8 pin cpu power connector ?


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i bought a new motherboard and it says it has an 8pin cpu power connector slot on the board. my power supply only has a 4pin connector. ive read online i can use either an 8 or 4 with the new board. is this true ? i just want to make sure i won't need an adapter. whats the difference between the 4 and 8 pin, i assume more power to the board ?

thanks in advance !!!

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If you don't mind please post your PSU and system specs, just to make sure all else is well :)

If it is a simple problem, then only a 4pin to 8pin adapter will be needed, but it would be best to make sure the PSU works with everything else well.

  utdarkviper said:
If you don't mind please post your PSU and system specs, just to make sure all else is well :)

If it is a simple problem, then only a 4pin to 8pin adapter will be needed, but it would be best to make sure the PSU works with everything else well.

intel core2duo 6550... might overclock

4GB. DDR2-800 PC2-6400

nvidia geforce 8800GT 512MB. / thermaltake dual orb vga cooler.

DFI LANPARTY DK P35-T2RS LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard.... will be here tomorrow

western digital 250gb & 80gb. 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drives.

acer 19" x192w widescreen lcd.

raidmax scorpio atx case.

cooler master extreme power 500w psu.... model # RP-500-PCAR

creative soundblaster audigy se.

Windows Vista Home Premium SP1.... soon to be x64

i really need to know because the board will be here tomorrow. and the psu is not even a month old.

  MR_Candyman said:
my newest board has an 8/4 as well. There was a plastic tab covering the 4 that you don't need.

I'm not really sure why they are adding the other 4 at all. I have yet to see an unstable system with the 4 pin

yeah ive read online that you really don't need the 8pin unless your extreme overclocking the cpu. i just wanted to make sure is all. i also used the wattage calculator on neowin and my system only requires under 400w and i have a 500w psu.

I don't now how great that PSU is. I understand you already bought it, but hopefully it will hold up to overclocking.

4 pin to 8 pin adapters are available, but I don't know anything about just plugging the 4pin in to one side. I would research that online.

adapter

http://store.pchcables.com/atx4pinto8pi.html

EDIT: @PeterUK: It's still being sold on newegg.com :p

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...Tpk=RP-500-PCAR

  utdarkviper said:
I don't now how great that PSU is. I understand you already bought it, but hopefully it will hold up to overclocking.

4 pin to 8 pin adapters are available, but I don't know anything about just plugging the 4pin in to one side. I would research that online.

adapter

http://store.pchcables.com/atx4pinto8pi.html

EDIT: @PeterUK: It's still being sold on newegg.com :p

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...Tpk=RP-500-PCAR

well according to the wattage calculator im fine. i also calculated an over clock to 2.7ghz. ive also read online on several forums you don't need an 8pin adapter unless your extreme overclocking. the board should come with a cover over 4 of the 8pins too "i hope"? damn man i cant afford another psu right now and i doubt that what caused my bsod issues.

  utdarkviper said:
I don't now how great that PSU is. I understand you already bought it, but hopefully it will hold up to overclocking.

4 pin to 8 pin adapters are available, but I don't know anything about just plugging the 4pin in to one side. I would research that online.

adapter

http://store.pchcables.com/atx4pinto8pi.html

EDIT: @PeterUK: It's still being sold on newegg.com :p

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...Tpk=RP-500-PCAR

well i had no idea it was a few years old. i bought it new at a local pc shop. im sure 500w is good enough for me. not sure if i should buy an adapter or not ? i read the online manual of the board and it says you can use a 4 pin but it recommends a 8 pin.

well i went ahead and ordered an 4 to 8 pin power converter / adapter for the new board. should all be here by tomorrow. i had a total of 5 bsod's between last night and this morning. i again ran memtest86 all night with no erros. i ran wd data lifeguard diagnostics on both my hdd's with no errors. i ran priume95 for 8 hours on Saturday for my cpu with no errors or bsod. i did a boot time scan of my pc with antivir and kaspersky with no viruses detected. i checked my voltages in by bios and everything is ok:

vcore = 1.332v

ddr2 = 1.872v

+ 3.3v = 3.376v

+ 12v = 12.492v

i also did a voltage calculator for my 500 psu and i have plenty enough power. the bsod's were all different and pointing to different errors. i spoke to a pc tech today over the phone and he said more than likely it my intel northbridge chipset dying or overheating. so the new board should fix this problem.

my gpu and cpu temps are very good too, so i know there not over heating. i am running at stock speeds too.

i plan on contacting gigabyte today to see if i can send the defective board back for a replacement. then ill sell it online. :p

I had driver issues causing BSOD on Vista myself, so this could be driver/software related.

