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

[Order 66]

Are any of these PSUs good enough for an nForce 4 based system with pci express?
Coolmax 450watt
Enermax 420watt
Thermaltake 420watt
Vantec 460watt

Tigerdirects selection of PSUs leaves something to be desired...

 

[kenrippy]

Originally posted by: Order 66
Are any of these PSUs good enough for an nForce 4 based system with pci express?
Coolmax 450watt
Enermax 420watt
Thermaltake 420watt
Vantec 460watt

Tigerdirects selection of PSUs leaves something to be desired...

out of the ones you listed, the enermax would be the one.... try newegg and pick up an antec TP 550w model. they have 2 types, one has a single 120mm fan, the other has dual 80mm fans. your choice.

 

[sokos]

I got a ATX normal Seasonic with 20pins, and an Asus P5WD2-Premium that asks for 24pin PSU.
I bought a 20-24 convertor, installed it and works fine?
Bad idea u think?

 

[ta8689]

Originally posted by: sokos
I got a ATX normal Seasonic with 20pins, and an Asus P5WD2-Premium that asks for 24pin PSU.
I bought a 20-24 convertor, installed it and works fine?
Bad idea u think?

meh.. i dont see the problem here. you could actually run it with just 20 pins plugged in. I think pci-e wants stuff from the other 4 pins?? im not sure. it doesnt really matter

 

[Avalon]

My sister's motherboard died a week ago, so I ordered a Biostar Tforce 6100 s754 board to replace her Epox 8KDA3J. Her PSU is an Antec 350w 20pin SmartPower with 21A on the 12V rail. I threw in her A64 2800+ and RAM, plugged everything up, and the system won't power up.

I tore apart my system and took out my 24pin 460W Enermax, put it in her system, and it booted up fine. Looks like I do need a 24pin PSU, which is disappointing, because now I have to order yet another part and wait again for it to arrive.

*Edit*
Forgot to mention that we tried using the onboard 6100 graphics, as well as a PCI Radeon 7000.

 

[FlyingShawn]

Hey guys!
I'm building a system and am trying to figure out if I can get away with using my 20pin PSU on it. Specs:

AMD 3800 X2 AM2 (intend to OC)
Mobo: undecided (looking at the new DFI LP UT NF590 SLI, but not sure)
1gig DDR2-800 Corsair XMS
Zalman 9500 cooler
PNY 7600GT (does NOT have any external power connectors)
nVidia Dual TV tuner
2 optical drives, 2 IDE HDDs, 1 SATA HDD, and a floppy.

The PSU is an Aspire AS500W and gets 34A on the single 12V line. If I'm understanding what I've read in this thread correctly, my video card can't draw a ton of power because of the lack of external connectors and so I think the 500W should be plenty (if I ever decide to go SLI, I'll probably replace the PSU then, but for now I'd like to avoid it).

I seem to recall hearing that DFI boards tend to require the 24pin to work correctly, but I'm kind of hoping that's not true. If it is, I'll probably be looking at the Asus M2N32-SLI or maybe the CROSSHAIR (too expensive).

What do you guys think? If you don't think it will work, do you have something else you would recommend instead?

Thanks!

 

[HamburgerBoy]

How do I disconnect the extra 4 pins from my 24-pin connector? PSU is an Antec SP-450. The 4-pin part snaps off allowing it to sort of dangle, but I can't see how to detatch the whole thing. Help would be very much appreciated.