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I have around 40 of these. I have 16x and 1x > 16x. They are all factory sealed. 2 coins each. Free ship within the US.

http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/9003/sam2540s.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/716/sam2540s.jpg/)

3 coins for all? :D

no

None of them powered?

Powered? Not sure i understand.

The molex connecter.

No molex.

Ive never seen a riser with a molex before. Why would you need one?

This happens to some people when not using powered extenders, depending on the # of cards being run:

What causes that to happen?

Wow. Ive been using these since I started mining. Ive never had any problems.

That looks like improper grounding or way too many GPUs were being run through the board. You need to make sure as a rule of thumb you're not running more than 4 cards per motherboard without Molex extenders.
EDIT: Also, any and all dual GPU cards need run through a Molex powered cable if using an extender. This includes 5970's, 6990's etc.

Here's the Molex powered extender one needs to avoid such over-draw: http://cablesaurus.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=12 (http://cablesaurus.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=12)
http://cablesaurus.com/image/cache/DSCN0538-228x228.jpg

Thats not true. Ive run 30 5850 with 5 cards per board as well as 2 rigs with 4 5970 each. Ive used more than 50 of these. Never had any problems. They work great.

Does the length of the extender matter in this case?
i.e. If you're using 1 GPU per mobo with either: a) 4in extender b) 8in c) 2 foot extender (hypothetically, not sure if this exists)

The risers in that pic could have been defective. Im sure you will get defective risers with the molex too.

It really all depends on the draw of the cards.  With 5830s you can get away with having 5 in a board, but seriously, you'll know when you're trying to pull too much through the motherboard. The cards will run like crap, the board will be super hot, and at some point, the system will stop working all together.

Running 5 cards may work. Running 5 cards may also stress your motherboard PCIe bus to the point of burning out.

You're not going to really know if you have a problem until something has died. You will not at all necessarily have mining or desktop performance symptoms leading up to such a hardware failure.

Edit: Not all motherboards are created equal as well.

Had the same thing happen to me but reason was slightly defective PSU (Corsair VX 550W) which was stressed too much ~100% for two weeks 24/7. No problems after switching to TX850V2 with same risers which were not the issue in my case, even though I have 3 GPUs like before and they draw more power (they're overvolted now).

When I look at that pic I have doubts risers caused that. The first thing that comes to my mind is power supply. People are probably trying to pull to much power from their psu.

PCI-E boards get some power from the motherboard (not just via the 2 power sockets what is on the board). If you have 5 or 6 cards it is better to use an extender with MOLEX. This extra power will take off the load from the motherboard.

That is caused by pulling too much current through your ATX connector.  not all connectors are created equal.  not all motherboards are equal.  You should be using Molex connectors to supply power if you have a lot of cards.  I have several similar burned out motherboards due to the same reason. 

I usually use 2, maybe 3 cards that get power from the motherboard, the rest are powered from a molex on the PCIe extender.

Well since ive personally used around 56 of these extenders without issue im not convinced the molex is necessary. Any problems arising is probably due to operator error not the lack of a molex. Dont overload your board or psu and these will work just fine.

PCIe Extenders with molex are needed on any dual GPU card. Your 5970's, etc, all need Molex cables to ensure you do not damage your motherboard from over draw.

PCIe Extenders with molex are also needed if you're running any combination of more than 4 GPU's on the extra cards. If you're running 5 5830's or something, than one card should be using an extender w/ molex.

PCIe Extenders with molex may be needed on some random motherboards to use an extender at all, but most of the time, very few boards will run into this. PCIe Extenders without molex should be fine in any other situation. Some folks like to use Extenders w/ molex on all cards, just to be safe. This might be a bit overkill but isn't a bad idea to ensure longevity.

Maybe your right but i cant agree with you simply because im currently running 5970s and have run 5 cards without the molex. I also got my extenders for $4. Your charging $22. Im happy with them and im confident my buyers will be too.

i dont think you are getting it..

they are not saying that the risers are causing this, they are saying that too many cards pulling too much voltage from the board causes it.

the reason they want the molex connector is to lessen the load on th emobo since the power can be supplied via the molex connector

so lets cover this again

a) pcie risers didnt cause that.. too much power draw through the mobo did
b) we all agree your pcie extenders are probably great, no one said anything about quality or anything regarding that
c) if you want to run more than 4 cards in a rig it is highly recommended to utilize the molex connector risers to lessen the chance of this happening.

