Power Supply Will my G-Unique Special Edition Power a 980 Ti Strix??

[Andrew.J.Vigil]

Hey guys/gals, so here's what's up. I scored a heck of a deal on a 980 Ti Strix yesterday, $300 USD WITH A WATERBLOCK INCLUDED! *pew boom smash mind blown*

Anyway I have a G-Unique Arch Daemon Special Edition with an Infinity Power Brick, and I'll be powering:

-i7 7700
-16GB 2400MHz RAM
-m.2 1TB NVME SSD
-(3) Noctua NF-a12 x15 Fans
-and of course the GPU.

Now on a few reviews, I've seen the card pull ~300 watts alone and full system tests around 450 watts.

I also have seen forum posters on here powering 1080 Ti's off my same PSU setup with seemingly no problem at all.

I just want to get some opinions from those who have used these systems, do you think my PSU is enough or shall I spring for an SFX unit capable of more?

 

[blubblob]

Is that one of the "old" infinity bricks with the original 8-pin, or a newer one with a 12-pin connector?

If it is an 8-pin brick I would be very careful with pulling more than 400W - not because the internal unit or the brick can't handle it, but one pin of the 8-pin connector not mating properly could result in the connector melting.
If you feel confident in your soldering you could replace the connector with something that can withstand the current better, like an XT60.

If it is a 12-pin brick: go for it!

 

[Andrew.J.Vigil]

Is that one of the "old" infinity bricks with the original 8-pin, or a newer one with a 12-pin connector?

If it is an 8-pin brick I would be very careful with pulling more than 400W - not because the internal unit or the brick can't handle it, but one pin of the 8-pin connector not mating properly could result in the connector melting.
If you feel confident in your soldering you could replace the connector with something that can withstand the current better, like an XT60.

If it is a 12-pin brick: go for it!

Yeah man it's an 8-pin. That's terrifying, when I asked Gury what my setup was rated for he said 450+ watt dependent on cooling for the brick.

Have you melted a connector??

 

[blubblob]

No I haven't, not on a G-Uniq PSU at least. There has been a report of a melted connector though.

The Molex connectors used in the Dell Bricks are good for ~13 amps each pin. There are 3 +12V and 3 GND pins in the original 8-pin.
3*12V*13A = ~470 Watt when all pins are properly mated. So IF that is the case you'll be able to power your system without a problem.

Once you have a single GND or +12V pin "drop out" (fully or partially) due to an unsuccessful mate, wear or improper crimp though, you start to pull 400+W over a connection that is only able to handle ~300W. The connector will heat up, further increasing the resistance (thus the heat) until it exceeds the temperature limit of the plastic housing and the connector starts to disintegrate.

That's why I'm personally not a fan of multi-pin connectors for high current loads. It hides faults very well.
It's generally a good idea to have some buffer. Especially for multi-pin connections there should be some redundancy in the connector so even if a fault occurs the remaining pins will be able to sustain the load. That's why Gury moved to 12-pin connectors for the higher performance power bricks.

 

[Josh | NFC]

The special editions I've seen all had the 12 pin connectors --those should be fine.

Run it until it melts! Just don't leave OCCT running when you go out for snacks

 

[Andrew.J.Vigil]

No I haven't, not on a G-Uniq PSU at least. There has been a report of a melted connector though.

The Molex connectors used in the Dell Bricks are good for ~13 amps each pin. There are 3 +12V and 3 GND pins in the original 8-pin.
3*12V*13A = ~470 Watt when all pins are properly mated. So IF that is the case you'll be able to power your system without a problem.

Once you have a single GND or +12V pin "drop out" (fully or partially) due to an unsuccessful mate, wear or improper crimp though, you start to pull 400+W over a connection that is only able to handle ~300W. The connector will heat up, further increasing the resistance (thus the heat) until it exceeds the temperature limit of the plastic housing and the connector starts to disintegrate.

That's why I'm personally not a fan of multi-pin connectors for high current loads. It hides faults very well.
It's generally a good idea to have some buffer. Especially for multi-pin connections there should be some redundancy in the connector so even if a fault occurs the remaining pins will be able to sustain the load. That's why Gury moved to 12-pin connectors for the higher performance power bricks.

The special editions I've seen all had the 12 pin connectors --those should be fine.

Run it until it melts! Just don't leave OCCT running when you go out for snacks

Hahaha thanks Blub and Josh! You guys are da bomb as always. I'm tempted to test this out of a case and see what happens. ;p I'll be running on my RM650i if anything explodes melts or pops.