Gpu Slot Types

An often overlooked yet vital factor when building a PC is power consumption. A top-of-the-line graphics card can significantly overbear the PSU and that is something gamers certainly do not want. To better understand GPU power connectors, we have prepared this resource for you.

Okay, right now the RTX 3080 is rare as pigeon eyelashes, but there is no doubt Nvidia's new RTX 3080 is the best graphics card today. It represents a huge generational performance boost over the.

Some low-end and lower-tier mid-range graphics cards can only use the PCI Express x16 slot to draw their power from, but more demanding ones will need to use 6-pin or 8-pin PCI Express power connectors. This can be particularly confusing when using a multi-GPU setup, like with the SLI. In that case, the power requirement is the sum of two (or more) connected graphics cards.

PCI Express x16 Connector

Motherboards come with the aforementioned PCI Express x16 slot that can provide a maximum of 75 watts of power. Some come with multiple PCI Express x16 slots in order to connect more GPUs, but like we’ve already said, this increases the required power.

6-Pin Connector

This connector can supply the GPU with an additional 75 watts of energy. What this means is that the graphics card will use PCI Express x16 slot and also draw power directly from the PSU (Power Supply Unit).

Related:What Power Supply Do I Have?

• A video card slot is the spot inside a computer that is specifically designed to hold a video card. There are three common types of video card slots available: peripheral component interconnect (PCI); accelerated graphics port (AGP); and peripheral component interconnect express (PCI-E).
• On computers, the graphics card is an essential component that makes it possible to render every pixel you see on the screen when you're navigating the Windows 10 desktop, running an app, playing.

Despite the fact that 150 watts is enough for most graphics cards, cards like Nvidia’s RTX 2080 require more than 220 watts and system power of 650 watts. Since 150 watts will be enough for most mid-range cards, these usually come with the 6-pin power connector.

The terms “PCI Express cables” or “PEG cables” (for PCI Express Graphics) can also be used to describe 6-pin connectors.

8-Pin Connector

Although the math doesn’t seem right when compared to the 6-pin connector, the 8-pin connector can deliver 150 watts to the graphics card. If the GPU requires more than 150 watts, it will, by design, come with an 8-pin connector or two 6-pin connectors.

As always, there are outliers. The most power-hungry graphics cards will come with a 6-pin and an 8-pin connector. For example, Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 1080 Ti has both types of connectors. As a result, it has a maximum power consumption of 250 watts.

There are even some outlandish situations where the GPU will have two 8-pin connectors. So, by simply adding all the numbers together, we get a total of 375 watts, but that is truly an extreme case. On top of that, you still need to power the CPU (which is another big energy spender) and the rest of the components.

It’s safe to say that your machine will be properly powered with a decent 650 watts PSU, although if you’re building a gaming rig and want to future proof it (which, let’s be honest, is nearly impossible), you can get a more powerful PSU. But be careful because with great power comes a greater risk ofoverheating.

Cpu Slot Types

There is also a rule of thumb that the PSU runs best when it’s at 50% capacity, but that is a different topic that should be looked at on a per-case basis.

12-Pin Connectors

With the release of Nvidia’s RTX 3000 series, we were introduced to 12-pin power connectors. This was a move out of necessity as Nvidia really needed the extra power for their all-powerful cards and they actually came up with a rather elegant solution.

A 12-pin connector is roughly the size of an 8-pin connector, although it can logically draw a lot more power. Nvidia was forthcoming in regard to the availability of PSUs with 12-pin connectors, so it released an adaptor which allows two 6-pin connectors to interface with its card’s 12-pin slot.

Adapters Or Converters For Connectors

There are often compatibility issues when building a PC and power connectors are no different. Luckily, computers are made by engineers who like to modify stuff that’s not fitted to their needs by default.

A company by the name of Molex pioneered these pin connectors all the way back in the late 50s and early 60s, and has since become synonymous with the term. So don’t be surprised to hear these referred to as Molex Adapters or Molex Converters.

4-Pin Molex to 6-Pin PCI-E Adapter Cable

You’ll want to use this cable if your graphics card requires a 6-pin power connector but your PSU doesn’t have it. That’ll actually be a sign of a very old PSU, so maybe it’s time for an upgrade. If you’ll still stick to your guns, know that this sort of adapter can sometimes require one 4-pin connector, but it’ll most often be two, which is the recommended option.

