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PSU cables - wire gauge
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Author | Message |
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Ghia Send message Joined: 7 Feb 17 Posts: 238 Credit: 28,911,438 RAC: 50 |
Hi, Got a Corsair HX1000i (platinum, fully modular) for my new build. The cables look like crap, so I'm looking into getting some nice sleeved cables, at least for the most visible connections. So the choice I have to make is, should I buy a complete set, or juste extensions. Extensions would of course be cheaper, so I thought 16AWG wire would be nice. Surprise came when I discovered that the original wires are 18AWG. So...what happens (if anything) if I get 16AWG extensions for 18AWG cables ? If I buy complete 16AWG cables for the connections that draw the most power (24-pin, CPU and GPU), can they safely be used in tandem with the original 18AWG cables for the remaining connections ? Does any of this matter to the PSU at all ? ...Ghia... Humans may rule the world...but bacteria run it... |
rob smith Send message Joined: 7 Mar 03 Posts: 22202 Credit: 416,307,556 RAC: 380 |
What current is being passed through these cables? - Let that guide your cable choice first, then the "prettiness" of the outside. Bob Smith Member of Seti PIPPS (Pluto is a Planet Protest Society) Somewhere in the (un)known Universe? |
Ghia Send message Joined: 7 Feb 17 Posts: 238 Credit: 28,911,438 RAC: 50 |
What current is being passed through these cables? - Let that guide your cable choice first, then the "prettiness" of the outside. I know that what you call "prettiness" is somewhat frowned upon in this community. But I do care about how my build looks, like it or not. If I didn't, I'd just go with the original set of cables. I'm sure Corsair's 18AWG cables are sufficient for the current, that is not the question. Humans may rule the world...but bacteria run it... |
Phil Burden Send message Joined: 26 Oct 00 Posts: 264 Credit: 22,303,899 RAC: 0 |
Hi, Personally, I would ensure any extension cables you make up have the same capacity of the cables you're extending. Using thinner cables could be problematic, since they are likely to heat up quicker than the existing cables. I would have thought, (no offence intended) that safety would take precedence over looks ;-) P. |
Ghia Send message Joined: 7 Feb 17 Posts: 238 Credit: 28,911,438 RAC: 50 |
Of course, safety comes first ! That is why I'm asking this question. And since 16AWG wire is 0.267mm thicker than 18AWG, I would think 16AWG is the better choice. Humans may rule the world...but bacteria run it... |
Bill G Send message Joined: 1 Jun 01 Posts: 1282 Credit: 187,688,550 RAC: 182 |
Using the thicker cables will make no difference, in fact it adds a safety factor. Current will actually flow easier. As I see you are fully aware that the lower number means thicker wire and it will make no difference to the PS. SETI@home classic workunits 4,019 SETI@home classic CPU time 34,348 hours |
Ghia Send message Joined: 7 Feb 17 Posts: 238 Credit: 28,911,438 RAC: 50 |
Using the thicker cables will make no difference, in fact it adds a safety factor. Current will actually flow easier. As I see you are fully aware that the lower number means thicker wire and it will make no difference to the PS. Thank you....yes, the whole idea behind going for 16AWG is to increase safety...not to lower it, as some seem to think. If it doesn't matter to the PSU, you think 16AWG extensions on 18AWG cables is ok ? Humans may rule the world...but bacteria run it... |
Brent Norman Send message Joined: 1 Dec 99 Posts: 2786 Credit: 685,657,289 RAC: 835 |
I wouldn't touch extensions unless absolutely necessary. 99.9% of the time the failure point is a connection, and you are introducing one more in the chain. |
Bill G Send message Joined: 1 Jun 01 Posts: 1282 Credit: 187,688,550 RAC: 182 |
Using the thicker cables will make no difference, in fact it adds a safety factor. Current will actually flow easier. As I see you are fully aware that the lower number means thicker wire and it will make no difference to the PS. Yes, but as has just been said, it would be better to not use extensions at all. SETI@home classic workunits 4,019 SETI@home classic CPU time 34,348 hours |
Ghia Send message Joined: 7 Feb 17 Posts: 238 Credit: 28,911,438 RAC: 50 |
I wouldn't touch extensions unless absolutely necessary. Tnx, true enough....I didn't think about that ! I'll go the other route, then, using full length cables. Humans may rule the world...but bacteria run it... |
juan BFP Send message Joined: 16 Mar 07 Posts: 9786 Credit: 572,710,851 RAC: 3,799 |
using full length cables. Keep you cables short as possible, avoid extra connections and use only top quality components is always the best path to follow. |
Ghia Send message Joined: 7 Feb 17 Posts: 238 Credit: 28,911,438 RAC: 50 |
using full length cables. +1 I'll take some measurements and keep the cables as short as possible. The cabinet is large, with the PSU in the back and a horizontal mobo, so at least some of the cables can be kept reasonably short. Humans may rule the world...but bacteria run it... |
Gary Charpentier Send message Joined: 25 Dec 00 Posts: 30651 Credit: 53,134,872 RAC: 32 |
FYI doesn't every PSU tell you how many volts and amps it supplies in the specs or on the label? Then there is https://www.usawire-cable.com/pdfs/nec%20ampacities.pdf and https://www.powerstream.com/Wire_Size.htm Make sure the connectors are rated for the load and attached correctly. |
Ghan-buri-Ghan Mike Send message Joined: 27 Dec 15 Posts: 123 Credit: 92,602,985 RAC: 172 |
