EVGA Intros Power Boost Gadget to Improve PCI-E Power Stability

[btarunr]

EVGA released what it claims to be a handy little accessory that can increase PCI-Express slot power, improving overclocking stability of graphics cards installed. Called the EVGA Power Boost, the gadget is a tiny PCB that fits into the power-line notch of any PCI-Express slot (x1 thru x16), and draws in an auxiliary 12V line directly from the power supply unit. The little PCB draws in power from a standard Molex power connector, adding it to the motherboard's 12V line. EVGA also gave out a detailed HD video showing users exactly how to install the device, because inserting it into the wrong part of the PCI-Express slot will fry the motherboard. EVGA is asking $20 for it.

EVGA Power Boost!

View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[AsRock]

Some terrible wiring going on there.

 

[aCid888*]

................................... OKKKKKKKKKKK...... :shadedshu

 

[$immond$]

I call it B.S, just like those gaming nic cards.

 

[Wile E]

So why didn't they just put a Molex on their boards? Oh wait, because they couldn't charge $20 for it, that's why. Evga is slipping downhill fast.

I call it B.S, just like those gaming nic cards.

Nope, this would work just fine, actually. It ties directly into the PCIe power circutry this way.

Reminds me of this: http://www.cluboc.net/reviews/memory/ocz/booster/index.htm

 

[W1zzard]

i seriously doubt this can make any difference at all. vga cards are not unstable because of power delivery issues from the socket.

and $20 .. cmon ... $3 maybe and they'd still make a ton of profit

if your (evga?) motherboard doesnt work right without it, then you bought a POS motherboard that is not engineered properly

 

[Wile E]

Well, wasn't it the Evga boards having Quad-SLI power delivery issues because their PCIe power sub-system was not up to snuff?

I bet this works for those setups, but that begs the question, why not just do it right from the beginning?

 

[alwayssts]

So, let me get this straight.

This thing stabilizes your pci-e lanes...which each can pull 75W from the slot by spec....through a fan connector they didn't even bother to seperate the ground from the 12v line...yet warn about being a fire hazard for other reasons?

Yea....No.

While normally I'd be all for adding another 75W of available power (Yeah, yeah....50W 12v spec on a molex, but they're rated for 75W) I have a suspicion this doesn't do that at all. Besides, just like the fore-mentioned connector is rated at 50W while capable of 50% more, no doubt pci-e slots are massively over-specced as well, making this useless. While I don't know the electronic specifics of board-supplied pci-e power, let me break down why this is likely useless. PCIe is overbuilt.

Case in point, PEG connectors.

6-pin and 8-pin PEGs have the same amount of 12v wires. True story, 3 apiece, although in the 6-pin, one might as well be disconnected because it isn't needed. The 6-pin connector is rated at 8A (itself a safe spec), but the pci-e spec is 6.5A (75W). So each 12v line pulls 2ish amps max in a 6-pin plug...compared to a molex plug that is specced at twice that, and rated for three times as much. The 8-pin uses all three 12v lines, and pulls up to 4A apiece (150w/12v/3=4.16_A), the EXACT same as the molex spec, but uses an enormous amount of grounds. If you can subtract, you would say 5. You would be right. If you think that is overkill, you would be right.

Our pci-e power is fine and COMPLETELY fail safe already; bullshit peripherals like this make me sad.

 

[entropy13]

Maybe profit margins for their GPUs are way below their expectations...

 

[csendesmark]

This product is nonsens...

EVGA was my fav brand... for a long time

 

[KaelMaelstrom]

This is bullshit, the only thing that affects the stability of the power is the power supply

 

[pr0n Inspector]

So, let me get this straight.

This thing stabilizes your pci-e lanes...which each can pull 75W from the slot by spec....through a fan connector they didn't even bother to seperate the ground from the 12v line...yet warn about being a fire hazard for other reasons?

Yea....No.

While normally I'd be all for adding another 75W of available power (Yeah, yeah....50W 12v spec on a molex, but they're rated for 75W) I have a suspicion this doesn't do that at all. Besides, just like the fore-mentioned connector is rated at 50W while capable of 50% more, no doubt pci-e slots are massively over-specced as well, making this useless. While I don't know the electronic specifics of board-supplied pci-e power, let me break down why this is likely useless. PCIe is overbuilt.

Case in point, PEG connectors.

6-pin and 8-pin PEGs have the same amount of 12v wires. True story, 3 apiece, although in the 6-pin, one might as well be disconnected because it isn't needed. The 6-pin connector is rated at 8A (itself a safe spec), but the pci-e spec is 6.5A (75W). So each 12v line pulls 2ish amps max in a 6-pin plug...compared to a molex plug that is specced at twice that, and rated for three times as much. The 8-pin uses all three 12v lines, and pulls up to 4A apiece (150w/12v/3=4.16_A), the EXACT same as the molex spec, but uses an enormous amount of grounds. If you can subtract, you would say 5. You would be right. If you think that is overkill, you would be right.

