nVidiwha?

Now I went and done it...

This morning I went and purchased a GeForce 8400GS video card (PCIe)
and a new power supply. After it had already shipped, I noticed the power
supply I bought, doesn't have a PCIe 6 or 8 pin connector. :confused

I've never heard of such a thing. I've never had a PCIe card before, the
only cards I've owned have been only PCI and AGP.

Do I need a power supply that has that PCIe connector? :-o

 

There are adapters available and quite inexpensive.

 

That never even crossed my mind.

Still I'm curious though, why it needs a connector?
Guess I'll go read up on PCI express.

Thanks for the help!

 

It's because the motherboard can only supply 75W through the slot and the video card needs more power than that. My video cards need two 6-pin connectors and some now need 8-pin connectors. Video cards have become real heavy power hungry components over the last 5 years.

 

ok, I understand. Looking at the pictures of the card I bought, I see where the fan plugs into the card but I don't see any other places for a plug in on the card it self.

So I went to the description and it doesn't say 6 pin or 8 pin?
Guess I'll have to wait until I actually receive the card to find out which
connector it needs.

Thanks again

 

That'll be a 6-pin.

 

It is not because it is PCIe, it is because as Auggie note, graphics cards have become much more powerful, and therefore power hungry in the last 5 years that the tiny "traces" (those tiny circuit runs of on the motherboard) cannot handle the current. They would simply melt and "open" like a fuse. So some, not all, but some PCIe cards require a separate power connection.

That said, I would think it odd that a new PSU would not have these connections. I hope you didn't get some off-brand generic supply.

 

Or a PSU that is too small. My 9500 PRO ATI card needed an extra plug. I am guessing that card needs a minimum 450W PSU.

 

True but I would hope one would not buy too small of a PSU at the same time they bought a new card with that PSU.

It is best not to guess - though in this case guessing high is better than not enough. According to nVidia, the card itself draws a maximum of 71W so technically, it would not need a separate power connection. And I note the EVGA GeForce 8400 GS with 1Gb of DDR3 RAM says 350W minimum - and most 8400GS seem to come with just 512Mb of RAM. So 450W would give some nice head room.

 

That's if it needs one at all.

 

I was curious so...


Not every PCI express cards need a power connector.
GeForce 8400 GS does not need any external power connector.
Please feel free to contact us for further assistance, we would be more than happy to assist you.

Best regards,
NVIDIA Customer Care

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He also told me it needed at least 400 watts.
The one I purchased is a 500 watt, so I should be good to go.
BUT I'm thinking of returning the PSU before even trying to use it.
Cause your right, its a cheaper one and probably full of crap parts
that will go out in a month. I found a Athena PSU which I've been
told is a better quality. So.. I may order it instead.