My sons HP z220 CMT came with only one 6pin pci cable, is that by default? or did I buy a faulty PC?

[vmf007]

Hello: My sons HP z220 CMT came with only one 6pin pci cable, is that by default? or did I buy a faulty PC? All the videos we've watched upgrading the video cards, have people connecting a 6 pin cable and an 8 pin connector cable to the video card, but ours only has the 6 pin. We plug it in, and it doesn't work even though the fan is spinning. So i'm wondering if we need that 8 pin connector cable as well, and if so...where does it go on the mother board? by the way the graphics card is an: MSI n560 gtx

Thanks ahead!

[old_geekster · Accepted solution]

@vmf007 , welcome to the forum.

Here are the Product Specifications for the computer: https://support.hp.com/us-en/product/hp-z220-convertible-minitower-workstation/5260575/document/c033...

Since the power supply unit (PSU) is only 400W, I believe that it would have come with only one 6-pin PCIe power connector.  It would be difficult for a 400W PSU to supply much more power to a video card.

[vmf007]

Hi thanks for responding. Some one on YouTube installed an msi n560gtx graphics card. I thought i could do the same but the pc in the video has 2 cables... my son's only has one.  Could that card work on this pc in your estimation? If we had the two cables... don't know the watts on that card. 

[vmf007]

Ok did a Google search on the card and it requires 500 watts.  So I guess i need a new power supply. So i guess I need to find out which power supply will fit my pc.

Thanks!

[old_geekster]

You are welcome, @vmf007!

You should be extremely cautious when buying PSU's for HP computers.  HP has their motherboards made to their specifications.  Therefore, they are not always the same as retail boards.  The ATX power connectors can be proprietary which means that it may be difficult to find a PSU that will work.  Some have 4-pin power connectors, instead of the standard 24-pin ATX connector.

[vmf007]

Thanks for the heads up!

[old_geekster]

You are very welcome, @vmf007! I don't like to see members have to return components that don't work.  The sellers pay for shipping to you, but not always for the returns.  I have spent a few extra dollars for the return shipping.  I would rather spend in on the components. 😉

[vmf007]

Well appreciated. Thanks again!