4-Pin Molex to 8-Pin PCI-E Power Adapter Cable

This cable uses two 4-pin connectors and adapts it to an 8-pin connector. 4-pin to 8-pin is something that will likely be most useful with upper mid-range and high-end graphics cards.

6-Pin to 8-Pin PCI-E Adapter Cable

If you’ve recently purchased a top-class GPU, it will likely require an 8-pin connector, which some PSUs might not have. In that case, the 6-pin to 8-pin adapter is the solution for you.

2x 8-Pin To 12-Pin PCI-E Adapter Cable

As mentioned earlier, the 12-pin power connector is the latest technology necessary for Nvidia’s 3000 series graphics cards. Because there was a relatively small supply of PSUs with a 12-pin power connector upon the launch of the 3000 series, Nvidia included a dual 8-pin to 12-pin adapter with its packing.

SATA to 6-Pin PCI-E Adapter Cable

This cable converts your SATA connectors to a 6-pin one, but this is generally advised against. It’s possible that SATA won’t be able to handle the power that your graphics card may require and this situation is not something that you want to be in the middle of, especially if the cable is labeled as “SATA only“.

SATA to 8-Pin PCI-E Adapter Cable

Likewise, SATA can also be adapted to an 8-pin power connector. In this particular scenario, there will be two SATA connectors for one 8-pin connector.

Important Note About Adapters

In most cases, it’s best to upgrade your PSU if you lack connectors, as it might be the case that they weren’t built with your power consumption in mind. If possible, it’s best to use Molex to Molex for your GPU needs, as they have thicker wires and can offer more current. A SATA to Molex adapter might be exposed and lead to burnout if the GPU draws more power with a higher load or by overclocking.

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Graphics Card is one of the most important components of a gaming PC or a professional high-performance PC. It packs a huge amount of power and has different components that work altogether for graphics processing. Also, the graphics cards come with different types of connectors for different purposes. Some are for power and some are for connecting display cables and so on. Many of the users are not aware of the various components and parts of a graphics card, so for them, I am going to explain all the major components and connectors of a graphics card.

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Major Components of Graphics Card

Here are the major components that are present in all graphics cards.

GPU

GPU or Graphics Processing Unit is the main component and heart of the graphics card. It is also known as Graphics Processor and does all the processing in your graphics card. Generally, most of the graphics card comes with only one GPU but there are few dual GPU graphics cards also. The working of GPU is governed by its architecture which is known as GPU architecture. Different GPU series have different GPU architecture. Also, different GPU manufacturers have their own GPU architecture and layout.

For example, currently, the latest GPU architecture from Nvidia is Pascal and from AMD it is Polaris. There are hundreds and thousands of cores in GPU for parallel processing and multi-tasking. The functionality of these processor cores is governed by GPU architecture. Nvidia calls them CUDA Cores and AMD calls them Stream Processors but technically they are different from each other because of different GPU architectures involved. Generally newer the GPU architecture, the better is the performance of the graphics card, and also it has lower power consumption compared to the older architectures.

VRAM

This is the second most important component of a graphics card. VRAM or Video RAM or Video Memory is the place where all the graphics data and game textures are stored for processing by the GPU. Faster memory can really increase the graphics card performance to a certain level. It is to be noted that memory alone cannot increase the performance in games because if your GPU is weak then you will never have greater performance no matter how fast the RAM is.

There are various types of Video RAM available for graphics card depending on the speed and bandwidth they offer. Graphics card memory includes DDR3, GDDR5, GDDR5X, HBM, and HBM2 RAM. DDR3 is the oldest and slowest of all and is used mainly in entry-level graphics cards. GDDR5 is the most popular and commonly used VRAM that is used in the budget, mid-range, and high-end graphics cards. GDDR5X is almost twice as fast as GDDR5 and is used in a few top-end graphics cards from Nvidia. Nvidia Titan X, GeForce GTX 1080 and GeForce GTX 1080 Ti uses GDDR5X memory. HBM (High Bandwidth Memory) and HBM2 are the most advanced graphics card memories for gaming and VR (Virtual Reality) and are used in high-end graphics cards only. Radeon R9 Fury X and Radeon Pro use HBM memory. HBM memory is faster, requires lesser space on PCB and has lower power consumption compared to GDDR5 memory. You can read the complete comparison of all these graphics card video memories by going through the link given below.