Our pci-e power is fine and COMPLETELY fail safe already; bullshit peripherals like this make me sad.

nitpicking: electrons flow from "ground" to the +12v line, so using more black wires makes sense, since electrons are exhausted after doing all that work in the video card.

This is bullshit, the only thing that affects the stability of the power is the power supply

this is designed to provide more power to a crappy motherboard. it's like oxygen at 10LPM for someone in respiratory distress.

 

[theonedub]

I thought that EVGA adds an out of place molex plug on their upper echelon boards already for this purpose? (not that I thought it mattered)

 

[Wile E]

I think I remember what it is I think I heard, The quad SLI boards draw too much power from the 12v+ on the 24pin psu connector, overheating the connector.

Is that what this is targeted at?

And yet again, it seems to me they could've addressed this in the initial board design, tbh.

 

[chuchnit]

Well, wasn't it the Evga boards having Quad-SLI power delivery issues because their PCIe power sub-system was not up to snuff?

I bet this works for those setups, but that begs the question, why not just do it right from the beginning?

I think I remember what it is I think I heard, The quad SLI boards draw too much power from the 12v+ on the 24pin psu connector, overheating the connector.

Is that what this is targeted at?

And yet again, it seems to me they could've addressed this in the initial board design, tbh.

No and No!! The original EVGA classified was having 24-pin connectors melt because of excess power draw from the PCI-E lanes with quad 4890's. This only applied to extreme overclockers running 4x4890's over 1000mhz. From what Shamino says, ATI is the only ones that draw power out of spec from the PCI-E slots. The classified's PCI-E power traces are/were actually designed stronger than any other board at the time. Shamino released a hardmod to eliminate the melting by adding auxiliary 12v power to the 24-pin. In the end this is why the 4-way classified included the 4-pin molex.

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=226942

I thought that EVGA adds an out of place molex plug on their upper echelon boards already for this purpose? (not that I thought it mattered)

Yes only on the 4-way. They were the first to do this, but Asus and Gigabyte soon followed, but went as far as having two 4-pins.

 

[claylomax]

Well if it says EVGA on it, many people will buy it.

 

[chuchnit]

+1 and it kind of is stupid for them to even make and market this. Anybody that would need the power is going to be using a board that has the molex connectors. That or they go the the free route and solder some darn wires.

 

[sneekypeet]

why did this come to mind as I read this?

 

[Arrakis9]

why did this come to mind as I read this?

notice how its deactivated too

*HINT* *HINT* evga *HINT* *HINT*


Edit:
just thinking about it if your good at soldering you could probably make one of these from a dead pcie graphics card

 

[overclocking101]

notice how its deactivated too

*HINT* *HINT* evga *HINT* *HINT*


Edit:
just thinking about it if your good at soldering you could probably make one of these from a dead pcie graphics card

it would be pretty easy, just cut the X1 part out, follow the 2 traces and solder a 4pin molex onto it

 

[newtekie1]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRuNxHqwazs

That is the first thing I thought of when I saw this.

The only use I see for this is using on the boards that have 3 or more PCI-E slots and don't provide a molex on the board to provide extra power to the slots. EVGA isn't the only boards guilty of this, I've seen ASUS do it too, and I believe even Gigabyte. I'm sure if you looked hard enough you could find boards from everyone that didn't have the extra molex connecter on the board actually. But $20 is a bit excessive for a tiny PCB and two wires solder onto it, as W1z said, $3 would still be a profit.

 

[Poisonsnak]

nitpicking: electrons flow from "ground" to the +12v line, so using more black wires makes sense, since electrons are exhausted after doing all that work in the video card.

I like that, maybe a few of them pick up a beer on the way home from work so there isn't as much traffic on the yellow wire as the black one.

 

[(FIH) The Don]

it should free of charge, it is EVGA that fucked it up, so THEY have to pay, ! LAME!!!!

 

[~The_Dude~]

They do have a molex on boards that can fit enough cards to utilize the extra power.

So why didn't they just put a Molex on their boards? Oh wait, because they couldn't charge $20 for it, that's why. Evga is slipping downhill fast.



Nope, this would work just fine, actually. It ties directly into the PCIe power circutry this way.

Reminds me of this: http://www.cluboc.net/reviews/memory/ocz/booster/index.htm

 

[(FIH) The Don]

They do have a molex on boards that can fit enough cards to utilize the extra power.

riiiiight......check the 758, does not have it