How to connect my graphics card to my PSU?

[technician]

I was wondering how to better connect my new graphics card to my EVGA SuperNova 650W G2 PSU (https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/EVGA/SuperNOVA_G2_650/). Until recently I’ve used Asus ROG Strix GTX 970 OC graphics card that had single 8-pin power connector and there was no question of how to connect it. Now I bought Asus ROG Strix RTX 2070 OC 8 GB Gaming graphics card that has one 6-pin and one 8-pin power connectors. This card also has two 4-pin PWM fan headers and an addressable RGB header. The recommended PSU power for this graphics card is 550w. This graphics card will be installed on Asus Maximus VII Hero motherboard with overclocked Intel Core i7-4790K CPU.

What is the optimal way to connect this new graphics card to the PSU (more stable and cleaner power)? It’s probably worth noting that I also plan to overclock this graphics card. The PSU has two connectors for graphics card(s) marked as VGA1 and VGA2. I assume this PSU is capable of powering two graphics cards. Should I use a single 6-pin + 8(6+2)-pin PCI-E VGA cable or two of these cables and connect one of them to 6-pin connector and the other to 8-pin connector? If you recommend using two of these cables, does it matter if I plug 6-pin or 8-pin end of the cable to card’s 6-pin connector? Strangely enough, only 6-pin extension is equipped with capacitor. From all I’ve read and saw so far the conclusion is to use two separate cables as they will give more stable and cleaner power. On the other hand, this will create a cable mess as each cable has a 6-pin extension. Will it cause any damage to my graphics card or PSU and will it affect the performance if I connect them with a single cable?

Thank you in advance!

[ir_cow]

It really depends on the power supply and the overclock you are applying. I would say that 99% of PSUs these days are a single 12v rail so it doesnt matter what cable you use, just dont exceed it rated limit per cable. I forget what 23 AWG wire limit is on the 8pin. But it is at least 300 watts.

I dont think you can pull that much juice unless the card has a modded bios and you are on LN2. Otherwise it will just melt the card with voltage hehe.

So with your particular setup, it doesnt matter. Whatever looks cleaner.

[technician]

I asked EVGA the same question and their answer was a bit convoluted: “You would use two separate cables 6+2 with only the 6 connected and a 6+2 or 8 pin connected to the 8pin port.” Even considering the results of this experiment (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UL7KIVI_hJg), I wonder why bother with two separate cables if gain is so tiny? In view of these findings I would prefer to keep cable clutter to a minimum.

[SpikeSoprano]

Whichever looks cleaneer, the card will still get enough power as they all run off the 12 volt rail.

[sticknstone]

I am on the POWER camp with EVGA, use two cables, but I would add to make the cable PRETTY.

[jennifert]

Umm what power supply do you have?

Edited July 22, 2019 by jennifert