Is it safe to split?

[M1N]

Hi. I have a thermaltake smart RGB 500w 80 plus psu (I know it's not the best, but it's what I have), and it has a 2+6 pin pci-e. I recently purchased a GTX 980 but realised it needs two 6 pins to power it. Can I do something to my current psu to power it, or do I need a new psu? Thank you!

[vertigo220]

Assuming it has enough power, you could get an adapter, something like molex to 2+6. But you need to be careful, there's a lot of current involved and a cheap adapter could be a fire hazard. Make sure you get a crimped, not molded, one if you go that route.

[M1N]

5 minutes ago, vertigo220 said:

Assuming it has enough power, you could get an adapter, something like molex to 2+6. But you need to be careful, there's a lot of current involved and a cheap adapter could be a fire hazard. Make sure you get a crimped, not molded, one if you go that route.

Would it be better to find something like a GTX 1070 or rx 6600 that only requires one 8 pin?

[Eigenvektor]

6 minutes ago, M1N said:

Would it be better to find something like a GTX 1070 or rx 6600 that only requires one 8 pin?

Both of these GPUs have more performance than the 980 so I'd go for it, if possible.

 

An 8-pin is rated for 150w, while 6-pin is rated for 75w, i.e. dual 6-pin is rated for the same power as one 8-pin. Which means an adapter should be usable, but as @vertigo220 pointed out, they can be a fire hazard and I'd avoid them if possible.

[vertigo220]

Better is relative. Not sure how they compare, but you might spend more money on another card only to have lower performance. Even if you get the same or slightly better performance, at what cost? You have to make that determination. Also, regardless of what you do, you need to make sure your PSU can handle it. A 500W is going to probably be ok but pushing it. That has 420W @ 12V and a 1070 uses ~145W whereas a 6600 uses ~132W. Depending on your CPU, you may not have much headroom, though you'd probably be ok.

[--SID--]

29 minutes ago, M1N said:

thermaltake smart RGB 500w 80 plus psu (I know it's not the best, but it's what I have), and it has a 2+6 pin pci-e

It has two 6+2 pin connectors (source). What's the problem here?

 

[vertigo220]

BTW, if it were me, I'd just build my own adapter, that way I would know it's done right. That's always a possibility, too, but it's a definite investment of time and money to get the tools and supplies and learn how to do it.