Can u put 20pin connector in 24pin mobo??

[Krists Javalds]

As the title says can u put 20pin connector in 24pin mobo??

 

[Jon-Doe]

You absolutely can do that!

http://img.tomshardware.com/us/2006/12/14/how-to-build-a-pc-part-3/atx.jpg

 

[Krists Javalds]

Yeah but is 20pin is fine or 24pin is recommended?

 

[Saberus]

Yes, but many modern boards need those extra voltage pins to avoid burning up the connector.

 

[Jon-Doe]

"... you can plug a 20 pin cable into a 24 pin motherboard and it will work just fine. At least, it will for a while. They added those extra 4 pins for a reason. When you plug a 20 pin cable into a 24 pin connector you're not providing the extra current carrying capacity which may be needed by the motherboard. If your motherboard's current requirements are low enough then it will work properly with only a 20 pin power cabled plugged in. But if the motherboard draws enough current, then you can overheat the 20 pins you're using on the 24 pin connector. I've seen enough pictures of burned ATX main connectors to assure you that this happens. In adding the extra four pins, 3.3 volts went from 3 to 4 lines. 5 volts when from 4 to 5 lines. 12 volts went from 1 to 2 lines so its capacity doubled. Connectors really do get hot if you overload them so the safest thing to do is use a real 24 pin power supply on a motherboard with a 24 pin connector."

From-
http://www.playtool.com/pages/psuconnectors/connectors.html

 

[Jon-Doe]

"... you can plug a 20 pin cable into a 24 pin motherboard and it will work just fine. At least, it will for a while. They added those extra 4 pins for a reason. When you plug a 20 pin cable into a 24 pin connector you're not providing the extra current carrying capacity which may be needed by the motherboard. If your motherboard's current requirements are low enough then it will work properly with only a 20 pin power cabled plugged in. But if the motherboard draws enough current, then you can overheat the 20 pins you're using on the 24 pin connector. I've seen enough pictures of burned ATX main connectors to assure you that this happens. In adding the extra four pins, 3.3 volts went from 3 to 4 lines. 5 volts when from 4 to 5 lines. 12 volts went from 1 to 2 lines so its capacity doubled. Connectors really do get hot if you overload them so the safest thing to do is use a real 24 pin power supply on a motherboard with a 24 pin connector."

From-
http://www.playtool.com/pages/psuconnectors/connectors.html

 

[Krists Javalds]

Yes, but many modern boards need those extra voltage pins to avoid burning up the connector.

Ok tnx

 

[InvalidError]

Yes, but many modern boards need those extra voltage pins to avoid burning up the connector.

The extra pins are a relic from the days where systems where drawing heavily from the 3.3V and 5V rails.

In modern systems where the bulk of the load has shifted to the 12V rail and the highest loads have dedicated 12V feeds, the extra pins on the ATX connector have effectively obsolete but they remain simply because they have become standard.

A high-current MiniFitJr pin can handle up to 13A, which means you need only two pins to safely handle a the full 20-25A output on the 3.3V and 5V rails. The typical #18 wires between the PSU and connectors should burn long before the connector does.