the ultimate "do i need a 24pin PSU ?" thread

[Xzero17]

im building this rig:
AMD Athlon 64 Processor 3000+ Venice
DFI LANPARTY UT nF4 Ultra-D Socket 939 NVIDIA
MSI RX800-TD128E Radeon X800 PCI Express 128MB
ZALMAN CNPS7000B-ALCU
OCZ Gold Series 1GB (2 x 512MB) 2-2-2-5
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s

almost in the limit of my budget and i can afford this psu right now...
Enermax Whisper EG-465P-VE (FMA) (XP / P4 Ready) 460 Watt PS - $35 with free shipping
+3.3V@35A; +5V@35A; +12V@33A ATX 1.3 so no 24 pin

enough wattage for my future rig?

Thanks

 

[BlingBlingArsch]

absolutely. Even 350W would be enough.

 

[Firus]

hi guys,

I just got a new Antec case with PSU that has a 24-pin connector, but the Soltek K890Pro-939 only has a 20-pin connection on the motherboard. How do you remedy this? I noticed the 24 pin will fit, but the extra pins hang off the end and that seems scary, I have not turned it on yet. Is it safe to do this, or do I need a convertor/new PSU???

thanks,

 

[ballmode]

Alright here is my system will I be fine with the 20pin on a 24

MSI-K8N Platinum Neo 4
AMD 3000+ Venice
2x512 Corsair XMS PC3200
160GB WD Sata HD
DVD/CD Drive Lite-On

7800GT BFG OC (which comes with the 6 pin to 4 pin connector)

power supply is a Antec 380w from the Sonata case. Will I be fine?

 

[Some1ne]

power supply is a Antec 380w from the Sonata case. Will I be fine?

I believe you will.

 

[BlingBlingArsch]

Originally posted by: Firus
hi guys,

I just got a new Antec case with PSU that has a 24-pin connector, but the Soltek K890Pro-939 only has a 20-pin connection on the motherboard. How do you remedy this? I noticed the 24 pin will fit, but the extra pins hang off the end and that seems scary, I have not turned it on yet. Is it safe to do this, or do I need a convertor/new PSU???

thanks,

the ATX standards have to be compatible. So, normally, u should be fine just using the different standards. there are also adapters for 2-5 bucks.

 

[arod]

ok got a question that im sure has been answered but searching doesnt bring anything up.....

I am getting a new AMD X2 and was looking to get a new PS to go with it.... I want this new machine to be as quiet as possible and most amd boards support the 24 pin connector's... so which one will be the best as cheap as possibile.

AMD 64 X2 3800+
nforce 4 socket 939 SLI
6600GT PCI-E (will get a second one eventually)
160 gig HD
DVDr/rw
120 and 200 gig HD's (its my storage computer as well)

so whats the best quiet ps to use?

 

[imported_Frallan]

Is that a DFI MoBo???

If so save the money and get something else or get a real PSU not a "cheap" one bc U will probably not fet it up and running as U want to on a medium range PSU. Hiper R:s are good OCZ PS:s are good. and then there are the PSUs competing in the quiet range...

 

[Trizik]

you're right; it has happened again. 3rd power supply just fried.

i'm thinking about getting Antec's NeoPower 480W power supply. do you think it will be able to handle my system? (see sig for system specs)

remember, my ATI X800XL 256MB 256-bit PCI-e Radeon doesn't have a power connector so it will be drawing power through the motherboard.

 

[Some1ne]

That PSU should be fine for those specs. If it fries too, then it means there's probably something wrong with one of your other components.

 

[LiquidIce1337]

Ok here's a tricky one for you Some1ne .. I bought this PSU about a year ago it's specifications are well.. it's and Antec 400w ATX v1.3 that is 20 pins I bought it for 120 bucks so I don't want to aprt with it but this si the rig I plan to run using it

Gigabyte K8N-Pro-SLI with 3500+ Newcastle 939pin
GF6800 GT 256
1 GIG Corsair XMS TwinX DDR400
2 5400 ide rpm hard drives
1 optical drive
2 120 mm case fans
wireless card and a sb audigy 2 zs

Now my problem is this gigabyte board has a 24 pin connector actually comes with a 24 pin connecter witha cap ont he 4 pin part but ALSO this is the part that confuses me it has another 4 pin 12V rail right near the cpu and it says the board won't run without this.. I am really confused if I can just plug a 24pin power supply and not worry about that other connection or is it if you don't have a 24pin power supply that has it all in one unit you can plug the extra 4 pin over there?

heres a picture
http://www.sym.cl/images/photo_k8n_ultra_9_big.jpg

the bottom right you see the atx connector witht he black cap at the last 4 pins so you can plug a 20 pin in.. and then in the top right theres another clear connector on the board next to the screw hole thats the same 4 pin.. so which one do I use? I am very confused and I usually don't have trouble with this kind of stuff


I have a feeling I should just get a 20-24 pin atx connector.. what do you reccomend... thanks in advance

 

[Some1ne]

I'm assuming your Antec 400W is this one:

http://www.antec.com/specs/sl400_spe.html

...it's starting to be a bit dated, but it should power that setup just fine, especially given the high price you paid for it (and the fairly high price that that model still commands, which implies that it's a quality unit). If and when you upgrade to a dual-core CPU, you might want to consider adding a bigger PSU along with it though. For the time being though that PSU should do just fine.

As for your connector, the 4-pins in the top right make up the supplemental CPU power connector. This is different than the 4 pins that were added to the 20 pin ATX connector to make the 24-pin connector. If you have a 24-pin PSU, you still need to hook up the 4-pin supplemental connector, and if you have a 20 pin PSU, you cannot plug the PSU's supplemental connector into the extra 4 pins where the black cap is (it shouldn't even fit). So basically, leave the black cap on the connector on the bottom right and plug in the 20-pin connector from the PSU, and then find your PSU's 4-pin supplemental connector and plug that into the connector in the top-right and you should be good to go. A 20-24 pin adapter is unnecessary given that it seems like your mainboard was designed so that it can work just fine with a 20-pin PSU.

