Do I really need an EPS 12v power supply for Sandy Bridge?

[techs]

The Sandy Bridge mobo's come with the 8 pin power connector for the cpu. I have noticed that at least one mobo says you can use a 4 pin.

So, is the 8 pin connector a must or can I upgrade to Sandy Bridge without upgrading my power supply?

Thanks.

 

[Doclife]

Use either of these 2 adapters to get the 8-pin power connector from your existing power supply.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-459-_-Product

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-002-_-Product

 

[techs]

Thanks!

 

[Bryf50]

My extreme4 had a sticker covering half the connector. It said it was optional.

 

[techs]

My extreme4 had a sticker covering half the connector. It said it was optional.

Well, that's pretty bizarre.

 

[StrangerGuy]

Well, that's pretty bizarre.

Make sense since EPS12V isn't part of the ATX standard.

BTW, my Gigabyte mobo works perfectly with just 4-pin ATX12V inserted into the 8-pin EPS12V connector.

 

[dma0991]

Well, that's pretty bizarre.

It's normal for any motherboard with 8 pin EPS socket. For normal use most would not need 8 pin EPS and only 4 pins are need. If you overclock and your motherboard needs more power then the 8 pin comes in handy. All 8 pin EPS breaks apart with 4+4 pin.

 

[techs]

It's normal for any motherboard with 8 pin EPS socket. For normal use most would not need 8 pin EPS and only 4 pins are need. If you overclock and your motherboard needs more power then the 8 pin comes in handy. All 8 pin EPS breaks apart with 4+4 pin.

Ah, that explains it.

 

[wwswimming]

The Sandy Bridge mobo's come with the 8 pin power connector for the cpu. I have noticed that at least one mobo says you can use a 4 pin.

So, is the 8 pin connector a must or can I upgrade to Sandy Bridge without upgrading my power supply?

Thanks.

one of the hallmarks of Sandy Bridge is the low power consumption.

the 8 pin connectors are the kind of thing you needed in 2003 for a dual-Xeon space-heater.

so probably ... you're safe just using the 4 pin connector.

 

[VirtualLarry]

You can use the 4-pin plugged into half of the 8-pin socket, but I wouldn't overclock unless I was using an 8-pin connector.

 

[techs]

Again, thanks all for coming thru on this!

 

[mb103051]

use the adapter and all power feeds are powered up...ive used them on several mobo's and they work fine....just bugs me knowing 4 of the power feeds has no power....ive used the first one listed as i just plugged the 4 pin on the power supply to the 4 pin on the adapter and then plug the 8 pin into the motherboard...ive also in some cases just soldered the 8 pin into the harness to avoid the connector resistence and didnt want to see the adapter hanging in a windowed case....

 

[GuitarDaddy]

I recently bought an MSI P67 board and it had a cap covering 1/2 of the 8pin connector, I used an older PS with the 4pin and overclocked it with no problems whatsoever.