PCI-e connectors

[Graeme]

I'm way out of my knowledge and comfort zones here. Not come across PCI-e until this morning.

Son has a gaming PC, and has a Geforce GTX 1080 graphics card to install, to replace a Geforce GTX 670 card.

The 670 has two 6 pin sockets and the leads from the power supply have two 6 pin plugs (but see below).

The new 1080 has two 8 pin sockets but came with two converter cables, each of which has two 6 pin sockets and one 8 pin plug.

However, the original power supply leads, which were connected to the

670, also each have an additional 2 pin plug.

I have read the Wiki page on the subject, but am not much wiser. By carefully studying the profiles of the various plugs and sockets, we have connected one 6 pin and one 2 pin power supply lead to each of the two 1080 8 pin sockets, and that seems to work in that the PC is running and the new card configuration screen is there.

I suppose I really just want someone to say Yes! that is how it should be done :-) We have not used the little converter (?) leads that came with the card.

[Andy Burns]

Yes you're fine, the 6+2 cables from your power supply can be connected to either 6pin, or 8pin sockets on cards

[Andy Burns]

Does anyone understand the logic of an eight pin PCIe connector carrying five ground wires and three +12V wires, rather than four of each as the eight pin EPS12 connector does?

[Graeme]

Thanks Andy. It certainly all seems to be running, and he says at optimum speed or whatever, so we seem to have muddled through.

[Lee]

2 of the "ground" wires are "sense" wires that the card can use to determine whether the 6 or 8 pin plugs have been attached to the card.

At least that's the official definition...