PSU 20 pin to 24 pin adapter - How well do they work?

[DragonBorn1511]

So I know most PSUs with a 20 pin only cable are pretty much junk nowadays for powering any system with a 24 pin.

However this happens to be an FSP 350W Unit, which is decent enough for a basic PC.

I've read plugging a 20 pin into a 24 pin socket can work, however can lead to some issues.

Therefore I was thinking of buying this: 20 Pin to 24 Pin Adapter

Will this give more stability than just using the 20 pin in the 24 pin socket? and most importantly, will it work to power the PC constantly with no random shut down?

Thanks.

 

[panathas]

It will work but it also depends on the rest of your system. If your whole PC doesn't draw a lot of power and you don't overload those cables, you should be fine. Those 4 extra pins are primarily used for providing power to PCIe cards and specifically to GPUs that draw most of their power from the PCIe slot. So if you have an internal GPU and you are not planning on adding a more powerful GPU on the 16x PCIe motherboard slot, you should be OK. Finally even if you wanted to use a PCIe GPU, I don't think that your PSU is capable for that task.

 

[Aeacus]

It will work but only to some extent.
Without 20-pin to 24-pin adapter, you can fry the MoBo 24-pin connector slot.
With 20-pin to 24-pin adapter, you can fry the PSU if MoBo draws more power than PSU can deliver.

... you can plug a 20 pin cable into a 24 pin motherboard and it will work just fine. At least, it will for a while. They added those extra 4 pins for a reason. When you plug a 20 pin cable into a 24 pin connector you're not providing the extra current carrying capacity which may be needed by the motherboard. If your motherboard's current requirements are low enough then it will work properly with only a 20 pin power cabled plugged in. But if the motherboard draws enough current, then you can overheat the 20 pins you're using on the 24 pin connector. I've seen enough pictures of burned ATX main connectors to assure you that this happens. In adding the extra four pins, 3.3 volts went from 3 to 4 lines. 5 volts when from 4 to 5 lines. 12 volts went from 1 to 2 lines so its capacity doubled. Connectors really do get hot if you overload them so the safest thing to do is use a real 24 pin power supply on a motherboard with a 24 pin connector.

source: http://www.playtool.com/pages/psuconnectors/connectors.html

That being said, i recommend that you get a new PSU that has the 24-pin main connector.
E.g Seasonic S12II-350,
pcpp: http://pcpartpicker.com/product/bQzZxr/seasonic-power-supply-ssr350st
or Seasonic S12II-430,
pcpp: http://pcpartpicker.com/product/4Vzv6h/seasonic-power-supply-s12ii430b

 

[DragonBorn1511]

I'd rather not buy a new PSU because the system it's going in isn't overly important for Me to spend on a new PSU.

I know you can buy EPS 4 pin to 8 pin which require the original EPS 4 pin + a 4 pin molex.

Is there a such thing for the 24 pin? So a 20 pin + 4 pin molex (for the extra 4 pin power on the mobo connector) to 24 pin? To avoid the PSU getting burnt out.

Also if I use a GPU that requires a 6pin pcie connector. Ignoring the fact that it's a 350W PSU (It's got plenty of amps for the 12V rail for a GPU), in terms of the 20 pin connector, will it be alright with a 24 pin adapter with a GPU?

 

[Aeacus]

Molex to 4-pin? There is such adapter but you can't use it on MoBo 24-pin slot since it doesn't have the 5V and 3.3V rails.
amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LBH6B6I/

A good picture about pin layouts:

As i stated before, you can use 20-pin to 24-pin connector to power your MoBo but there is risk that you overload your PSU, especially when you also use a dedicated GPU with it. When overloaded, at best, PSU turns your system off (shutdown). At worst, it fries itself and everything it's connected to.

 

[DragonBorn1511]

Molex to 4-pin? There is such adapter but you can't use it on MoBo 24-pin slot since it doesn't have the 5V and 3.3V rails.
amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LBH6B6I/

A good picture about pin layouts:

As i stated before, you can use 20-pin to 24-pin connector to power your MoBo but there is risk that you overload your PSU, especially when you also use a dedicated GPU with it. When overloaded, at best, PSU turns your system off (shutdown). At worst, it fries itself and everything it's connected to.

No you've misunderstood what I'm asking. I'm perfectly aware EPS connections, PCIE connectors, and Mobo connectors are not interchangeable. I was givng the example that to turn a 4 pin EPS into an 8, you use an extra molex connection.

So I was wondering rather than turning a 20 pin straight into an 24 pin, Would it be possible to find a connector which turned a 20 pin into a 24 pin, using a molex connection as well.

 

[Aeacus]

If i understand correctly, you're asking for a adapter that in one end has 20-pin male with 4-pin molex male and in the other end a 24-pin female connector?

That kind of adapter can't be made since molex only carries 12V and 5V rails. But 3.3V rail is also needed to make such adapter.

 

[DragonBorn1511]

If i understand correctly, you're asking for a adapter that in one end has 20-pin male with 4-pin molex male and in the other end a 24-pin female connector?

That kind of adapter can't be made since molex only carries 12V and 5V rails. But 3.3V rail is also needed to make such adapter.

Yes that was what I was asking.

Thank you very much for clearing that up. OI'm just going to get the 20 - 24 pin adaptor and YOLO it. If it breaks then so be it, at least it was worth the chance IMO.