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I yesterday returned my GTX 960 as it was faulty, and have bought an R9 290, which requires two 8 pin PCI-E cables. I have two 6 pin PCI-E cables, which supplied power the 960.

The only difference between the 6-pin and 8-pin connector is that the 8-pin has two extra grounding pins, and that the 6 pin cable supplies a maximum of 75W and the 8 pin cable supplies a maximum of 150W.

The two cables I have are 18 gauge wires (18AWG), and are sleeved. Another limitation is that the official specification says that PCI-E 6-pin cables can only supply 75W, but the 8-pin cables can supply 150W.

From reading various forums, it seems that it's possible to use a 6 pin PCI-E cable on an 8 pin connector, but however that it depends entirely on the quality of the wire used.

I don't want to use a converter cable as I want have my sleeved cables on display in the case's side-window.

Can the 18AWG 6 pin cable I have be used to power the R9 290, requiring an 8 pin connector?

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  • I would instead use a converter cable, if the extra pins are just grounds, it should exist. If your asking if the card will work if you use just the 6-pins, my gut says, no it will not. If your card requires more then 75W this suggestion won't work.
    – Ramhound
    Jun 3, 2015 at 17:43
  • @Ramhound See my edit. Apparently, it can work, but it depends on the design of the graphics card more than anything else.
    – AStopher
    Jun 3, 2015 at 18:06
  • Be sure you answer your question. You should include the relevant information from that article.
    – Ramhound
    Jun 3, 2015 at 18:16

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