6 pin PCI E cables - Radeon 6870 fan noise

mjsmke · 03:07 PM

Hi there!

I just picked up a second hand PowerColour 6870 for my Mac Pro 4.1. (thought it was time to upgrade the GT 120!)

I know i need 2 power cables and found a link on here to OWC:

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Apple/9227128/

I'd prefer to get them sooner so started looking around online but can't find any anywhere. I can only find male to female extensions.

Does anyone know where to find them in the UK?

Loa · Feb 20, 2013, 12:56 PM

Hello,

Search for "pcie g5 power cable" in ebay.

Loa

cal6n · 06:36 PM

I just bought a pair. Here you go:

PCIe 6-pin (UK)

mactune · Feb 20, 2013, 03:29 PM

The cable you need is called mini pci-e 6pin to pci-e 6pin.
Hope this helps.

mjsmke · Feb 23, 2013, 03:11 PM

Thanks for all the help everyone. I now have the cables i needed and have my 6870 installed and working!

The card works fine but the fan isn't all that quiet. My old GT 120 was silent all the time. Is this normal? Or is there a way to lower the idle speed of the GPU fan?

P.S What a difference this card makes! I know its not one of the best cards out there but in applications like Photoshop/Lightroom/Maya and even just moving windows around the monitors feel smoother.

DanielCoffey · Feb 24, 2013, 02:53 AM

If you have the space in your case, you could replace the cooler with something more efficient and quieter.

I did that with my Apple 5870 and it has been working flawlessly for the past two years... http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1097022

Loa · Feb 24, 2013, 07:36 AM

Hello,

Quote:

Originally Posted by mjsmke

The card works fine but the fan isn't all that quiet.

Idling 6870 should be very quiet.

Try this thread.

Loa

mjsmke · Feb 24, 2013, 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Loa

Hello,

Idling 6870 should be very quiet.

Try this thread.

Loa

That thread seems to be about the PCI fan running fast, not the GPU fan.

cal6n · Feb 24, 2013, 10:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mjsmke

That thread seems to be about the PCI fan running fast, not the GPU fan.

The fans that ATI use are generally silent but a few of them seem to fail early and become quite noisy. If this is the case with yours, you'll be able feel a little sideways play in the bearing. There should be none whatsoever. Since the fans are virtually unobtainable in the UK, these noisy cards tend to wind up on eBay.

You can either buy a new fan from the states on eBay for about £13 or fit an aftermarket cooler for upwards of £35.

I sometimes come across reference design 5870s (a better choice than the 6870, strangely enough) and fit a new fan as a matter of course before flashing them and selling them on.

mjsmke · Feb 24, 2013, 11:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cal6n

The fans that ATI use are generally silent but a few of them seem to fail early and become quite noisy. If this is the case with yours, you'll be able feel a little sideways play in the bearing. There should be none whatsoever. Since the fans are virtually unobtainable in the UK, these noisy cards tend to wind up on eBay.

You can either buy a new fan from the states on eBay for about £13 or fit an aftermarket cooler for upwards of £35.

I sometimes come across reference design 5870s (a better choice than the 6870, strangely enough) and fit a new fan as a matter of course before flashing them and selling them on.

Thanks for the help. If I don't get use to the sound i'll look at getting a replacement fan.

MacVidCards · Feb 25, 2013, 01:31 PM

6870s with 2 wire fans are much noisier than ones that come with 4 wires.

If it only has 2 wires, it has limited speed control at best, so to avoid overheating they run them faster. The card stays cool until the fan wears out prematurely.

mjsmke · Feb 25, 2013, 06:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MacVidCards

6870s with 2 wire fans are much noisier than ones that come with 4 wires.

If it only has 2 wires, it has limited speed control at best, so to avoid overheating they run them faster. The card stays cool until the fan wears out prematurely.

I'll have a check tomorrow to see if its a 2 or 4 wire fan and let you know.

I remove an reinstalled it earlier but didn't think to look at the wires. I noticed when i lift the corner of the card about 2mm the noise is reduced. So ill also check the case is screwed on tight when i get a chance.

slughead · Feb 25, 2013, 07:20 PM

My sapphire is dead quiet, my XFX is ridonculously loud.

Feb 20, 2013, 12:42 PM	#1
mjsmke macrumors 6502a Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: UK	6 pin PCI E cables - Radeon 6870 fan noise Hi there! I just picked up a second hand PowerColour 6870 for my Mac Pro 4.1. (thought it was time to upgrade the GT 120!) I know i need 2 power cables and found a link on here to OWC: http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Apple/9227128/ I'd prefer to get them sooner so started looking around online but can't find any anywhere. I can only find male to female extensions. Does anyone know where to find them in the UK? __________________ 2009 Mac Pro 2.93GHz Xeon, 14GB RAM, 120GB Mercury extreme SSD, iMac G4 as media centre. Last edited by mjsmke; Feb 23, 2013 at 03:07 PM.
	0

Feb 20, 2013, 01:41 PM	#3
cal6n macrumors 68000 Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Brighton, UK	I just bought a pair. Here you go: PCIe 6-pin (UK) __________________ Is your internet experience tainted by trolls, shills, bigots & fools? Select "User CP" > "Edit Ignore List" > Add [username] to Your Ignore List > Save List Every little helps. Last edited by cal6n; Feb 20, 2013 at 06:36 PM. Reason: clarity
	0

Feb 23, 2013, 03:11 PM	#5
mjsmke Thread Starter macrumors 6502a Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: UK	Thanks for all the help everyone. I now have the cables i needed and have my 6870 installed and working! The card works fine but the fan isn't all that quiet. My old GT 120 was silent all the time. Is this normal? Or is there a way to lower the idle speed of the GPU fan? P.S What a difference this card makes! I know its not one of the best cards out there but in applications like Photoshop/Lightroom/Maya and even just moving windows around the monitors feel smoother. __________________ 2009 Mac Pro 2.93GHz Xeon, 14GB RAM, 120GB Mercury extreme SSD, iMac G4 as media centre.
	0

Feb 24, 2013, 02:53 AM	#6
DanielCoffey macrumors 6502a Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Edinburgh, UK	If you have the space in your case, you could replace the cooler with something more efficient and quieter. I did that with my Apple 5870 and it has been working flawlessly for the past two years... http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1097022 __________________ MacPro 5,1: 6 x 3.33 GHz / 12 GB RAM / AMD 7950 3Gb / 120Gb SSD, 240Gb SSD, 500Gb HDD / ACD 27" / APC SMT1000I iPhone 5: 32Gb White / O2 3G / TwigCase Bamboo / BodyGuardz Pure
	0

Feb 25, 2013, 07:20 PM	#13
slughead macrumors 68000 Join Date: Apr 2004	My sapphire is dead quiet, my XFX is ridonculously loud. __________________ http://latewire.com
	0

Feb 20, 2013, 12:56 PM	#2
Loa macrumors 65816 Join Date: May 2003 Location: Québec	Hello, Search for "pcie g5 power cable" in ebay. Loa
	0

Feb 20, 2013, 03:29 PM	#4
mactune macrumors newbie Join Date: Feb 2013	The cable you need is called mini pci-e 6pin to pci-e 6pin. Hope this helps.
	0

Feb 25, 2013, 01:31 PM	#11
MacVidCards macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Hollywood, CA	6870s with 2 wire fans are much noisier than ones that come with 4 wires. If it only has 2 wires, it has limited speed control at best, so to avoid overheating they run them faster. The card stays cool until the fan wears out prematurely.
	0

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