can I damage my x1950pro 512mb turbo edition, by hooking to 18Amps

[ny_driver]

or will it just not work correctly without proper amperage?
Thanks

[Sasqui]

or will it just not work correctly without proper amperage?
Thanks

If your power supply cannot handle it and is damaged there is a chance the card might be damaged as well. If you are pulling juice off a single molex connector, you could be asking for trouble... they actually make a "Y" connector to PCIeVID that draws power out of two molex connectors (presumably two different rails) - I have one, and I can't remember if it came with my Hiper PSU, or my HIS 1950XTX.

[d44ve]

or will it just not work correctly without proper amperage?
Thanks

What does the card call for?

[ny_driver]

calls for more than 18A...like 24 or 30. I am hooking to a 6-pin pcie connector. I also have the y-adapter piece.;) my PSU is also pretty new with nothing wrong with it. EDIT: so then could I presumably get 36 Amps by hooking to 2 rails?

[d44ve]

24 or 30 amps seems pretty high.

What type of PSU are you running?

[overcast]

calls for more than 18A...like 24 or 30. I am hooking to a 6-pin pcie connector. I also have the y-adapter piece.;) my PSU is also pretty new with nothing wrong with it. EDIT: so then could I presumably get 36 Amps by hooking to 2 rails?
No, your card does not call for 24 or 30. That number is what ATI/Nvidia recommend is available for the entire 12v line - including everything else in your computer. There is no way your video card will ever draw 360 watts @ 12v. Low amperage is not going to damage it, and neither will low voltage. It's either just going to work , or it's not going to work. Say you have 18A available on the 12v line, that means any number of components can use up to 18A, assuming the combined total does not exceed the rated Power(watt) output of the power supply. Same goes for voltage. As long as V and A meet the specs for every component on the line, then you are fine. Once again assuming you do not exceed the supply load.

[sneekypeet]

mine works it just gets hot after about 30 mins of gameplay....and yes i dumb down the gfx!

still waiting for OCZ RMA...lol

[LiNKiN]

mine works it just gets hot after about 30 mins of gameplay....and yes i dumb down the gfx!

still waiting for OCZ RMA...lol

Bestech FTW!!!

[ny_driver]

I have 4 18Amp rails and the card is all alone on a pci-e cable(on its own 18Amp rail)

[sneekypeet]

should be fine thats how its run when my OCZ is in here!

[overcast]

I have 4 18Amp rails and the card is all alone on a pci-e cable(on its own 18Amp rail)

That is WAY more than adequate. Generally you add up all the 12 rails , so 72A total. However, that is not always accurate, as the main limiting factor is the output limitation of the transformer (which supplies all the rails). So if the transformer actually only supplies 60A total, and one rail is using 18A. Then 42A are available between the other 3 rails. Your card is NOT drawing 18A @ 12v - Get it?

[Namslas90]

That is WAY more than adequate. Generally you add up all the 12 rails , so 72A total. However, that is not always accurate, as the main limiting factor is the output limitation of the transformer (which supplies all the rails). So if the transformer actually only supplies 60A total, and one rail is using 18A. Then 42A are available between the other 3 rails. Your card is NOT drawing 18A @ 12v - Get it?

Beg to differ, you don't "just add up the rails". At the most 4 rails are actually 2(internally), and any single rail in a pair will only draw up to 20% of the 2nd rail power. Ie 18 + 3.6 = 21.6total amps available on that pair of 18 amp rails.

[sneekypeet]

no u dont just add em up so to speak...the psu shows total amps on 12V+ say 60 amps and the psu is say 80% efficient...u do the math.....as far as draw off the other rail...LMAO....there is only 1 rail....they all solder on the same point inside the PSU....so no rail math needed.....hence the term "Virtual Rails".....unless u spent like $400 or more for that PSU the rails are virtual!!!!!!!!!

[Sasqui]

No, your card does not call for 24 or 30. That number is what ATI/Nvidia recommend is available for the entire 12v line - including everything else in your computer. There is no way your video card will ever draw 360 watts @ 12v. Low amperage is not going to damage it, and neither will low voltage. It's either just going to work , or it's not going to work. Say you have 18A available on the 12v line, that means any number of components can use up to 18A, assuming the combined total does not exceed the rated Power(watt) output of the power supply. Same goes for voltage. As long as V and A meet the specs for every component on the line, then you are fine. Once again assuming you do not exceed the supply load.

Now I've always wondered about that... how do they average what the rest of the system is using???

My ENTIRE computer (under gaming load, not including monitor, et. al.) peaks around 360w at the plug ...I have a meter... - and at 75% efficiency that translates to about 300w used by the components, probably 150w between CPU/chipset and 150w to the Vid card - so that's around 12 amps for the video card. That sounds much more realistic.

The ATX specification calls for a max of 20amp on any given rail. This is dictated by the AWG and molex connectors (for safety!).

