[SOLVED] Do I need a motherboard with an extra 4-pin ATX 12V power connector?

[Jo_Hardy]

Hi all

I have an EVGA GTX 1060 SC 6 GB which only has a 6 pin external connector (which can only provide it with 75 W right?). Thus the remaining power has to come from the motherboard PCIe slot. The GPU is 120 W according to Nvidia.

In my current PC, both with my previous motherboard and currently with my present (bought used) motherboard when I am playing a demanding game that nearly maxes out both GPU and CPU; I have to run the graphics card set to 75% power limit (limited by using MSI Afterburner), OR I have to set CPU max state to 50-75% (using windows power options).

If not, when playing a game utilising both GPU and CPU near 100%, the computer restarts after an hour or 2, and then if I try to play again, it restarts much sooner, like within 10 minutes. I know it is not a PSU issue since I had it replaced under warranty when this initially occurred. And then I took it to the shop and they tested and said this can happen as a motherboard gets older. And thermals are fine too. On top of that the issue was worsening in my previous motherboard to the point where I used to limit both GPU and CPU to around 75% and 70% respectively, I replaced that mobo cuz the LAN port wasn't working.

Now I'm building a new PC and wondering if this issue could happen in the new build too, and wondering if getting a motherboard with an extra 4 pin ATX 12V power connector could solve the issue from occurring?

Currently have the following components for the new build;

Core i5 11400
2 sets of Silicon Power 16 GB ram kits
WD 1 TB PCIe SSD
Samsung 500 GB SSD
2 TB Toshiba HDD
Will buy a CPU cooler (I want something quieter than the noisy intel cooler)
Will buy 3 PWM case fans
Will buy a case that can fit the components

After looking at the higher end 11th gen B series motherboards, Gigabyte B560m Aorus Pro AX and the Asus counterpart, I noticed that they don't have an extra 4 pin ATX 12V power connector (they only have the 24-pin ATX main power connector). BUT for the new 12th gen both the Asus TUF B660m Plus WiFi and the Gigabyte B660m Aorus Pro AX, both have the extra 4 pin connector!

So I'm wondering if I should switch to an 12400 instead and get one of those motherboards?

Spoiler

I know I could alternatively buy an 11th gen Z series motherboard with a 4 pin, but that would be a waste, for similar cost I could go to the 12th gen

Thanks loadsss, appreciate any and all advice and thoughts because I really don't want to end up with the same problem again lol! 😃

 

[Eximo]

Well the new Intel chips have the potential for 16 cores and around a 200-250W power requirement. 11th gen isn't quite that bad, particularly a locked CPU.

I would not stress yourself to find a board with a supplemental 4-pin unless you are overclocking. i5 doesn't have the core count of the i7s and i9s, so you aren't likely to see such problems.

 

[Jo_Hardy]

Well the new Intel chips have the potential for 16 cores and around a 200-250W power requirement. 11th gen isn't quite that bad, particularly a locked CPU.

I would not stress yourself to find a board with a supplemental 4-pin unless you are overclocking. i5 doesn't have the core count of the i7s and i9s, so you aren't likely to see such problems.

Thank you! Yes I can't overclock the CPU, and I didn't see the angle of the 16 cores in 12th gen vs 8 core max in 11th gen, thanks! That makes sense, I should be alright especially considering I have a lower core count Thanks again

 

[mm8844]

Well the new Intel chips have the potential for 16 cores and around a 200-250W power requirement. 11th gen isn't quite that bad, particularly a locked CPU.

I would not stress yourself to find a board with a supplemental 4-pin unless you are overclocking. i5 doesn't have the core count of the i7s and i9s, so you aren't likely to see such problems.

I have an 11600k paired with an Aorus Z590 Elite AX
I'm also using an older MSI RX580 Armor GPU
Base clock is fine for me with this CPU but the wattage 125, which seems a little close to the 8 pin threshold. I also plan to upgrade this GPU when they become available and the prices come down some.
Should I connect the 4 pin as a safety measure? And if I do, will I be okay?
I mean, the voltage is there on standby in case it's needed, correct?
Thanks...

 

[Eximo]

I have an 11600k paired with an Aorus Z590 Elite AX
I'm also using an older MSI RX580 Armor GPU
Base clock is fine for me with this CPU but the wattage 125, which seems a little close to the 8 pin threshold. I also plan to upgrade this GPU when they become available and the prices come down some.
Should I connect the 4 pin as a safety measure? And if I do, will I be okay?
I mean, the voltage is there on standby in case it's needed, correct?
Thanks...

8-pin is capable of about 240W before the wires start to get hot. Would be more up to what the motherboard has set as a current limit. That aside, that is CPU supplemental power, there are still more 12V wires in the ATX connector itself, including a default additional 4-pin connector that was added to the 20 pin original ATX connector.

Nothing wrong with connecting additional EPS connectors, not going to increase power draw. Actually, it might result in a slight reduction since the wires will have a slightly lower temperature overall.

 

[mm8844]

8-pin is capable of about 240W before the wires start to get hot. Would be more up to what the motherboard has set as a current limit. That aside, that is CPU supplemental power, there are still more 12V wires in the ATX connector itself, including a default additional 4-pin connector that was added to the 20 pin original ATX connector.

Nothing wrong with connecting additional EPS connectors, not going to increase power draw. Actually, it might result in a slight reduction since the wires will have a slightly lower temperature overall.

Thank you for helping.