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12V ATX connector incompatibility (HX1200)?


Zenny

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I just purchased a HX1200, and was setting it up. I've run into some compatibility issues with my Gigabyte mobo (GA-990FXA-UD5 R5 (rev. 1.0)).

 

The problem is the 12V ATX.

http://i63.tinypic.com/21cdys3.jpg

This is the connector on the board.

 

And the cables:

http://i66.tinypic.com/156zlo0.png

 

I have indicated the square portions on both connectors.

 

If one of the resident gurus will assist me, that would be great. As is, I'm a bit out of luck; Google has forsaken me.

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My description is lacking somewhat; I'm largely unfamiliar with the proper terminology, and the post was written after a long day, which didn't help much.

 

But, yes. I've never run into this issue before, but this is also my first fully modular PSU. My former was semi-modular, and one of the permanent cables matched.

 

I have made a quick edit of the pictures, which might highlight the issue better.

http://i66.tinypic.com/11h3ywg.jpg

http://i68.tinypic.com/208a5gk.png

 

Edit: I found this: http://forum.corsair.com/forums/showthread.php?t=186378

This person seems to have the same kind of connector, although with an added 4 pin.

He's being told to split the cable connector and use two cables.

Is that correct? Does the 8 pin connector need two CPU cables?

That's how I read it, but given that this person has a 8 pin as well as a 4 pin connector on his mobo, I thought I'd ask before I experiment and fry my computer.

If correct, does this person need a total of 3 CPU cables to power his mobo? I ask in part because I've considered that same motherboard as a future upgrade, and would need to order another cable if I'm reading it correctly. Not a big issue, but worth planning for.

Edited by Zenny
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To address the 3x CPU power. That is only needed if you are going to get into extreme overclocking. Talking LN2 and such for that. So unless you think you need to provide more than 250w (I think that's the right number anyway) you don't need to worry about it. Does not affect the way the system runs. The 8-pin by itself should be all you need.

 

As for the cable, plug specifically, found this though I can't speak to the validity of it. While I don't expect to see the same thing on a different board (Asus ROG Max XI Code) this board has the same connector and plug. So it should be fine but having been a registered mechanic years ago it still makes me cringe when things don't look right but go together anyway. Take that for what it's worth but hope this helps you figure it out.

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Ow, my pride.

 

Yes, that worked perfectly. Thank you for the info regarding the other motherboard setup as well.

 

Amusingly, I have a similar background as you. Perhaps that's one reason the mismatched connectors seemed so inherently wrong to me.

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Hi everyone, I have the same issue with a CX550W PSU and a B450M DS3H motherboard.

 

The PSU's output has eight pins (4+4) but only one of them is compatible with the 8 pins' conexion in the motherboard.

 

http://oi68.tinypic.com/r272pz.jpg

 

I'm surprised, I guessed that conexions were universal.

 

The PC turn on and work. But I'm still doubt: can I use the CPU at 100% with only 4 pins connected?

 

Thanks, and excuse my english, I'm Argentinian, my native language is spanish.

 

PD: It's seems like this issue is common in Gigabyte's motherboards, right?

Edited by AndresPaiva
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So long as you are orienting the cable correctly it will fit. There is no need to force it to fit. The keyed connectors on the PSU and the motherboard may be different but they will fit and work 100% so long as you are using the correct cable.
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So long as you are orienting the cable correctly it will fit. There is no need to force it to fit. The keyed connectors on the PSU and the motherboard may be different but they will fit and work 100% so long as you are using the correct cable.

 

Hello! Nice to meet you.

 

Do you realize that the pins on the right connector do not have the same shape as those on the 8-pin connector on the motherboard??

 

Pay attention to this diagram:

 

http://oi65.tinypic.com/25akk0y.jpg

 

The EPS connector from the CX550W doesn't fit completely in the motherboard's ATX 12V connector.