I must agree, $22 is really a ripoff. But unfortunately that's what happens when there's little competition (plenty of riser suppliers but very few make ones with molex).

I do get it. People are posting pics of burnt out parts and posting links to cables with a molex and suggesting they are better or needed. You can recommended them for dual chip cards or more than 4 cards but to say you need them is just plain bullshit.

It's not bullshit.  I would rather spend $4 in "insurance" than $150 for a new motherboard.  Having burnt out a couple motherboards myself, I know first hand what can happen.  I can also assure you that it was not operator error - one of the boards in question was running a single 5970 and a 5870, both without Molex on the risers.  It was a cheap mobo and the ATX connectors, as I said, are not all created equal and poof, there it goes. 

It happens more often I've found with either a) overloaded PSUs or b) cheap PSUs (which in the end are just overloaded PSUs).  You're far more likely to get away without using a Molex if you are running 5 5850's with a quality, high output PSU than you would if you were running 5 5970's on a 1400w PSU... in fact, I can almost guarantee you will burn out your board trying to run that many 5970's without a molex.

I dont doubt what you guys are saying.  Im sure for some people the molex is a good idea. But to say its needed for any and all dual chips or more than 4 cards is not true. If you have a decent board and psu that was desigend for the amount of cards your running you will not NEED the molex. Your equipment will run just fine without it and you will have saved yourself some money.

Ok.  Here's what it boils down to.. the PCIE spec allows for up to 75watts to be pulled through a PCIE slot.  Most cards only pull 25watts, with your higher end/dual gpu cards pulling the full amount.  Some board manufacturers will cut corners and think "They won't use all 6 PCIE slots at one time, so we'll only account for 150 watts for that" and go cheap.   Then you go and use risers to make more cards fit than what would normally and before you know it, you've got 6x25=150watts of draw.  Ok, not an issue.  The board the designed for 150 watts.  If any of those cards starts pulling more than 25watts and the board was made cheaply, you're screwed.

See how both sides can actually be right in this situation?  It really comes down to your exact mix of hardware.  So you run 6x5830s.  We all know different brands run their cards slightly different.  One person's 6x5830 might pull more than a different person's 6x5830s.  Its easier to make a blanket statement about using molex than it is to go and explain all of this, especially to n00bs. 

That being said, I think 22.95 for a riser is a bit much, although I have bought some when I couldn't get them elsewhere.
 

+1

As for the part about different brands it is only the case of non-referent cards.

Interesting direction this thread has gone... I've had 3 5970s and a 5830 going strong for about 4 months on standard extenders without issue(1200watt corsair,gigabyte ud3 mb). I never thought about overdrawing power from the pcie connector but this thread has me thinking. I'm only drawing 1000w at the wall but I can't get my system to boot with any more cards. I'm thinking I need a pcie extender with molex, and that I'm lucky I haven't burnt anything out yet.

With that said, I hesitently started to order one from cablesaurus. $22 is ridiculous, add $6 shipping on top of that and it's enough to make me change my mind. From the pics it looks like they just soldered a single pin molex connector to one of the exposed pcie pins. I may break out the old soldering gun and make a few myself. Anyone have any experience making their own?

This;
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=38725.0

Mine are sealed in the factory anti static bag.

Granted.  And I will buy some from you on my next rig build.  But he was looking for powered adapters, and unhappy with the price at Cablesaurus so I pointed him to what he wanted.

I'm not sure how you can  be drawing 1000w from the wall with 3 5970's and a 5830.  You may want to remeasure that.  3x 5970 = 900w and I can't imagine everything else only taking 100w.  At the wall, no less.. which means you are only drawing ~750w DC?  I just can't see that happening with a fully loaded set of GPUs.

Anyway, they are easy to make yourself if you've got a fine tipped soldering iron.  It's 5 wires you have to remove from the PCB end, solder together onto a molex and away you go.

Understood. There is much debate going around and since this is my thread i just want to make my opinion. The molex is not necessary for everybody. Sealed risers are better. You can always buy mine cheap and add the molex yourself. I will also negotiate the price if you buy in bulk.

BTW TY crazyblane for sharing your experience with your 5970s. Im sure as this conversation carries on we will have more people confirming the molex is NOT a must have.

There are so many factors in needing molex or not.  One is overclocking.  If you overclock you can be drawing more then the rated power per card and that certainly changes things. 

If you use no x1 to x16 adapters (in other words only put x16 cards in x16 slots), AND none of your cards are dual GPU AND do not overclock you should not need molex. 

