First post, by Odiseo
I wanted to reach a better overclock on my Windows 10 PC than the system's 430W PSU could handle. Hence, I exchanged the PSU for a 650W unit yesterday. Both the original PSU and the new one are Antec units.
650W is enough considering the system's specifications, which you can read below, in case you're interested.
Case: huge Alienware model (don't have any specifics)
PSU: Antec NE650C EC 80 Bronze (currently)
MB: ASRock 775Dual-VSTA
CPU: QX9650 3GHZ @3.470GHZ*
RAM: G.Skill Trident DDR2 ~3.25GB (usable, 4GB installed)
GPU: AMD Radeon HD5750 512MB
OS: Windows 10 64-bit
*3.470GHZ was not possible with the 430W PSU installed. I used to run the chip at 2.93GHZ.
The system has been working fine so far, but I would like to reach a higher overclock (without overvolting). I'll probably create another topic with regard to this in a few days or weeks.
I'm creating this topic because I have a question with regard to my 1GHZ Pentium 3 system (Dell Dimension 4100). I thought it would be a good idea to exchange the original PSU in my Pentium 3 for the 430W Antec PSU that used to power my Windows 10 PC. The component is stored in a box for the time being.
After having read this thread, I didn't think there would be anything special to this. Just disconnect and unscrew the original PSU and install the Antec unit in its place.
After opening up the system's case, I noticed there are two power cables that go to the motherboard (see photo). I was expecting the presence of the larger connector, which is labelled P1 and has 20 pins, but it was only when I wanted to exchange the system's original PSU that I noticed the shorter connector labelled P7. As you can see on the photo, it has one row of 6 pins.
My 430W Antec PSU does not have this type of cable. So what do I do?
Is the smaller power connector (P7) important enough to have it hooked up to the PSU?
In case it's required to have P7 connected, which options do I have of doing so with respect to my 430W Antec PSU? Are there any adapters?
From what I read, I understood that the 20-pin cable from a "modern" PSU like my 430W Antec (bought around 2010) can be safely plugged to the 20-pin connector on a (much older) Pentium 3 motherboard. Is this true? Are Pentium 3 motherboards and modern PSU's compatible? And Is it true specifically in the case of my Dell system?
I installed my new 650W Antec PSU into my Windows 10 system yesterday, so it's something I can handle. However, I'm not sure what to look out for with regard to PSU's in Pentium 3 systems. How should I go about installing my 430W Antec PSU in this system? Is there anything I can break?
