[SOLVED] Is it possible to convert from the 28-pin "motherboard" output of my modular PSU to the 8 (4+4)-pin input of my motherboard?

Jan 15, 2020
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I have a Dell 9020. It has 8-pin AND 4-pin power input connections.

I have a Radeon something something something doesn't matter its a GPU with a 6-pin power input.

I have a FSP Hydro GE 550W 80 PLUS Gold Certified Full Modular Active PFC Power Supply (HGE550).

The PSU has:
one - 18-pin output and 10-pin output combination, mounted right next to each other and bracketed with the word "motherboard". The outputs are right next to each other, arranged in 2 rows of 14 pins each (2 rows of 9 and 2 rows of 5)

three - 8-pin outputs labeled "CPU" and "PCI-E". The 8 pins are arranged in 2 rows of 4.

three - 5-pin outputs labeled "peripheral". The 5 pins are arranged in a single row.

I can run a 6+2 cable to the GPU from one of the three CPU/PCI-E outputs.

I can run a 4+4 cable to the 8-pin CPU power input from another of the three CPU/PCI-E outputs.

I can run another 4+4 from the last 8-pin power output to the 4-pin CPU power input.

And I would be done. However, I'd like to leave open the possibility of adding other equipment.

SO, I'd like to take that giant 28-pin combination of 18 and 10 that SAYS its for the motherboard and use it to power the motherboard, so that i can leave open one, or maybe two, of my 8-pin CPU/PCI-E output connecitons on the PSU. BUT, I can't find any cable to make that adaptation. In fact, I can't find a 28-pin connector of any kind.

Alternately or in addition, I'd like to be able to convert from those 5-pin linear outputs to a 4-pin square attachment to plug into my motherboard's extra powersupply input. Again, i can't find anything that would plug into those anyway, so what the heck?

And, finally, if neither of those is really an option, then I need a cable to go from on of the three CPU/PCI-E outputs to my 4-pin power input on the motherboard, but the PSU only comes with 1 CPU cable (4+4) and 2 PCI-E cables (6+2), and I cannot find a male-to-male 8-pin to 4+4 or anything else that would make that work.

So, my questions really boil down to these:
What the everloving &*@% is that giant connection for and what can I do with it?
Can I convert the 5-pin outputs to use for my motherboard power supply need?
What cable can I use to go from the 8-pin output to my 4-pin input on the motherboard, and where do i purchase it?

THANKS!!!
 
Solution
The 28pin (18+10 blocks) 'out' from the PSU runs to a standard 24pin ATX connector. You cannot run more than a single ATX. If you want to connect it to the Dell, you need to adapt the full 24pin connector down to the 8 required by the proprietary motherboard.

The EPS (CPU) is simple enough - in that you'll only use a single 4 of the 4+4 connection.

Barty1884

Retired Moderator
The 28pin (18+10 blocks) 'out' from the PSU runs to a standard 24pin ATX connector. You cannot run more than a single ATX. If you want to connect it to the Dell, you need to adapt the full 24pin connector down to the 8 required by the proprietary motherboard.

The EPS (CPU) is simple enough - in that you'll only use a single 4 of the 4+4 connection.
 
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Solution
Jan 15, 2020
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Thanks for reading my post thoroughly.

As I said in the post, this is a modular PSU, so the cable that some other respondents proposed to convert from 24 to 8 will not work. I have been unable to find such a cable,. Do they exist?

If i can find that cable, then it will be obvious how to plug in the 24-pin cable to the 28-pin output, I suppose.

I can use my 8-pin to (4+4)-pin cable to power the 4-pin input on the MB, that's fine, but I am still curious about the other outputs.

What are the 5-pin connections for? Can i get a cable that will take 12-volt from one of those to my 4-pin input on the MB, thus saving one of my 8-pin slots for something else?
 

Barty1884

Retired Moderator
What are the 5-pin connections for? Can i get a cable that will take 12-volt from one of those to my 4-pin input on the MB, thus saving one of my 8-pin slots for something else?

