Running a GTX 1060 w/o the extra power connector

[msxyz]

Is it possible to run a GTX 1060 without attaching it to the extra power connector? Of the few NVidia cards I had in the past, the system would boot up, but the 3D clocks were limited to a low power state (eventually, it can be altered by flashing a modded BIOS). Why am I asking this?

I want to setup an eGPU for a Mac via Thunderbolt. I've a spare 750Ti that doesn't need an extra connector as it's within the 75W limit of the PCIe slot. The GPU box I'm about to buy (AKiTiO Thunder 2) can supply the needed power to the slot by using a 90-120W power brick so, this setup would work fine without extra cabling and an external PSU (look is important as functionality for this project!)

But the 750 is a bit dated and I want something with more RAM and more computing power. A small form factor 1060 GTX would be ideal, but it's a 120W card and uses an extra power connector. Realistically, what would be the maximum clocks obtainable by forcing it to run without it? I understand that power dissipation rises with the square of voltage so I should be able to run it at about 75-80% of the defaults clock (minus the power absorbed by the rest of the board, including the RAM chips). I've seen that Maxwell BIOSes allow a great deal of flexibility in routing the power from the PCIe slot and the external line, so with careful modding of the firmware I should be able to get good performance at a reduced power draw. Does anybody have any input/advice to give to me?

 

[homerdog]

That won't work. Just get a 1050Ti.

 

[msxyz]

Imho the 1050 is hardly an upgrade from the 750. Also the process on which it's built seems less efficient.

According to the graphs shown on this page http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/nvidia-geforce-gtx-1060-pascal,4679-7.html the 1060 draws about 60w of power at 1500 MHz. The card tries to split evenly the current drawn bewteen the PCIe slot and the addon connector but isn't that something which can be changed in the bios?

 

[lanek]

Imho the 1050 is hardly an upgrade from the 750. Also the process on which it's built seems less efficient.

According to the graphs shown on this page http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/nvidia-geforce-gtx-1060-pascal,4679-7.html the 1060 draws about 60w of power at 1500 MHz. The card tries to split evenly the current drawn bewteen the PCIe slot and the addon connector but isn't that something which can be changed in the bios?

- Dont forget, this is in one game, result could be a little bit different in an another one, or on a different scenario.

- Its needed to see how is hard routed the power on the gpu board. (meaning hardware have his importance too )

- If you can rewrite a bios or Nvidia can send one who only require the PCI express slot connection for power the gpu.. maybe.

( Just for say, but if i dont connect PSU cable to my GPU's, i will heard a nice sound and get some light flickering indicating me i have not connect the cable, or my PSU is defectuous ).

 

[homerdog]

Imho the 1050 is hardly an upgrade from the 750. Also the process on which it's built seems less efficient.

The 1050Ti is almost twice as fast as the 750Ti and has twice the VRAM. It's a very solid upgrade.

 

[msxyz]

Well, there is a Maxwell BIOS editor that allows to set limits on the input current for the various rails. Based on that hard set limits, the GPU is then throttled or power is re-routed. The real issue is how the power supply circuits are wired inside the card so I reckon that leaving the extra power connector unplugged may be bad, regardless of how much current is drawn from that source. My 750 is a low profile card without external connector and it's set for a 60W power drain from the PCIe slot alone. That's within a 16x PCIe slot limits and the Thunder2 is also able to withstand it with a 90W power brick.

I'm going to try with the 750 first and see if the performance is satisfying. I will keep in mind the 1050 as an upgrade alternative and, in the meantime, I will also study some other 'creative' solutions I've seen in some modding forums.

 

[CSI PC]

You would still need the auxiliary connector as the IHV will split the power distribution between the mainboard and the auxiliary at a circuit/VRM-power stage level.
You can lower a 1060 to below 70W total (under 1600MHz core clock) but you still need the auxiliary.
Cheers

 

[msxyz]

After a lot of considerations, I convinced the person who had asked me to build a small, quiet eGPU box for his Macbook that is not worth the trouble. I've convinced him that a small yet capable HTPC may be better (both aesthetically and from a functionality point of view)