12v ATX 8 pin connector

Yosiah · 19 Sep 2010 at 23:29

My motherboard requires an 8 pin 12vATX connector, but my PSU only has two of the the 4 pin (P4) connectors. This may be a stupid question, but can I just plug two 4 pins into the 8 pin socket on the motherboard?

Cheers!

andicole0 · 19 Sep 2010 at 23:31

You mean your PSU, not your CPU. Anyway the answer is probably not, check your motherboard as some will still work with a 4 pin 12V ATX. Also check your PSU manual there's more than one type of 4 pin power connector.

Andi.

Yosiah · 19 Sep 2010 at 23:38

andicole0 said:
You mean your PSU, not your CPU. Anyway the answer is probably not, check your motherboard as some will still work with a 4 pin 12V ATX. Also check your PSU manual there's more than one type of 4 pin power connector.

Andi.

Yeah thats what i meant, edited it, thanks

My psu definitely has two of the 4 pin motherboard (dedicated cpu power) connectors.

I think I know what you mean though. Maybe I will need to use an adaptor?

PhillyDee · 19 Sep 2010 at 23:45

Are the pin shapes a mirror image?

Like Beveled, square, square, beveled

If so, then they should clip together to become a P8 connector.

Yosiah · 20 Sep 2010 at 00:00

Actually im not sure now, apparently you can't just put two 4 pins together and make an 8 pin mobo connector. You can get an adaptor that turns one 4 pin into one 8 pin.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-402-AS

This mobo has an 8 pin connector, but has a black cap over 4 of them, so maybe you only need to plug in a 4 pin, or an 8?

PhillyDee · 20 Sep 2010 at 10:36

You can usually plug in just 4.
The 8 pins are similar but have a different style of connector. Got a piccy of them?

mystes · 20 Sep 2010 at 17:00

PhillyDee said:
You can usually plug in just 4.
The 8 pins are similar but have a different style of connector. Got a piccy of them?

There you go

PhillyDee · 20 Sep 2010 at 17:06

I meant the ones on the PSU

That was we can see if they fit

bifday2k · 20 Sep 2010 at 17:15

To answer the OP, stick both bits in, as some psu's split it into 2 4 pins, so they are compatible with older mobo's that only have a 4 pin socket.

mystes · 20 Sep 2010 at 17:33

Its one of my corsair hx750. And it split in half.

Yosiah · 20 Sep 2010 at 20:35

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-402-AS&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=1782

If you look at the picture carefully, it has a BLACK cap over 4 of the 8 pins socket on the board. Am I alright in plugging a 4 pin 12vATX P4 cable into this, or should I get a 4 to 8 pin adaptor? E.g http://www.cablecity.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=939&ref=6

I suppose http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CB-033-AK&groupid=701&catid=48&subcat=153 would work also, coverting a spare 6 pin PCI plug to an 8 pin ATX

Yosiah · 20 Sep 2010 at 20:51

Man I just don't get it. My PSU has one cable, that splits into two ends, each with a 4 pin plug that can go into a 4 Pin socket on my current motherboard.

Does that mean I plug both of them into an 8 pin socket on the new motherboard? Or just one? Because some places on the net say plug both in, and some say plug one in, and looking at the adaptors you can buy - it's one 4 pin converted to an 8 pin :/

http://www.akasa.co.uk/update.php?t...lies&type_sub=Main Stream&model=AK-P060FG8-BK

Thats the PSU. It says in the specifications that it has "ATX12V connectors: 1x (4+4pin)"

That mean plug both into an 8 pin mobo socket?

Edit: Yeah I think my PSU has one cable thats an 8 pin ATX split into two 4 pins. Cable is like "-----<" with 2 4 pin plugs on the end.

PhillyDee · 20 Sep 2010 at 23:29

They split into 2 lots so you can connect them to either board.

The 8 pin socket will work with both 4 and 8 pin plugs.

Clip the plug back together, if it fits, its designed to go into the 8 pin socket. The plug should look exactly like the one that mystes has posted.

Yosiah · 21 Sep 2010 at 09:36

Is it like that, but it doesn't just 'clip' together. Imagine one power cord, with two ends, each end being a 4 pin connector. The cable itself is called a 12vATX 4+4pin on my psu. Are they supposed to have a way of combining (clipping) into one. I can see how they would fit nicely together in one 8 pin socket, and they must do, surely, since each end of the cable is only about an 2 inches long.

Yosiah · 21 Sep 2010 at 09:37

This is the hardest thing I've ever come across in building PC's lol. I just can't understand why motherboard/psu manuals haven't anticipated people asking this question hehe. Surely I'm not the only person struggling with this?

Yosiah · 21 Sep 2010 at 09:59

Looking at my PSU online, the AK-P060FG8, I can find the AK-P060FG8-BK, which show pictures of how the 12v4 pins combine into an 8pin, but my two 12v4pins do not have the little clips on the picture...

w3bbo · 21 Sep 2010 at 14:49

The 2 x 4pin plugs are for your 8pin motherboard. They will only go in one way. They are designed to give a cleaner/stable voltage to the cpu rather than a single 4 pin plug (which will also work).

Yosiah · 21 Sep 2010 at 20:41

w3bbo said:
The 2 x 4pin plugs are for your 8pin motherboard. They will only go in one way. They are designed to give a cleaner/stable voltage to the cpu rather than a single 4 pin plug (which will also work).

Thanks. That helps

I'm stupid.

w3bbo · 21 Sep 2010 at 21:10

Not at all. We all need a little nudge in the right direction from time to time.