Has anyone seen this before?

[toptierjaali]

I have a Gateway Dx4885-ub3a and chose to upgrade the graphics on it. Subsequently I had to get a new power supply and when I installed everything it looks like the Acer/Gateway motherboards have a 12 pin ATX power rather than a 24 pin power connector. No company makes a psu with a 12 pin main power. Is there anything I can do? I have a GTX 750ti and an EVGA 500W power supply just chillin on the shelf.

 

[unknownofprob]

Prebuilt desktops tends to have many issues when users try to upgrade components. I can advise to either return what you have bought or Buy a new motherboard.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

That's "by design" .... store manufacturers tend to make things as proprietary as they can .... they make little selling you the PC, the money is in the pre-installed bloatware and spare parts.

 

[COLGeek]

That is indeed a proprietary PSU and motherboard. Common with some Acers (bought Gateway, I believe) as well.

What is the wattage of the Gateway PSU you have now?

 

[unknownofprob]

That is indeed a proprietary PSU and motherboard. Common with some Acers (bought Gateway, I believe) as well.

What is the wattage of the Gateway PSU you have now?

Good point, Some (not all - some require a 6 pin power connector to run) GTX 750Ti's can run off motherboard power. An update on your power supply would be good (Take a photo of the sticker on the power supply which shows the voltages and power output)

That said -

The motherboard BIOS could be locked and can prevent any further card upgrades - This is common to quite a few pre-built desktops.

The Motherboard 12 Pin power connector may not provide sufficient power to the card in the first place.

 

[Eximo]

I have seen them before, usually time to abandon the computer when they use proprietary parts. Should be able to plug a GTX750Ti into practically any computer without modification. They are very low power GPUs.

You can try looking for adapters, probably a few out there. I've been trying for a while, but can't seem to find any that look right. Several older HP and Dell adapters though.

If it has difficulty turning on with the stock power supply card installed, read below:

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If you have a voltmeter, patience, and care to take the risk, you can try some re-wiring.

Put the old one back in. One of the black wires is likely a ground. One will be the standby 5V+ those will have to match exactly. Should be supplying 5V when the power supply is plugged in, but the computer isn't running. Turn it on and measure the remaining pins. Write down the voltage for each pin.

You can find the standard pinout for ATX here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ATX

Pin removal is quite simple, plenty of Youtube videos if you need a hint. Where they used a very thick wire, you may need to double up. Ideally this would require soldering and/or new pins. But you can just splice them together. Basically substitute voltage for voltage and try it out. No guarantees.

 

[toptierjaali]

http://www.moddiy.com/products/Acer-PSU-Main-Power-24%252dPin-to-12%252dPin-Adapter-Cable-%2830cm%29.html
Will this adapter work? I know Acer and gateway use the same motherboard

 

[Eximo]

Found this one as well.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/24Pin-to-14pin-14p-Power-Supply-ATX-Cable-for-lenovo-Q77-B75-A75-Q75-Motherboard-/141422023812?pt=US_Power_Cables_Connectors&hash=item20ed68d484

 

[toptierjaali]

My stock PSU is 300W

 

[toptierjaali]

Found this one as well.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/24Pin-to-14pin-14p-Power-Supply-ATX-Cable-for-lenovo-Q77-B75-A75-Q75-Motherboard-/141422023812?pt=US_Power_Cables_Connectors&hash=item20ed68d484

I don't think Lenovo has the same pinout as the acer gateway motherboards

 

[Eximo]

Even better, the exact solution on this very website:

http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-1833076/odd-motherboard-power-connector.html