Is 4-pin enough?

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NexusVan

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Aug 17, 2012
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Hello,

I'm almost done with the parts for my first build though there is something about the motherboard I chose that bothers me.
I want to go with Gigabyte's Z77X-3DH though I have noticed it has a 4-pin 12v ATX CPU connector.
I intend to run it with a i7-3770K/i5-3570K OC'd to 4.5 GHz and I was wondering if the 4-pin will provide enough power for my CPU and not bottleneck it.

The current build:
Intel Core i7-3770K - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819116501
Gigabyte Z77X-D3H Mobo - http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4144#ov
2-SLI Gigabyte OC GTX 670
Noctua NH-D14 CPU Cooler - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835608018
Crucial M4 2.5" SSD - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820148442
Seasonic X-760 Gold PSU
WD 1TB Caviar Black HDD
NZXT Phantom 410 case

I don't know much about the limitation of a 4-pin connector and I could only assume the CPU would draw ~125W.
Can someone please shed some light?
 
Solution
Z1NONLY
Here's some info regarding VRM's and overclocking:

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/315963-30-phase-control-mosfets-motherboard-safety

And what can go wrong:

http://www.evga.com/forums/tm.aspx?m=514092&mpage=1

The review you posted seems to think the 4 pin connector is sufficient:

"The Z77X-D3H is also one of the few enthusiast-oriented motherboards to include a four-pin ATX12V, rather than an eight-pin EPS12V, CPU power connector. Mainstream power regulators live well within the confines of a four-pin connector, but we find it odd that Gigabyte admits this in its design decision. A larger 8-pin connector gives competitors the appearance of greater power capacity."

I would still opt for a more robust VRM section, but there it is.

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Z1NONLY

Z1NONLY

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8-pin connectors are used to draw more current. -usually needed when overclocking past a certain point.

The gigabute Z68 board I had, and the Asus Z77 board I have now, both use 8-pin connectors and hefty VRM sections.
 
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egilbe

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Why would you think a 4 pin 12v connector would be inadequate? That's the standard.
 
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NexusVan

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Thanks for replying. Could you suggest a z77 board adequate for this kind of OC?
 
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NexusVan

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Thanks I'll look into those.
By the way, check out guro3d review with a z77x-3dh and i7-3770k (note the wattage chart measures the entire PC):
http://www.guru3d.com/article/gigabyte-z77xd3h-motherboard-review/7

And this (also tested with i7-3770k)
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/z77-express-ivy-bridge-benchmark,3254-21.html

I'm in need of a second opinion, would really appreciate it.
By the way does anyone know the answer to my original question? :p
 
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Z1NONLY

Z1NONLY

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Here's some info regarding VRM's and overclocking:

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/315963-30-phase-control-mosfets-motherboard-safety

And what can go wrong:

http://www.evga.com/forums/tm.aspx?m=514092&mpage=1

The review you posted seems to think the 4 pin connector is sufficient:

"The Z77X-D3H is also one of the few enthusiast-oriented motherboards to include a four-pin ATX12V, rather than an eight-pin EPS12V, CPU power connector. Mainstream power regulators live well within the confines of a four-pin connector, but we find it odd that Gigabyte admits this in its design decision. A larger 8-pin connector gives competitors the appearance of greater power capacity."

I would still opt for a more robust VRM section, but there it is.

 
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NexusVan

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Aug 17, 2012
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Thanks for your help man. Reading into that VRM topic right now.
By the way, you may find this interesting:
http://www.gigabyte.com/products/comparison/list.aspx?ck=2&pids=4144,4325

Scroll down to the internal I/O connectors section.
 
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NexusVan

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One could only speculate. I couldn't find anything official about it.
 
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NexusVan

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Just read a review of Z77X-UD3H+OC - http://www.overclock.net/t/1252290/z77x-ud3h-review-and-oc-testing-circuit-analysis-ln2-runs-efficiency-comparison

I felt like this deserved a quote, from a guru of overclock.net:

Now I read a “preview” in where the reviewer went and said that he thought 6 phases wasn’t enough for extreme OC, well he should take a look at HWBot and see the UD3H holding its own against the competition. Now of course everyone has their doubts about a 6-phase VRM, but then again why the hell would GIGABYTE ever add voltage read points, on-board buttons, dual BIOS with switch, extra PCI-E power for only 2-way GPU setups, and a POST code display to a board that couldn’t do over 6.5GHz? The answer is GIGABYTE would never add those features to a board that isn’t capable of extreme LN2 OC, as it would backfire. While this board is great for a long life in a case, it can also call a bench table home sweet home. Each one of the phases on the Z77X-UD3H can provide almost twice the current to the CPU as the phases on the Z77X-UD5H, and the Z77X-UD5H provides more than you would ever need on any platform. We are talking about an easy 180+A from the Z77X-UD3H under air, and over 300A under LN2 as the limit MOSFET is rated 58.8A at 25C (you would have a lower temperature under LN2). The limiting factor isn’t the phase count, more so the CPU. The CPUs in existence today cannot pull that much power; 180A is insane and 300A is outrageous. GIGABYTE is finally putting the cork in the bottle with the phase wars, so guys, get ready to see some extremely high quality VRMs with lower phase counts! I just hope other manufacturers follow suite so that I can stop answering questions about the viability of 6 and 8 phase motherboards from Tier 1 companies, and so that more people are educated about phase quality over quantity.
Click to expand...
 
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