Hey everyone! I recently upgraded my graphics card from a 1080 to a 5070, using a Thermaltake Smart M750W PSU. I came across some conflicting info about power requirements. The Thermaltake website suggests needing at least two PCIe cables for the 5070 since it can draw up to 250W. However, I also found a Corsair guide that implies a single, double-ended 8-pin PCIe cable might suffice. I know Google says an 8-pin PCIe cable is generally rated for 150 watts, so I'm curious about the real deal here. Is the Corsair suggestion specific to their cables, or can anyone clarify if I can safely use one cable for this setup?
2 Answers
The rating of a cable and what it actually delivers can vary a lot. Generally, a PCIe connector is rated for 150W, but some cables - especially daisy chained ones - can hold more. It's tricky to get exact details unless you test them yourself.
Definitely go with two separate 6+2 cables and use the adapter that comes with the GPU. You can test with one cable, but definitely don't rely on it while gaming. It’s just too risky!
How would one test them to know their actual output?