Overclocking Power

[Cheex]

1. What is the real difference between a 4-pin and an 8-pin CPU power connector?
2. In terms of stability and overclocking, is there any real benefit from using an 8-pin?

 

[Cheex]

Can someone help me out with some info here please...bump.
:thumbsup:

 

[Cheex]

I can't seem to get this info anywhere. Doesn't anyone know this stuff?

AT is giving me pimples (bump)...

 

[Regalk]

That same thought occurred to me last nite as I was building and I thought it must be becasue of dual cores - in the end I found that my Seasonic had an 8 pin so I just connected it. Asus had covered 4 pns though by default so I would say you wil probably bot see much difference (maybe OC issues who knows). I wouldn't worry about it - just try it and see how it goes

 

[cmdrdredd]

the EPS 12v connector was originally implimented for server systems with dual socket configurations. One standard 12v ATX power connector didn't give enough power to both CPUs. The standard 4 pins work, but to get added stability under overclocked situations it's recommended to use the 8 pin connection if possible. This is because it supplies more power to the CPU.

 

[Cheex]

That is what i'm trying to verify. My Rosewill PSU carries a 4 and 8 pin connector on the same rail. So i just need to use the 8-pin connector on my new Foxconn board when it arrives. The 4-pin was in use on my ASRock.

So i guess that i will be a bit more stable while overclocking now by using the 8-pin.

 

[996GT2]

Rosewill PSU you say? If you're going to get into some serious OCing I would recommend a PSU from a more reputable manufacturer like Enermax, Fortron, or Seasonic. Otherwise, using the 8 pin connector on your Rosewill PSU will probably not offer any real gains in terms of stability.

 

[Cheex]

I did my research on it before i bought it though. Seems pretty solid to me based on specs but...

What do you consider "serious OCing"?

 

[996GT2]

Well Rosewill hasn't been known to be the best PSU maker out there, so I don't know how well your model performs. When I say serious OCing I'm talking about serious increases to the VCore and a lot of power draw on the +12V rail, to the point where the PSU is running under a lot of stress; cheaper PSUs sometimes exhibit unstable behavior when faced with the stress of such overclocking.

 

[Cheex]

What are the key aspects of the PSU that need to be considered for serious OCing?

BTW, my PSU is the top of the line from Rosewill (top of the Stallion Series).

 

[996GT2]

well, I'm no expert on PSUs, but I can name a few notable factors of a good PSU:

+12V power, multiple +12V rails
Active PFC (Rosewill 600W lacks this)
High efficiency (>80-85%)
High continuous power output (some makers list PEAK power output)

In addition, the actual maker of the PSU is important to reliability and stability. OEMs vary widely by company, and I think your Rosewill is made by SOLYTECH...I don't know much about SOLYTECH, but I do know a few good ones are TOPPOWER, FSP, Seasonic, and Enhance. Rosewill's other OEM maker is ATNG, who also OEMs for Coolmax (not exactly a reputable brand of PSUs)

I did check the specs on your 600W PSU and it does look pretty good, so I can't really say if it's bad or good just based on company specs.

 

[Cheex]

Well...If you checked it, then you should have seen that it DOES have Active PFC.
Efficiency is rated at >80%
It has 2 x 12V rails each pushing 22A.

Take a look at the side panel.

I think this a pretty good PSU by any standard.

 

[myocardia]

What 996GT2 is trying to say is that if overclocking causes you system instabilities, you'll know which part needs replacing.

 

[Cheex]

Well that might be true but i just still want to think that i spent my money well on this PSU.

 

[stevty2889]

Originally posted by: 996GT2
well, I'm no expert on PSUs, but I can name a few notable factors of a good PSU:

+12V power, multiple +12V rails
Active PFC (Rosewill 600W lacks this)
High efficiency (>80-85%)
High continuous power output (some makers list PEAK power output)

In addition, the actual maker of the PSU is important to reliability and stability. OEMs vary widely by company, and I think your Rosewill is made by SOLYTECH...I don't know much about SOLYTECH, but I do know a few good ones are TOPPOWER, FSP, Seasonic, and Enhance. Rosewill's other OEM maker is ATNG, who also OEMs for Coolmax (not exactly a reputable brand of PSUs)

I did check the specs on your 600W PSU and it does look pretty good, so I can't really say if it's bad or good just based on company specs.

Other things to consider are the operating temps the PSU is rated at. Generic brands are often rated to give their peak power and unreasonably low temps. They also tend to use lower quality capacitors which are more likely to go bad, or leak.

 

[Cheex]

The PSU fans are controlled internally by a sensor.

Quoted from the Rosewill website...it has:
Dual 80mm Silent Blue LED Fan with Smart Temperature Sensor
Fan Noise Killer - Fan Speed Control Function Inside

Here's the link anyway:
RD600-2DC-SL 600W (Stallion Series)