Replacing PSU - Need advice about 20+4pin, 24pin, etc

hopworksceo

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Apr 11, 2015
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I have a Gateway DX4300 03 that has a 300 watt PSU. I want to beef that up to a 430w or 450w Antec Earthwatts but the connectors have me confused a bit. The existing PSU has a 24pin connector for the mainboard, and an additional P4 4pin connector also, which also plugs into the motherboard.

When I went shopping, I am finding 20+4pin, 24pin, but nothing 24pin with a P4 4pin. I read in another post here that an Antec EarthWatts Green EA-430D would work but the specs say nothing about a p4 4pin connector. I am assuming that the 20pin+4 is really 24pin that has a 4 pin detachable since I have seen this before.

So am I OK with the above mentioned Antec PSU, or any EarthWatts that has a 20+4pin connector? What about the p4 4pin? Just leave it vacant?

Thank you so much for your valuable time!
 
Solution
yes the 20+4 is together with a detachable 4 pin to the 20 pin. Just clip it together if you need to use 24.
Same with the 8 pin EPS cable. If you only need 4, detach the other part and plug the 4 pin in.

hopworksceo

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Apr 11, 2015
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I see that in the specs now on an Antec PSU...
1 x 4+4pin ATX12V/EPS12V

And it is also 20+4pin. Was I right about the +4 pins being connected to the 20pin (detachable) connector? Does this mean I can use it with my motherboard's 24pin connector and then use half of the EPS (assuming 4+4 means detachable) for the P4 4pin motherboard connector?

Sorry to ask what maybe a very obvious question. I just want clarification so I can get the PSU I shopped for and found.
Antec EA-430 Green 430W ATX12V / EPS12V 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply

Thank you sir!!
 

Dark Lord of Tech

Retired Moderator
P4 is just a 4 pin CPU POWER.

ht9oj9.jpg
 

hopworksceo

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Apr 11, 2015
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Thank you everyone for the awesome posts and pardoning my ignorance. I have a Core2Duo 2.2 GHz on a Abit IP35 Pro that I built so many years ago, and it is still going strong, even with the original power supply I picked. Most durable machine I ever built. That's why I'm out of touch with the upgrades and I appreciate the time you took to solve my issue!! Oh... and it runs fine with 4gb of RAM and Windows 10. 3rd video card though, but gaming is pretty good. When the wife says ok, I have a new system in mind. http://pcpartpicker.com/user/HopWorks/saved/6K2BD3