Discussion Use of an 8 pin to 2 X 8 pin adapter with an older PS and newer GPU - Help!

[AMD Die Hard]

So, on another site's forums, someone came in asking "what could go wrong" if he used an 8 pin to 2 X 8 pin adapter with an older PS. His GPU needed 2 x 8 pin and his power supply has one 6+2 pin available. The moderator said that because his PS didn't have the native 2 x 8 pin, he should buy a new power supply. He assumed that the power supply, because it was not a brand name and did not have native 2 x 8 pin, would be deficient and could deliver bad power and short out his GPU.

I came in and recommended he try it first. My thought was his PS was rated at 600W, which was sufficient for his GPU, and if it works, it saves him from buying a new PS for no reason and prevents a perfectly good PS from going to a landfill. If the PS can put out enough amperage on the rail then it will work, if it can't then it won't. If the power supply runs at less than the rated amperage, it would likely just crash under load the GPU would be fine. I believe GPUs are engineered not to fail from a loss of power and doing this once would pose no meaningful risk. The moderators completely disagreed with me, deleted my post, and threatened to ban me for bad advice.

Am I crazy? I think my advice is solid and they are wrong. Can I get some second opinions?

EDIT: Yea they banned me. I do not agree with the below statement. I have purchased multiple graphics cards that have come with 1 x 8 to 2 x 8 adapters, bundled with the card by the manufacturer. I have personally used them with my video cards successfully. There was a time when the 2 x 8 first became common that the Y adapters were used all the time with older video cards. I think the use of a Y adapter is fine as long as you have the appropriate amperage and wattage. Agree? Or agree with the below statement?

This was their statement:

"The bottom line is, if a power supply does not come with the correct connections for your graphics card it is NOT suitable for use with that graphics card. Manufacturers don't leave off specific STANDARD connectors just because they feel like being cheap or because they want to reduce manufacturing time, or because it's "fun" to do, they do it because they KNOW that the power supply is not suitable/capable enough for the use of THAT specific connector in daily use. Generally, because they know it's a cheap POS, OR because it was ONLY intended for a much lighter demand system that wouldn't have ever NEEDED a connector like that."

tldr; YES, you can use a Y adapter if the PS has enough Amps and Watts, OR
NO, if the PS doesn't come with the right connectors, it isn't suitable for use with that video card?

 

[UsandThem]

There's always the "official" way to do things, and not worry about any subsequent consequences. I'm a person who generally follows technical guidelines because I don't want to waste time / potentially damage something.

Now could a person buy various adapters and get it to work? Maybe. But who knows what the quality will be of the adapters/splitters? There's a lot of junk out there, and it could be a fire hazard (or damage a component).

I have to ask what forum banned you for simply recommending to try adapters first? That doesn't seem like a bannable offense at most places.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Well, it kind of "depends".

A could of anecdotes.

I own a pair of EVGA G1+ ("G+") SuperNova 650W PSUs. This line of PSUs, the PCI-E connectors, some of the PCI-E cables, come with a single PCI-E 6+2 end. Some come with cables with TWO 6+2 ends on them.

I don't think that I would really hesitate to plug in a 6-to-dual-6+2-pin adapter onto the end of those cables, as it would essentially function much the same as their own cables that had dual 6+2-pin ends on them. This is a single-rail +12V PSU, and the PCI-E modular connectors on the PSU side, are NOT different, between the dual- and single-ended 6+2 cables.

So in that case, I would have NO problem using a splitter on the end of those cables, within reason. I wouldn't try to use a single dual-ended PCI-E 6+2 cable, each with a splitter, to power TWO dual-8-pin GPUs. That would be excessive and wrong, I believe.

Second anecdote.

I DO NOT recommend this. I've got an Athlon 3000G in a B450 board, with 16GB (2x8GB) of DDR4-3200, overclocked to 3.8Ghz, and I'm running an Apevia Captain 470W PSU. I plugged in a triple-slot EVGA GTX 1660 ti XC Ultra card (I think that's the one). The Apevia does NOT have a PCI-E power cable, and only has ONE string of SATA connectors, and ONE string of molex. I connected ONE SATA connector, to a SATA-to-6-pin adapter, and then I connected that adapter, to a 6-pin-to-8-pin (fixed) adapter.

It's been working, mining, the last week or so. No weird smells, no melted plastic. The card is like a 120-130W TDP (and some of that, maybe 30-40W, are coming through the PCI-E slot), and I've got it set using MSI Afterburner to an 80% power level (for safely, mostly, but also for more mining performance/watt efficiency.)

It's working, but I would NOT sell this rig like that. I'd put in an EVGA 500W 80Plus White PSU that I have next to me, that has at least one, if not two, 6+2-pin PCI-E power cables on it.

So, in the end, is it "bad" advice? Maybe not, but it carries a certain amount of risk, and given today's legal environment, possibly the moderators are "playing it safe", just to avoid any possibility of the site getting shut down.

