Use a heavy duty surge protector when plugging in computer power cords.
Computer power supplies are sophisticated electrical converters that take electricity from a regular household outlet and convert it to the specific electrical requirements of computer hardware. The power supply attaches to this hardware via wires and a variety of connectors. Each connector supplies a specific amount of power at a specific voltage. These connectors power devices including motherboards, fans, disk drives, video cards and more.
ATX Main Power
The largest power connector is the ATX main power cable. This connector supplies power to the motherboard and all of the components directly attached to it. The main power cable comes in three basic formats named for the number of pins connecting the cable with the motherboard. The 20-pin ATX main power connector works with older motherboards. It supplies less power than the newer 24-pin ATX main power connectors do. Some power supplies include a 20-plus-4-pin ATX power connector designed to accommodate either style of motherboard.
ATX Plus 12 Volt
Power supplies use one of three basic types of power cable to provide supplemental power to the central processing unit. These connectors attach to the motherboard near the CPU and include 4-pin, 8-pin and 4-plus-4 pin configurations. The 4-plus-4 pin models work with motherboards using either 4-pin or 8-pin connectors.
The 4-Pin Peripheral
The 4-pin peripheral power cable is the most common type of power connector found on most power supplies. This connector consists of four power pins and commonly referred to as a 4-pin Molex connector. Molex connectors supply power for a broad variety of computer hardware including case fans, case LED lighting, older IDE disk drives and more.
SATA
The serial advanced technology attachment power cable supplies power for modern drives using the serial ATA specification. This power connector supplies power to hard drives and disk drives. Since many modern motherboards support six or more SATA drives; power supplies typically include several of these connectors. Power supplies that do not include SATA power connectors -- or too few connectors -- often require a 4-pin Molex to SATA power adapter.
PCI Express
Three main types of PCI Express power cables supply an auxiliary power source for high-end expansion cards. The most common use for these cables is to power a video card. The three types of PCI Express power connectors include 6-pin, 6-plus-2 pin and 8-pin connectors. The 6-plus-2-pin connectors work in video cards that require either six or eight pin style connectors. The primary difference between the 6- and 8-pin PCI connectors is the amount of power they can deliver. The 6-pin PCI Express connectors deliver up to 75 watts of power, while the 8-pin models deliver up to 150 watts.
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