20 - 24 pin connector...which should I use? antec550neo HE

[Aaron60060]

I recently had my power supply explode(450w crapper) under full load from my x1800xt which I recently purchased. I got an antec 550w HE, and I noticed that my motherboard can take a full 24 pin plug, however my old psu only had 20 pins. Is it safe, or more importantly adviseable that I plug all 24 in, as opposed to just 20? Help!

 

[phreejak]

Here's an article on the various types of power connectors (including 24 and 20 pin) and how they function.

http://www.playtool.com/pages/psuconnectors/connectors.html#atxmain20

 

[Aaron60060]

You're a saint. I really appreciate the help and I understand whats up now.

 

[phreejak]

glad to be of help

 

[Aaron60060]

Also, just to get an additional idea, can you please let me know if this could be the reason I'm getting problems with my PCI-e x1800xt? I'm getting random system reboots.

Thanks again!

 

[phreejak]

Well, right off hand, the most common causes of rebooting are going to be heat or PSU related. For heat, having inadequate circulation of air can cause the CPU or GPU to overheat, the symptoms of which could be rebooting. If the cause is PSU related then it could be something like the draw from the PSU on its 12v rails being overwhelmed during certain circumstances (like during a heavily taxing game like Oblivion) or if you are overclocking. In this case it would most likely be inadequate amperage.

Does this happen with the new Antec PSU installed or was it from the older PSU that you were experiencing this?
Also, what sort of cooling arrangement do you have with respect to the fans in your system (intake and outtake)?

 

[Aaron60060]

My old power supply literally exploded while I was cranking full settings in quake 4. This was after 3 or 4 reboots. Luckily, the rest of my system doesn't seem to be damaged. After that happened, it became obvious that the power supply was insufficient. I haven't plugged in the other 4 pins into the 20-24 pin socked because I wasn't sure what would happen. I think it's fairly probably that plugging in those other 4 and possible getting a straight pcie power cable rather than the molex adapter might help, but I'm just looking for ideas about the 20-24 pin and how that could effect my gam.e

 

[phreejak]

You could also opt for a 20 to 24 pin adapter.

I am a little confused here. Are you saying that you have not used the dedicated PCIe from the PSU and, instead, used the molex adapter from the videocard to power the videocard?

The extra 4 pins from the 24 pin connector are just extra grounding wires. But, if you have a MB with a 24 pin connector and your PSU has a 20+4 pin connector then use them all of course.

I'm interested in how your cooling is set up in your case as well

 

[Aaron60060]

You could also opt for a 20 to 24 pin adapter.

I am a little confused here. Are you saying that you have not used the dedicated PCIe from the PSU and, instead, used the molex adapter from the videocard to power the videocard?

The extra 4 pins from the 24 pin connector are just extra grounding wires. But, if you have a MB with a 24 pin connector and your PSU has a 20+4 pin connector then use them all of course.

I'm interested in how your cooling is set up in your case as well

Alright, check this out. I've got 3 cooling fans running right now. One for the power CPU(120mm I believe) One smaller fan on the back of the case, and the same thing in front. Oh, and the case is open on one side. I have a Midtower. I'm also considering putting a box fan blowing into the case. That + climate control in the room should do it, right?

I'm getting random restarts. I'm going to check the event viewer when I arrive home this evening and see what exactly has happened.

 

[phreejak]

Having an open case can disrupt proper air flow. What does the side panel of your case look like? What model case do you have? The open case is fine if the room is seriously cooled by the AC but it doesn't pull the heat off of some components as well as you might think. With proper wiring, the pathways within a computer can take advantage of having cooler air draw in from the lower portion of a case and create a jetstream, directing the air through the computer, over the components, and exhausted out the back. Of course, some people mod their cases (I did) and put fan blowholes at the top (for exhaust since hot air rises) and on the side (as an additional intake fan that blows cooler air directly on the CPU and GPU). Also, are you using stock cooling on the CPU and GPU?