Use only 1x4-pin 12v connector on mobo with i3-3225?

wpcoe

Senior member
Nov 13, 2007
586
2
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I'm in the midst of a move half-way around the globe and found that errors in the Gigabyte H77M-D3H mobo manual affected my decision to pack just the mobo, RAM, CPU, hard drives and a 17" LCD in my carry-on baggage. ("Why yes, Mr. TSA Inspector, that is in fact a lot of electronics in my bag." :cool:)

I'm moving from Thailand to Mexico for a six-month period, and had debated getting a NUC or a low-end notebook, but decided to take my current computer, just sans case, power supply and HSF. (The power supply was 230v-only, any way.)

I looked at Mexican online shopping sites and found a bunch of inexpensive slimline computer cases (the H77M is a uATX mobo) but the included power supplies only have a single 4-pin 12v. A quick check of the Gigabyte manual showed both a diagram with a single 4-pin 12v connector and "1 x 4-pin ATX 12V power connector" listed in the specs. Great! However, in a transit hotel room, for whatever reason, I opened the box and the mobo clearly has an 8-pin ATX 12v connection. How I overlooked that when I disassembled the system is another issue.

So, now I'd like to know: Will the system even boot with just a single 4-pin connector? If so, will it in any way damage any part of the system?

I use only the IGP -- no video card. In fact, nothing in any of the PCIe/PCI slots. The only things drawing power via the mobo would be the CPU itself, the CPU fan, 4 sticks of RAM, and I might use at most 2xUSB3 and 2xUSB2 ports at any given time. And, the front panel lights for HDD and power.

Would I be tempting fate & disaster if I used a power supply with only a single 4-pin 12v connector?
 

Blostrupmoen

Junior Member
Mar 17, 2014
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0
0
the move from 4-pin to 8-pin connectors has only been made because of the ever increasing power hungryness of high-end CPU's and memory. It really depends on your setup and the power it draws. A quick calculation of your power needs (I usually use http://extreme.outervision.com/PSUEngine for that) shows that your system doesn't need a heavy PSU. It all depends on the PSU you have in mind and how many amps it can supply on the 12V line.

To burn something out (like the PSU) you'll have to put enough load on a weak 12V line. So yes, you can make something kaboom but that requires a very weak, low quality PSU which cannot deliver enough amps on the 12V line for your typical use. But if you can give more details of the PSU that you have in mind I (or someone else) might be able to give a better answer to your question.
 
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wpcoe

Senior member
Nov 13, 2007
586
2
81
Thanks for the reassurances that nothing will go "kaboom!" if I try this. I was probably overly cautious and feared I could somehow damage the motherboard and/or the processor.