Will this 30 pin psu power a 24 pin board?

I am upgrading to a Epox EP-9NPA+ Ultra board + 7800GT, and i am wondering if my current PSU is good enough. I have a Thermaltake Silent Purepower 480watt in an Antec P180 case. This psu is a 20 pin connector, and the board is a pci-e 24 pin. I read on a massive guide over in the AT forums that certain PSUs can do 20 -->24 pins, but only the good ones. Apparently, you can plug a 20 pin into a 24 pin just some of the rails will have to work hard as shit. I already know i need to get a 1 pci - 2 molex power conversion cable for my pci 7800gt. Since this is a high performance rig, i of course feature stability and performance (and noise) above all else.


Do i need to change to a 24 pin PSU? Are 20 -> 24 pin adapter cables good enough? Do i need to do anything at all?

you can run your 24 pin motherboard with a 20 pin PSU without an adapter, but it's definitely not recommended.

Ok, so i get the adapter. Will it run perfect?

Probably not. But it will work.

Thermaltake 480W SilentPurePower: ONLY +12V@18A!
http://www.thermaltake.com/purepower/W001314.htm

Thermaltake PurePower 560W: ONLY +12V@22A!
http://www.thermaltake.com/purepower/W0023.htm

Why do people buy these?

There are PSU's for under $30/$40 in the "Complete PSU Guide" with more +12V amperage!

Cheap, but Good PSU's: http://www.hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1027898523&postcount=7

Good Luck,
Dave

wow, thanks for that megaload worth of reading on those websites. DEF. learned alot. The most crucial was the shoutout from the DFI forums about saying they must get a 480watt 24pin psu.


so anyway, i am looking at the modular Antec SmartPower 2.0 SP-500. How is that psu for my rig above? I really like the idea of only using cables as you require them.