# 8 Pin PCI-E connector



## Random Murderer (May 13, 2007)

*NOTE: Scroll to the bottom of this post for the correct diagram.*


Ok, to start off, help on this would be greatly appreciated.

I'm trying to get a pin-out of the 8-Pin PCI-E connector for those of us who would rather make one than buy one, or who can't find one to buy (if anyone knows where to buy one, that would be good too).

So far, I have the original 6-pin pin-out thanks to our own W1zzard!
here's my more in-depth version, albeit made in paint...






Here's what I have on 8-pin so far, I don't know what the rails are, but the shape of the pins is a start...





I will keep this post(and the above image) edited as we find out more.


EDIT:
COMPLETED!!!







EDIT:
After further research and ample time of the cards that require these being released, the diagram I made was found to be wrong. I used a picture of a 6 to 8 pin adapter, and that company must have color coded the wires incorrectly. Thanks to KennyT772 we have an up-to-date, CORRECT diagram.


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## Random Murderer (May 13, 2007)

Updated!


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## Wile E (Jun 19, 2007)

OneCool said he tried running a 12v+ to the other pin, and it didn't work.

Can anybody confirm this?


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## Random Murderer (Jun 19, 2007)

Wile E said:


> OneCool said he tried running a 12v+ to the other pin, and it didn't work.
> 
> Can anybody confirm this?



he said so about the 2900xt, and we're not even sure if it just his card or not. verificataion would be appreciated.


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## W1zzard (Jun 19, 2007)

afaik. to enable overdrive the 2900 xt needs to "see" the 4th ground pin connected, not the +12v one


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## Wile E (Jun 19, 2007)

Would there be any benefit to attaching the 12v+, especially with stock cooling?


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## W1zzard (Jun 19, 2007)

ati says better overclocking. i seriously doubt it, but if you want to use ccc overclocking you must have the 4th ground connected for the overdrive tab to be visible


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## OneCool (Jul 3, 2007)

W1zzard said:


> afaik. to enable overdrive the 2900 xt needs to "see" the 4th ground pin connected, not the +12v one



Yeah that's all.

As far as the extra 12v line I seen know deference in OCing at all


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## KennyT772 (Jul 28, 2007)

.

The correct diagram made in paint. Correct pinouts and socket, the current diagram at the top of the page is incorrect in both.


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## hat (Jul 28, 2007)

I want to use molex


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## DeathVark (Aug 1, 2007)

found adapter: converts 6-pin to 8-pin.
$9.99 but shipping to me is like another $8 
Anybody seen cheaper? 
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/6088/cab-97/6_Pin_PCI-E_to_8_Pin_PCI-E2_Adapter_Cable.html?tl=g11c28#options


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## Wile E (Aug 1, 2007)

HAHAHAHAHA!!! BOTH extra pins are ground. Talk about a marketing scam. lol


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## Sasqui (Oct 3, 2007)

DeathVark said:


> found adapter: converts 6-pin to 8-pin.
> $9.99 but shipping to me is like another $8
> Anybody seen cheaper?
> http://www.frozencpu.com/products/6088/cab-97/6_Pin_PCI-E_to_8_Pin_PCI-E2_Adapter_Cable.html?tl=g11c28#options



I looked and can't find anything cheaper myself - just ordered one.  I'd prefer to see one with an additional 4-pin Molex draw, but two dedicated 6-pin pci-e connectors _should _do it... My system (X1950XTX) now draws 320 Watts under load (measured with Kill-A-Watt).  And thats with a single 6-pin connector.


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## Deleted member 3 (Oct 3, 2007)

Wile E said:


> HAHAHAHAHA!!! BOTH extra pins are ground. Talk about a marketing scam. lol



Talk about not understanding electronics. Obviously the current on those pins can be pretty high, therefor the extra ground.


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## Tatty_One (Oct 3, 2007)

Excuse my ignorance not having a 2900 card, but for those who have not got the 8 pin PCI-E....what proggie are you using to overclock?


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## DonInKansas (Oct 3, 2007)

Find em on Ebay.  Way cheaper.


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## KennyT772 (Oct 3, 2007)

Atitool, ati clock set, tray tools, i think rivatuner works too.


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## Sasqui (Oct 4, 2007)

DanTheBanjoman said:


> Talk about not understanding electronics. Obviously the current on those pins can be pretty high, therefor the extra ground.