 

Please read this too:

 

4+4 pin +12 volt power cable

 

Motherboards can come with either a 4 pin 12 volt connector or an 8 pin 12 volt connector. Many power supplies come with a 4+4 pin 12 volt cable which is compatible with both 4 and 8 pin motherboards. A 4+4 power cable has two separate 4 pin pieces. If you plug the two pieces of a 4+4 power cable together then you have a 8 pin power cable which can be plugged into an 8 pin 12 volt connector. If you leave the two pieces separate then you can plug one of the 4 pin pieces into a 4 pin 12 volt connector and leave the other 4 pin piece unplugged.

 

If you look carefully at the image above then you can see the polarization of the pins which prevents you from plugging the cable in improperly. Some of the pins are square and some of them have rounded off corners. The motherboard connectors have matching square and rounded off corners to prevent the cable from being plugged in the wrong way. But if you look really carefully at the right half of this particular cable and then look at the 8 pin 12 volt cable pictured above you'll notice that they don't match. A regular 8 pin cable has four square pins and four rounded ones but the 4+4 cable shown above has two square pins and 6 rounded ones. The left half of the 4+4 matches the left half of an 8 pin cable but the right half is different. Hmmmm... And this isn't some bizarre cable either. I've seen plenty of 4+4s which look like this one. And then there are other 4+4 cables which look just like an 8 pin cable split in two (which makes sense). Since rounded pins fit into square holes in motherboard connectors, this particular cable will fit just fine into an 8 pin 12 volt motherboard connector. But both halves of this 4+4 will fit into a 4 pin 12 volt motherboard connector. You're supposed to use the left half of the cable shown above when plugging it into a 4 pin motherboard connector but the right half will also fit. As it happens, either half will work fine in a 4 pin motherboard because both halves of the 4+4 just provide 12 volts. The pinouts are the same for both halves so either one will work. I'm not sure why they make cables like this one because you'd figure a 4+4 cable would just be an 8 pin cable which splits in two. And you only need one half of a 4+4 cable to plug into a 4 pin motherboard. The other half is unused. But the kind of 4+4 cable shown above is pretty common so don't let it throw you.

 

Source: http://www.playtool.com/pages/psuconnectors/connectors.html#eps4plus4

 

 

Now, Anybody in Corsair can explain this to me?

 

Because this PSU has been a waste of money for me. I can only feed the processor with 4 pins. It may be enough for the Ryzen 5 that I have now, but ... what will happen in the near future when I decide to update it for another more powerful processor with higher power requirements?

 

Thanks!

Edited by AndresPaiva
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I have a MSI B350M Bazooka motherboard and it took a bit of work to get the EPS12V cable to connect properly but eventually I was able to get it installed.

 

I have the AX860i which has dual EPS12V cables but this motherboard only needs one of them.

 

The problem with the GA-990FXA-UD5 R5 is that it uses dual ATX12V instead of the EPS12V which is the problem. You are going to have to find a different PSU cable two with ATX12V cables.

Edited by Vegan
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I have a MSI B350M Bazooka motherboard and it took a bit of work to get the EPS12V cable to connect properly but eventually I was able to get it installed.

 

I have the AX860i which has dual EPS12V cables but this motherboard only needs one of them.

 

The problem with the GA-990FXA-UD5 R5 is that it uses dual ATX12V instead of the EPS12V which is the problem. You are going to have to find a different PSU cable two with ATX12V cables.

 

Thanks for your answer.

 

But I prefer do not try to do it for my self, because I can broke something (and miss my warranty).

 

Also I think that my PSU should to be compatible, I mean, I paid for a quality product.

 

Excuse my english, I'm Argentinian, my native language is spanish.

 

I note that "rounded edges" actually fits in "completely squares edges", but no one in Corsair, Gigabyte or AMD is capable to explain to me the important of the difference in the shape of the pins.

 

It is reasonable to assume that pines of different shapes should not be connected to each other, even if they fit together.

