the 8 pin connector is what is called an EPS 12V connector. I was originally used in servers but once cpu's on the home desktop side started using the 12V rail on the psu just to function properly, that is when the 8 pin became a truly universal standard. For many cpu's the ATX 4 pin connector is still sufficient though, that is if you are not trying to overclock in any way. Learn from my mistake. I tried to overclock an FX 8350 on an old and cheap MSI mobo that had the 4 pin connector, and overclocking that thing on a 4 pin connector was pretty much impossible. The rails were not giving the cpu enough power to function at any clock speed above 4.2 GHZ, And that was exactly what the CPU's turbo speed was clocked at.