More Performance: The New Power Supply Standard, ATX12V 2.0

New Connector, Continued

Mechanical logic doesn't always jive with the electronics, however. In the end, it's up to the PSU maker to decide which combinations are allowed and which not. Some boards feature an additional 4-pin Molex connector of the type used for disk drives, which has to be plugged in when using the small ATX connector. The bottom line is always to take a look at the motherboard manual!

It fits, but does it work? Well that's up to the board maker...

Also new with ATX12V 2.0 is the SATA power connector. This connector, already included in the 1.3 standard, is now required. That means the age of adapters is over - they had proven less than optimal in practice anyway, especially with the major hard disks. The ATX standard does not specify the number of required connectors, however.

No longer required: SATA adapter

A SATA connector leading directly from the power unit, available in both straight and angled versions.

This SATA adapter does not feature a +3.3V connection, but some hard drives require this voltage. In that cases, only a ATX12V 2.0 power supply will do.