 

So, does anyone here have a remote idea about how these pins work?

 

Thanks again.

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The pins are shaped differently so that you can't plug it in backwards. D pins can fit into D shaped holes - or square holes, but square pins can't fit into D holes.

 

4+4 pin connectors are designed so that if you need to use them as 4 pin connectors, you can split them in half and use it in that fashion and it'll work. When they're not split apart, they'll fit into the ATX_12V 8 pin motherboard connector and work as intended.

 

You should use the full connector, not half of it.

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The pins are shaped differently so that you can't plug it in backwards. D pins can fit into D shaped holes - or square holes, but square pins can't fit into D holes.

 

4+4 pin connectors are designed so that if you need to use them as 4 pin connectors, you can split them in half and use it in that fashion and it'll work. When they're not split apart, they'll fit into the ATX_12V 8 pin motherboard connector and work as intended.

 

You should use the full connector, not half of it.

 

Hello, a pleasure to meet you.

 

Thanks for your answer.

 

As I said, the "D" shaped pins can fit in the squares, but they have different shapes, so it is reasonable to assume that they should not be connected to each other.

 

I still do not understand the most important thing: can I connect a rounded pin of the PSU to a square pin on the motherboard?

 

I need someone in Corsair to explain it to me, because in terms of hardware, the common user (like me) should not assume that two different connectors are compatible. They are supposed to be different for a good reason.

 

I hope I have expressed myself correctly.

 

Regards

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Yes, rounded pins can fit into square holes. Line up the cable's clip with the corresponding lip on the connector and it'll always go in correctly.

 

As I said earlier in this thread. Just plug it in as this is normal. Yes it is cringe worthy but it will be fine. Or you can continue to ask questions and ignore the people telling you it will be fine.

 

Sorry that last part wasn't directed at you Tech.

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As I said earlier in this thread. Just plug it in as this is normal. Yes it is cringe worthy but it will be fine. Or you can continue to ask questions and ignore the people telling you it will be fine.

 

Sorry that last part wasn't directed at you Tech.

 

Thanks for your answer.

 

But perhaps the problem is precisely the other way around.

 

No one has yet given me a concrete answer to what I am asking.

 

Yes, you tell me that I must connect it and that it will be fine.

 

But nobody can explain why the pins have different shape, nor what is the logic that I must follow to operate my hardware safely.

 

I am cautious because I can not risk losing my hardware warranty.

 

I just thought that there were people with more knowledge here, capable of teaching me.

I need a technical explanation to be able to learn.

 

It seems that no one really knows how the EPS connection works. You, for example, only tell me that everything is fine without a reason, it is a matter of faith.

 

Anyway, I appreciate your attention, it's just that I need technical information about my hardware to understand how it works.

 

Greetings.

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Thanks for your answer.

 

But perhaps the problem is precisely the other way around.

 

No one has yet given me a concrete answer to what I am asking.

 

Yes, you tell me that I must connect it and that it will be fine.

 

But nobody can explain why the pins have different shape, nor what is the logic that I must follow to operate my hardware safely.

 

I am cautious because I can not risk losing my hardware warranty.

 

Ok, I'll admit I am guilty of being a little short.

 

As for people here with experience, you would be right.

 

Now, since you want to know why the plugs are shaped different but work. This is because they are not only used for power supplies that I know of. Or they are, just different types. To be honest this is something that I have never bothered to look into as it is a non-issue for me. It tends to be to prevent you from plugging things in the wrong way and sending the wrong power to the wrong components. Now, will this void your warranty? Seeing as you are in Argentina (IIRC) I don't know the laws in regards to warranties down there but I would think not as you are using the item(s) as intended.

 

It will not harm the machine as long as you follow the installation procedures and make sure the right things are plugged in where.

 

I get why you expect them to match as I used to be a mechanic and you wouldn't know the number of times I have seen something from (insert car manufacture here) that made me cringe since it didn't look right but was intended to work that way. More so when you are dealing with power cables.

