Power supply failure

[scoyle]

Hello all, this is my first post here at Tom's Hardware Community forums. Let me first thank everyone involved with the site for their great work.
Now, on to the problem:
I'm having a problem with my Antec True Power (Version 1) 430w power supply. The power wires on the standard ATX 20-pin connector have been fried, and I'm wondering what could have caused it. My father came by, and said that it was probably a short on the Motherboard that caused too much current to flow through the PSU, but I'm not entirely sure what caused it.
Has this happened to anyone else? I'd like to know if anyone else has had the same experience and could share their solution with me.
Also, I recently bought an Asus A8N-E motherboard with a Venice core, and was wondering if I need an ATX version 2.1 PSU to use the combo. I know the motherboard has a 24-pin connector, and an additional 4-pin 12 volt connector, but I'm not sure if they both need to be hooked up to be functional. I was also thinking that the 4-pin 12 volt connector could be hooked into the extra four pins on the 24-pin ATX version 2.1 connector to make it functional.
Does this solution work, or will I have to order a new PSU to use with my new Motherboard?
Thanks in advance for all of your help.

-Seamus

 

[poly4life]

I strongly recommend utilizing the 4-pin CPU connector. And you can purchase an 24-pin adapter for the 20-pin PSU to 24-pin mobo. Unless your using a PCIe video card, you don't need the adapter - but it couldn't hurt. The extra 4-pins add an extra 75W for the PCIe bus, crucial for today's screaming nvidia and ati graphic cards.

As for the "fried" wires, can you elaborate? Does the computer boot normally? Are there visible signs that the wires have been literally "fried"?