What brand and model motherboard are you working with?  I recently put 
together a system using a Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3P motherboard, and there was a 
plug blocking one half of the 2x4 socket, making it clear that you could use 
just one 2x2 12 volt connector if that's all your P/S supported and that was 
all that you needed.

I add the part about all that you needed, since it appears that the reason 
for using 2 of these 12 volt connectors is to better spread the current draw 
out.  You are likely to be drawing the most power if you are running a 
quad-core processor and raising the voltage in order to overclock it. 
Here's an extreme example of what can happen on a motherboard with only the 
single 2x2 connector under those circumstances.

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/mainboards/display/ga-p35-ds3l_9.html#sect0
(Scroll down to the picture on that page.  Since I'm using the same 
motherboard that is depicted in the above link, I placed a thermal probe on 
its 12 volt socket and ran my dual core processor overclocked, using about 
1.4 volts to the CPU, to see how hot it would get.  It was about 117 deg. 
F., which is warm but I don't think dangerously so.  Of course this is just 
the temperature on the outside of the socket, and we can assume that it is 
considerably warmer inside the socket where the two connectors meet.  I also 
won't be running my processor with more than about 1.32 volts on a regular 
basis.)

The question I can't answer at this point is whether there is a preferred 
half of the 2x4 socket to use with just a single 2x2 connector on your 
motherboard.  Perhaps there is information in your motherboard manual on 
that.  If you can't find anything in the motherboard's manual, you could 
contact the manufacturer's tech support with your question.  Some 
manufacturer's have user forums that are also a good source of information 
on questions such as this, since someone else has probably already raised 
the same question.

I hope this is helpful.

John Sproule



Date:    Sat, 2 Feb 2008 11:09:11 -0500
From:    matt <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: 8 pin cpu problem

ok i bought a new mobo. , it takes an 8 pin for the cpu, i cant afford an=
other powersupply for long time. Now can i plug my 4 pin in it, i got the=
 right spot(grounds and 12vlt. or will i damage something?

          thanks
                   desprate to play=20
                                    matt

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