Need molex power in max'd out unit

[MassMacMan]

Hi all,

I need an open molex connector to provide a switching signal to an external FSP Booster X5 power supply for two Nvidia graphics cards. I have an early 2009 Nehalem unit, completely stuffed with add-ons. All 4 HD slots are filled, as are both optical drives. What's the best place to add a splitter/adaptor and get a hot molex connector?

Mike in Mass

 

[Gav Mack]

Hi all,

I need an open molex connector to provide a switching signal to an external FSP Booster X5 power supply for two Nvidia graphics cards. I have an early 2009 Nehalem unit, completely stuffed with add-ons. All 4 HD slots are filled, as are both optical drives. What's the best place to add a splitter/adaptor and get a hot molex connector?

Mike in Mass

If you have hdd/SSD's in brackets in one of the optical bays where a DVD drive once was I'd say that's your best place to have the room to add a splitter cable and a long molex.

 

[MassMacMan]

Good thought, but I have two optical drives installed. I went that route to permit rapid copying of CDs/DVDs, but haven't done that much of that. Maybe I could remove the OEM one and keep the lightscribe optical unit...

 

[Gav Mack]

Good thought, but I have two optical drives installed. I went that route to permit rapid copying of CDs/DVDs, but haven't done that much of that. Maybe I could remove the OEM one and keep the lightscribe optical unit...

You can get the brackets that fit the optical mounts 2x2.5 inch or 1x 2.5 and 3.5 from OWC. That gives enough room at the back to fit a splitter and if you can route the additional data cable a pair of SATA drives/SSD's as well as the long molex you need. Truly maxing it out

 

[MassMacMan]

OK, so assuming for now that I don't need any additional SSD's (already got a 500GB SSD), what adaptor do I need to connect the optical bay's connector to a 4-pin molex?

Once I have that, all I need is a long molex extension, easily obtainable. I plan on running the power supply external to the Mac case, running all the wires in and out of an open PCI slot.

 

[Gav Mack]

OK, so assuming for now that I don't need any additional SSD's (already got a 500GB SSD), what adaptor do I need to connect the optical bay's connector to a 4-pin molex?

Once I have that, all I need is a long molex extension, easily obtainable. I plan on running the power supply external to the Mac case, running all the wires in and out of an open PCI slot.

One of these to connect to the optical power

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Akasa-AK-CB...1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1382380043&sr=1-1

Plus your long molex cable.

 

[ActionableMango]

OK, so assuming for now that I don't need any additional SSD's (already got a 500GB SSD), what adaptor do I need to connect the optical bay's connector to a 4-pin molex?

I've been through this before.

If you want to keep using both optical drives, you'll need this cable plus a molex extension cable.

You will need to run the molex extension cable through the same hole as the existing cables use, and in order to fit through that hole you will temporarily have to remove one of the molex connectors, pass the wires through, and reconnect them.

This cable is a fairly nice molex extender and its what I used.

 

[sunsetsothickly]

This cable is a fairly nice molex extender and its what I used.

Hi ActionableMango,

That is a good length Molex extender - limiting factor then becomes the length of the PCIe power cables running back from the Booster X5. Can you give me a rough idea how long they are?

Given you are keeping yours external rather than in the lower optical bay, did you think about going for an Add2PSU and a larger ATX PSU? How loud are those little fans in the Booster when your second card is loaded?

Thanks for the advice

 

[ActionableMango]

Hi ActionableMango,

That is a good length Molex extender - limiting factor then becomes the length of the PCIe power cables running back from the Booster X5. Can you give me a rough idea how long they are?

Given you are keeping yours external rather than in the lower optical bay, did you think about going for an Add2PSU and a larger ATX PSU? How loud are those little fans in the Booster when your second card is loaded?

Thanks for the advice

I don't have a secondary PSU. These are my cables for when I needed supplemental power for a PCIe card from a molex source.

 

[gsloan]

OK, so assuming for now that I don't need any additional SSD's (already got a 500GB SSD), what adaptor do I need to connect the optical bay's connector to a 4-pin molex?

Once I have that, all I need is a long molex extension, easily obtainable. I plan on running the power supply external to the Mac case, running all the wires in and out of an open PCI slot.

Curious to see how this works out, as I've already got a molex cable run for my USB 3.0 card and have a molex splitter, so this might save some effort of routing cables/mounting the thing and losing my internal optical.

Can you hear the FSP? Is it loud at all? Do the PCIe 8-pin cables reach fine, if the FSP is set on top of the MP?

Thanks!