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Power Supply Connector
When buying a power supply for a motherboard do you have to check
which connector type it has for the motherboard before purchase. I see that some motherboard require different plug types and wasn't sure if they come with different connectors. |
#2
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Power Supply Connector
Hidden wrote:
When buying a power supply for a motherboard do you have to check which connector type it has for the motherboard before purchase. I see that some motherboard require different plug types and wasn't sure if they come with different connectors. (Desktop) Boards have two power connectors. (Server motherboards have a great many power connectors, and are a bit confusing. Desktops are easy.) The most modern power supply, has a 20+4 connector. Typically, the PSU connector detaches into two pieces. The four pin piece is of no use by itself. The four pin piece has four different colored wires. The two portions are wrapped together so they can't get separated. The four pin section was added, to make room for more amperes of current. The four pin section does not add any new or different voltages. It is for this reason, that the four pin section doesn't always need to be connected. If the application doesn't need more amperes of current, it doesn't have to be plugged in. This site has pictures. Simply copy a link to a picture here, if you have a question. http://www.playtool.com/pages/psucon...onnectors.html You can plug a 20 into a 24. You can plug a 24 into a 20. If the 24 does not detach, the four pin section could "hang over the end". More frequently, the 24 is a 20+4 and it detaches to handle either kind of motherboard. A 20+4 can handle a 20 or a 24 motherboard. You can plug an old 20 pin PSU into a 24 pin motherboard, if: 1) You're using one PCI Express video card only. A 6600 video card draws 4 amps from +12V on the main connector. Other cards draw less current on the single yellow wire of a 20 pin connector. The single yellow wire carries 6 amps safely. So you can use a 6600 or lots of other video cards, without overwhelming the single yellow wire of a 20 pin PSU. 2) If you have two 6600 video cards, that would be 8 amps, and too much for the single 6 amp (yellow) wire on the main connector. Now you really need a 20+4 or 24 PSU. And the funny thing is, even higher end video cards, draw less current from that single yellow wire. A high end card draws 2 amps. It is the mid-range cards, that don't have a PCI Express power connector on the end of the card, that draw 4A to 4.5A or so. Those are the dangerous ones, with respect to the poor yellow wire. So the 20 pin PSU is adequate for a 24 pin motherboard, as long as the loading on the motherboard doesn't exceed 6 amps. When you plug a 20 pin, into a 24 pin motherboard, match "pin 1 with pin 1". The shapes of the pins, help guide you to the correct insertion. Do not try to jam together, pins not intended to mate. If you use enough brute force, you may succeed in mating the wrong pins. Make sure the "latch" on one side of the connector, latches with the mate on the motherboard. That helps you at least get the right sides lined up. http://www.playtool.com/pages/psuconnectors/20in24.jpg ******* The ATX12V connector comes in two flavors. The 2x2 was the first ATX12V. Some manufacturers insist on using 2x4 connectors. When the motherboard has a 2x4 connector, you can plug a 2x2 into it. If the motherboard is new, a sticker covers the four unused pins. That makes it easy to plug it in right. Like the other connector, mate the latches. The latch is there, to prevent thermal expansion from "ejecting" the connector. If the connector starts to eject itself, the pins get burned. On the power supply end, a power supply with a 2x4, can detach. It can make two 2x2 connectors. The connectors in that case have two yellow wires and two black wires. If it has the two yellow wires, you know you've got the correct one for the motherboard ATX12V input. Do not use the four pin section from the main connector, in the hole for ATX12V. Doing so, will short together a few different PSU outputs, and make a bloody mess (burned stuff). The reason for the 2x4 connector, is for processors drawing more than 130W or so. For example, if you were working with LGA775 motherboard, bought a D 805 processor, overclocked to 4GHz, that draws 200W. Now you need a 2x4 power supply, and a rating on that power supply, for the number of amps on the 12V rail. For most users, they're not doing something quite that extreme. And in that situation, the 2x4 connector is seldom needed to be completely filled. A 2x2 covers most reasonable situations. And then that sticker covering the other pins, can stay there. Reading the Playtool site, should help fill in anything I missed, with a few different words. HTH, Paul |