Who knows... I *wish* someone would test that, I don't have the equipment.  The ATX std wire guage may or may not support it - the question is what amps the pins draw - for sure.


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## Sasqui (Oct 4, 2007)

DonInKansas said:


> Find em on Ebay.  Way cheaper.



Have you seen them.


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## KennyT772 (Oct 4, 2007)

In order for a PSU to be pci-e 2.0 certified the 8pin power cables have to be higher gauge wire, enough so they can handle like 4amp per wire. That is easy for even 22ga wire but some cheaper units cannot output this kind of amperage over each wire. 12.5amp over 3 wires is quite a bit a juice so instead of just requiring higher gauge all around, they added 2 extra grounds making it only 2.5amp per ground. This allows smaller gauge ground wire to be used saving cost and sets an easy way to check if the power supply is pci-e 2.0 compliant.


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## Sasqui (Oct 4, 2007)

KennyT772 said:


> In order for a PSU to be pci-e 2.0 certified the 8pin power cables have to be higher gauge wire, enough so they can handle like 4amp per wire. That is easy for even 22ga wire but some cheaper units cannot output this kind of amperage over each wire. 12.5amp over 3 wires is quite a bit a juice so instead of just requiring higher gauge all around, they added 2 extra grounds making it only 2.5amp per ground. This allows smaller gauge ground wire to be used saving cost and sets an easy way to check if the power supply is pci-e 2.0 compliant.




Thx Kenny - did you write that or is it a quote?


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## Wile E (Oct 4, 2007)

DanTheBanjoman said:


> Talk about not understanding electronics. Obviously the current on those pins can be pretty high, therefor the extra ground.


Well, where is the benefit to these extra grounds, when they are just jumped off of the other grounds, as per the photo of the adapter? And, considering that I haven't heard of anyone melting their 6pin connectors, I seriously doubt there is any *real* benefit to the 8pin, unless, of course, your psu manufacturer cheaped out on the wire gauges. If that's the case, you probably should've bought a better psu to begin with. My understanding of electronics is what lead me to deduce that this is a scam.


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## bassmasta (Oct 7, 2007)

wait now, I just thought of a fun thought.  If the extra ground is to help with the "high current" coming off of the pins, doesn't that mean that the yellow wires would melt before the black ones?  unless the 2900 has a generator in it, or there is a shortage of ground-pins, What's the point?


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## newtekie1 (Oct 7, 2007)

Random Murderer said:


>



This can't be right, can it?  You can put a 6-pin plug into an 8-pin socket, so if this was right the 12vDC on the 6-pin would be going into the ground of the 8-pin.


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## Wile E (Oct 7, 2007)

newtekie1 said:


> This can't be right, can it?  You can put a 6-pin plug into an 8-pin socket, so if this was right the 12vDC on the 6-pin would be going into the ground of the 8-pin.


Nope, post #9 has the correct diagram.


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## Deleted member 3 (Oct 7, 2007)

Wile E said:


> Well, where is the benefit to these extra grounds, when they are just jumped off of the other grounds, as per the photo of the adapter? And, considering that I haven't heard of anyone melting their 6pin connectors, I seriously doubt there is any *real* benefit to the 8pin, unless, of course, your psu manufacturer cheaped out on the wire gauges. If that's the case, you probably should've bought a better psu to begin with. My understanding of electronics is what lead me to deduce that this is a scam.



_You_ haven't heard of anyone, there we go. It can and does happen though. The same goes for aux mobo connectors, they melt as well. 

Wires have a certain resistance, this is a property of the material they're made of and has nothing to do with the price. If you connect the wire the resistance of the wire will result in a certain current on the wire, this directly results in an increased temperature. If a lot of power is drawn via this wire the current because higher and the cable becomes warmer. At a certain point plastic melts, when this happens you'll be sad. 
To fix this problem there are 3 things that can be done, the chosen solution (by the people who made the standard) was using additional wires. This is the cheapest and least confusing way. 
Alternatively wires could be made thicker or out of a different material, however nobody will be able to see the difference between this new PSU and an old one which make these solutions a disaster waiting to happen. 

You system will run with less wires, however in certain cases this can go wrong, therefor the standard adapted to powerhungry hardware. They did not do this to bully you, it is not a scam, it purely is a safety precaution which many countries demand. If the standard isn't safe, items can't be sold.