If you start using x1 to x16 and your cards are dual GPU you should use molex.  It may work, but you are probably over limit for the design. 

I think what littleshop and imsaguy said is more accurate information.

No joke, my machine (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=42410.0) is currently plugged into a Kill A Watt meter and it hovers around 1000w at full load. Configuration has changed a bit since the original post but it's extremely barebones. Linuxcoin running off of a usb stick with no extra drives, 3 5970s clocked at 820/250, and 1 5830 at 780/250. I'm thinking I can replace that 5830 with another 5970 if I use powered pcie extenders.

With core OC and memory DC 5970 draw might be a little more or a little less than 300w. I heard a good psu will actually give you more than what they are rated. I think 4 is pushing it but you might be able to get away with it. I was looking at this 1000w cooler master with 8 PCIE cables and it says max output is 1200w. It will probably give you 1250 but if you really push your psu or board like that you might have problems with or without the molex.

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Silent-Modular-Supply/dp/B003O8J12I/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1328504102&sr=8-2

Bump for awesome sale and crazy fast shipping!

Thanks BTC guy, that was here in 2 days since you pm'd me you shipped..

:)

This is just false.  All that matters is total load of PCIe bus.  BTW.  A 5870 pulls ~30W from the bus.  A 5970 pulls ~30W from the bus.  So why does a 5970 need a powered extender but a 5870 doesn't?

30W may be spec, but I can tell you cards pull more than spec often, especially when overclocked.  I'll be happy to send you a couple motherboards to prove it.

1) 3x5970 pulls 800W DC which is about 870W AC at the wall (that includes rest of system too).  Mining w/ downclocked ram saves a lot of wattage.

2) Please never recommend someone pull 1250W from a 1000W PSU.  A 1000W PSU shouldn't pull more than 1000W MAX continually.  Ever.  Period.  If someone needs 1250W they need a 1250W PSU.  25% of rated power is a good way to burn down a home if the overcurrent protection fails.

Well 75W is the spec but how do you know it pulled more than 30W?  5 card @ 30W = 150W.  If the MB wasn't designed to handle more than 120W you could easily kill the MB without any card pulling more than 30W.  I am not saying people shouldn't use powered extenders I was just trying to clear up some of the completely false claims.

Per the post I responded to 4x5870 @ 30W ea = no need for powered extenders.  A single 5970 @ 30W = MUST HAVE powered extender.  ???  Wrong info is wrong info.

There is no hard and fast rule and people need to decide what they are comfortable with.  The reality doesn't fit into a sound bite but here are some ideas:

1) High end cards tend to draw less from the bus and more from the dedicated connectors because they are more reliable.  So the idea that a 5770 might be fine but a 5970 must be dangerous is actually backwards. 

2) The more CARDS (not GPU) you have installed the more you need to consider powered extenders.  6x5870s is going to draw more from the bus than 4x5970s despite having less GPUs.

3) The harder you overclock the more wattage you are going to pull and some share of that is going to come from the bus.

4) The more PCIe 1x slots you use the more you should consider powered extenders.  A card in PCIe x16 slots is going to pull the same from the bus extender or direct thus hopefully the designer planned on that wattage being used.  However a PCIe x1 slot normally doesn't pull more than 10W or less.  Using a board w/ lots of PCIe 1x slots may indicate the MB can't handle 150W+

5) Downclocking memory helps a lot and since 5000 series can go as low as 150Mhz (model dependent) they are going to pull less wattage than a similar caliber 6000 series card.

Not sure how this one performs but Coolermaster PSUs are on average just ok, nothing special.
Pulling 1200W from a 1000W can be fine for running some benchmarks but not for everyday 2-6hour gaming use or worse - 24/7 mining. I would advise to keep the load @ 80, max 90%, I have burned my ATX 24pin connector in a VX550W after mining two weeks 24/7 with ~550W load. Got the connector replaced, working fine now, but the motherboard connector is now brown (was white;)).

Because it was either the only card in the system or it was a 5970 + 5870 (I can't recall on this specific board), so in either case, it was beyond spec, even if it was a two card system.  This particular motherboard only had two PCIe slots, so I know there was no more than 2 cards in there at any one time and I know it was not two 5970's, since the PSU on that machine was only a 500w PSU.

If you run 24/7 1kw full load you should probly take 5-10% capacitor aging into consideration also...so 900W for 1kw max. Most peak 1100w...good ones atleast so you have 200w buffer just in case.

Still have around 30 cables for sale.

Price lowered to 2 coins.

PLZ BUY RISERS