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sk0n3_jp

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 19, 2019
17
6
Irvine
Hi guys, I'm new here, but I had a question regarding powering my Vega FE dual 8pin gpu without going the pixlas mod route.

my current setup is:
drive bay 1: mushkin 1tb drive
drive bay 2: seagate firecuda sshd 1tb
dive bay 3&4: empty
mini 6pin 1: open
mini 6pin 2: connected to 6pin to dual 8pin (which I guess delivers enough power to boot and do basic word processing), but will crash if there is any graphic load on my gpu.
pcie 1: vega fe connect via hdmi to a single 4k monitor
pcie 2,3,4: empty


I read up here (https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/amd-radeon-vega-frontier-edition-16gb,5128-10.html) about the tdp of this card, but I dont really get how much power this card needs to have in order to function normally (which includes gaming at max setting).

I also read up on several threads in here and there and came up with an idea but wanted opinions...

would either of these options work??
1) using two single mini 6pin to single 8pin.
or
2) dual mini 6pin to single 8pin & dual sata to single 8pin.

if not are there any other options without having to go the pixlas mod direction??


Thanks ahead for your time guys :):)
 

startergo

macrumors 603
Sep 20, 2018
5,022
2,283
Hi guys, I'm new here, but I had a question regarding powering my Vega FE dual 8pin gpu without going the pixlas mod route.

my current setup is:
drive bay 1: mushkin 1tb drive
drive bay 2: seagate firecuda sshd 1tb
dive bay 3&4: empty
mini 6pin 1: open
mini 6pin 2: connected to 6pin to dual 8pin (which I guess delivers enough power to boot and do basic word processing), but will crash if there is any graphic load on my gpu.
pcie 1: vega fe connect via hdmi to a single 4k monitor
pcie 2,3,4: empty


I read up here (https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/amd-radeon-vega-frontier-edition-16gb,5128-10.html) about the tdp of this card, but I dont really get how much power this card needs to have in order to function normally (which includes gaming at max setting).

I also read up on several threads in here and there and came up with an idea but wanted opinions...

would either of these options work??
1) using two single mini 6pin to single 8pin.
or
2) dual mini 6pin to single 8pin & dual sata to single 8pin.

if not are there any other options without having to go the pixlas mod direction??


Thanks ahead for your time guys :):)

dual mini 6pin to single 8pin & triple sata to single 8pin.
dual mini 6pin to single 8pin + Dell MK394 DA-2 Series D220P-01 12V 18A to 8 pin
 

thornslack

macrumors 6502
Nov 16, 2013
410
165
I ran my 780 classified (250+ watt card) with just mini six to eight pins. I’ve also run multiple Titan cards (250 watt) off the pcie power plugs. I ran into a handful of shut downs but mostly due to overclocking. Some will say you can burn your traces out but I’m not sure I’ve ever really seen solid evidence of this. Granted you can splice a whole bunch of SATA ports together, tap your power supply, or add another one, but given the Mac pros inherent safety protections it’s very unlikely you can damage anything. Worst case the computer clicks off due to voltage protection. Fitting an EVGA PowerLink or combining your mini pins and splitting them out can also help with load balancing, which seems to be the main culprit in triggering shut downs in the cMP.
 
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Spacedust

macrumors 65816
May 24, 2009
1,005
160
When playing Shadow of the Tomb Raider - GPU-Z shows non-OC GTX 1080Ti takes no more than 180W which is well within limits. I run it with just 2x6-pin with 1x6-pin to 8-pin adapter.
 

thornslack

macrumors 6502
Nov 16, 2013
410
165
Can you explain how exactly the EVGA powerlink works in this scenario??

The power link effectively combines the two pcie power plugs into a single output. This balances the power draw across the two outputs while also providing two capacitors for basic power filtering. This prevents wattage spikes drawing from a single power plug too heavily which has been show to be the primary issue in causing shut downs.

I believe people on the forum have also combined the two mini six pin outputs and then split them back out which is basically the same result minus the capacitors (ie two mini six pin to eight pin to 2x eight pin or some such thing, working from memory on this one).

Be aware that the power link adds a good inch or so to your gpu, so check to be sure you can physically fit it into your space before committing to this. Some have modded the power link, the gpu, or moved the pcie fan assembly during installation in order to use it with larger graphics cards.
 
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sk0n3_jp

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 19, 2019
17
6
Irvine
The power link effectively combines the two pcie power plugs into a single output. This balances the power draw across the two outputs while also providing two capacitors for basic power filtering. This prevents wattage spikes drawing from a single power plug too heavily which has been show to be the primary issue in causing shut downs.

I believe people on the forum have also combined the two mini six pin outputs and then split them back out which is basically the same result minus the capacitors (ie two mini six pin to eight pin to 2x eight pin or some such thing, working from memory on this one).

Be aware that the power link adds a good inch or so to your gpu, so check to be sure you can physically fit it into your space before committing to this. Some have modded the power link, the gpu, or moved the pcie fan assembly during installation in order to use it with larger graphics cards.
Thank you for your advice, I've tried some benchmarkings and games and it seems to holding on quite well! Thanks again :):)
 
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