9-pin front panel connector

[wxiao]

My HP m8226x motherboard died. Instead of buying a replacement, I try to find a better mobo that is compatible with all the components. The problem though, is that I cannot find any board that has a 9-pin front panel connector, which is what the original system has. This motherboard, for example, has a 20-8 pin panel connector.

Please help! Is there anyway around it? Or do I have to buy a board with a 9-pin connector? Do you know any motherboard that has a 9-pin panel connector that suits the following:
Micro-ATX: 9.6x9.6
Socket: AM2/AM2+

Thanks!

 

[Keitero]

Are you referring to the 9-pin connectors for the Power/Reset switch and Power/HD LED? If you are, you should just be able to extract the connector block and connect the wires individually.

 

[wxiao]

Are you referring to the 9-pin connectors for the Power/Reset switch and Power/HD LED? If you are, you should just be able to extract the connector block and connect the wires individually.

The problem is that the original case already has a 9-pin power switch. These power switches usually come with the case, as far as I can tell. I cannot find any on new egg. Any suggestion where to buy them separately?

 

[lopri]

Hello and welcome to AnandTech Forums. While the front panel pin headers may be differently arranged per board, power switch (and others) is only composed of two pins.




From the above, you can see 2 pins for power switch, 2 for reset, 2 for HDD, etc. As you observed, different boards may put them together in different orders (and some boards may not have pins for speakers or others). But there still be 2 pins for power switch. Determine which of the 9 cables are for power switch (or the rest), and hook them to the right place on the new board. If the 9-pin connector from the case is a one piece you may need to be a bit more creative or took it apart to correctly align the power switch.

 

[wxiao]

Hello and welcome to AnandTech Forums. While the front panel pin headers may be differently arranged per board, power switch (and others) is only composed of two pins.




From the above, you can see 2 pins for power switch, 2 for reset, 2 for HDD, etc. As you observed, different boards may put them together in different orders (and some boards may not have pins for speakers or others). But there still be 2 pins for power switch. Determine which of the 9 cables are for power switch (or the rest), and hook them to the right place on the new board. If the 9-pin connector from the case is a one piece you may need to be a bit more creative or took it apart to correctly align the power switch.

Thanks for the reply. The 9-pin connector is indeed in one piece. If I managed to connect only the power switch, all the lights such as HD LED will not work. But I never thought about "taking it apart". Maybe I should give that a try.

 

[jiffylube1024]

Thanks for the reply. The 9-pin connector is indeed in one piece. If I managed to connect only the power switch, all the lights such as HD LED will not work. But I never thought about "taking it apart". Maybe I should give that a try.

That ASUS connector you linked is called the Q-Connector, and it's an accessory they've been bundling with their motherboards for a couple years. It is an optional accessory that you don't need to install front panel connectors - connecting them individually is fine.

Also, depending on your motherboard/case, the connectors may be in a different place from where ASUS puts them. Different mobo makers have different arrangements.

 

[wxiao]

That ASUS connector you linked is called the Q-Connector, and it's an accessory they've been bundling with their motherboards for a couple years. It is an optional accessory that you don't need to install front panel connectors - connecting them individually is fine.

Also, depending on your motherboard/case, the connectors may be in a different place from where ASUS puts them. Different mobo makers have different arrangements.

The one I linked is the one I want to buy. It has a 24-8 pin front panel connector. The case I already have is the one that has a 9-pin connector that is one piece. It looks like I need to break it into separate wires?

 

[Steven the Leech]

The one I linked is the one I want to buy. It has a 24-8 pin front panel connector. The case I already have is the one that has a 9-pin connector that is one piece. It looks like I need to break it into separate wires?

Yes you will have to separate. It is quite easy to do if you look at your old connector you should see small flaps on the side that you can insert a small piece in to and lift slightly and the Case wires will pull right out. There will be exposed metal on the ends. If you have an old case you can use the wire ends off of it. or some tape at the least to prevent accidental shorting.

 

[victorm]

this might come to you too late, but MSI boards (at least some old P35 I still have lying around) come with an adapter that does what you need (I think they manufactured as OEM for HP or some other brand that uses the same 9-pin panel connector). alternatively you can simply cut the wire and add individual connectors from radioshack or an old case (do it as Steven suggested)

 

[ILoveJLH]

Hey guys. I have the same problem. I have the HP a815n case with the 9-pin header. I read from the past post that MSI boards come with adaptors to work with this situation. I have found a lot of boards that I like and do support my processor and everything else, but they don't have the 9-pin header for the front panel hookup.
Can you tell me what these adaptors are called and where I could find them. I'll try to find them on eBay!