On topic:

I have run 2 PCs with 4-pin, while the motherboard had 8-pin. Both computers have worked fine, and one ran for a good year and never experienced any issues myself that were related to the 8-pin needed. I don't overclock either and yes, most of the time, the 8-pin is used for overclockers or quad cores. I also bought myself a 4-pin molex to 8-pin just in case. It is still sealed and sitting in the original package :) Good luck.

  gummyz said:
I had driver issues causing BSOD on Vista myself, so this could be driver/software related.

On topic:

I have run 2 PCs with 4-pin, while the motherboard had 8-pin. Both computers have worked fine, and one ran for a good year and never experienced any issues myself that were related to the 8-pin needed. I don't overclock either and yes, most of the time, the 8-pin is used for overclockers or quad cores. I also bought myself a 4-pin molex to 8-pin just in case. It is still sealed and sitting in the original package :) Good luck.

its not the drivers, ive had the same drivers for months now with no problems up till satuday. besides there are way to many different bsod codes, they are not the same. i think it's the board and so did the pc tech.

well im still waiting on my converter to ship out from newegg. there dragging there heals and im getting upset since i paid for rush processing.

anyways i was on the official DFI boards and some of those guys are trying to tell me i need to buy a new psu with the 8pin power plug. its really peeing me off to because the mobo manual clearly states if you don't have the 8pin you can use the 4pin. that's why i bought the converter plug the first place to play it safe. im not planning on overclocking very much if any at all. the 8pin from what i read just gives the cpu extra power when "extreme overclocking" which im not going to do anyways. there very rude on that forum too.

see for yourself's :

post-157820-1214949100_thumb.jpg

I don't know why you don't just start using your new motherboard with the the 4 pin now.

Note: the manual dose not show where to connect the 4 pin into the 8pin connector but its the top half of pins 4 & 8.

All the adapter will do is give extra routes for the power to go through.

  PeterUK said:
I don't know why you don't just start using your new motherboard with the the 4 pin now.

Note: the manual dose not show where to connect the 4 pin into the 8pin connector but its the top half of pins 4 & 8.

All the adapter will do is give extra routes for the power to go through.

my converter will be here tomorrow. i will install the board then.

just an update for you guys. i just got off the phone with a dfi tech support guy from california. he told me using the 4pin will be fine, but when i upgrade the psu in the future it's recommended to buy one with a 8pin connector. i also asked him about the power converter i purchased and he said that will be fine to use. he also stated that their own companies pc's with dfi boards are all connected using 4pin while testing and repairing products and such. so i guess that clears up the issue as to absolutely needing the 8pin psu.

personally i think the 8pin is not necessary at all. these companies just want you to have the newest hardware and such. thats why they give you the 4pin or 8pin option in the manual.

well my psu (an antec quatro ) have both connections : 4pins & 8 pins.

And my motherboard, allow both (ga-x48-dq6).

If I want 4 pin, there's a cach that prevent errors (must connect right pins).

Otherwise, I just remove the cach & use 8 pins.

I didn't notice any difference between 4 pin & 8 pin.

According to everest, I have 12.52 v for the 12v input (under ATX specifications, but annoying I think).

Also, according to my manual , 8 pins are recommended for the core extreme series.

But seems to work fine on regular cpu.

If I don't need an adapter for my motherboard, then should be same for yours.

But it's important to use the right pins or it might be catastrophic.

Fortunately, the manual of my motherboard is well documented.

Edited by bigmehdi
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