What power is required to a GPU/riser?

[Mbrown278]

Hi all,

 

i am currently in the process of adding adding a gpu to my Asrock deskmini 110.

 

I have purchased an m.2 PCIe riser, and an HD Plex 160 converter along with their 160w supply.

 

in terms of adding the gpu, I understand a 4x PCIe can only provide 25 watts. Most 75w GPU’s don’t have a 6 pin power input as they usually get the full wattage from the PCIe slot.

 

If I wanted to get something like the EVGA 1050 ti, I would need to get a powered PCIe ribbon to provide the extra power but can’t find a 4x to 16x ribbon with a power connection on the 16x end, does anyone know of any and would that be sufficient for power along with the 4 pin on the m.2 riser itself? I have considered getting a 16x to 16x powered riser but if I don’t need all the extra ribbon then I’d prefer it not to take up extra space due to the size of the computer.

 

if I went for a higher powered gpu,

 and still had the powered riser and powered PCIe ribbon, and had a power connector to the gpu would I need to connect all 3 power sources? This is just to help me gauge whether or not just to go for a more powerful card without a powered PCIe ribbon.

 

Also are there any recommendations for good PCIe ribbons as I’m a bit unsure about the options on eBay/amazon/various sites etc which don’t seem to have particularly good reviews.

 

thanks all

[wONKEyeYEs]

16 minutes ago, Mbrown278 said:

would I need to connect all 3 power sources?

I have an R9 390x connected with this no prob.....

 

Thermaltake AC-053-CN1OTN-C1 TT Gaming PCI-E x16 3.0 Black Extender Riser Cable 200mm

 

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B06Y5YNGDJ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

No power cables needed except for the one(s) to the gpu.

[wONKEyeYEs]

24 minutes ago, Mbrown278 said:

Asrock deskmini 110

I just looked at your MB.

You don't have a pci(e) slot to connect a pci(e) riser to.

 

Also the board already has an M.2 slot, what are you going to do with an m.2 PCIe riser? 

[Mbrown278]

Brilliant thank you, so I wouldn’t even need the power connected to the 4pin m.2 riser connection?

[wONKEyeYEs]

9 minutes ago, Mbrown278 said:

4pin m.2 riser connection?

Oh, I see, you want to connect a 4x pcie riser to your m.2 slot.

And a 16x pcie adapter to that.

You will only get x4 speeds.

 

And a 1050ti has a Minimum System Power Requirement (W) 300.

 

Just doesn't seem worth it.

 

[Mbrown278]

So although it’s only 4x speeds, when you compare various benchmarks or tests it shows that performance difference is not 1/4.

 

in a Linus video he uses the exp gdc with 4x and it has the following difference: (note the beast is the 4x)

 

 

In in terms of power I will have a 120w to the deskmini and a 160w to the gpu which is capable of bursts up to 200w, so should be okay

[Mbrown278]

Can anyone recommend a good PCIe powered ribbon in case I do go for a gpu that’s 75w or under and that doesn’t have a power socket? Thanks

[Pip313]

Why? Why not just get a 1050ti that has a 6 pin?

[Mbrown278]

Which version of it has the 6 pin power? The Evga doesn’t unfortunately, they are 75w which a standard 16x PCIe can power without any additional power to the gpu. That’s the one I would get though if I had a powered PCIe ribbon

[Pip313]

ASUS Strix Gaming
ASUS Strix Gaming OC
MSI Gaming X
Gigabyte G1 Gaming
Gigabyte Windforce OC

 

You don’t need a 4x to 16x riser anyway. That m.2 adapter is open ended. A 16x to 16x will work.

 

i still think it’s a mistake to not use a 6 pin one when you are using not one but two adapters. Especially since you’re not using a pci slot, you’re using a m.2 slot. How sure are you that m.2 supplies the same 75w?

[Mbrown278]

41 minutes ago, Pip313 said:

ASUS Strix Gaming
ASUS Strix Gaming OC
MSI Gaming X
Gigabyte G1 Gaming
Gigabyte Windforce OC

 

You don’t need a 4x to 16x riser anyway. That m.2 adapter is open ended. A 16x to 16x will work.

