4-Pin CPU Power on 8-Pin Motherboard

[DudeRed]

Hello Everyone

Recently, I have decided to upgrade my A10 7850k APU to a Ryzen 5 2600. Along with the Ryzen, I purchased a motherboard, and 16GB of DDR4 RAM. I am only waiting on the Motherboard, which is expected to come in soon today.

When purchasing my parts, I was unaware of the fact that my 400W PSU only had a 4 pin power plug for my CPU instead of an 8 pin power plug. I was only aware of this yesterday, when I decided to purchase an adapter that converts the 4 pin power to an 8 pin power.

If I decided that I wanted to upgrade my PC today, could I currently use the 4 pin power plug on my PSU now, or would I have to wait for the adapter to come in? I don't plan on doing any overclocking on my new Ryzen CPU until I get a new CPU Cooler and even a new Power Supply.

Thanks.

 

[Kasper Jorgensen]

I would not use any kind of adapters for that. To put it simple, if your PSU doesn't have the required connectors, then it's time for a new PSU.

 

[hang-the-9]

I hope you also have a video card, the CPU you have does not have onboard video like your old A10 did.

I would not try to use the adapter but get a proper power supply, why risk damaging things?

This is a a bit older design but cheap and good https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16817151095 sale is on for another half day with the $20 rebate.

 

[zebarjadi.raouf]

8 pin power plug

It's 4+4 dangling together. Not 8 pin used for GPU.

an adapter that converts the 4 pin power to an 8 pin power

It doesn't convert power. It's used for fooling the MB. Some motherboards have built-in detectors that prevent it from turning on if it's not using all the pins.

could I currently use the 4 pin power plug on my PSU now, or would I have to wait for the adapter to come in?

You could try. It will either refuse to turn on or it will run with limited capabilities.

new Power Supply

Good idea. Most people don't pay enough attention to PSUs.

 

[DudeRed]

So basically, the general consensus is to buy a new Power Supply to be safe... Great...

I hope you also have a video card, the CPU you have does not have onboard video like your old A10 did.

I do indeed have a video card, as I am running a GTX 1060 6GB.

8 pin power plug

It's 4+4 dangling together. Not 8 pin used for GPU.

I thought you would understand what I meant by "8 pin power plug." I know the difference between the 8 pin power on a GPU and the 8 pin power for the CPU, but thanks anyways...

could I currently use the 4 pin power plug on my PSU now, or would I have to wait for the adapter to come in?

You could try. It will either refuse to turn on or it will run with limited capabilities.

Could you please elaborate on what you mean by "running with limited capabilities?" And when you mean it won't turn on or run with limited capabilities, are you saying there is no chance that it will run normally with just a 4-pin CPU connector? Thanks.

 

[kerberos_20]

it wont work
1x 4pin is for CPU that didnt changed since pentium 4 (dual cpus have 2 of those connectores, like threadripper)
that another 4pin is for feeding pci express

 

[zebarjadi.raouf]

I thought you would understand what I meant by "8 pin power plug." I know the difference between the 8 pin power on a GPU and the 8 pin power for the CPU, but thanks anyways...

You would be surprised by the things people don't know sometimes. I prefer to make sure rather than expect people to know. (some guy freaking out because his pc came with water pipes (water cooler))

Could you please elaborate on what you mean by "running with limited capabilities?" And when you mean it won't turn on or run with limited capabilities, are you saying there is no chance that it will run normally with just a 4-pin CPU connector? Thanks.

Theoratically, 4-pin should have more than enough power to drive your 65W CPU. But we have too many inconsistent results. Some have done it with no problems, others would shut down under heavy load and the remaining would refuse to power on. That's why I said you could try it.

So basically, the general consensus is to buy a new Power Supply to be safe... Great...

Power supplies last a long time. Most higher quality PSUs have long warranties like 10 years for EVGA G 750W or 7 years for 550W. In my opinion, it's a worthy investment.

 

[DudeRed]

Apologies for the day-late response. I managed to put together my Ryzen system without any worries (and only using the 4 pin connector). I will definitely not be doing any overclocking for the time being until I get a new Power Supply and CPU Fan. I hardly notice any "limited performance," as my new Ryzen is a considerable upgrade over the A10. Thank you all for the responses, and I will definitely grab a Power Supply in the near future of overclocking.