Question on PSU power connector

[jw]

Have not made my purchase yet. Looking at:

GIGABYTE GA-E7AUM-DS2H motherboard
Pentium E6300 Wolfdale 2.5GHz LGA775 cpu

I want to buy a tower w/PSU for it, and I have picked:

Athenatech A4224WW.400 Beige Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case ATX
2.01v 400W (20+4-P, Dual +12V,2 x SATA Connectors)

I am wondering if the PSU in this tower has the proper power
connection. IOW, the board has a 24-pin receptacle, but the PSU
connector only has 20 pins plus an extra 4-pin'er.

Is this tower a good choice? Or should I try to find a tower with a
straight 24-pin connector?

Thanks for your advices

Duke

 

[Grinder]

Have not made my purchase yet. Looking at:

GIGABYTE GA-E7AUM-DS2H motherboard
Pentium E6300 Wolfdale 2.5GHz LGA775 cpu

I want to buy a tower w/PSU for it, and I have picked:

Athenatech A4224WW.400 Beige Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case ATX
2.01v 400W (20+4-P, Dual +12V,2 x SATA Connectors)

I am wondering if the PSU in this tower has the proper power
connection. IOW, the board has a 24-pin receptacle, but the PSU
connector only has 20 pins plus an extra 4-pin'er.

Is this tower a good choice? Or should I try to find a tower with a
straight 24-pin connector?

A 20+4 pin connector is just as good as a 24 pin connector.

 

[jw]

A 20+4 pin connector is just as good as a 24 pin connector.

Oops! I read some of the GIGABYTE GA-E7AUM-DS2H motherboard manual at
http://america.gigabyte.com.tw/FileList/Manual/motherboard_manual_ga-e7aum-ds2h_e.pdf
(pp25) - the PSU must be at least 500W and provide a 24-pin connector
AND a separate 12V 4-pin'er.

So I'm gonna have to find another tower/PSU combo.

Thanks anyway

Duke

 

[Paul]

Oops! I read some of the GIGABYTE GA-E7AUM-DS2H motherboard manual at
http://america.gigabyte.com.tw/FileList/Manual/motherboard_manual_ga-e7aum-ds2h_e.pdf
(pp25) - the PSU must be at least 500W and provide a 24-pin connector
AND a separate 12V 4-pin'er.

So I'm gonna have to find another tower/PSU combo.

Thanks anyway

Duke

If you'd looked at the picture, you would have seen the connectors
are fine.

http://c1.neweggimages.com/NeweggImage/productimage/11-190-085-13.jpg

The main connector is 24 pin. Like many supplies, it is hinged and
separable. When left together, it is a 24 pin. But, you can remove
a four pin section from the end of the connector, if the motherboard
only has a 20 pin connector. In other words, the connector is designed
to work with current 24 pin motherboards, or with older 20 pin motherboards.

The four pins on the end, that unhinge, would have four different color
wires coming from it.

The second connector to examine in the picture, is the square 2x2
connector in the center left of the picture. It is labeled as a
CPU power connector. The wire colors cannot be seen in the picture,
but CPU power should have two yellow and two black wires.

The power supply label is in this picture. I can't read a brand on
the supply, so it is just a generic PSU. It looks like a single
output 12V supply, with current limiters installed to make it
appear it has 12V1 and 12V2. The supply would likely be 68% efficient
(that affects the heat output when it is regulating). If a supply
has a different efficiency rating, it would be printed on the label.

http://c1.neweggimages.com/NeweggImage/productimage/11-190-085-09.jpg

Personally, I shop for cases without a supply, so I can tailor my supply
purchase. That increases the expense (because they probably don't pass
along the savings, if a supply is not included). But it also means, I'm
not throwing a bundled supply into the landfill, because it is not
appropriate.

Modern systems and their base load, is not too high. The video card
or cards, can make a difference to the power supply selection. But
if the add-in video is a low end card, or if you're using integrated
video, the 400W might be plenty. The label on there shows you have
12V @ 25A to work with. A Core2 Duo might use 6A of that, on paper
at least. My 2.6GHz processor only uses 3A maxed, so that won't make
a big dent in the 25A. So if we use the spec value, there would be
19A left to run a video card. A mid-range video card might be 110W
or so, which is 9 amps. That leaves 10A. You could run a decent
number of drives with the remainder.

We don't know what the quality of the supply is like, which is why
you'd read the Newegg reviews section, to find out. If there have
been lots of "pops", "bangs", or "DOA", the reviews should tell you.