Edit: A more technical explanation, is that it also depends on the gauge used by the wires, and if the wires are significantly heating up (getting warm to the touch, that's a sign that what you're doing is a BAD IDEA, and possibly risking melted insulation, shorts, and even possibly fires).


Edit: I will end with a link to this CNN article about "AmazonBasics" electronic devices CATCHING FIRE.

Dozens of Amazon's own products have been reported as dangerous -- melting, exploding or even bursting into flames. Many are still on the market | CNN Business

When firefighters arrived at Austin Parra's home on January 12, 2017, they could see smoke and the charred remnants of an office chair outside.

www.cnn.com

The risk (however small), is real.

 

[BoomerD]

Well, it kind of "depends".

A could of anecdotes.

I own a pair of EVGA G1+ ("G+") SuperNova 650W PSUs. This line of PSUs, the PCI-E connectors, some of the PCI-E cables, come with a single PCI-E 6+2 end. Some come with cables with TWO 6+2 ends on them.

I don't think that I would really hesitate to plug in a 6-to-dual-6+2-pin adapter onto the end of those cables, as it would essentially function much the same as their own cables that had dual 6+2-pin ends on them. This is a single-rail +12V PSU, and the PCI-E modular connectors on the PSU side, are NOT different, between the dual- and single-ended 6+2 cables.

So in that case, I would have NO problem using a splitter on the end of those cables, within reason. I wouldn't try to use a single dual-ended PCI-E 6+2 cable, each with a splitter, to power TWO dual-8-pin GPUs. That would be excessive and wrong, I believe.

Second anecdote.

I DO NOT recommend this. I've got an Athlon 3000G in a B450 board, with 16GB (2x8GB) of DDR4-3200, overclocked to 3.8Ghz, and I'm running an Apevia Captain 470W PSU. I plugged in a triple-slot EVGA GTX 1660 ti XC Ultra card (I think that's the one). The Apevia does NOT have a PCI-E power cable, and only has ONE string of SATA connectors, and ONE string of molex. I connected ONE SATA connector, to a SATA-to-6-pin adapter, and then I connected that adapter, to a 6-pin-to-8-pin (fixed) adapter.

It's been working, mining, the last week or so. No weird smells, no melted plastic. The card is like a 120-130W TDP (and some of that, maybe 30-40W, are coming through the PCI-E slot), and I've got it set using MSI Afterburner to an 80% power level (for safely, mostly, but also for more mining performance/watt efficiency.)

It's working, but I would NOT sell this rig like that. I'd put in an EVGA 500W 80Plus White PSU that I have next to me, that has at least one, if not two, 6+2-pin PCI-E power cables on it.

So, in the end, is it "bad" advice? Maybe not, but it carries a certain amount of risk, and given today's legal environment, possibly the moderators are "playing it safe", just to avoid any possibility of the site getting shut down.

Edit: A more technical explanation, is that it also depends on the gauge used by the wires, and if the wires are significantly heating up (getting warm to the touch, that's a sign that what you're doing is a BAD IDEA, and possibly risking melted insulation, shorts, and even possibly fires).


Edit: I will end with a link to this CNN article about "AmazonBasics" electronic devices CATCHING FIRE.

Dozens of Amazon's own products have been reported as dangerous -- melting, exploding or even bursting into flames. Many are still on the market | CNN Business

When firefighters arrived at Austin Parra's home on January 12, 2017, they could see smoke and the charred remnants of an office chair outside.

www.cnn.com

The risk (however small), is real.

Apevia used to be Aspire IIRC, (AKA Perspire because you always sweated whether they'd fry and take out something expensive) has never been very good.

 

[AMD Die Hard]

I would point out that history is repeating itself and the exact same thing is going on again right now with the new 12-pin power connector on high end Nvidia video cards. The new cards come with an adapter for older power supplies to connect the 2 x 6+2 to a single 12 pin output. Is that not recommended? Why would the manufacturers bundle their brand new graphics cards with these cables if they are going to short the card out? Is it the connectors the power supply is manufactured with or does it come down to a voltage output of the power supply as a scientific calculation?

 

[UsandThem]

I would point out that history is repeating itself and the exact same thing is going on again right now with the new 12-pin power connector on high end Nvidia video cards. The new cards come with an adapter for older power supplies to connect the 2 x 6+2 to a single 12 pin output. Is that not recommended? Why would the manufacturers bundle their brand new graphics cards with these cables if they are going to short the card out? Is it the connectors the power supply is manufactured with or does it come down to a voltage output of the power supply as a scientific calculation?

Since the cards come with the adapters, they are not going to put junk adapters in there. The GPU manufacturer has tested it (and it doesn't void the warranty). It's a little different than somebody buying a $2 unknown quality adapter from some random 3rd party seller.

BTW, you never answered what forum did you get banned from for simply recommending an adapter?