No, you cannot really 'save' a connector for something else - they're for what they're for.
Sure, you could adapt 12V out, but without ground etc, you're getting into sketchy territory and cannot control which rate you're pulling from etc.

The 5pins are for peripherals (SATA, Molex)
 
Jan 15, 2020
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I just installed a new PSU in my 9020 mt, I can answer any questions you have about fit. First, what exactly is the PSU? Do you have the required 24pin to 8 pin dell power adapter?


PSU is described in the original post. My entire question is about the existence of such an adapter, so, to be clear, no, I do not have one.
 

Remeca

Reputable
This is the exact one linked above in my optiplex 9020 :


PSU is at the bottom, plugged into the adapter
CZCJ0M5_d.jpg


Adapter plugged into motherboard 8 pin
SNUAs4C_d.jpg
 
Jan 15, 2020
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This is the exact one linked above in my optiplex 9020 :


PSU is at the bottom, plugged into the adapter
CZCJ0M5_d.jpg


Adapter plugged into motherboard 8 pin
SNUAs4C_d.jpg
That's all very nice, but that adapter is FEMALE on the 24 pin side. I need a male 24 pin connection to a male 8-pin connection. That is a female 24-pin connection to a male 8 pin connection. This is a modular PSU. It does not have cables coming out of it. It has output ports. You plug cables into it.
 
Jan 15, 2020
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No, you cannot really 'save' a connector for something else - they're for what they're for.
Sure, you could adapt 12V out, but without ground etc, you're getting into sketchy territory and cannot control which rate you're pulling from etc.

The 5pins are for peripherals (SATA, Molex)

Bummer. Ok, that's fine. So I just need to find a male 24-pin to male 8-pin connector.

Thanks
 
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Remeca

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You aren't going to find that. They make this to plug into 24 pin cables coming out of PSUs. How would you plug your PSU into your motherboard if it used the standard 24 pin? You wouldn't plug the motherboard plug directly into the PSU, I assume you have some kind of cable that has at least 24 pins on it that then gets plugged into your PSU. That's the plug you attach the adapter to, you don't plug the adapter into your PSU. You don't need male to male, you need male 8 pin for the motherboard's female 8 pin, and female 24 pin for whatever 24 pin cable you plug into your PSU. Is that your misunderstanding? That this isn't a replacement cable that attaches directly to your modular PSU? It goes between the PSUs normal male 24pin output cable and the motherboard. Are we on the same page yet or have I completely misunderstood your misunderstanding?
 
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Jan 15, 2020
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Man. Read my post. The issue is not the number of pins. I get it that there are 24 to 8-pin adapters. The issue is that the 24 pin side of the adapter you mentioned is a FEMALE end. my PSU is a modular PSU. It does not have any cables coming out of it. You have to plug a cable into the PSU itself. The hole into which you would plug the cable on my PSU looks like the 24 pin side of the adapter you mentioned. It will not plug into my PSU. The adapter you mentioned is made to plug into a cable coming out of a PSU. The cable that would come out of such a PSU has the opposite side of that type of connector. My PSU does not have a cable that comes out of it. Instead it has the female side of the connector and you plug the male side into it.

Now just to be clear, I've never been completely sure which side of the connector you're supposed to call male and which side you're supposed to call female. But I am being consistent in the convention that I am using. Adapter cable that you mentioned as a female, by my convention, 24 pin connector at one end and a male, by my convention, 8 pin connector at the other end.
 

Remeca

Reputable
Your OP has a few different questions, but I'm going to focus on the main misconception. I understand that you have a modular power supply, and that it has no wires coming out of it. It has lots of female plugs for different things.

When you acquired your PSU, there should have been included a whole whack of wires that plug into the modular PSU, including one that was a male 24+4 (your 28) to male 24+4 pin, which would plug into a motherboards female 24 pin (most of the time its 24 not 24+4, the extra 4 just hang off or aren't included). A 4+4 CPU plug, also male to male, would plug into the 4 pin female CPU plug on the motherboard. The extra +4 would either hang off to the side, or not be included, or be optional on some modular PSUs. Etc, etc for the rest.

