A 24 pin connector is currently exclusively for Xeon Sever/Workstation
Motherboards. If you want to use such a power supply on a ATX board you
will need to have an adaptor specially made up. The only company that
provides this, that I am aware of, is PC Power & Cooling, for their Xeon
Power Supplies and I think they charge 17 dollars US. There may be third
parties that make adaptors, but frankly, I wouldn't trust one.

  Xeon boards need addtional12 volt legs that require more power. Server
and Workstations generally require significantly more and cleaner power
then your average desktop computer. There are special connectors on Xeon
power supplies to provide additional 12 volt power to Xeons. Xeon PS start
at 400 watts at around 90 dollars although 450 watts and above is the norm.
I have two dual Xeon  computers, a dual 2.0Ghz Server and a dual 3.06 HT
Workstation, and both are using 550 watt power supplies. If there are plans
to change some "new boards" to 24 pin, it will only be needed for high end
dual core processors, If you buy one now you will be paying a premium for a
PS you don't need for the normal desktop computer.

However, power supplies are becoming increasingly more important to the
stability and robustness of computers, and I now pay considerable attention
when purchasing one. A inexpensive power supply will do the job, for a
while. But now days when power supplies die the often die in stages and
take out other components with them. I only buy brand names like PC Power
and Cooling, Antec, and Enermax in that order, although PC Power and
Cooling is a very expensive power supply, but the last PS you will buy.
Enermax is a good power supply, that is reasonably priced, and will do the
job for most end users needs.

The extra six pin plug you are referring to could be for SATA drives, a
high end video card that requires it's own power legg, or some other
special purpose depending on how the connector looks.

The monitor plug disappeared with the ATX power supply, because ATX uses a
signal wire soft switch to turn off the PS, rather then a hard wired
switch, with current actually running through it, like the AT PS uses. The
easy way to accomplish the same thing is to plug both your computer, and
your monitor into a switched power connector. Then just shut down windows,
the computer will appear to turn off with the soft switch, although the 5
volt leg will remain hot. Then hit the power connector switch, and the
monitor, as well as the computer, will be fully off.

Rode
The NOSPIN Group
http://www.freepctech.com/rode/

At 08:34 AM 9/30/2004, you wrote:
>My seven year old power supply seems to have failed.  I have made some
>observations and have some questions that somebody here might be able to
>answer.
>
>1)  A 24 pin motherboard connector is available on some new power supplies.
>I believe that this is for dual-cpu motherboards.  "Express."  Will most
>motherboards be using the express 24-pin connectors in the future?  (I had
>never heard of these before.)
>
>2)  There is a new connector with six pins in line on my new p.s.  What
>would this be there for?
>
>3) (a)  There is no socket for plugging in my monitor, so I have to manually
>turn it on and off.  Has the monitor socket gone South with the need to cut
>costs?
>
>     (b)  Is there another way of doing this (other than a master switch, of
>course)?  I find that after almost 20 years of not turning off the monitor,
>I am now leaving it on when I shut down the computer.  My monitor is fairly
>old I guess.  Do the new monitors "turn on" automatically by sensing a video
>signal?
>
>Dean Kukral

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