Power cables and connectors
Whether you are a seasoned veteran or a newcomer to the the server system building it is essential to understand the various power cables and connectors required to safely power PCIe computing units such as GPU.
So we made an summary to ensure that the system runs smoothly without any crashes, and will also prevent potential disasters like electrical fires or damaged hardware.
Different Types Of Gpu Power Connectors
GPU consume power from PCIe and power cables, in general, PCIe bus supports 75W of power
| Connector type | Max. Power from power supply | Idel for | Notices |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6-Pin | 75W | Old GPU | |
| 6+2 or 8-Pin | 150W | <300W GPU | |
| 12-Pin | 504W | RTX 3000 series | |
| 16-Pin (12+4-Pin) | RTX 4000 series | Designed for Gen-5/ATX 3.0 PSUs
Gen-4/ATX 2.0 needs an 8-pin to 16-pin 600W 12VHPWR adapter |
Different Types of Cable
There are two popular wire size standards, AWG (American Wire Gauge) and Metric Wire Gauges[1]
It is important to know cable spec of your power connection to GPU or other devices to avoid potential disasters like electrical fires or damaged hardware.
18 AWG cable is widly used for GPU power cable at the time of writing this page.