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## Wile E (Oct 7, 2007)

DanTheBanjoman said:


> _You_ haven't heard of anyone, there we go. It can and does happen though. The same goes for aux mobo connectors, they melt as well.
> 
> Wires have a certain resistance, this is a property of the material they're made of and has nothing to do with the price. If you connect the wire the resistance of the wire will result in a certain current on the wire, this directly results in an increased temperature. If a lot of power is drawn via this wire the current because higher and the cable becomes warmer. At a certain point plastic melts, when this happens you'll be sad.
> To fix this problem there are 3 things that can be done, the chosen solution (by the people who made the standard) was using additional wires. This is the cheapest and least confusing way.
> ...


I understand your argument perfectly, and the theory is sound, but in this case, the extra wires are unnecessary, regardless of reasoning. Especially if you look at many of the implementations of the 8pin on the market. The extra 2 negative are jumped from the other negatives on the lead. This still puts the same amount of strain on the original 3 negatives, thus zero real benefits, aside from unlocking Overdrive.

And besides, if this were actually necessary, why isn't there an additional 12V+ to ease the load on the positive leads? What good is having 5 grounds, if the same 3 12V+ still feed the power?

In short, I don't care why they say the 8pin is necessary, I do not believe them, and haven't seen anything personally that suggests that it is actually necessary.

If someone can show me where the 8pin has proven beneficial in actual use(aside from CCC's Overdrive), I'll change my mind.


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## JC316 (Oct 8, 2007)

Well hell, you can get a 6 pin to 8 pin adaper, which simply jumps the wires anyway, so it wouldn't make any difference. I think that the 8 pin is simply a gimmick.


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## Deleted member 3 (Oct 8, 2007)

9 out of 10 times (if not more) the extra wires are indeed not needed. But due to regulations the PSU's have to be safe 10 out of 10 times. Therefor the wires have to be there.

When the wires actually end up at the same cable the PSU manufacturer is not following the standard and it might fail under extreme load. Just ask Athlon MP users back in the days, they'll know all about burning cables. 

Compare it to seatbelts, they aren't required either, until you crash. Trust me, they aren't just "gimmicks" just because you're a good driver.


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## KennyT772 (Oct 8, 2007)

Hey dan, can you replace the incorrect diagram with mine? I don't want anyone to accidentally fry their card by looking at the first picture they see.


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## l3fty (Oct 20, 2007)

Well I'm going to have to say that all the digrams in this post are wrong. If Kenny were to flip sides then it would be corect. My basis for this statement is below. Which can be found in this thread. As you can see the 2 extra grounds are on the side closest to the 6 pin. Just thought I'd clarify that for anyone new around here.  


mandelore said:


> This is a photo of my 8pin pcie2 cable that runs directly from my psu


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## KennyT772 (Oct 20, 2007)

My diagram is looking at the male plug, clip at the top. If you had paid attention to my diagram before flaming me you would have noticed. Also compare the keyings to my diagram those are also correct. With reference being the 3 12v lines you would clearly see that the two grounds are in the correct orientation.


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## pt (Oct 20, 2007)

KennyT772 said:


> My diagram is looking at the male plug, clip at the top. If you had paid attention to my diagram before flaming me you would have noticed. Also compare the keyings to my diagram those are also correct. With reference being the 3 12v lines you would clearly see that the two grounds are in the correct orientation.




chill man
he wasn't flaming anyone


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## KennyT772 (Oct 20, 2007)

He was stating that my correct diagram is indeed wrong, based on another thread. He failed to read and understand the diagram and in turn attacked it. He is also a new user, registered today which doesn't make me want to give him any slack for his error.


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## l3fty (Oct 21, 2007)

My coment wasn't meant to be a flame or an attack. IMHO Your diagram would be of more use to people if it looked like this. 
With the plugs orientated the same way that they would be in the card.




Actually your digram was a little wrong.




No disrespect intended but just because I'm new here doesn't mean... Oh never mind.
I'll delete the images in a couple of hours.


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## bassmasta (Oct 21, 2007)

wtf? those two diagrams are exactly the same.  you've noticed this, right?


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## l3fty (Oct 21, 2007)

bassmasta said:


> wtf? those two diagrams are exactly the same.  you've noticed this, right?


Actually there was a slight (clip position) difference between them, but after noticing another error. I felt compelled to switch them.


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