Hi to all,
My predicament revolves around my new motherboard [MSI K8N Platinum SLi] and PSU [Hiper HPU-4S525 (24pin ATX)].
Having put together all the relevant parts to assemble my own PC, I came to building it all up yesterday.
However, when I came to plumbing in the PSU, I noticed that the motherboard manual stated in a highlighted paragraph at the bottom of the ‘PSU connectivity’ page (quoted exactly as printed):-
• Power Supply of 450watts (and above) is highly recommended for system stability [not an issue as my aforementioned PSU is 525 watts]
• For ATX 12V power connection [I assume this is referring to the 4 pin CPU 12V power connector?] it should be greater than 18A [I assume this means 18A or more? And if I’ve understood it correctly my new PSU is 17A]
• For this model [of motherboard] you must use the power supply that with a -5V pin supply [again, the assumption being that your PSU must have the -5V pin connected, & BTW the emphasis of ‘must’ is in the original]
Now this where IÂ’ve come unstuck!
In the past several weeks of trawling websites (manufacturers & retailers) I havenÂ’t once come across any emphasis towards certain PSUÂ’s having/not having this all important -5V pin connection, so when I came to buying my PSU two weeks ago it wasnÂ’t a concern that even occurred to me, nor was it raised at the point of purchase when I enquired as to the suitability of a number of PSUÂ’s (and the retailer gave me plenty of details).
Well, when investigating my PSU, I discovered to my frustration that this -5V pin WASNÂ’T connected!
Moreover, I checked the two other 24pin ATX PSUÂ’s in the house (my kids and my wifeÂ’s PCÂ’s respectively) and neither of those have this pin connected either.
So then, I phoned a pal whoÂ’d built a couple of his own PCÂ’s and whoÂ’d been an invaluable source of help while I was putting together mine, and asked him about this and to my surprise even heÂ’d never come across the significance of PSUÂ’s having/not having this -5V pin! In fact, he went and checked his PSU (in a PC that heÂ’d built himself) and discovered his DIDNÂ’T have this -5V connection as well.
So I need to identify a few things.
Firstly, why isnÂ’t this relevance highlighted anywhere if it is supposedly so important for specific motherboards? I mean when anyone buys a PSU it doesnÂ’t ever seem to be emphasised that certain PSUÂ’s have/donÂ’t have this -5V connection (or, indeed, if certain motherboards need/donÂ’t need it), so whatÂ’s to stop someone buying a PSU that DOES have this connection and using it with a motherboard that doesnÂ’t support it? WouldnÂ’t it damage it? And why do certain motherboards NEED this connection when it seems a majority of PSUÂ’s are manufactured WITHOUT this pin connected? How can you tell if a certain PSU does have this pin connected as many sites donÂ’t mention this particular detail in their specs?
Secondly, how on earth do you find out if a PSU has a 4 pin 12V ATX supply thatÂ’s over 18A. I havenÂ’t come across one retailer that supplies such info on their site, and only a very few manufacturers seem to detail this and even then only in a rather vague way. How can you be certain that the PSU you buy is as specific as this one MSI are stipulating for use with their motherboard.
Thirdly, does anyone else use this motherboard, and if so, what PSU(s) do you recommend?
Being far from any type of expert, I really expected a new PSU of 525 watts to be perfectly ample for contemporary motherboards, but now IÂ’m faced with the situation that my new PSU is incompatible with this MSI motherboard, when no-one even drew any attention to the fact that PSUÂ’s/motherboards need/donÂ’t need such a specific type connection!
I mean how important is it that my PSU HAS this -5V connection and a 12V 18A supply? Would my motherboard be damaged if I didnÂ’t use the -5V pin and only the 17A supply?
Can anyone educate me and get me out of this mess? My sincere thanks in advance for any help offered.
Best wishes to all.
LAGAVULIN
My predicament revolves around my new motherboard [MSI K8N Platinum SLi] and PSU [Hiper HPU-4S525 (24pin ATX)].
Having put together all the relevant parts to assemble my own PC, I came to building it all up yesterday.
However, when I came to plumbing in the PSU, I noticed that the motherboard manual stated in a highlighted paragraph at the bottom of the ‘PSU connectivity’ page (quoted exactly as printed):-
• Power Supply of 450watts (and above) is highly recommended for system stability [not an issue as my aforementioned PSU is 525 watts]
• For ATX 12V power connection [I assume this is referring to the 4 pin CPU 12V power connector?] it should be greater than 18A [I assume this means 18A or more? And if I’ve understood it correctly my new PSU is 17A]
• For this model [of motherboard] you must use the power supply that with a -5V pin supply [again, the assumption being that your PSU must have the -5V pin connected, & BTW the emphasis of ‘must’ is in the original]
Now this where IÂ’ve come unstuck!
In the past several weeks of trawling websites (manufacturers & retailers) I havenÂ’t once come across any emphasis towards certain PSUÂ’s having/not having this all important -5V pin connection, so when I came to buying my PSU two weeks ago it wasnÂ’t a concern that even occurred to me, nor was it raised at the point of purchase when I enquired as to the suitability of a number of PSUÂ’s (and the retailer gave me plenty of details).
Well, when investigating my PSU, I discovered to my frustration that this -5V pin WASNÂ’T connected!
Moreover, I checked the two other 24pin ATX PSUÂ’s in the house (my kids and my wifeÂ’s PCÂ’s respectively) and neither of those have this pin connected either.
So then, I phoned a pal whoÂ’d built a couple of his own PCÂ’s and whoÂ’d been an invaluable source of help while I was putting together mine, and asked him about this and to my surprise even heÂ’d never come across the significance of PSUÂ’s having/not having this -5V pin! In fact, he went and checked his PSU (in a PC that heÂ’d built himself) and discovered his DIDNÂ’T have this -5V connection as well.
So I need to identify a few things.
Firstly, why isnÂ’t this relevance highlighted anywhere if it is supposedly so important for specific motherboards? I mean when anyone buys a PSU it doesnÂ’t ever seem to be emphasised that certain PSUÂ’s have/donÂ’t have this -5V connection (or, indeed, if certain motherboards need/donÂ’t need it), so whatÂ’s to stop someone buying a PSU that DOES have this connection and using it with a motherboard that doesnÂ’t support it? WouldnÂ’t it damage it? And why do certain motherboards NEED this connection when it seems a majority of PSUÂ’s are manufactured WITHOUT this pin connected? How can you tell if a certain PSU does have this pin connected as many sites donÂ’t mention this particular detail in their specs?
Secondly, how on earth do you find out if a PSU has a 4 pin 12V ATX supply thatÂ’s over 18A. I havenÂ’t come across one retailer that supplies such info on their site, and only a very few manufacturers seem to detail this and even then only in a rather vague way. How can you be certain that the PSU you buy is as specific as this one MSI are stipulating for use with their motherboard.
Thirdly, does anyone else use this motherboard, and if so, what PSU(s) do you recommend?
Being far from any type of expert, I really expected a new PSU of 525 watts to be perfectly ample for contemporary motherboards, but now IÂ’m faced with the situation that my new PSU is incompatible with this MSI motherboard, when no-one even drew any attention to the fact that PSUÂ’s/motherboards need/donÂ’t need such a specific type connection!
I mean how important is it that my PSU HAS this -5V connection and a 12V 18A supply? Would my motherboard be damaged if I didnÂ’t use the -5V pin and only the 17A supply?
Can anyone educate me and get me out of this mess? My sincere thanks in advance for any help offered.
Best wishes to all.
LAGAVULIN
He added that the PSU should work perfectly fine and that this non-connected pin shouldn't cause a problem whatsoever 