Here's a wire gauge use chart for 12 V DC circuits: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/01/f2/3a/01f23afb79e5f8767f11a30ab5683df0.jpg According to this, unless you are doing very long runs (in excess of 5 feet), 18 AWG ought to be fine up to 24 amps. |
Ghia Send message Joined: 7 Feb 17 Posts: 238 Credit: 28,911,438 RAC: 50 |
Here's a wire gauge use chart for 12 V DC circuits: Yes, I'm aware that 18AWG is fine. But 16AWG...even better. :) Humans may rule the world...but bacteria run it... |
rob smith Send message Joined: 7 Mar 03 Posts: 22202 Credit: 416,307,556 RAC: 380 |
A couple of things - cable runs are normally quoted for the round trip, not just a single wire. This means if the end to end distance is 2ft, the round trip distance is 4ft. - also the shading is light grey for 18swg, which indicates "usable, but expect very large voltage drops" and voltage drops mean the potential for increased current required to supply the required power. Looking at this table could this be a source of some folks woes when running lots of GPUs in large cases with lots of extension cables - while the PSU is capable of supplying the POWER required it is not capable of supplying the AMPs needed to get that power (just a thought). Bob Smith Member of Seti PIPPS (Pluto is a Planet Protest Society) Somewhere in the (un)known Universe? |
Siran d'Vel'nahr Send message Joined: 23 May 99 Posts: 7379 Credit: 44,181,323 RAC: 238 |
-[ snip ]- It is hard to find anything without the RGB LED lighting anymore. I could care less about that bling. My case has a glass side panel. The PC sits on a table next to my desk. I can see into the case whenever I look at it. My PSU has black mesh sleeves on the cables (motherboard and CPU). At the board connections the wires show and they are what is called "mustard and ketchup" wires. I did not like the looks of those wires against the design aesthetics of the motherboard, black, white and silver. The motherboard also has RGB on the power connection edge. I ordered a set of extensions that are black and white which do not conflict with the board and makes it look pleasing to the eyes. If the wires were all black, I would not have ordered the extensions. If my case had a solid panel I probably would not have ordered the extensions. I also do not believe that 99.9% of failures is caused my the connectors. Sure, they can fail, but I believe that percentage to be nonfactual. Have a great day! :) Siran CAPT Siran d'Vel'nahr - L L & P _\\// Winders 11 OS? "What a piece of junk!" - L. Skywalker "Logic is the cement of our civilization with which we ascend from chaos using reason as our guide." - T'Plana-hath |
Siran d'Vel'nahr Send message Joined: 23 May 99 Posts: 7379 Credit: 44,181,323 RAC: 238 |
Now why would I want to make my PC look ugly by pasting brown paper over it? ;)My case has a glass side panel. The PC sits on a table next to my desk. I can see into the case whenever I look at it. Or even easier place the PC somewhere else if it bothered you?Yeah, that's the ticket. I could put the PC in the basement and not have to look at it. But then, how would I use it? ;) My PC does not bother me, well, it's heavy and at my age it's a pain to carry it outside to blow dust out of it, but I still do. Or even just stop looking at it?I happen to like the way my PC looks, why should I stop looking at it? ;) But I guess these are minor niggles in the life of a Vulcan Starship Captain.I'm not a Vulcan Starship Captain. I'm a human being stuck on this planet we call Earth. ;) Insults don't work on me. ;) Stop suggesting to people what you yourself would do just because you think we should do it your way. I was explaining what I did to make my PC look good to me. I see nothing wrong with someone making their PC look as they want it to. If they want to have all that RGB lighting all through, more power to them, it's their choice. I don't believe that adding extensions to the PSU cables is going to increase any failure rate. Adding mine made my PC look better and have yet to fail which I doubt will ever happen in my lifetime. Have a great day! :) Siran CAPT Siran d'Vel'nahr - L L & P _\\// Winders 11 OS? "What a piece of junk!" - L. Skywalker "Logic is the cement of our civilization with which we ascend from chaos using reason as our guide." - T'Plana-hath |
W-K 666 Send message Joined: 18 May 99 Posts: 19062 Credit: 40,757,560 RAC: 67 |
It should be noted that there should be an extra thin wire on pin 13 of the 24 way motherboard connector, that is used to measure the 3.3V and adjust as necessary so that is actually 3.3V. As the 5V supply is also generated by the same circuit in the PSU then it adjusts that as well. Some PSU's also adjust the 12V but it shouldn't be required as much as the spec is ±10% rather than the ±5% of the other voltages. |
Ghia Send message Joined: 7 Feb 17 Posts: 238 Credit: 28,911,438 RAC: 50 |
Thanks for that, Siran...my thoughts exactly :) Same setup here. My PC has a full glass window, it sits in my living room and is a part of my environment. So yes, aesthetics DO come into it, nothing wrong with it being pleasing to the eye. I'm going for wires that are both thicker and shorter than the Corsair originals, thus improving safety. I can measure it out so the cables don't have coils of extra length ithat need to be stuffed somewhere. Besides being ugly, the originals are longer than what I need....as an example, the 8-pin PCIe cables are 775mm. Quite a roundtrip length. Cables will be bought from a reputable company that do this for a living and set high standards for their work. So I choose to trust they know what they're doing. They get all my specs, and every cable is thoroughly tested before being shipped. Don't know what more I can do. ...Ghia... Humans may rule the world...but bacteria run it... |
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