Do SATA cables deliver consistent power? (Does the motherboard reduce voltage when not being used?) If i power LED's with

[Aj Martin]

(Does the motherboard reduce voltage when not being used?) If i power LED's with a SATA to MOLEX active adapter, will the lights be consistently powered?

 

[menetlaus]

No, when the motherboard is "off" the PSU stops power from being delivered to the peripherial devices (such as molex/drive power cables).

There are a couple wires on the main PSU-Motherboard connection that are always on... but I'm not sure how much power it delivers and if safe to tap these lines for power to LED's.

Best bet would be to re-purpose a small power brick that outputs 5-12v and use it as a dedicated power for the lights and that way you aren't messing with the voltages/power scheme between the PSU and Motherboard.