Sonata II power supply - how many pins on the 12V?

Hardware and technical stuff
1

Anyone here have a relatively recent Antec Sonata II case?

Wondering how many pins are on the secondary 12V power connector. I know the main connector is 20+4… Is the secondary processor power connector a 4-pin connector or an 8-pin?

Thanks…

2

I don’t actually have this case, but I believe it’s 4 pins. My evidence:

  1. Antec’s spec information for the Sonata II indicates the power supply is a SmartPower 2.0 450W (or SP-450)

  2. Antec’s FAQ sheet for the SP-450 makes reference to two 4 pin connectors. One is the 4 pin for the 20+4 main connector. I assume the other 4 pin is the secondary power connector.

  3. I have a lower-end Antec case with the SmartPower 400W, and the secondary connector is 4 pin, in addition to the 20+4.

3

Thanks, Sidd. Looks like the unopened Sonata II’s going back tomorrow…

4

OR you could buy a 4 to 8 pin adapter for $5 bucks.

5

I found a decent picture of the SP-450’s power connectors on NewEgg. Near the left foreground you see a 4 pin connector; the other 4 pin is detachable, but connected to the 20 pin main connector (20+4). There’s also a 6 pin PCI-E connector just to the left of the 4 pin.

In any event, I don’t see an 8 pin connector, but I’d hate to have you send back the case if I’m wrong. Mono’s suggestion is likely a low cost alternative.

6

No 8-pin connector (I have the Sonata II).

The SP 2.0 450 in my system lasted only six months before giving out. I replaced it with the modular SP 2.0 500, which gave out in four months. I have a replacement SP 2.0 500 in it now, and a backup SP 2.0 500 unopened (both were replacements for the originals, at no cost). Note, though, that putting in a different PSU, if you decided to go that route, would require you to get one that has an internal PSU fan that is directly opposite the external fan on the PSU. Otherwise, a side fan will be pressed up against the CPU end of the chassis air guide. In fact, it may be impossible to even get the PSU in if the grating over the internal fan juts out even a fraction of a centimeter too much. Keep that in mind when changing PSU’s, if you choose to do so. That’s one of the major reasons I decided to stick with the Antec PSU’s, even though I had trouble with them (which is probably pretty flukey, considering Antec makes decent PSUs).

The modular design of the boxed SP 2.0 PSUs is awesome. I’m actually glad I moved from the case’s default 450 to the retail 500 as a result.

7

My SmartPower 380W gave out (flakey lines) after almost three years of service. I replaced it with a Corsair 520W modular EPS12/ATX2.03, which is nothing short of awesome. I’ve been using a Super LanBoy, which doesn’t come with a PSU.

8

This seems like a good thread to jump in and ask:

Anyone have a pointer to PSU/MB requirements for the more recent boards? I have an old 350 Watt antec in my current box that’s working fine for my old P4 2.8GHz system. I just saw a nice deal on Newegg today that would let me upgrade CPU/MB/Vid card and go to PCI-E (S939 board though) for only a tad more than buying one of the better AGP video cards would be. I’m thinking about doing this but worried that there’s some change in the power supply that I’ve missed out on so the old supply (Circa Athlon XP 1700 days) won’t work with the 939 MB.

9

A 350 W PSU is pretty low for systems today, so I’d suggest an upgrade just for that. I had a 350 in my last system, but it was an AGP 4x, P4 2.4 GHz, etc, etc, and didn’t require more than that. Today, most (all?) PCI-e cards will require the extra connector (or two of the peripheral power connectors attached to an adapter to make the six pin total required to power the card), you’ll want SATA power connectors for any new HDs that come along, a 24-pin main power connector (although you can get away with the 20-pin if you don’t overload your system, even if you have a 24 connector on the mobo) and the 4-pin auxillary connection otherwise. I’d certainly grab an ATX12V PSU, and you can get decent ones fairly cheap (those Antec SP 2.0’s that I mention above were only about $90 CDN).

Take a look at your old PSU and see what it has connector-wise, but I’d basically say that 350W is too low for a PCI-e based mobo. An inexpert opinion, perhaps, but I doubt that few would disagree, if any.

10

The 4-to-8-pin adapter won’t cut it for an Intel Core 2 on an XBX motherboard. The Intel MBs need a real 8-pin power source.

I just stopped and grabbed an Enermax Liberty for it on the way home.

I’ll just resell the Antec supply…