8Pin EATX12V CPU power connector broken/melted inside plastic case

[branskyj]

Hi all,
I had the pure luck of finally finding tonight what the heck was wrong with my PC for the last year.
I realized one of the two 4pin power connectors which provides the CPU with power (I only keep one of them plugged in the 8pin plastic casing anyway) have either broken or melted inside it's compartment. Which was causing all sorts of issues leading to my PC shutting down or refusing to boot.
That broken power connector has four pins- two of them are perfectly fine but the other two pins are partially missing the plastic around them- the plastic is stuck in the motherboard's plastic casing. I tried taking the plastic leftovers inside but they are either melted or just my tool is not sharp enough.
I suppose at some point the power supply got busted and pooped the situation, or maybe when I was connecting the connector to the motherboard I pushed down too hard.
Anyway, currently I am using the second 4pin CPU connector plugged into the second 4pin casing on the motherboard. My question is- Is it safe to run the CPU this way? Does it matter which of the two 4pin casings on the motherboard will be used to provide the CPU with power, or which 4pin connector will be used to do so?
The computer is working fine at the current moment but I haven't even started stressing the CPU again (CPU rendering) and don't want to fry the chip (it is an expensive 3930k).
I am sorry if my description of components is not very accurate, if there is some ambiguity just let me know and I will elaborate.

Thanks for any help.

http://i39.tinypic.com/ta4fvb.jpg
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2yl4...5#.Ukh9aoa-1Bk
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=aua77m&s=5#.Ukh9qYa-1Bk

OK, on the first two of the images you can see the current state of the broken 4pin connector but I am not using that one. I am using the second 4pin CPU connector which is perfectly fine.
On the third image you can see the layout of the motherboard and the two 4pin casings next to each other (one uncovered and one covered with a cap). I was using the uncovered one so far, that is where the melted/ broken plastic from the connector on image 1 is. The second 4pin casing (the one with a cap on top) I am using currently with the undamaged 4pin CPU connector.

Hope that helps and thanks for the help.

 

[Kenmitch]

So although to me it looks like both your MB and your power supply had the 8pin(2x4pin) available you chose to only install 4pin initially?

What are your system specs?

Looks like you melted the connector as you were drawing more power than the single 4pin could supply.

 

[branskyj]

Dang. I have always thought one of them was enough to properly power the CPU. In fact even in my previous systems I have always connected one of the 4pin connectors, never both.
Was I wrong? Could this happen again since I am currently using only one?
Thanks.

 

[Kenmitch]

Yes it's possible it could happen again. Most likely it will. If your MB has 8pin it's best to use 8pin as it'll spread the load to twice as many pins. Melting is mostly caused by too much heat because of too much power being drawn....Of course a short to ground would also cause melting but it's still too much power being drawn in a raw sense.

What cpu are you running? Are you overclocking? If so how high and what vcore.

 

[john3850]

Had a Athlon Epox mb melt the hot wires on a ps and mb connections like that.
The software voltage on +12v read at 10.5v when it stopped working.
I always believed the ps amps were too low to supply the needed current.
Used some small picks to get the melted stuff out of the mb socket and forced the plug from a larger ps in.

 

[zir_blazer]

If you had a Power Supply with a 4+4/8 Pin ATX12V/EPS12V connector and you used only half of it when you could have use the full connector, it was a rather stupid decisition.

As far that I am aware, things like that were a common sight for the BitCoin miners during the GPU mining era with the 24 Pin ATX power connector, usually the terminals where the two 12V wires are gets melted. It happens because you're trying to push more current that the terminals can reliabily deliver without overheating and melting (Looking at your pics, it seems it was that the plastic was much weaker than the terminal through). So I suppose the Power Supply plastic weren't of high enough quality for the heat generated in only 2 12V wires when it was intended that you used 4.

 

[branskyj]

OK. I get it. My CPU is 3930k not overclocked.
I will try to take out the plastic inside but here is a question- I currently have only one intact 4pin connector for my CPU and would like to connect a second one. Is it possible to convert any other power lead on the power supply into a second 4pin connector? Like any of the 6pin connectors for the graphics or maybe the old Molex connectors. Would that be a safe solution?

Thanks for all the input.

 

[john3850]

You can buy wire extensions for any wire plug on the power supply.
Get a 4 or 8 pin extension and you may be able to just plug in your good 4 pin connector to the extension and have a dual on the other end.
In a jam get new extension cut the plug and get 4 grey or tiny wire nuts I use a good crimp tool when needed.
I also use a light coating of dielectric grease on mb plugs so they don't freeze.
A new plug and a pin kit which I never use will work.

 

[branskyj]

Thank you so much john3850 (and everybody else)
I will try to take out the plastic and get the extensions you mentioned.

Cheers mate.