So I retract my earlier statement (I can do that right? :) ), and say you should be way fine. As an added precaution, use the Y splitter and hook it to two separate harnesses.

[Namslas90]

no u dont just add em up so to speak...the psu shows total amps on 12V+ say 60 amps and the psu is say 80% efficient...u do the math.....as far as draw off the other rail...LMAO....there is only 1 rail....they all solder on the same point inside the PSU....so no rail math needed.....hence the term "Virtual Rails".....unless u spent like $400 or more for that PSU the rails are virtual!!!!!!!!!

Yes, however newer PSU have the ability to transfer power back and forth between rails(virtual) depending upon the Draw on rails(after it has been devided). This is what I'am refering to. Yes the standard PSU has only one rail and several 'virtual' rails, once the power is devided there is no way to transfer it back to another rail. (source; My Enermax PSU owners manual)

[sneekypeet]

how does a psu with 4 wires ( Soldered) to the same point differentiate which of the 4 is doin what ?...... that statement borders on retarted!

[Sasqui]

how does a psu with 4 wires ( Soldered) to the same point differentiate which of the 4 is doin what ?...... that statement borders on retarted!

The yellow is 12v, red 5v and black are ground wires for each.

[sneekypeet]

no all yellows and all reds and all blacks are soldered to respective power point....how does 1 rail draw from another rail, when they both draw from same power point in psu?


look at the PSU reviews here ...as I did when buying mine....all reviews state when examining opened up psu's that all 4 rails(yellow red and black) all hit 1 power point. 1 point and 4 wires for 12V and so on they are just seperated when they exit the housing of psu!

[Namslas90]

no all yellows and all reds and all blacks are soldered to respective power point....how does 1 rail draw from another rail, when they both draw from same power point in psu?


look at the PSU reviews here ...as I did when buying mine....all reviews state when examining opened up psu's that all 4 rails(yellow red and black) all hit 1 power point. 1 point and 4 wires for 12V and so on they are just seperated when they exit the housing of psu!

I'm not going to argue about all power comming out of the wall socket either, Not all PSU's are the same, talk to Niko084, maybe do a little more research; you'd be suprised at what you find out. All PSU's have same color wires and bridge rectifiers, however not all PSU have the same deviding/controll circuits. It's these controlling circuits than CAN make a difference. Normally once the power is devided, nothing can change it. However some PSU controller circuits can "detect" a excessive draw and shut down a particualar (virtual) rail and allow that power to be used by the rail 'requesting' the demand. It's called a "Switching Power Supply", and is only realy new to PC's. :toast:

[sneekypeet]

i thought a switchin PSU is 1 that will dumb down the total load ur psu pushes .....meaning if u draw 30 amps and psu is rated for 60 amps the psu dombs itself down to save money!?!

but i digress you are the power god nammy!!!!!!!



Oh and BTW nammy if ur so great with power and math , figure out my story !!!!!!!

[Namslas90]

i thought a switchin PSU is 1 that will dumb down the total load ur psu pushes .....meaning if u draw 30 amps and psu is rated for 60 amps the psu dombs itself down to save money!?!

but i digress you are the power god nammy!!!!!!!

No, and never claimed to be. But I do have a degree in Electronics Engineering, and I'am very good at Transistor circuits and Power Supply's.
In addition to that Niko084 and I spent about 3 days and nights recently researching PSU for PC's and learned quit a bit.
(@Sneekypeet, chk yer PM pls)

[sneekypeet]

ur degree is from the 70's and 3 days doesn't make for a complete knowledge as ur preaching....just admit the kids psu will work and do it well and put ur fancy old school math away and let the kid game with confidence GEEEEEEES!

[Sasqui]

If you look at the 20amp max ATX specification, it looks like they are playing games with the numbers...

So you have one power source that gives out 60 amps at 12v. There are three wiring harnesses all connected to the same source.

By definition in the ATX spec, each one of the outgoing wires should only be loaded to 20amps max. This is simply the physical limitation of the wire gage and the connectors.

So you could argue that any consuming device with a 4-pin molex connector should never draw more than 20 amps, if it's according to the 4-pin molex ATX spec. Hence the 6-pin PCIe connector on your card - the ones for the 1950 have TWO incoming 12v lines.

I say again, you should be safe, but use the "Y" connector!

[Namslas90]

ur degree is from the 70's and 3 days doesn't make for a complete knowledge as ur preaching....just admit the kids psu will work and do it well and put ur fancy old school math away and let the kid game with confidence GEEEEEEES!

