[SOLVED] Can you buy the separate extra 4 pin atx connector for the motherboard?

[Iver Hicarte]

Good day,

Motherboards nowadays come with the extra 4 pin ATX power socket together with the regular 8 pin ATX socket. My question is can you buy that extra power cable? Because my power supply originally does not include that cable and I upgraded to a motherboard with that extra 4 pin ATX connector, and now I thought, instead of buying a new power supply just to get that extra cable, why not just buy it and connect it to my original power supply. Now some of you might be thinking, I will not need that cable since it is only for extreme overclocking and the average user won't necessarily need that cable, well you're right and I'm aware of that, but I just want my build to be "complete and safe". I just want to have that peace of mind knowing that all slots or connections are occupied, this way if an issue occurs, I can troubleshoot it easier instead of guessing where the issue is coming from. Sorry for the dumb question.

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

you're right, this additional 4pin CPU power is only for EXTREME overclocking.
it is not intended to be used with a basic setup or even a decent overclock.
you will have zero benefit from using it and will only be adding more junk showing and the need for more cable management.

I just want my build to be "complete and safe"

your system is complete & safe and is built as it is intended to be when only using the single 8pin CPU power cable.
no issue can arise from not having it plugged in unless you are doing some insane over-volting to your CPU with a liquid nitrogen based overclock.

but if you are looking to purchase a separate cable;
first you would have to have a modular power supply with interchangeable cables.
then you would have to either purchase one from your power supply manufacturer
or find a 3rd party cable manufacturer that makes cables specifically for your model power supply.

using any other cables than those designed specifically for your PSU will damage either the PSU, the motherboard, both, and/or possibly everything connected to it.

 

[Iver Hicarte]

you're right, this additional 4pin CPU power is only for EXTREME overclocking.
it is not intended to be used with a basic setup or even a decent overclock.
you will have zero benefit from using it and will only be adding more junk showing and the need for more cable management.

your system is complete & safe and is built as it is intended to be when only using the single 8pin CPU power cable.
no issue can arise from not having it plugged in unless you are doing some insane over-volting to your CPU with a liquid nitrogen based overclock.

but if you are looking to purchase a separate cable;
first you would have to have a modular power supply with interchangeable cables.
then you would have to either purchase one from your power supply manufacturer
or find a 3rd party cable manufacturer that makes cables specifically for your model power supply.

using any other cables than those designed specifically for your PSU will damage either the PSU, the motherboard, both, and/or possibly everything connected to it.

Thanks for the detailed answer. Good thing you mentioned something about purchasing PSU cables from the manufacturer themselves, I didn't know strict rules apply to such a basic component. So this is duly noted, must buy the cable from original manufacturers to avoid damaging the unit, and it must be modular.

 

[Iver Hicarte]

you're right, this additional 4pin CPU power is only for EXTREME overclocking.
it is not intended to be used with a basic setup or even a decent overclock.
you will have zero benefit from using it and will only be adding more junk showing and the need for more cable management.

your system is complete & safe and is built as it is intended to be when only using the single 8pin CPU power cable.
no issue can arise from not having it plugged in unless you are doing some insane over-volting to your CPU with a liquid nitrogen based overclock.

but if you are looking to purchase a separate cable;
first you would have to have a modular power supply with interchangeable cables.
then you would have to either purchase one from your power supply manufacturer
or find a 3rd party cable manufacturer that makes cables specifically for your model power supply.

using any other cables than those designed specifically for your PSU will damage either the PSU, the motherboard, both, and/or possibly everything connected to it.

By the way, I would just like to ask if my power supply unit can have that extra cable, here's a photo of my MODULAR power supply layout. It's the Corsair RM 750 watt 80+Gold power supply. I'm not really well versed when it comes to PSU's so apologies for the ludicrous question again lol.

https://imgur.com/a/zcFbfhM

View: https://imgur.com/a/zcFbfhM

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

must buy the cable from original manufacturers to avoid damaging the unit, and it must be modular.

there are 3rd party manufacturers that make special versions with different colors, different sleeves, different flat or textured cables for custom aesthetics and things.
but they would still have to be designed specifically for your model PSU.

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

I would just like to ask if my power supply unit can have that extra cable

it depends on the manufacturer.
some models have the option to swap out 6/8pin PCIe cables for others like this 4pin connector in question.
you'd have to ask tech support or maybe look around the product support site.

 

[jonnyguru]

By the way, I would just like to ask if my power supply unit can have that extra cable, here's a photo of my MODULAR power supply layout.

Yes. Any of those 8-pin connectors on the PSU can support either PCIe, 8-pin EPS12V or 4-pin ATX12V.