Have you considered using an older ATX 2.0 PSU to power a 12VHPWR GPU?
Have you considered using an older ATX 2.0 PSU to power a 12VHPWR GPU?
I own a Seasonic Prime PX 850w PSU from early 2021. I was thinking about upgrading to a RTX 3000 series card, but it seems this PSU has had issues with the 3000 series. I decided to go ahead and possibly spend a bit more on a used 4070 Super. However, these are all 12VHPWR, and a used card would likely lack the adapter that comes with new ones. Seasonic apparently released a purchasable 12VHPWR cable for it, but it’s no longer officially available. The few stores still carrying it are charging unreasonably high prices for what’s left in stock.
I searched for alternatives, but most results are for other PSUs, Cable Mod cables (which are also expensive), or cheap Chinese cables—options I’m not interested in given the problems with official cables and their compatibility. Many of these are tailored for specific PSUs.
I’m wondering if there are any decent adapters that can connect to the existing 8-pin GPU ports and convert to 12VHPWR, suitable for any PSU instead of those designed only for proprietary modular PSUs. Ideally, they should be reasonably priced.
You will receive a harness/adapter along with your RTX 4000 series, allowing you to convert PCIe power cables into a 12VHPWR connector. I would request the seller of the used card to provide you with the harness.
If you still have warranty coverage for the PSU, you might want to reach out to Seasonic to inquire about sending the cable for a fee.
https://www.hoonigan.com/collection...ni...ctible-pin
It's a disappointment you're thinking about an RTX 4070 Super. Your regular Gigabyte RTX 4070 comes with a single 8-pin PCIe power cable. The Super's power needs aren't very high, so a decent third-party adapter should work if you manage to find the right one. I recently changed my old Corsair TX850M ATX 2.0 power supply to an MSI A1000G ATX 3.1 model to test its ability to handle the Super's spikes.
Here you can find the original Nvidia adapter (should include GPU), Amazon links, and a compatible direct connection cable.
Amazon offers the original adapter at a reasonable price, while the CableMod model is made to work with Seasonic units and is affordable.
The RT-series cable is designed for Seasonic models, including yours.
Price comparison: 30 bucks at CableMod store seems high compared to Amazon or online options.
I'm not sure about the meaning behind it being a shame. Were you thinking about choosing a 4080 or 5000 series card? Or perhaps opting for the non-super version? From what I understand, in the case of the 4070, the Super actually represented a notable improvement over the standard model.
I saw those listings on eBay and Amazon, but I wish there was a way to verify if they were genuine or just imitations. It seems the card I might choose if I get a universal one would be either the Super or the Micro Center model. The Micro Center one has three plugs, so I might need to connect another PCI-E connector into my PSU, which could cause issues even if the card only requires two power connections.
It looks like these are cheaper than the others I saw, so I probably will go with this if I decide to replace my standard cables. I was leaning toward a universal option so it wouldn't depend on my PSU in the future, but that adds more potential points of failure since I'd just be plugging connectors around. I think I'll stick with this to keep things simpler, even though it might require a bit more rewiring.
Around $30 seemed reasonable, especially since I'd also have to pay shipping costs while they're free on Amazon. The official Seasonic cables cost the same, and they were also sold out while priced at $50 on Newegg. I even reached out to Seasonic, but they directed me to a site that probably sold those cables for them—though it's been out of stock for over a year.
I ended up getting an open-box 4070 Super for $450, and $500 would have been even more expensive. The 12GB 3080s were around $400, so at that point, the Super was a better choice.
Unless you purchase directly from the authorized retailer, it's impossible to be certain whether you receive an authentic product or a fake one. You might have ended up with a bag of rice instead of your RTX 4070 Super. (I’m pretty sure you didn’t buy your open box GPU directly from AIB or Nvidia to avoid any scams.)