VRM

VRM or Voltage Regulator Module is the main circuitry that powers the GPU. VRM converts higher voltage from power supply to lower voltage levels for use in GPU. Generally, it converts 12V to around 1V to 1.5V (approx) which is normally the voltage level at which GPU operates. Along with GPU and VRAM, VRM is also one of the most important components of a graphics card. VRM is also called a Processor Power Module (PPM) or simply Voltage Regulator.

The number of Voltage Regulators on a graphics card varies from card to card. Some graphics cards have a higher number of VRMs compared to others. VRMs can get very hot and sometimes even hotter than GPU and they require good cooling to keep the graphics card from shutting down.

Note: As explained above, VRAM and VRM are completely different components and they should not be confused with each other.

Cooler

Every graphics card comes with Cooler to keep the temperature of GPU, VRAM, and VRM down to safer levels. Graphics Card coolers can be either active or passive. In active cooling, the cooler has both heatsink and fan (HSF) whereas in passive cooling the cooler has the only heatsink. Most of the graphics cards employ active cooling solution because generally it requires lesser space and provides better cooling especially during overclocking, whereas passive cooling is generally used in entry-level and less powerful GPUs and is totally silent in operation. But there are few good mid-range graphics cards that also come with passive cooler or only heatsink. Also, it is not advisable to overclock your graphics card on a passive cooling solution because it has a limited cooling capability.

The number of fans used in an active cooling solution varies with the graphics card manufacturer. Some of the high-end graphics cards also come with Liquid / Water Cooling or Hybrid Cooling Solution. You can learn more about graphics card cooling solutions by going to the link given below.

Check out:Various Types of Graphics Card Cooling Solutions

PCB

PCB or Printed Circuit Board is the base or board where all the components including GPU, VRAM, VRM, Capacitors, Sensors, etc, and Display Ports are mounted. High-end graphics cards have more components so they require larger PCB compared to mi-range and entry-level graphics cards.

See also:Best Laptops Graphics Cards for Gaming

Major Connectors of Graphics Card

Here are the various connectors that you can find in a graphics card. Some connectors are found in only mid-range to high-end graphics cards and some are present in all graphics cards.

PCI Express x16 Connector

PCI Express x16 Connector is present in all the modern-day graphics cards. It is the only interface through which graphics cards communicate with the motherboard and processor. Older interfaces are PCI and AGP which are outdated and are not used now. PCI Express x16 Connector goes in the PCI Express x16 Slot in the motherboard and it can provide up to 75 Watts of power to the graphics card.

6-Pin & 8-Pin PCI-E Connectors

Graphics cards that have higher power consumption need external power from the PSU through 6-pin or 8-pin connectors. Some cards have only one 6-pin connector, some have one 8-pin connector and high-end cards come with both 6-pin and 8-pin power connectors. There are few graphics cards too that have two 6-pin or two 8-pin power connectors but they are very rare.

A 6-pin power connector can provide 75 Watt to your graphics cards and an 8-pin connector can provide 150 Watt to the card. Most of the mid-range graphics cards come with one 6-pin connector and high-end graphics cards come with one 8-pin connector or both 6-pin and 8-pin connector if it has higher power consumption.

Must Read:6-pin and 8-pin PCIe connectors explained

Gpu Slot Types

Display Ports / Connectors

All graphics cards come with display ports for connecting them with your monitor using display cable. There are different types of display ports or connectors that are VGA, DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort (DP). VGA is analog technology and supports lower resolution whereas DVI, HDMI, and DP are digital displays and support higher resolutions and picture clarity.

SLI / CrossFire Slot

Multi-GPU compatible graphics cards have SLI Slot or CrossFire Slot on top of the graphics card PCB for running them in multi-GPU or dual GPU setup. The two or more SLI/CrossFire graphics cards are connected using the SLI connector or CrossFire connector. You should know that SLI is Nvidia multi-GPU technology and CrossFire is AMD’s multi-GPU technology.

Have Queries?

Well, here I tried my best to explain everything about graphics card components and its connectors. If you think that something is missing or you have any queries then you can reach me by leaving a comment below.