[SOLVED] Adding 4 pins to 20 pin psu and power it by a 4 pin molex.

amasoun

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Mar 22, 2010
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I know I should buy a new psu. I did. But gave me so many troubles, I have decided to stick with my 7 years old psu. I have a Z170 board, i5 6500 and a GTX 1050ti. I am not having any problems at all. I use it a s htpc. Sometimes my daughter plays 3 or 4 years old games.
But I sometimes think that I might be putting too much load on 20 pin ATX connector of my psu. I wanted to know if I can add a 4 pin connector to it and power it with a molex connector. 4 pin molex connectors lack a 3 volt wire. It has a 12v, 5v and 2 ground. Can I skip the 3v wire and just connect 3 wires to it and leave the orange (3v) and second ground.
 
Solution
Corsair VS650 is not considered to be a quality unit.
Tier 5/6 on this list:

If your psu is connected to a UPS, I don't see how it would impact led lights elsewhere, not connected.
Since, it is new, return the unit.

The main power draws for your pc are the cpu which is a 65w tdp unit and the GTX1050ti which is a t5w unit.
You should be able to run your configuration on as little as 300w.
I doubt that using a 20 pin psu is any problem.
Since you are having no problems with your current psu, do nothing.

But, if you anticipate upgrading to a much stronger graphics card, then a psu upgrade would be in order.
Here is a handy chart as to what various graphics cards require...
Why try to fix a problem that you do not have?
Yes, an old psu may develop issues, but if it is a quality unit, no damage should occur if it fails.

What is the make/model of your old psu and the new one?
What kind of issues did the new psu present?
What is the make/model of your Z170 motherboard?
In your motherboard manual, does it say anything about 20 pin vs. 24 pin compatibility.
 

amasoun

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Mar 22, 2010
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It was a Corsair VS 650. It started to make my system unstable. And it made led bullbs at home blink when there was power outages. I have my computer hooked to home ups (1 kw).
My older psu is from an old HP machine. It is whisper quiet and has given me no trouble whatsoever in 7 years.
Mobo is Gigabyte Z170X Gaming 3.
 
Corsair VS650 is not considered to be a quality unit.
Tier 5/6 on this list:

If your psu is connected to a UPS, I don't see how it would impact led lights elsewhere, not connected.
Since, it is new, return the unit.

The main power draws for your pc are the cpu which is a 65w tdp unit and the GTX1050ti which is a t5w unit.
You should be able to run your configuration on as little as 300w.
I doubt that using a 20 pin psu is any problem.
Since you are having no problems with your current psu, do nothing.

But, if you anticipate upgrading to a much stronger graphics card, then a psu upgrade would be in order.
Here is a handy chart as to what various graphics cards require:
http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm

Consider a quality power supply as a long term investment.
They do not go obsolete easily.
Look for a tier 1/2 unit from the above list in the 550-750w range.
A psu will only use the power demanded of it, regardless of the max capability.

Do not buy a cheap psu.
A cheap PSU will be made of substandard components. It will not have safety and overload protections.
The danger is if it fails under load, it can destroy anything it is connected to.
It will deliver advertised power only at room temperatures, not at higher temperatures found when installed in a case.
The wattage will be delivered on the 3 and 5v rails, not on the 12v rails where modern parts
like the CPU and Graphics cards need it. What power is delivered may fluctuate and cause instability
issues that are hard to diagnose.
The fan will need to spin up higher to cool it, making it noisy.
A cheap PSU can become very expensive.

Do not buy one.
 
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Solution

amasoun

Distinguished
Mar 22, 2010
33
0
18,530
Corsair VS650 is not considered to be a quality unit.
Tier 5/6 on this list:

If your psu is connected to a UPS, I don't see how it would impact led lights elsewhere, not connected.
Since, it is new, return the unit.

The main power draws for your pc are the cpu which is a 65w tdp unit and the GTX1050ti which is a t5w unit.
You should be able to run your configuration on as little as 300w.
I doubt that using a 20 pin psu is any problem.
Since you are having no problems with your current psu, do nothing.

But, if you anticipate upgrading to a much stronger graphics card, then a psu upgrade would be in order.
Here is a handy chart as to what various graphics cards require:
http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm

Consider a quality power supply as a long term investment.
They do not go obsolete easily.
Look for a tier 1/2 unit from the above list in the 550-750w range.
A psu will only use the power demanded of it, regardless of the max capability.

Do not buy a cheap psu.
A cheap PSU will be made of substandard components. It will not have safety and overload protections.
The danger is if it fails under load, it can destroy anything it is connected to.
It will deliver advertised power only at room temperatures, not at higher temperatures found when installed in a case.
The wattage will be delivered on the 3 and 5v rails, not on the 12v rails where modern parts
like the CPU and Graphics cards need it. What power is delivered may fluctuate and cause instability
issues that are hard to diagnose.
The fan will need to spin up higher to cool it, making it noisy.
A cheap PSU can become very expensive.

Do not buy one.

Thanks mate. I am gonna keep my current PSU. I have checked the ATX connector after gaming, it doesn't get any warm than ambient temp.