No worries at all. The 12v-2x6 connector includes four sense pins that indicate how many leads are connected, helping the GPU avoid drawing more power than is actually provided. However, for a 220W GPU, connecting all three cables isn’t necessary—just two are sufficient.
In short:
* One 8-pin cable = 150W for the GPU
* Two 8-pin cables = 300W for the GPU
* Three 8-pin cables = 450W for the GPU
* Four 8-pin cables = 600W for the GPU
A universal adapter introduces another point of potential failure. It also amplifies fluctuations from the power supply unit, which for your PRIME model isn’t a major concern since it already has minimal ripple.
By the way, your PRIME unit comes with a 12-year warranty. This means your PSU should remain functional for a long time. Unless you run out of wattage capacity, it makes little sense to replace the PSU before the warranty expires.
I’m also using Seasonic PRIME units—two of them, specifically the TX-650 models. I power two builds with these (see specs and photos in my profile). Although both are 650W, I plan to upgrade my GPUs next year. If that happens, I might need to retire both of these powerful units. For one build, it’s not a huge problem because my oldest PRIME unit is already nine years old. But for the second build, the unit is only five years old, and replacing the PSU would be unnecessary since it still has a solid seven-year lifespan left. Still, I need to consider this further.
Honestly, it doesn’t make sense for me. Paying an extra $150 to get a better GPU could cost you $450, but you’re not willing to spend just $30 plus shipping. It’s a small price to pay compared to the cost of your GPU.
I actually purchased it directly from the manufacturer, as there were still open box listings on their site.
I thought maybe I wouldn’t have to change it much since I wasn’t sure about the wiring, but I guess you’d have had to mess things up a lot to make it stop working if you didn’t use all three, and if the setup was so bad Micro Center probably wouldn’t sell it in stores anymore.
Only time have I replaced a PSU was when it actually failed, not because I wanted to upgrade. (It’s a shame my last PSU issue happened just a few months after the warranty ended...)
Yeah, I understand, I’d replace the old one that’s seven years old, but a unit that’s only half its lifespan is a tricky decision—depends on how much it’s been used.
More importantly, I’m already spending more than I expected for the GPU, and the adapter cost wasn’t considered before, since most RTX 3000 cards still used standard connectors, so I don’t want to add even more expenses. It’s not just about the price difference between $30 and $450—it’s about not wanting to go further down that line.
What I intended to express was that my Gigabyte GTX 4070 features a PCIe 8-pin power connection that aligns with your previous ATX 2.0 power supply. In essence, the graphics card is compatible with the PSU.
That's correct. The 4070 Super offers a significant upgrade compared to my basic 4070 model. After three years of dealing with occasional system instability—starting with an RTX 3060 and then switching to an RTX 4070 paired with a Corsair TX850M—I upgraded the power supply to an MSI A1000G. Now, my 7950X setup runs smoothly during 11-hour video editing sessions without any interruptions.
I’m not utilizing the 12V-2x6 output on the new MSI board, opting instead for a single PCIe 8-way connection. The main distinction lies in the fact that my previous TX850M was an ATX 2.x model, whereas the new MSI is ATX3.1. The additional headroom and the higher short-term OCP setting allow me to remove the restriction of limiting GPU output to 95% in MSI Afterburner.
The RTX 3060 has a 170W TDP, while the RTX 4070 boasts a 200W TDP. In theory, the 850W output from the TX850M should suffice; however, in reality it fell short and caused crashes during transcoding tasks.
The 3000 and 4000 series GPUs are known for their intense current spikes, which can sometimes exceed the capacity of certain PSUs. Based on my observations, I suggest replacing your outdated ATX2.x power supply with a newer ATX3.x model instead of relying on an adapter cable. This change could prevent your system from reaching its limits and avoiding issues altogether. Good luck!
I thought the RTX 3000 series was the one with the problem with the transients, not just the 4000 series? It seems the card I received has a slightly lower TDP than my current one, 250 versus 222.