NEED ADVICE

[brian81177]

I have a ecsA790GXM-AD3 mobo, Phenom II x2 cpu and 2 x corsair XMS3 ddr3 1333.My psu only has a 4 pin 12v connector and the mobo has a 8 pin when I plug the 4 pin in and turn on it posts but no sig to monitor or keyboard.I took 1 stick of ram out and unplugged optical drive from psu turned on and it booted up, windows loaded from external drive.when I started dragging a window it was real erratic I shut everything down and ordered adaptor that goes from 1-4 pin 12v to 1-8 pin. Question 1- is it safe to go from a single 4 pin to a single 8 pin or does it have to be 2-4 pins to 1-8 pin? Question 2- would having a 4 pin connector in 8 pin spot explain the orginal problem?

 

[o1die]

The 8 pin is for the extra juice required for quad cores; provides better monitoring. Use the adapter if you can't afford a different power supply. It should work fine. Use only the original 4 pin 12v connector; don't combine (2) 4 pins or you may fry the board.

 

[Wolygon]

Unless the adapter has a molex input or something I'm pretty sure it won't do anything differently. What PSU do you have?

 

[brian81177]

My psu is a logisys 480d. I will most likely upgrade to a newer style [this came free in case] This is my first build I tried to make sure everything was compatiable guess the psu would be a good place tostart .I got frustrated so I took it to a "pro" he said bad board but I dont think he used another psu or adaptor when I asked about the 4 pin in 8 spot he said shouldnt matter. I would think if the maker of the board didnt want you to use all 8 4 would be capped or they would refer to it in the manual. Guess all my problems lead back to my own impatience Thanks for the help all advice welcome.

 

[brian81177]

Another question I am running windows xp 32 bit should I leave out one of the sticks of 2GB corsair xms3 ram until I get Win7

 

[o1die]

Nope. I run 4 gigs with windows 32 bit; uses about 3 gigs of it.

 

[Wolygon]

Don't be down on yourself to much, but yes it would have been good to start with a good PSU. Dead on arrival or faulty products can be devastating for a first time builder. I reckon a generic 480W should power your build (unsure on your GPU) and I only thought the 8 pin is required for OCed high end quads.

I reckon from what you described that its more likely the PSU is dead, so maybe you get another quality one and then if it works then RMA the old one. Or maybe test the PSU first it in a different computer, a lowish powered one like a P4. Then if you get a new one you'll have a nice (maybe not) spare PSU.

Good luck!

 

[geofelt]

I have a ecsA790GXM-AD3 mobo, Phenom II x2 cpu and 2 x corsair XMS3 ddr3 1333.My psu only has a 4 pin 12v connector and the mobo has a 8 pin when I plug the 4 pin in and turn on it posts but no sig to monitor or keyboard.I took 1 stick of ram out and unplugged optical drive from psu turned on and it booted up, windows loaded from external drive.when I started dragging a window it was real erratic I shut everything down and ordered adaptor that goes from 1-4 pin 12v to 1-8 pin. Question 1- is it safe to go from a single 4 pin to a single 8 pin or does it have to be 2-4 pins to 1-8 pin? Question 2- would having a 4 pin connector in 8 pin spot explain the orginal problem?

The 8 pin is for extra power for the cpu and also to power the pci-e and ram slots. This may be needed particularly for stronger vga cards.
It is a likely cause of your symptoms.
There are cheap adapters to convert a 4 pin cpu power lead to a 8 pin. I suggest you install the one you ordered.
How the adapter works does not make much of a difference so long as the psu is adequate. You want good amperage on the 12v rails.
I would expect that a 480w psu should be ok.

 

[brian81177]

My psu was not strong enough I had a $10 pos psu

 

[geofelt]

My psu was not strong enough I had a $10 pos psu

Did you order a quality psu?
My short list of good psu's would include Corsair, Seasonic, PC P&C, XFX, and most Antec units.
Let us know how it works out.