 

i still think it’s a mistake to not use a 6 pin one when you are using not one but two adapters. Especially since you’re not using a pci slot, you’re using a m.2 slot. How sure are you that m.2 supplies the same 75w?

A 16x to 16x will work, but would significantly block airflow in the case as I will have to fold it over the top of the motherboard so it will be run near the fan. Due to the width of a 16x to 16x the fan would be severely restricted.

 

i will only be using 1 adapter, it’s just they came in a pack of 2.

 

The m.2 doesn’t provide any power (well a small amount), the power to the adapter can provide 25w, so I would need a powered PCIe ribbon to make up the rest to 75w if I had a 75w gpu without 6 pin power, but like you say it might just be worth ensuring the gpu does have the 6 pin power input

 

 

[Mbrown278]

Also in addition to the above the gpu’s listed are all full size from what I can see? I’m trying to stick to cards around 15-17cm’s in length to keep the computer roughly the same size

[Pip313]

Cut the unused part of the ribbon off.

 

You have to understand you are asking for something that probably doesn’t exist. 4x to 16x powered riser. Either think outside the box or make a new plan.

 

also there is no need for a 4x to 16x, a 4x would do the same job.

 

are you willing to solder your own power wires on?

[Mbrown278]

A 4x would do the same job if it’s not powered I guess. I’ve found powered versions in 1x to 16x and in 16x to 16x.

 

i could solder power connections on but I think I’ll give up with using any 75w gpu's and go for a higher wattage with the 6 pin on the gpu itself, more expensive but a good reason just to get a more powerful card

[Pip313]

Higher wattage cards still pull up to 75w off the pci with the 6 or 8 pin connector.

 

you need to get power to the riser either way. 

[Guest]

On 6/18/2018 at 4:13 PM, Mbrown278 said:

Can anyone recommend a good PCIe powered ribbon in case I do go for a gpu that’s 75w or under and that doesn’t have a power socket? Thanks

You don't need a powered cable, your laptops m.2 slot can't push 75 watts at all. You just have to power the dock

 

only the first little set of pins transmits power, the rest are for data. X1 or X16 can both do 75w over the pcie slot as long as the slot can handle the wattage (some older pcie slots on certain motherboards only do 25w)

[Mbrown278]

6 hours ago, campy said:

You don't need a powered cable, your laptops m.2 slot can't push 75 watts at all. You just have to power the dock

 

only the first little set of pins transmits power, the rest are for data. X1 or X16 can both do 75w over the pcie slot as long as the slot can handle the wattage (some older pcie slots on certain motherboards only do 25w)

So the riser I have got has a Berg/floppy drive connector for power. From reading up, this appears to only be capable of taking the following:

 

Pinout
Pin number	Wire color	Description
1	red	+5 volts
2	black	ground
3	black	ground
4	yellow	+12 volts

Connector part numbers
Socket housing	Socket	Maximum current per circuit
AMP 171822-4	AMP 170262-1	3 amps

Unofficial cable/connector maximum wattage delivery
Voltage rail	Number of lines	Maximum current	Maximum wattage
+5 volts	1	3 amps	15 watts
+12 volts	1	3 amps	36 watts

So it looks like the riser I have got cannot handle the 75w input unless I am wrong? The cable I have is a 4 pin molex to the berg/floppy connector, but if the berg connector can't handle 75w then the fact it is connected to molex at one end won't improve things?

So I either need to change the riser to ensure it has a better power connector (molex or similar which is difficult to find as all m.2 to pcie seem to be 4 pin bergs) or power the PCIe ribbon extension. I can now see why there are horror stories about people melting components doing this! 

 

 

[Mbrown278]

I have managed to find this which should solve the problem but I don't know how good the quality of these ribbons are?

 

PCI-Express PCI-E 4X to 16X Riser Card Flexible Ribbon Extender Cable w/Molex + Solid Capacitor (30cm)

RRP:

£24.59

Your Price:

£16.39(You save £8.20)

SKU:

PCI4-16-EM-30

Brand:

modDIY

Availability:

In Stock

(Usually ships within 24 hours)