 

Things don't always have to make sense to work, it would be nice but they don't. And if all else fails you can always ask someone who has done this to assist you by supervising what you are doing so that you get to do it yourself but they are a backstop to prevent you from messing something up.

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Ok, I'll admit I am guilty of being a little short.

 

As for people here with experience, you would be right.

 

Now, since you want to know why the plugs are shaped different but work. This is because they are not only used for power supplies that I know of. Or they are, just different types. To be honest this is something that I have never bothered to look into as it is a non-issue for me. It tends to be to prevent you from plugging things in the wrong way and sending the wrong power to the wrong components. Now, will this void your warranty? Seeing as you are in Argentina (IIRC) I don't know the laws in regards to warranties down there but I would think not as you are using the item(s) as intended.

 

It will not harm the machine as long as you follow the installation procedures and make sure the right things are plugged in where.

 

I get why you expect them to match as I used to be a mechanic and you wouldn't know the number of times I have seen something from (insert car manufacture here) that made me cringe since it didn't look right but was intended to work that way. More so when you are dealing with power cables.

 

Things don't always have to make sense to work, it would be nice but they don't. And if all else fails you can always ask someone who has done this to assist you by supervising what you are doing so that you get to do it yourself but they are a backstop to prevent you from messing something up.

 

Hello again.

 

I understand what you say. Many mechanical problems are solved with empirical rather than theoretical knowledge.

 

It does not intend to disregard the advice I have received in this forum. As I explained before, I need to learn in order to develop a rational approach. I think this is one of the dark sides of the technological society in which we live. The abundance and ease of consumer goods facilitate user complacency. Most people do not bother to learn the operation of the electronic devices they use daily.

 

So we have a paradox: on the one hand we have high rates of computer integration in our daily lives, but at the same time we are functional digital illiterates. For example, children are familiar with smartphones since they are born, but they have no idea what an operating system is.

 

I am 31 years old, and for my generation it was different. When I was a kid, in elementary school I had my first computer classes, using command lines in MS-DOS. It may seem silly, because shortly after the desktop environment of Windows 95 appeared, so, what could serve me learn command lines? But it was a very useful experience, because now in my job, when something goes wrong in the system, I am able to at least try to repair it.

 

In my country the government has invested money to equip public schools with netbooks, but most importantly I think they have been programming courses for children.

 

Going back to my current problem, I investigated a bit. First, I'm not the only one confused by the incongruous pattern of certain EPS connections, as you can see:

 

- https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/4-4-cpu-connector-does-not-seem-to-fit-the-atx12v-8-pin-connector.2183393/

 

- https://superuser.com/questions/778356/12-volt-motherboard-power-connector

 

- https://www.overclock.net/forum/31-power-supplies/1239449-seasonic-x660-gold-issue-12v-connector.html

 

 

I also found some technical documentation:

 

- http://www.enermax.cn/enermax_pdf/EPS12V%20Spec2_92.pdf

 

- http://www.playtool.com/pages/psuconnectors/connectors.html

 

 

http://g01.s.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1CPCIFVXXXXbqXVXXq6xXFXXXm/200304538/HTB1CPCIFVXXXXbqXVXXq6xXFXXXm.jpg

 

 

FdFZDcA.png

 

 

I did not have much time to read the documentation, but some pins deliver electric current and others are ground. It does not seem that the shape of the connector is related to this.

 

Therefore, if I understood correctly, as long as the 12v pins and the ground pins coincide between the EPS of the PSU and the ATX of the motherboard, everything is OK.

 

The problem is that all the cables of the CX550W are black and I can not distinguish between 12v and ground (yellow and black, respectively, according to the standard).

 

 

I will continue investigating when I have more time.

 

Thanks for your time.

 

Greetings from the land of the barbecue and football (soccer)

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