Published on June 4th, 2020 | by Shacks

The 4 Common Power Connectors

The power supply unit is an essential component of any electrical device which supplies electrical power to an electrical load. There are different types of power supplies out in the market. It’s interesting to note that all of them have standard connections, so you shouldn’t be worried about purchasing a power supply unit from any manufacturer. The most common power supply types include; DC power supply, AC power supply, Programmable Power, Uninterruptable power supply, and so on. Since the power supply manufacturers follow specific standards, it will be easy installing connectors to the power supply as each power cable connects to a specific connector.

Here are the common power connectors;

PCI Express x16 Connector

A PCI Express x16 connector is commonly used by low-end and mid-range graphic cards slot to get power. Graphic cards with high power consumption will use either a 6-pin or 8-pin PCI Express Power connectors.

This connector comes with its PCI Express x16 slot, which produces up to 75 watts of power. Other PCI Express Connectors come with multiple slots that allow more GPU

connections. However, the power consumption will increase too.

Advanced Technology eXtended (ATX) Connector

The connector, simply referred to as ATX, was developed by Intel to improve the AT design connector. It significantly changed the desktop computer enclosure, motherboard, and the power supply, which had existed for quite some time. The improvements were done on the standards and also made it easier to interchange parts.

The key noticeable changes by the ATX connector were the mounting point, I/O panel, mechanical dimension, and the power connector interfaces. From the website, you can see the details and pictures of different connectors.

ATX connector, primarily supply the motherboard with electrical current, it has a 24- pin cable that fits into the 20- pins motherboard, it also comes in as a 20-pin and 4-pins set.

6 -Pin Connector

This connector provides the GPU with an additional 75 watts of power. Most graphics cards consume up to 150 watts. However, some cards will require up to 220 watts and a power system of up to 650 watts. The 6- pin connector is most common among the mid-range graphic cards.

8 Pin Connector

The 8 Pin connector produces 150 watts to the graphics card. In a situation whereby, the GPU needs extra watts to the graphic cards, then either the cards will come with and 8- pin connector or two 6 -pin connectors.

Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 graphic connector that consumes a lot of power comes with two sets of 6 and 8 pin connectors, and this applies to any other high energy-consuming graphic cards. Such cards consume up to 250 watts of power.

Conclusion

Generally, most power supply units consume 650 watts of power, and if your PC is running a gaming rig, then the power supply unit wattage should be higher. It’s important to note that the higher the power supply wattage consumption, the higher the risk of overheating. All power connectors are standardized despite the manufacture, and any connector will be compatible with its power supply cable on the device’s motherboard. Before buying any connector, research on the website for more details.

Tags: ATX, common, PCI Express, PCIe, power connectors