150W). The lower limit is deduced: if 150W would be sufficient, the card would use a 6-pin connector.
In the most optimistic scenario, you have only 30W of headroom on the 12V rail, which is the most important rail in a modern PC. That’s definitely not enough.
In the realistic scenario, this PSU will either:
- Cut the power under high load, or
- Operate out of its designed power capabilities with terrible efficiency, or
- Will get damaged, possibly taking more parts with it.
In the pessimistic scenario, this PSU has two or more 12V rails which can provide 180W in total, but up to 90W (or less) each.
EDIT: Yes l, u need new PSU.
For those with enough PSU Wattage:
I’ve got same 3060, it has 170W TDP.
In my case, I’ve got Dell Precision 7520, trying to connect it as eGPU thru m.2 -> PCI-E x16 riser.
Connecting it to 400W PSU, Which has 24pin, 4 pin, 6 pin, some SATA and Molexes.
PCI-E can provide 75W. 8 PIN can provide 150W. This card has RED LED near 8pin if you «put there/not put there any» wrong cable.
There ARE reductions to 8 pin on market. Found (IMHO as old Dells power source replacement):
https://www.amazon.com/COMeap-Adapter-Compatible-Optiplex-Precision/dp/B06XGWRTHC
Then this one from 2 molexes!
https://www.czc.cz/akasa-redukce-napajeni-2x4pin-molex-power-5-25-na-1xpciexp/35837/produkt
Plus my case specific:
I have two risers, I am not able to make work this one:
https://m.aliexpress.com/item/1005004833386620.html I see GPU just sometimes in Dell Diagnostics tool.
So I ordered m.2 to USB and will connect this riser, which I bought accidentally:
https://www.
amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07VPJL68Z
And will try using 24+4 pin to 8 pin first riser as reduction.
And 2molex to 8 pin reduction.
Will let you know about the results + power benchmarks.
3
Sign up or log in
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Post as a guest
Email
Required, but never shown
By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.
PCIe cards you can install on your Mac Pro (2023)
Learn about some of the PCIe cards you can install on your Mac Pro.
Mac Pro introduced in 2023 has seven PCIe slots:
- Two full-height double-width x16 gen 4 slots
- Two Gen 4 double-width x8 full-height slots
- Two full-height Gen 4 standard-width x8 slots
- One Gen 3 Standard Width Half Length x4 slot pre-equipped with Apple I/O Card
The Apple Thunderbolt I/O Card has six Thunderbolt 4 ports and installs in its own dedicated slot.
Learn how to install PCI cards in a Mac Pro (2023)
Apple I/O card
Mac Pro comes preinstalled with an Apple I/O card in slot 7 that has a 3.5mm headphone jack that supports high-impedance headphones, two HDMI ports and two USB-A ports. The Apple I/O card cannot be installed in another slot, but it can be removed to install another half-length PCIe x4 card instead.
The Apple I/O card included with Mac Pro (2019) is not compatible with Mac Pro (2023).
Graphics cards
Mac Pro has an M2 Ultra chip that has a 76-core configurable GPU. The GPU is integrated into the M2 Ultra chip and does not support additional GPUs such as PCIe graphics cards or MPX modules. You can adjust the number of GPU cores on your Mac Pro at the time of purchase.
Other third party PCIe cards
You can install many different PCIe cards in your Mac Pro, such as fiber optic cards, fiber optic network cards, video and audio I/O cards, memory cards, and Ethernet cards. After installing a PCIe card, check with the card manufacturer if you need to install a driver on macOS to ensure the full functionality of your card.
PCI cards using 32-bit option ROMs are not compatible with your Mac Pro.
Auxiliary power supply
Each PCIe slot on your Mac Pro provides up to 75W of power. Mac Pro also provides up to 300W of auxiliary power through two 6-pin connectors (75W each) and one 8-pin connector (150W).
If your PCIe card requires additional power, please use the Belkin Auxiliary Power Cable.
Information about non-Apple products or independent websites not controlled or tested by Apple is not endorsed or endorsed by Apple. Apple is not responsible for the selection, functionality, or use of third party websites or products. Apple is also not responsible for the accuracy or reliability of information posted on third party websites. Contact the supplier for more information.
Publication date:
STRIMER L-Connect 3 controller — LIAN LI is a leading supplier of
PC cases
- Control lighting effects with L-Connect 3 to personalize lighting effects.
- Compatible with Streamer Plus and Streamer Plus V2.
- Available for 24-pin motherboard, dual 8-pin GPU and triple 8-pin GPU.
Categories: Accessories , Other
Tags: ARGB cable, case component, customized cable, extension cable, 8-pin GPU, L-junction, LED strips, motherboard 24-pin, PC cable, RGB, streamer plus, RGB streamer
-
Description
STRIMER PLUS CONTROL IN ONE WAY
The controller included with STRIMER PLUS V2 24-PIN can be connected to 8-pin or triple 8-pin, allowing full control of both cables via L-Connect 3.
STREAM MORE
STREAMER PLUS V2
L-CONNECT 3 SOFTWARE FOR STRIMER PLUS V2 CONTROL
Full control and preview of STRIMER PLUS V2 lighting effect with L-Connect 3 interface.
UNLOCK YOUR IMAGINATION OF LIGHTING EFFECTS
The STRIMER PLUS can now be controlled using the L-Connect 3 software with 11 individual modes and 13 combined lighting modes without having to open the case. The highly customizable software allows you to set up various complex lighting effects for each STRIMER PLUS or even per channel (2 light bars).
Combination lighting effects
Display your computer with new combination lighting effects.
Individual channel lighting effects
With a 24-pin 6-channel connector, a double 8-pin 4-channel connector and a triple 8-pin 6-channel connector, many individual lighting effects can be realized with L-Connect 3.
Channel lighting effects
With a 24-pin 6-channel connector, a double 8-pin 4-channel connector and a triple 8-pin 6-channel connector, L-Connect 3 can be used to realize many individual lighting effects.
Quick sync with UNI FAN SL and AL
The quick sync feature allows you to sync all the lighting effects of the LIAN LI device with one click. Also, sync all devices with motherboard software.
STRIMER PLUS CONTROL IN ONE WAY
The controller included with STRIMER PLUS V2 24-PIN can be connected to 8-pin or triple 8-pin, allowing full control of both cables via L-Connect 3.
Connect to PSU STAT cable
Since the user often encounters the effect of static white light, please connect the SATA connector as close to the power supply as possible, and do not connect other ARGB devices (such as UNI HUB) to the same sata cable.
Connect to MB 5V ARGB connector
Connect to MB USB 2.
