Power Supply Molex Load Question \ VOGONS

Power Supply Molex Load Question

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First post, by GabrielKnight123

Posted on 2019-03-27, 02:20

GabrielKnight123 Offline

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I have an AT power supply with 1 molex on one cable and two molex on the other cable Is it ok to use one hard drive, a 12volt CPU fan and the front display (turbo display/LEDs) on the cable with one molex connector as the other two molex will be used for a DVD drive and dual floppy drive im just worried it is to much on the one molex. If it isnt a problem how many devices can a molex on a power supply like mine have see pic below.

Reply 1 of 2, by PC Hoarder Patrol

Posted on 2019-03-27, 06:42

PC Hoarder Patrol Offline

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A single Molex connector should be able to handle approx 10amps so figuring a single drive (3-3.5amps max at spin-up) + cpu fan (0.5amp) + fp display (say 0.5 - 1amp??) is OK. As to device numbers per Molex connector, it's harder to judge but for that supply I might try and keep the loading to 7-8amps per Molex connector.

Reply 2 of 2, by retardware

Posted on 2019-03-27, 10:58

retardware Offline

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If the connectors are of good quality and not loose, there are no problems.
In the early PC days a HDD was rated 4-5 amps at 12V.
Be aware that bad molex connectors can kill hard drives. See an example here. So you might want to check this before installing. Also check that the wires are 18 AWG - there are bad manufacturers that use thinner wires to save a few pennies.

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