I recently bought an AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT as a graphics upgrade, but I didn't realize it requires an 8-pin supplementary PCIe power connection. I'm fairly new to PC building, and the screws on my case are badly stripped, so I initially thought I couldn't reach the back of the power supply to connect another cable. Can the card operate safely without the 8-pin connector? If not, what's the best way to access the power supply or remove the damaged screws?
3 Answers
You’ll need to find a way to access the power supply and run an 8-pin cable. For stripped screws, a rubber band between the screwdriver and screw head can sometimes provide enough grip. If that doesn’t work, a screw extractor or carefully cutting a flathead slot with a rotary tool may help.
Check whether the power supply can be reached through the opposite side panel or another removable panel. Many cases hide the PCIe cables behind the motherboard tray, and you may not need to remove the entire power supply. Also, most older power supplies have a 6+2-pin PCIe connector that can be used as an 8-pin plug.
No—the 8-pin PCIe connector is required for this card. The motherboard slot only provides up to about 75 watts, which isn’t enough for the card to operate normally. You’ll need to connect the proper PCIe power cable before using it.
The rubber-band method has worked surprisingly well for me on screws with worn-out heads.