One comment in the reviews, is the case isn't long enough. A CDROM,
when installed in the 5.25" rack section, can bump into the
motherboard. (That would depend on whether the drive was a modern
shorty, or an older regular length drive.) So it may depend on
whether the motherboard has stuff in that area, as to how well
the case will work out. (Your motherboard has the ATX main power
connector, up near that corner.) And the steel on the case is
apparently paper thin.

Paul

 

[VanguardLH]

Oops! I read some of the GIGABYTE GA-E7AUM-DS2H motherboard manual at
http://america.gigabyte.com.tw/FileList/Manual/motherboard_manual_ga-e7aum-ds2h_e.pdf
(pp25) - the PSU must be at least 500W and provide a 24-pin connector
AND a separate 12V 4-pin'er.

So I'm gonna have to find another tower/PSU combo.

Something else to consider is the distance from where the PSU mounts to
where the connector is on the motherboard. If you get a tall tower, the
cords from the PSU could be too short. Make sure you get a PSU with
long cables if you get a tall tower.

 

[jw]

If you'd looked at the picture, you would have seen the connectors
are fine.

http://c1.neweggimages.com/NeweggImage/productimage/11-190-085-13.jpg

You are right! I did look at that picture, and in fact I printed it.
I didn't count up the little sockets right. 12 + 12 do indeed make 24

Sorry

The main connector is 24 pin. Like many supplies, it is hinged and
separable. When left together, it is a 24 pin. But, you can remove
a four pin section from the end of the connector, if the motherboard
only has a 20 pin connector. In other words, the connector is designed
to work with current 24 pin motherboards, or with older 20 pin motherboards.

The four pins on the end, that unhinge, would have four different color
wires coming from it.

The second connector to examine in the picture, is the square 2x2
connector in the center left of the picture. It is labeled as a
CPU power connector. The wire colors cannot be seen in the picture,
but CPU power should have two yellow and two black wires.

12V I'm led to believe.

The power supply label is in this picture. I can't read a brand on
the supply, so it is just a generic PSU. It looks like a single
output 12V supply, with current limiters installed to make it
appear it has 12V1 and 12V2. The supply would likely be 68% efficient
(that affects the heat output when it is regulating). If a supply
has a different efficiency rating, it would be printed on the label.

http://c1.neweggimages.com/NeweggImage/productimage/11-190-085-09.jpg

Personally, I shop for cases without a supply, so I can tailor my supply
purchase. That increases the expense (because they probably don't pass
along the savings, if a supply is not included). But it also means, I'm
not throwing a bundled supply into the landfill, because it is not
appropriate.

Modern systems and their base load, is not too high. The video card
or cards, can make a difference to the power supply selection. But
if the add-in video is a low end card, or if you're using integrated
video, the 400W might be plenty. The label on there shows you have
12V @ 25A to work with. A Core2 Duo might use 6A of that, on paper
at least. My 2.6GHz processor only uses 3A maxed, so that won't make
a big dent in the 25A. So if we use the spec value, there would be
19A left to run a video card. A mid-range video card might be 110W
or so, which is 9 amps. That leaves 10A. You could run a decent
number of drives with the remainder.

I plan 3 plus an external 500GB'er.

We don't know what the quality of the supply is like, which is why
you'd read the Newegg reviews section, to find out. If there have
been lots of "pops", "bangs", or "DOA", the reviews should tell you.

One comment in the reviews, is the case isn't long enough. A CDROM,
when installed in the 5.25" rack section, can bump into the
motherboard. (That would depend on whether the drive was a modern
shorty, or an older regular length drive.) So it may depend on
whether the motherboard has stuff in that area, as to how well
the case will work out. (Your motherboard has the ATX main power
connector, up near that corner.) And the steel on the case is
apparently paper thin.

Good thought, I have run into that.

Paul

During the past few hours, I have been looking at this PSU::

LOGISYS Computer PS550ABK 550Watts @
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817170010

I haven't found a reasonably-priced enclosure as yet.

 

[jw]

Something else to consider is the distance from where the PSU mounts to
where the connector is on the motherboard. If you get a tall tower, the
cords from the PSU could be too short. Make sure you get a PSU with
long cables if you get a tall tower.

Hmmm. It goes on doesn't it? Thanks for the warning.

Duke

 

[Paul]

During the past few hours, I have been looking at this PSU::

LOGISYS Computer PS550ABK 550Watts @
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817170010

I haven't found a reasonably-priced enclosure as yet.

Looking at the reviews for that $23 supply, I see:

*******
BAD BAD don't get this junk

Pros: no pros

Cons: This power supply fried my hard drives

Other Thoughts: I hate LOGISYS
*******
Smoked my motherboard

Pros: Cheap

Cons: Worked great for 2 weeks then died taking my motherboard
with it. Nasty, don't be cheap, but better quality!
*******

Ouch!

