Thread: 20 or 24pins
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Old 06-26-2009, 10:28 PM   #3 (permalink)
stix2415
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Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Philippines
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OS: Windows Vista 32-BIT

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Re: 20 or 24pins

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The ATX standard has two different versions of the main power cable: the original 20 pin cable, and the the newer 24 pin cable. The 24 pin cable is just the 20 pin cable with 4 extra wires added to the end to provide extra current. If your power supply main power cable and motherboard main power connector both have the same number of pins then they'll (of course) fit together just fine. But what happens if they don't match? If you plug a 24 pin power cable into a 20 pin motherboard then it will work fine but you often can't get them to physically fit together because something gets in the way. If they don't fit together then you can get an adapter cable which converts a 24 pin power cable into a 20 pin cable. You can always plug a 20 pin power cable into a 24 pin motherboard but whether it works over the long haul depends on how much current your motherboard draws. Those extra 4 pins provide more current carrying capacity. Plugging a 20 pin cable into a 24 pin motherboard can strain the 20 pins that you're using. If the motherboard draws too much current then it will overheat the connector which can burn or melt it. There are adapters which convert 20 pin cables into 24 pin cables but they don't solve the problem and can cause problems of their own. Many newer power supplies come with a 20+4 power cable which has a 24 pin connector which can be split into two pieces: a 20 pin piece, and a 4 pin piece. This kind of power cable is fully compatible with both 20 and 24 pin motherboards. If you're buying a new power supply then try to get one with a 20+4 power cable.
I was able to read this information, my motherboard is a 24PIN slots.. and I just plugged a 20Pins (wherein my current PSU is a 20+4PIN).. im going to buy a 20+4PIN (a much better PSU) soon, and I was just wondering if it will be compatible, if I plug a 24PIN to my 24PIN slot motherboard.. or should i stick to my trick, still plug only the 20Pins..
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