24 pin PSU in a 20 pin mobo?

[Maximilian]

It didnt answer that in the FAQ above. Can i put a 24 pin connector into a mobo with only 20 holes? It actually does fit but will it fry the mobo or somthing? PSU blow up? The PSU that came with my case is a 24 pin one and i need to use this as the current seasonic 300w is insufficient. I get random restarts every few hours.

 

[GTaudiophile]

No, I think you need a 24-to-20 connector.

 

[Lonyo]

It could work.
I know I had a 24-pin PSU and the extra 4 pins were detatchable so you could use it as a 20pin connector.
Just check the PSU and see if you can remove the extra 4 pins (have them dangle off to the side).

 

[Maximilian]

Originally posted by: Lonyo
It could work.
I know I had a 24-pin PSU and the extra 4 pins were detatchable so you could use it as a 20pin connector.
Just check the PSU and see if you can remove the extra 4 pins (have them dangle off to the side).

Aha! Very good, they can dangle off the side. Ta dude, my P3 beast wont be giving me any more random resets!

 

[JimPhelpsMI]

Hi, Extra 4 pins are duplicates of existing pins in the 20 pin connector. Same as using larger wire to beat the IR losses in the wire. It should work, but you may need the adaptor if you try any overclocking etc. Luck, Jim

 

[interchange]

I am honestly not sure about this, but I don't think they are duplicate pins on ATX 2.0 power supplies. They have dual 12V rails to keep loads separate. By using a 24-pin power supply on a 20-pin motherboard, you are effectively chopping off one rail. Is it safe? Would it be safe? Absolutely. However, you will have one completely wasted 12V rail and may run into problems supplying enough power. I believe a 24-pin to 20-pin adapter would just wire the two rails in parallel so that the load can be spread across both rails, but any interference on one rail would translate to the next one, negating the benefit of separate rails. However, it would still be better than wasting the power altogether .