Paul

 

[jw]

Looking at the reviews for that $23 supply, I see:

*******
BAD BAD don't get this junk

Pros: no pros

Cons: This power supply fried my hard drives

Other Thoughts: I hate LOGISYS
*******
Smoked my motherboard

Pros: Cheap

Cons: Worked great for 2 weeks then died taking my motherboard
with it. Nasty, don't be cheap, but better quality!
*******

Ouch!

Paul

Thanks Paul. Between taking care of my temporarily invalided wifey
and trying to squeeze a look or two at Tiger Woods, I hadn't had a
chance to look at the reviews. I appreciate your insight.

Duke

 

[jw]

The manual is not necessarily correct.

You mentioned the CPU but not all the parts in the system.
Once you list all the parts we'll have a better idea of
total system peak power consumption but briefly, if besides
what you mentioned you'll only have a modest video card,
couple of hard drives and an optical drive, you could run
the system fine off a good quality 300W PSU providing it is
a modern design with ample 12V current.

You do not necessarily need a 24pin motherboard connector,
the extra 4 pins are simply to supply more power on the same
rails the 20 pin connector supplies, only higher end systems
need the extra 4 wires.

However, as Paul pointed out even a 500W PSU can be junk,
overrated. Chose a good quality PSU so you can trust the
ratings... you do get what you pay for, a $20 500W PSU is
typically little if any better than a $20 300W PSU, but
reasonably speaking unless you find a closeout price or
large rebate, you should expect to pay closer to $40 for a
median quality 400W PSU, or $50 to $60 for a median quality
500W.

Thanks

I plan to begin with:
2X1 GB DDR2
Sata DVD burner
Sata hard drive
Pata hard drive
Floppy drive
USB camera uploads
USB Flash Drive
Two external 500GB Freeagent hard drives infrequently
One external Sata 1TB hard drive (maybe eSata?), not yet purchased
A better video than the on-board video, when I get the money
Maybe a second burner some day
Might experiment with to test HDTV
Might experiment with PCI express

Duke

 

[Aaron Gray]

(pp25) - the PSU must be at least 500W and provide a 24-pin connector

AND a separate 12V 4-pin'er.

Theres eATX connectors now !

 

[larry moe 'n curly]

I plan to begin with:

2X1 GB DDR2
Sata DVD burner
Sata hard drive
Pata hard drive
Floppy drive
USB camera uploads
USB Flash Drive
Two external 500GB Freeagent hard drives infrequently
One external Sata 1TB hard drive (maybe eSata?), not yet purchased
A better video than the on-board video, when I get the money
Maybe a second burner some day
Might experiment with to test HDTV
Might experiment with PCI express

Sometimes NewEgg or Fry's have 2x2GB DDR2 pairs for about the same
cost as 2 x 1GB pairs. SalesCircular.com lists local store prices but
frequently leaves out many Fry's deals, and Fry's is often the
cheapest local source. Beware that there's a LOT of junky memory out
there, some signs of low quality being the lack of chip manufacturer
markings (chip maker = Nanya, Hynix, ProMOS, QiMonda, Micron, Samsung,
etc., not Kingston, Geil, Corsair, OCZ, and Patriot, which are module
makers), requirement for a nonstandard voltage (DDR2 should be rated
for 1.8V), although Crucial rated for 2.0V is OK (Crucial uses Micron
or Samsung chips). When in doubt, get Crucial, and fast or slow won't
matter much. If you have to buy another brand, test it for at least 8
hours straight with MemTest86 ver. 3.x, from www.memtest86.com, and
MemTest+, from www.memtest.org. Each of these can handle more than
4GB. Another diagnostic I like is Gold Memory 5.07, but I believe
it's limited to 4GB or less (and I think it absolutely requires a
floppy, unlike its newer versions, which haven't been nearly as good
for me at finding errors)..

JonnyGuru.com, HardOCP.com, and XbitLabs.com have good information
about power supplies. Don't buy junk, no matter how low its price or
how high its power rating. I believe Athenatech is bad, and I know
that Logisys is bad because this picture from NewEgg:

http://c1.neweggimages.com/NeweggImage/productimage/17-170-010-02.jpg

shows no UL ("RU") or CSA registration numbers. You want a brand
like Corsair, OCZ, Antec, Seasonic, Fortron-Source (FSP), Enermax,
Delta, Enhance, Zippy, or Lite-On, some of which are sold under other
brands as well (www.ul.com has an online database where you can enter
the registration number and usually find the true maker).

PCI-e is the only practical option now for graphics cards.

Does the fact you use those two 500GB FreeAgent external HDs
infrequently mean that you don't back up your internal drives often
enough?