What new mboards can I upgrade to without buying new power supply?

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OhioGuy

I've noticed that most of the new motherboard out there seem to have a
separate power connector just for the CPU. I have a couple of cases with
fairly new 250 to 350 Watt power supplies in them, which do NOT have these
separate CPU power supply connectors.

What motherboards can I upgrade to to use more modern processors (I've
been using socket A Durons around 1 GHz to this point) without having to
again also upgrade the power supplies?

I'd feel stupid for having to buy new power supplies again, after doing so
only about a year ago. Are there motherboards out there newer than socket A
which don't require the separate power connector? Are there adapters which
will let you use an older power supply without needing to buy a new one?

Thanks!
 
OhioGuy said:
I've noticed that most of the new motherboard out there seem to have a
separate power connector just for the CPU. I have a couple of cases with
fairly new 250 to 350 Watt power supplies in them, which do NOT have these
separate CPU power supply connectors.

What motherboards can I upgrade to to use more modern processors (I've
been using socket A Durons around 1 GHz to this point) without having to
again also upgrade the power supplies?

I'd feel stupid for having to buy new power supplies again, after doing so
only about a year ago. Are there motherboards out there newer than socket A
which don't require the separate power connector? Are there adapters which
will let you use an older power supply without needing to buy a new one?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

The problem is, an older supply which provided its main current on
3.3V and 5V, may not have a strong 12V rail. Even if you cooked up an
adapter, there may not be enough 12V current available.

A general rule of thumb for a P4 used to be, a minimum of 12V @ 15A.
That might be enough for one hard drive, one CDROM, and a weak video
card. If your old power supplies don't offer that on the label on the side,
then you should find another supply. It is certainly possible to do a
detailed calculation, to get a more precise figure, but without knowing
what you are about to buy, that is where I would start - 12V @ 15A.

It is possible to build systems with even smaller supplies. For
example, yesterday I was working some numbers for an Asus barebones
box, which offered a 250W supply. It is still possible to use units
like that, because they offer a good strong total 12V output. Supplies which
were used with Athlons, and had strong +5V supplies (25A to 30A), tend
not to also have strong 12V. But checking the label for ratings will
tell you what you need to know.

So it all depends on what is printed on the label, as to what you should
do next.

There are some supplies, which make good universal replacements for P4
or Athlon systems. If you check the specs link for this one, it offers
+5V @ 32A and +12V @ 26A. Which makes it suitable for an old Athlon
system, or a Prescott P4.

ENERMAX EG365P-VE FMA 1.3 ATX 350W $55
+3.3V@32A, +5V@32A, +12V@26A, -5V@1A, -12V@1A, [email protected]
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817103455

Paul
 
Time to upgrade your PSU, I'm afraid. Plus 250 to 350 watts, especially if
they are "inexpensive" PSU's, are inadequate to drive today's components.
 
Paul said:
The problem is, an older supply which provided its main current on
3.3V and 5V, may not have a strong 12V rail. Even if you cooked up an
adapter, there may not be enough 12V current available.

A general rule of thumb for a P4 used to be, a minimum of 12V @ 15A.
That might be enough for one hard drive, one CDROM, and a weak video
card. If your old power supplies don't offer that on the label on the side,
then you should find another supply. It is certainly possible to do a
detailed calculation, to get a more precise figure, but without knowing
what you are about to buy, that is where I would start - 12V @ 15A.
Click to expand...

And many 250/300W PS ratings are even lower, e.g. most of my
old Antec 300W's are +12V @ 10A. These days a decent 400
or 450W PS is less than $50, it's not worth the hassle of trying to
keep your old ones.
 
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