Same model Enermax PSU, different connectors?

[airwee]

Hi, and thanks for your help up front...

I brought the beast out of retirement to grab some old files and sure enough, my PSU died when I tried to fire it up. I originally built my computer way back in '02 (I know, lost cause), but wanted to see if I could recover the files and maybe set it up for my kids to beat on and not care about. So, I decided to pick up an identical model Enermax EG365P-VE power supply for $28 and life would be good...unfortunately when I cracked open the box, the PSU that was sent to me only had one 12-pin, one 4-pin square, and one 4-pin flat power connector. My computer is set up to require a whole lot more (probably at least 4 minimum) 4-pin flat connectors.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ZF4D-dHkhi4/T2e3_ivg5DI/AAAAAAAARwE/3d8Vz0f6pNU/s640/IMG_0639.JPG
(The old power supply is on the left, and has a helluva lot more flat 4-pin connectors)

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-oX-85uNmxjg/T2e4AAaJdlI/AAAAAAAARwM/_xNu1V4YJLk/s640/IMG_0641.JPG

What am I missing? Do I need to just get a converter and run a bunch more lines off the single flat 4-pin (in serial)? I assume that technology changes in motherboards and hard drives now has desktops running a different power configuration, but I'm wondering if I might be able to make this new one work for me somehow.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Chris

 

[clutchc]

Those appear to be 2 different PSUs (obviously, huh?). From what I can tell reading the nameplates, they don't even have the same specs. (Hard to tell for sure in the pics... pretty tiny) Maybe you can take a better close up of the two nameplates to be sure... or verify for me the voltage ratings.

 

[airwee]

Yeah, the model number is exactly the same but the PSU connectors are different coming out of it. I checked the voltages and they appear to be the same. Can I just daisy chain a bunch of 4-pin flat connectors together off of the one that comes out of the PSU to power my hard drives and other peripherals (i.e. add 2 1-to-4 splitters)? Or are you not supposed to do that?

Thanks,
Chris

 

[ko888]

The one with fewer connectors looks like an OEM version of that PSU model.

OEM versions will be customized for a specific system configuration. Leaving out connectors and cables lowers the cost to the OEM customer and reduces cable clutter inside the computer case.

 

[clutchc]

That's why I was trying to read the PSU nameplate specs in your pic. It's important you don't exceed the nameplate current for the +12V and the +5 volt circuits. Yes, you can get a Y splitter and run more than one device from the single Molex you have available. What are the +12V and +5 volt amperage ratings on the two power supplies.

 

[airwee]

Here's a pic of the new PSU label...

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-fsUadclHjGs/T3IntX-gbaI/AAAAAAAARwY/pwm4H0GVB84/s512/IMG_0664.JPG

 

[clutchc]

Here's a pic of the new PSU label...

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-fsUadclHjGs/T3IntX-gbaI/AAAAAAAARwY/pwm4H0GVB84/s512/IMG_0664.JPG

That looks plenty sufficient to split your single Molex (4 pin flat) connector into 2 or more. One caveat however... you don't want to overload the wire size that the original Molex is fed with. I can't see that happening with 2, 3, or even 4 drives. But don't add more devices to the Molex chain than you need. I believe most HDDs draw about 1.5 - 2 A at start up and much less when running.

 

[airwee]

Best answer selected by airwee.