P4 power supply, AMD m.board/cpu = boom?

[etherealgrifter]

I'm buying an ATX case online. I'm confused by ads that say the case comes with a P4 power supply. My research says this is a pentium 4 power supply with 4 extra pins to connect to an Intel compatible motherboard and cpu. Is a case with this power supply going to work with an AMD nForce Sempron or Athlon system? can I just leave off the extra 4 connecters, or do I have to buy a standard 20 pin ATX power supply? Do I even understand this correctly? Thanks

 

[MDE]

You'll need that extra 4 pin connector on most modern AMD boards as well. The only concern is that the power supply isn't junk to begin with.

 

[xsilver]

yes you can just leave the 4pin connector unattached -- some newer amd boards need the 4pin connector too so getting one with the connector is pretty much essential

 

[etherealgrifter]

Thanks guys. So when they call it a P4 power supply, thats just cuz P4s were the first to use the 12x2 connectors, and not becuase it only works with pentium boards? And i can pretty much buy any AMD nForce board, 10x2 or 12x2, and it will work?

 

[VirtualLarry]

Normally, the "P4 Ready" simply means that the PSU has the extra +12V 2x2 molex connector hanging off of it, that some mobos require. Newer AMD mobos also require that connector. Interestingly enough, though, I found this PSU, a Fortron 400W, which claims to be "AMD Ready" (as well as P4), but this detailed pic clearly shows that the PSU is rated for a combined +5v/+3.3v wattage rating of only 150W.

This does not meet AMD's recommended PSU guidelines, and this supply should not be used for an older AMD Athlon system that draws off of the +5v line. Interestingly enough, my semi-generic Codegen "350W" that was included with my case has a higher combined rating. Never thought that I would ever say such a thing about a Fortron-made PSU.

So, "P4 Ready" only means that it has the extra connector, but you need to carefully check the ratings to make certain.

 

[etherealgrifter]

Thanks ppl