Motherboard connectors

[RickyTick]

There are 2 connectors on this motherboard that I'm not altogether sure about. They are circled in red.

The one at top right is the power connector for the CPU. Why are there 2 of them, and do I have to use both of them?

The one on the left is for the GPU. My nvidia GTX275 already has two 6-pin connectors on the video card itself. Do I need to connect to this one on the motherboard?

Thanks.

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk156/Mike-Echo/BigBang.jpg

[The Wise Monkey]

Hmm, I'm not quite sure why there are multiples. The manual doesn't seem to say very much, but says they are for providing power to the CPUs, even though this is only a single CPU board. Weird. :s

[RickyTick]

It's not very clear, but I've determined that the second cpu connector is used with extreme processors and/or extreme overclocking/overvolting.

I was able to use an adapter that came with my video card that converted molex connectors to the 6-pin gpu connector.

[zburns]

Hi Ricky, I just finished a long post on what you have but decided not to send it, just did not like the way it read. In simple terms, the two mobo 8 pin connectors are for the CPU, probably; I could not find a MSI manual online, but the specs call out for them.

Here is a guru 3d link to your card and their 20 page review. Page 5 has the data you are looking for regards the 6 pin card side by side connectors. The link is for page 5. http://www.guru3d.com/article/geforce-gtx-275-review-test/5

The Guru3d review clearly states both power connectors to the gpu board.

Here is a link to a benchmark review on the GTX 275 card, at the bottom of the page, they say the max wattage of the card is 247 watts under stress(furmark). http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=460&Itemid=72&limit=1&limitstart=11

I suspect the single (normal) gpu 6pin connector on the mobo is there for low power cards or the normal ATX gpu power connector spec.

This next para is a little tricky to understand. The reason for the multuple 8 pin connectors has to do with the potential wattage the mobo will put out under full SLI mode with an inefficient cpu running all out. The wire size of the separate cables from the psu to mobo are limited by various IEEE and other standards to prevent "overcurrent" in the wires going to a mobo connector.

But since MSI put two connectors there, they did it for the reason in the last para. Extra high current to the cpu (under overclock conditions or something like that). Point is the connectors are there because of total wattage output of the cpu and its associated circuitry.

[RickyTick]

Thanks Z. I have the manual for the mobo, and nowhere does it clarify the 2 8-pin connections for the cpu. I've watched several reviews on YouTube for this mobo and one of them mentioned these and referred to the second one as an "optional cpu connector". I have a single 8-pin connector that I've inserted into one of these and I'm just hoping for the best. I've run out of usable connectors on my Corsair HX620 psu and have nothing left. I'm really not wanting to purchase another psu.

[zburns]

Again, that second connector assumes a worst case wattage senario, I assume, with multiple gpu cards in SLI using up a lot of wattage, a senario you do not have.

I need some more info including the max stress wattage for the cpu, overclocked, under two or three SLI mode and then I can be specific rather than dance around the topic with my "what ifs".

Since this mobo will support 3 way SLI, I would assume that one 8 pin connector to the cpu is ok.