Do I need EPS12V power supply?

[fizk]

I'm building my first system. I've the following with me,

Q6600
Abit IP35-E
Cooler Master Centurion 5 CAC-T05 case with 2 fans
BFX 7600 GT 256 MB (ordered a new MSI 8800 GT 512MB OC card)
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro CPU fan
Samsung 20X SATA dvd SH-S203b
WD 320 GB SATA drive

I currently have Ultra ATX12v 500w power supply (not sure about the model). Motherboard manual says I can connect 4-pin ATX12V or 8-pin EPS12V, it recommends EPS12V.

It is worth buying another power supply just for EPS12V? I found cooler master EPS12V 650w for 59.99 after rebate.

Thanks in advance
fizk

 

[SerpentRoyal]

Should work.

 

[Aluvus]

Don't worry about EPS.

You might mention the specific model of your Ultra, as they are not all created equal.

 

[imported_Scoop]

I'm not getting the idea of the 8-pin EPS12V so I ask the following.. what is it for?

If you're running a normal C2D or C2Q system, even though the motherboard has an EPS12V connector and the PSU has both the 4-pin and the 8-pin CPU 12V cables, does it matter which one to hook up to the board? Does it matter?

 

[Fullmetal Chocobo]

Originally posted by: Scoop
I'm not getting the idea of the 8-pin EPS12V so I ask the following.. what is it for?

If you're running a normal C2D or C2Q system, even though the motherboard has an EPS12V connector and the PSU has both the 4-pin and the 8-pin CPU 12V cables, does it matter which one to hook up to the board? Does it matter?

The 8-pin +12V (aka EPS12v) is used on server motherboards. My Supermicro X5DAE (dual Xeon) had the 8-pin connection.

 

[Aluvus]

Originally posted by: Scoop
I'm not getting the idea of the 8-pin EPS12V so I ask the following.. what is it for?

If you're running a normal C2D or C2Q system, even though the motherboard has an EPS12V connector and the PSU has both the 4-pin and the 8-pin CPU 12V cables, does it matter which one to hook up to the board? Does it matter?

EPS provides twice as many conductors to carry current (at 12 V) to power the CPU(s). This means half the resistance, which means less voltage drop, less heat, and the total current that can be safely carried is increased. EPS was introduced for the sake of servers, especially multi-processor servers, that needed a lot of power for their CPUs.