Running a rig with: 5000+ AMD Athlon 64 x2 4GB Ram 250 GB HDD 8800GT 512MB Abit AN78GS MOBO 550W PSU When I run the Abit EQ program to have a look at what my voltages and temperatures are it starts to Beep incessantly and the 3.3V rail says that it's value is 3.26. With a warning sign beside it. When I play Crysis warhead it sometimes cuts off what looks to be power to the graphics because my screen goes black saying it has no signal - so I suspect this is my PSU. Also, on the ATX12V1 power socket on the motherboard there are 8 pinholes and my PSU only has 4 to fill it, my manual says that's fine but 8 is recommended, this have any relation to this at all do you think? Should I get a new PSU? If so, could someone recommend my one?
My PSU also came with a 4-pin power cable and my motherboard required a 8-pin. I inserted my 4-pin cable and my PC didn't start. I ordered a 4-pin to 8-pin adapter and plugged it in. My PC finally booted with no problems. Strange thing is 2 days later i removed the adapter and only had my PSU's 4-pin cable attached and it still booted. :dry: Strange indeed. I read later on that you don't need the full 8-pin's. Some motherboards simply use 8-pin's and some use 4. An extra 4-pins won't add any power or anything like that so my best guess is that you have a faulty PSU. Whats the make?
It's a Win Power 550W. Can't remember how much I paid for it, but anyway I have ordered one of these:OCZ Stealth XStream 600W PSU - SLI Ready ATX2.2 12cm LED Fan - Ebuyer hope it does the business for me.
I read that if you use the 8 pins it provides better stability and meets the 240VA protection limits whatever they are!
Exactly!: whatever they are It doesn't really affect anything. You could get an 4-8pin adapter for cheap and test it out its worth a shot.
Yep, but I've ordered the new power supply anyway, I'll let you's know how that goes, better gettin a better one anyway because before long the one I have might die and take everything I have with it!
Usually, those 8-pin power connectors do accept a 4-pin, but you have to plug it in on certain pins. However, covering your bases isn't a bad idea. When it comes to power, it's better to think of the connectors as being there for a reason, not optional. It makes me think of DFI's NF4 LanParty boards, in that they had 4 power connectors. The people who had problems with power were usually affected with one of two problems: not a strong enough PSU or not plugging in all the connectors. If someone is designing a multilayer motherboard, you can bet that the design isn't being done by a hobo they found on the street. I don't want to sound like I'm beating you over the head, but if someone has designed a product and tested it extensively, I would wager that they would (or should) know more about it than the end user.