#3
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Power Supply Connector
On 12/12/2013 7:52 PM, Paul wrote:
Hidden wrote: When buying a power supply for a motherboard do you have to check which connector type it has for the motherboard before purchase. I see that some motherboard require different plug types and wasn't sure if they come with different connectors. (Desktop) Boards have two power connectors. (Server motherboards have a great many power connectors, and are a bit confusing. Desktops are easy.) The most modern power supply, has a 20+4 connector. Typically, the PSU connector detaches into two pieces. The four pin piece is of no use by itself. The four pin piece has four different colored wires. The two portions are wrapped together so they can't get separated. The four pin section was added, to make room for more amperes of current. The four pin section does not add any new or different voltages. It is for this reason, that the four pin section doesn't always need to be connected. If the application doesn't need more amperes of current, it doesn't have to be plugged in. This site has pictures. Simply copy a link to a picture here, if you have a question. http://www.playtool.com/pages/psucon...onnectors.html You can plug a 20 into a 24. You can plug a 24 into a 20. If the 24 does not detach, the four pin section could "hang over the end". More frequently, the 24 is a 20+4 and it detaches to handle either kind of motherboard. A 20+4 can handle a 20 or a 24 motherboard. You can plug an old 20 pin PSU into a 24 pin motherboard, if: 1) You're using one PCI Express video card only. A 6600 video card draws 4 amps from +12V on the main connector. Other cards draw less current on the single yellow wire of a 20 pin connector. The single yellow wire carries 6 amps safely. So you can use a 6600 or lots of other video cards, without overwhelming the single yellow wire of a 20 pin PSU. 2) If you have two 6600 video cards, that would be 8 amps, and too much for the single 6 amp (yellow) wire on the main connector. Now you really need a 20+4 or 24 PSU. And the funny thing is, even higher end video cards, draw less current from that single yellow wire. A high end card draws 2 amps. It is the mid-range cards, that don't have a PCI Express power connector on the end of the card, that draw 4A to 4.5A or so. Those are the dangerous ones, with respect to the poor yellow wire. So the 20 pin PSU is adequate for a 24 pin motherboard, as long as the loading on the motherboard doesn't exceed 6 amps. When you plug a 20 pin, into a 24 pin motherboard, match "pin 1 with pin 1". The shapes of the pins, help guide you to the correct insertion. Do not try to jam together, pins not intended to mate. If you use enough brute force, you may succeed in mating the wrong pins. Make sure the "latch" on one side of the connector, latches with the mate on the motherboard. That helps you at least get the right sides lined up. http://www.playtool.com/pages/psuconnectors/20in24.jpg ******* The ATX12V connector comes in two flavors. The 2x2 was the first ATX12V. Some manufacturers insist on using 2x4 connectors. When the motherboard has a 2x4 connector, you can plug a 2x2 into it. If the motherboard is new, a sticker covers the four unused pins. That makes it easy to plug it in right. Like the other connector, mate the latches. The latch is there, to prevent thermal expansion from "ejecting" the connector. If the connector starts to eject itself, the pins get burned. On the power supply end, a power supply with a 2x4, can detach. It can make two 2x2 connectors. The connectors in that case have two yellow wires and two black wires. If it has the two yellow wires, you know you've got the correct one for the motherboard ATX12V input. Do not use the four pin section from the main connector, in the hole for ATX12V. Doing so, will short together a few different PSU outputs, and make a bloody mess (burned stuff). The reason for the 2x4 connector, is for processors drawing more than 130W or so. For example, if you were working with LGA775 motherboard, bought a D 805 processor, overclocked to 4GHz, that draws 200W. Now you need a 2x4 power supply, and a rating on that power supply, for the number of amps on the 12V rail. For most users, they're not doing something quite that extreme. And in that situation, the 2x4 connector is seldom needed to be completely filled. A 2x2 covers most reasonable situations. And then that sticker covering the other pins, can stay there. Reading the Playtool site, should help fill in anything I missed, with a few different words. HTH, Paul Paul thanks for the detailed response. |
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