 

[LiquidIce1337]

Thanks for your reply Some1ne, actually after a bit of searching the power supply is a Antec PP-412X shown here

http://www.gaming-media.com/hardware/antecPP412XP_review.shtml

It has one extra connector I believe it's for p4's it's white like the old style power connectors for a 486 or pentium motherboard and I believe it's a +5v rail im not positive but I can't use it for anything.. It is 20 Pin but it lacks that extra 4 pin connector that my motherboard claims (it's a gigabyte K8N-Pro_sli by the way)

"The ATX_12V power connecter that is able to handle the system voltage requirements. It is recommended that a power supply that can withstand high power consumption be used (300W or greater). If a power supply is used that does not provide the required power, the result can lead to an unstable system or a system that is unable to start. The ATX_12V power connecter mainly supplies power tot he CPU. If the ATX_12V power connector is not connected, the system will not start."

I am wondering If I should get a molex to atx_12V adaptor and just supply it.. I realized I don't ahve that many power hungry devices in my computer.. hard drives arent ultra fast.. only 1 cd drive, 2 expansion card wireless nic and a audigy 2 zs.. and a video card which will probably suck the most aside from the cpu... but your thoughts?

if not what power supply would you reccomend for someone on an 60 dollar budget?

 

[BlingBlingArsch]

Check out Tagan 2force.

 

[LiquidIce1337]

Think I could get away with using one of these?

http://www.xpcgear.com/p412volt.html

 

[LiquidIce1337]

scratch that all.. I gave up and bought a 600 watt enermax from the forums here, thanks for the help guys!

 

[deadlock]

Ok, I am confused.

1) My PSU has a 24 pin connector. My MoBo has a 24 pin connector. Fine, no issues.

2) My PSU has an 8 pin connector, with a bundled adaptor to convert this to 4 pin. My MoBo has a 4 pin connector. Now I've always assumed that this 4 pin connector is only there for folks with older power supplies who don't have the full 24 pin connector (they instead have 20+4), and thus have not used it (system runs fine) and assumed it was redundant. But now I have my doubts - should I use the 8-4 adaptor on the cable coming out of the PSU and plug it into the motherboard along with the existing 24 pin connector?

Thanks for any clarification.

 

[Trizik]

Originally posted by: deadlock
Ok, I am confused.

1) My PSU has a 24 pin connector. My MoBo has a 24 pin connector. Fine, no issues.

2) My PSU has an 8 pin connector, with a bundled adaptor to convert this to 4 pin. My MoBo has a 4 pin connector. Now I've always assumed that this 4 pin connector is only there for folks with older power supplies who don't have the full 24 pin connector (they instead have 20+4), and thus have not used it (system runs fine) and assumed it was redundant. But now I have my doubts - should I use the 8-4 adaptor on the cable coming out of the PSU and plug it into the motherboard along with the existing 24 pin connector?

Thanks for any clarification.

from what i understand, there are two critical connectors on modern motherboards; the 24/20 pin, and the 4 pin.

the 24/20 pin powers the motherboard (24 pin is for PCI-e motherboards) and the 4 pin powers the processor.

 

[PicHold]

Planning on buying the following:
AMD Athlon 64 3700+ San Diego 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Processor Model ADA3700BNBOX - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16819103539
eVGA 256-P2-N518 Geforce 7800GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/Product.asp?item=N82E16814130238
eVGA 133-K8-NF41 Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813188002


Don't really want to spend over $100 on a case, or a psu unless they are in the same box when I pay that much.

However, I know nothing about power supplies-- which is why I'm here. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[Trizik]

PicHold, i'm happy with the NeoPower i just purchased:

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=270022
$99 free shipping

 

[PicHold]

Forgot to mention my drives will be numerous -- a DVD burner, a 10k rpm, and probably 3-4 7200 rpms (one 250gb, and probably 3 160gbs)

Any other input for a PSU?

 

[Some1ne]

2) My PSU has an 8 pin connector, with a bundled adaptor to convert this to 4 pin. My MoBo has a 4 pin connector. Now I've always assumed that this 4 pin connector is only there for folks with older power supplies who don't have the full 24 pin connector (they instead have 20+4), and thus have not used it (system runs fine) and assumed it was redundant. But now I have my doubts - should I use the 8-4 adaptor on the cable coming out of the PSU and plug it into the motherboard along with the existing 24 pin connector?

What Trizik said...the 4-pin connector isn't redundant (it's supposed to be responsible for supplying supplemental power to the CPU), and in theory your system shouldn't run without it hooked up. Since it seems like it does anyways though, I guess you don't need to change things, although it shouldn't hurt anything to power the 4-pin connector.

 

[PicHold]

Any other input for what PSU I'd need?

 

[imported_ceefka]

Your board looks like an ATX2.0. With your amount of drives you should probably look into earlier posts of guys like JohnnyGuru. He has put up a few links of how to calculate that stuff.

If none of your HDDs are in RAID then you will not have them all going at the same time, thus reducing the need for extra watts.

 

[KingofDragons]

I have this motherboard:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131540

and this power supply:
http://www.xoxide.com/x-connect-500-uvblue.html

and i plan on using a nvidia 7800gtx as my graphics card. I haven't setup everything yet, and since my psu is only 20 pin and the mobo is 24-pin, I'm wondering if it would be compatible. I've done some research and have read conflicting statements, so I would like to see what people think of this exact combination .