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On a ASUS Z270g motherboard, there's a EATXV12 connector which has 8 pins but on other motherboards I heard it can be four. From what I learned that those 4 extra pins are to provide more power to a CPU i.e over clocking. So my question is: Is there any harm to just use 4 pins or 8 pins even if I am not overclocking the CPU or is it okay to use 8 pins regardless? This has been confusing me a lot. The manual tells me that I need to use 8 pins otherwise it won't boot up. Is this true regardless of the CPU model? i.e low powered non-k processor?
I need someone to explain this once for all. There are a lot on confusing posts about 4pin and 8pin over the Internet.
Yugene
Posted 2017-07-31T18:39:06.277
Reputation: 3
Excuse me for asking but when I use more pins does it mean I will be overloading the processor with more power or will it automatically draw power only when it needs it from the pins? I just thought by unnecessarily using pins I might overload or something with more voltage. – Yugene – 2017-07-31T18:52:04.250
The amount of voltage doesn't change with the number of pins. You can plug as many cords as you want into the same 120V AC circuit, and you've still got 120 volts. In fact, with more pins, the circuit will draw less current, which will generally result in less heat being produced. (Because more pins means less effective series resistance, which means less voltage drop for the same power, which means less current for the same power, which means less heat for the same switching resistance.) – David Schwartz – 2017-07-31T18:56:53.383
Okay I hope this won't decrease the performance of CPU if it gets less current for its needs. – Yugene – 2017-07-31T19:12:06.863
@Yugene The CPU will not get less current. While we talk about that connector as supplying power to the CPU, it doesn't supply it directly to the CPU. How could it? That connector has 12V on it and the CPU runs at a much lower voltage. That connector supplies power to the VRM (a type of power supply that runs off DC) that supplies power to the CPU, and the VRM will draw less current and run cooler while supplying the same power to the CPU. – David Schwartz – 2017-07-31T19:13:24.633
Ok, I see. When you said draw less current, it means with more pins the current will be more easily available to the circuit so there's a less effort in drawing it. Therefore, less heat. – Yugene – 2017-07-31T19:57:26.327
Right, that "less effort" translates into less voltage drop at the VRM input, that is, its input will be closer to the 12V it's supposed to be rather than dropping a bit. The more the input drops, the more current the VRM has to draw to supply the same power to the CPU. And that means its switching components have to dissipate more heat. – David Schwartz – 2017-07-31T20:51:55.680