I never said his PSU would not work. Didn't you read the post. I only pointed out another members error in adding rails together. :toast:

[overcast]

Beg to differ, you don't "just add up the rails". At the most 4 rails are actually 2(internally), and any single rail in a pair will only draw up to 20% of the 2nd rail power. Ie 18 + 3.6 = 21.6total amps available on that pair of 18 amp rails.
And like I said, this depends entirely on the transformer and it's switching ability. It was a generalization for someone who was asking a very generalized question. You should always look at the total output on the 12v and divide by 12. This will give you the amperage available, regardless of what the individual rails say they supply. Those numbers are merely the limit for which those rails are rated for, and SHOULD shut down the PS if those limits are reached. Any modern power supply is switching, it's not exactly new technology.

Where are you getting this 20% available draw number from? You will get distribution losses between each rail(from overall power available), but your numbers seem a bit off.

[ny_driver]

well, my new x1950pro_512_Turbo works fine so far after 1 hour of testing/racing. My psu is 600w xclio greatpower with 4@18Amp 12v rails. It is hooked to a 6 pin connector that is NOT a modular cable. It did come with some modular 6-pinners, but that's besides the point.

[Namslas90]

And like I said, this depends entirely on the transformer and it's switching ability. It was a generalization for someone who was asking a very generalized question. You should always look at the total output on the 12v and divide by 12. This will give you the amperage available, regardless of what the individual rails say they supply. Any modern power supply is switching, it's not exactly new technology.

Where are you getting this 20% available draw number from?

Found it while doing research(no longer have the link), only those bay PSU's can add the full power from 2nd rail, but it is seldom necessary.

[overcast]

Found it while doing research(no longer have the link), only those bay PSU's can add the full power from 2nd rail, but it is seldom necessary.
I'd really like to read that, because from my understanding, regardless if they are "virtual" or not, each rail has it's own current limiting circuitry. Single rail is better, because you aren't wasting the unused current from the other rails. If the overall amperage is 60A, and you have 4 virtual rails limited to 20A each. You can supply up to 20A on any of them, but not more than 60A combined. Regardless if they are rated to combine to 80A. Multiple rails is part of safety regulations, preventing more than 20A on any one rail - and that is why they are so prevalent today.

[overcast]

well, my new x1950pro_512_Turbo works fine so far after 1 hour of testing/racing. My psu is 600w xclio greatpower with 4@18Amp 12v rails. It is hooked to a 6 pin connector that is NOT a modular cable. It did come with some modular 6-pinners, but that's besides the point.
Does the power supply have a wattage rating below the +12V section. I don't want the overall, I want just that.

[ny_driver]

no but, it says combined +5v and +3.3v = 180w max.

[overcast]

no but, it says combined +5v and +3.3v = 180w max.

Ok so take the overall total - 180w / 12 = 12v Amperage.

[EchoingTheSound]

so if the 3v and 5 v pull 180w,we can assume that the 12v is 420w?

[ny_driver]

sounds right, but why then does it say 4 rails at 18Amps? How annoying...I almost spent another $200 on new PSU.:respect: Seems to work.:toast:

EDIT: yup it works perfectly..that's $200.00 towards new snowmobile.

[overcast]

sounds right, but why then does it say 4 rails at 18Amps? How annoying...I almost spent another $200 on new PSU.:respect: Seems to work.:toast:

EDIT: yup it works perfectly..that's $200.00 towards new snowmobile.
Because per current safety regulations, there is a limit on amperage on 12volt rails. So there are 4 virtual lines running from probably one main 12v rail, rather than having 35A on one. They really should have split it between 2, because now you're limiting yourself having it split so many times. 4 is a bit unnecessary, as 35A won't saturate two lines anyhow. If it works it works though.

[Namslas90]

Oh and BTW nammy if ur so great with power and math , figure out my story !!!!!!!

Your story is simple. You don't have enough power, thats why your PSU overheats in 30 minutes. Backed up by the fact that you are buying a new one. I don't see where I'm wrong. A PSU larger than you need does not use more electricity or hurt any part of your system. However one that does not supply enough power can hurt your system and cause you to spend more money in the long run for future upgrades. So, yeah your the expert Peety. I never said his PSU would not work, you said I said that. Maybe you need to learn how to read. Or maybe not....because it would not change your mind anyways!:toast:

PS: your 'buddy' rick say's hi!

[Zubasa]

sounds right, but why then does it say 4 rails at 18Amps? How annoying...I almost spent another $200 on new PSU.:respect: Seems to work.:toast:

EDIT: yup it works perfectly..that's $200.00 towards new snowmobile.
Your PSU has a PCI-E connector then it should mean it have enough power for the card.
An X1950Pro on its own does not use 18A@+12V.
The X1950Pro draws less than 150W at anytime.

[ny_driver]

Thanks for the replies guys:toast: seems to work fine, I'll try OC-ing it on 18A Friday when I get home. I think my 1st card just had something wrong with it, so I was woried about hooking up my 2nd one to 18A PSU. Anyways....until Friday;)

[ny_driver]

:toast: hello again....just an update, the card goes up to 621/1594 on stock bios and runs great and stays under 50c without even adjusting fan speeds:roll: