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PSU socket arrangement help

Forum CPU & Components : Other Components - PSU socket arrangement help

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I got 500W PSU with 4x (4pins) molex, 1x sata and 1x PCI-E 6 pins plug. I need a help how to add ATI HD Radeon 4890, requiring 500W and 2x 6pins PCI-E plugs.

Intel core 2 duo E7400
P45R2000 Asrock motherboard
2x OCZ RAM 800MHZ 4GB
1x 1TB SATA HDD (1x Sata)
1X DVD drive (1x molex)
3x Fans (140mm front fan, 120mm back fan and 80mm side fan) 2x molex used, two smallest fans combined into one.

This PC will not be overclocked except graphic card as optional.

I planned to use converter that requires 2x molex alone to make another PCI-E plug and move all the fans in other connections, like combining with either DVD drive and 3 fans at once.

ATI 4770 works with the motherboard, since this motherboard has compatibility problem with RAM.
Does 4890 work as well, is it recommended to overclock.

I don't have any idea how Watt affect the fan speed if connected in different way.

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You may have problems depending on who make your power supply. All 500 watt power supplies are not created equal. The cheap generic ones may need to work to put out 400 watts. Agood one will put out 550 or 600 watts. From the list of connectors, I am guessing that that you are reusing an old PSU.

What is the brand of your power supply?

Reply to jsc

Not a good PSU. If you can afford it, get a proper branded PSU, like Corsair. http://www.ebuyer.com/product/131052

Reply to tobensg

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/129422

does it at least work, and won't damage the PC.

i tend to get 550W corsair later,

notice me if there is performace or reliability disadvantages.

Reply to Anonymous

Welcome to the forums. :)

I looked at the specs for the PSU. I think you may have problems.

It's not the 500 watt PSU. It's the 22 amp 12 volt rating. A good, modern 500 watt PSU will be able to out around 35 amps. At least 15 amps of the 3.3 volt and 15 amps of the 5 volt outputs are not usable. The 12 volt output nowadays does all the real work. It powers the CPU and graphics card.

A nonOC'd E7200 will need about 6 - 7 amps and the graphics card probably around 12 amps.

You may need to budget for a new PSU.

But here's how I would try to hook things up ...

First, are the 4 molex connectors on the same line? If you have two lines, connect the PCI-e adapter to the two molex connectors closest to the PSU to split the load between both cables. If you have only one molex cable, plug the adapter into the closest molex to the PSU. You will not gain anything by plugging the other molex on the adapter into the PSU.

Do not worry about the fans. They do not use much power.

If you are lucky, you will have enough 12 volt capacity to power your system. One of the signs of an inadequate PSU is that under a heavy 3D load (gaming), you will get apparently random reboots.

What happens is that the load on a modern video card doubles when the load changes from a 2D desktop to a 3D gaming load. If you are lucky, the overloaded PSU will electronically shutdown. If you are unlucky, the PSU can fail catastrophically. That includes exploding or bursting into flames.

I would really upgrade the PSU to a better quality unit.

Reply to jsc

toben and you posted while I was writing mine.

550 w Corsair excellent choice for your system. Reliable, conservative design, 40 or 42 amps on the 12 volt output.

Reply to jsc

two molexs in each two lines,

how do i plug my dvd drive and 3 fans on two molex.

4x Molex Total,
2 molex closest to PSU for PCI-E plug.
3 fans in one molex, and other for the DVD drive on either side.

Does DVD drive need more Watts, and is the fan speed fast enough?

Reply to Anonymous
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