New HTPC - old PSU. 20 pin plug, 24 pin socket compatibility

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ak47
Posts: 6
Joined: Fri Sep 10, 2010 11:31 am
Location: UK

New HTPC - old PSU. 20 pin plug, 24 pin socket compatibility

Post by ak47 » Tue Oct 05, 2010 1:01 pm

Just ordered all the bits for a new i3 HTPC. As I have a relatively quiet Seasonic S12 430 watt PSU I was going to re-use it. Spent an age fixing the Big Shuriken (why do they have those twisty plugs under the heatsink with no access?!!!). Tidied the cables etc. And then came to plugging the power into the motherboard and noticed that the ATX power on my PSU is the old 20 pin plug but the motherboard has the 24 pin socket.

Can I still use this or do I need a new PSU as well now? Help !

EDIT: _If_ I was to buy a new PSU, what sort of wattage would I be looking at? Its an MSI board with a i3 540, using onboard HDMI graphics, Blackgold BGT3595 (DVB-S and DVB-T card), 2.5 500Gb HDD, Bluray drive, USB remote, USB wireless keyboard mouse.

MikeC
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Post by MikeC » Tue Oct 05, 2010 2:31 pm

Yes, you can still use it. We do in the lab all the time. The extra pins only add more paths to the same voltage lines.

corrion
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Post by corrion » Tue Oct 05, 2010 3:23 pm

Works in reverse as well: power supplies with 24-pin cables can be plugged into motherboards with 20-pin as long as you leave the four side pins outside the plug. It'll only fit in perfectly one way, so make sure you don't jam it in!

kater
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Post by kater » Tue Oct 05, 2010 10:47 pm

So you're saying that S12 430 actually has a 20 pin ATX connector? Only 20 pin? I had this very PSU and mine had 24. Of course as said before, 20 will work just fine, no big deal.

ak47
Posts: 6
Joined: Fri Sep 10, 2010 11:31 am
Location: UK

Post by ak47 » Wed Oct 06, 2010 1:24 am

Thanks all - I'll continue and hopefully finish the build soon.

The S12 I have is rather old so it has 20 pins (its not an S12II).[/url]

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