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I'm in charge of a casemod project, I need to build a "showroom" tower machine with a bunch of fancy crap in it, and a bunch of internal lights.
The PSU in question claims to be ATX12v 2.2 / EPSV 2.91 spec. It has three 12v rails that max at 18 amps each, with a combined/shared max of 480 watts. It has a 24pin main connector and 8 pin cpu aux connector that the motherboard is using, and a 4pin cpu aux that isn't.
The case is to be lit internally by roll-strip LEDs. We get them in spools by the hundreds. The LEDs are run in parallel down the strip, so you just cut off how many you need with scissors and solder wires to one end to power them. They're 12v, and run about 2 watts per 25 lights. I'll need about 75-100 for this particular case, so 6-8 watts.
The case has a lot of stuff in it and the wiring CANNOT look ugly. I need to get some 12v up near the top half of the case for where the lights will connect. Almost all of the molex/sata connections are spoken for.
So here's the question: can I just power these lights off the unused 4pin cpu aux 12v wire? Is that safe, or will the draw screw with the cpu power regulation or PSU sense or something? The wire is pretty much right where I need 12v power and it's about the right length. If I don't use it, I'll need to figure out a way to both run an extension cable across the case in a way that doesn't look like crap, and find a way to bundle up that 4pin in a way that doesn't look like crap.
Note that the machine does need to actually boot and be stable under load. It's going to be running a few programs that draw fancy stuff to a display, and crashing is not an option. Nothing will be overclocked though.
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Edit: I also have an optional detachable SLI cable I can plug in. It's less optimal than using the cpu wire, but avoids the extension-across-the-world issue.
The PSU in question claims to be ATX12v 2.2 / EPSV 2.91 spec. It has three 12v rails that max at 18 amps each, with a combined/shared max of 480 watts. It has a 24pin main connector and 8 pin cpu aux connector that the motherboard is using, and a 4pin cpu aux that isn't.
The case is to be lit internally by roll-strip LEDs. We get them in spools by the hundreds. The LEDs are run in parallel down the strip, so you just cut off how many you need with scissors and solder wires to one end to power them. They're 12v, and run about 2 watts per 25 lights. I'll need about 75-100 for this particular case, so 6-8 watts.
The case has a lot of stuff in it and the wiring CANNOT look ugly. I need to get some 12v up near the top half of the case for where the lights will connect. Almost all of the molex/sata connections are spoken for.
So here's the question: can I just power these lights off the unused 4pin cpu aux 12v wire? Is that safe, or will the draw screw with the cpu power regulation or PSU sense or something? The wire is pretty much right where I need 12v power and it's about the right length. If I don't use it, I'll need to figure out a way to both run an extension cable across the case in a way that doesn't look like crap, and find a way to bundle up that 4pin in a way that doesn't look like crap.
Note that the machine does need to actually boot and be stable under load. It's going to be running a few programs that draw fancy stuff to a display, and crashing is not an option. Nothing will be overclocked though.
---
Edit: I also have an optional detachable SLI cable I can plug in. It's less optimal than using the cpu wire, but avoids the extension-across-the-world issue.
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