Now when we are talking 24 to 8 pin adapters, we're ONLY talking about male 8 pin to female 24 pin, because it plugs into the male 24+4 wire that you plugged into the modular PSU earlier, and then to the motherboard. The 8 pin adapters ONLY purpose is to convert the ATX standard motherboard connector to Dell's proprietary 8 pin design. It is a short cable, because it isn't supposed to reach the PSU. If you have no wires with all the plugs that match your PSU, then you have to buy them, and then buy the 8 pin adapter, and plug them both in.

I apologize if I seem testy, but this is really basic stuff and I don't know how to explain it any better. On the product page for your PSU, it shows pictures of cables. You need those, to plug into all your devices, including the motherboard, which is just passed through the 8 pin adapter. I did a quick google, and I didn't find much in the way of replacement or alternative cables for that PSU (don't know much about modular PSUs so don't know how interchangeable they all are). And if you DO have the cables, I have no idea why the heck we're talking about plugging a 24 to 8 pin adapter directly into a modular PSU.

Nobody sells a dell 8 pin male to 24 pin male because everyone is plugging them into the male 24+4 cables coming from their power supplies, modular or not.
 
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Barty1884

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Man. Read my post. The issue is not the number of pins. I get it that there are 24 to 8-pin adapters. The issue is that the 24 pin side of the adapter you mentioned is a FEMALE end. my PSU is a modular PSU. It does not have any cables coming out of it. You have to plug a cable into the PSU itself. The hole into which you would plug the cable on my PSU looks like the 24 pin side of the adapter you mentioned. It will not plug into my PSU. The adapter you mentioned is made to plug into a cable coming out of a PSU. The cable that would come out of such a PSU has the opposite side of that type of connector. My PSU does not have a cable that comes out of it. Instead it has the female side of the connector and you plug the male side into it.

Modular cables ship with cables to be connected to those outputs, so you'd use those and THEN the adapter.

If you don't have the modular cables, then you have a problem - PSUs vary wildly in terms of pin 'out' on the PSU side, as only the 24 pin connector (for the motherboard) is standardized.
 
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TJ Hooker

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When you acquired your PSU, there should have been included a whole whack of wires that plug into the modular PSU, including one that was a male 24+4 (your 28) to male 24+4 pin, which would plug into a motherboards female 24 pin (most of the time its 24 not 24+4, the extra 4 just hang off or aren't included). A 4+4 CPU plug, also male to male, would plug into the 4 pin female CPU plug on the motherboard. The extra +4 would either hang off to the side, or not be included, or be optional on some modular PSUs. Etc, etc for the rest.
I think you need to look at the actual plugs the OP's PSU has. It's actually configured as a 18+10 pin on the PSU end:

Edit: Derp, nevermind
 
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Remeca

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I think you need to look at the actual plugs the OP's PSU has. It's actually configured as a 18+10 pin on the PSU end:
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71V5++XWroL._SL1500_.jpg
It doesn't matter what's on his PSU, he needs the cables that came with it (or should have but apparently didn't) to plug into his motherboard (or 8 pin adapter in this case.) and everything else. He's thinking that he can just buy a proprietary Dell 8 pin to his specific PSUs output cable plug. Such a thing doesn't exist. As stated multiple times now, he needs the cables that originally came with his modular PSU to actually plug into things that require power.

Edit: you are right about the plug configuration on his PSU though, I should have said a male 18+10 to male 24+4
 
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Jan 3, 2020
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I just read entire thing and I agree he is missing a wire. I never heard of an aftermarket wire that plugs directly into the psu itself. Cant he just go to the manufacturer of the psu site and order the main motherboard wire and get the adapter that he needs forDell. Seems like the solution like you stated.
 
Jan 3, 2020
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And aren't some of the wires 5volt or 3 volt and 12 volt. Seems to me using some of the other wires to plug into the motherboard wouldnt make much sense anyway as he could use the wrong voltage.