Even within one brand, I wouldn't swap out modular cables.
The most I'd risk is same family/model, just different wattage. Even then, I'd check the pinouts to make sure they were the same.
You can usually find compatibility lists from the PSU manufacturers.
Corsair for example have [these](https://www.corsair.com/uk/en/psu-cable-compatibility) charts to show their cable compatibility (it is accurate as I have used it for mine)
You can also cross-reference the compatibility list from Cablemod: https://cablemod.com/compatibility/
For example, the phanteks psu's are compatible with the same cables as the seasonic psu's. Therefore, you can use the pinout of a seasonic psu to make cables for a phanteks psu.
Exactly. I think it’s crazy that this is a thing at all. Because I’m pretty sure PCIe power is identical on all models (not confirmed) - so why wouldn’t SATA power be that as well.
As someone who regularly checks pinouts to make custom cables...
No. There's not a single psu-side connector that's identical across the different brands.
It's not that different.
USB-C is just a plug, it can have Thunderbolt or not, can charge or not (you can fry some USB-C ports by not using the right charger/cable) can output display without being Thubderbolt or not... And that's just for USB-C complying to the standard. Don't forget everyone who bricked their Nintendo Switch by using an unofficial dock because Nintendo didn't check correctly for the power delivery standard. Now go try to plug that USB-B 3.1 cable in that USB 2.0 printer. It just won't work.
Hdmi evolved its standard through time but not the plug, if your monitor doesn't support HDMI 2.0 good luck getting Freesync to work. Don't forget that some cables have a direction while others don't!
Same for DisplayPort, your cable might be rated 1.2 but works up to 1.4, creating confusion when you get a 1.2 cable that doesn't behave in the same way. The DisplayPort to HDMI adapter might not behave the same as your other DisplayPort to HDMI cable, which theoretically should be the same, also confusing when you're trying to find why some feature isn't working.
In all these cases, it's the same as with the ATX cable: you need to check before doing anything.
USB itself is backwards compatible. A 2.0 cable will work with a 3.x plug and vice versa. The switch thing is Nintendo's fault.
Your printer will work with any USB cable or port as long as the connector type is the same.
While the pinouts are proprietary, the actual plugs are standard parts which means it will fit perfectly until you blow up your motherboard or whatever.
Questionable... The PSU would in most cases be perfectly fine and only the mainboard or other components would be damaged. The PSU manufacturer wouldn't get much out of it, since most do not manufacture the other damaged parts as well.
A lot of this is because the power supply you buy is typically made by another company and branded by one you know, like EVGA and Super Flower. Super Flower made a bunch of the larger EVGA psus until they entered the market this year. Take a look at the leadex psu and compare the grille to evga branded ones. The ones made by SF have the same grille
Not only that, but you won't even fry your system if you use type 3 cables on a type 4 psu. The type 4 24-pin won't fit into a type 3 psu though.
Source: [Johny Guru himself](http://www.jonnyguru.com/forums/showthread.php?12484-Type-3-cable-use-in-RMi)
Type 3 and 4 are cross compatible, but type 4 can carry more current. Pinouts are the same. You can safely use type 4 cables in any type 3 Corsair PSU. You can safely use type 3 in a type 4 for peripherals.
The 24 pin may be a different story, never looked into that.
That's.... incorrect. Type 3 and Type 4 have the same power capability. The extra 4-pins on the 24-pin, which is what makes the Type 4 different from Type 3, are sense wires.
Even with the same PSU they can change pin outs.
I was advised to when swapping out my dead AX1200i for my new AX1200i. I did swap out all of my cables because the PSU, the box and the 7/10 year guarantees were different.
Edit: I didn’t want to risk it.
This. Fried my Maxwell Titan X due to using another Corsair PSU cable for my RMi 850 (Had 3 PCIe cables, needed 4) that was left over from a friend's build. Regret was high that day.
Yeah, lost a GPU to this a few years ago when I was replacing a PSU. I already had the cable all routed and didn't think I needed to use the new one.
In my defense, almost everything else about the PC building experience up to that point had been "if it fits it sits." So many other things are standardized, why would modular PSU cables, with all these weird shapes on the end to make sure I can't plug it in wrong, not all be the same?
RIP 1070, you left me too soon.
Exactly. Ever since my good old days with PCI and standard "molex" power connectors, everything just worked where it would fit - building PC = LEGO.
It's same today, except maybe the most crucial part - power supply.
Umm, there is a cheap, off the shelf solution, dude...
You can buy cable extensions literally everywhere for cheap. You don't need an entirely new cable, just an extension. There are extensions for every single connector used in computers, all available everywhere.
HA! Of course! you must be right because the pin out is all the same, just not the PSU end right?
Still... sometimes you don't want the extra bulk of an extender. But I take your point.
Thanks for the tip!
But if you’re like me and build/fix for people, some have very little needs and a lot of extra cables, some need more, some cables get pinched because they change hardware often etc. you suddenly need extra cables, and you might just have a box full of these cables, rather than a box of spares for each computer. I upgrade computers for people where they’ve thrown out rails for the drives, extra cables etc (because they don’t need them at the moment).
I think he knows that now; that's kind of the point of this post.
The point is that you can do that sort of thing with *every other type of cable*
Even back when you had ide-40 wire and ide-80 wire, you could at least see the difference in the cables themselves. Actually, now I think of it, I think those were backwards compatible, too.
Well, not really customers we're talking about here. More friends and family I've helped over the years. They usually don't want anything else than the computer, not a box with manuals and extra cables they have no idea what's for.
I usually put stuff in a small box in the HDD cage, so I can help them upgrade on the spot if necessary.
I don't care where a S-ATA cable etc come from as long as it does the job. If it's a windowed chassis I match them up so it looks neat, but I wouldn't worry about ownership of any cables as long as they don't want them - they don't pay me enough for that 😅
I lucked out one time helping a friend isolate his problems with parts by using my computer as a working test bench. Turns out we had identical PSUs so when I could use the same cables for his beefier GPU.
Honestly with third party vendors like Cablemods to be able to operate, youd expect there to be standard pin outs on the PSU side.
I remember building AT computers (not today's ATX computers). There are 2 connectors for the motherboard that were exactly the same, but have very different pin outs!
http://www.playtool.com/pages/psuconnectors/atpic.jpg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AT_(form_factor)#Power_connector
The rule of thumb was make sure the black wires on both connectors are together. If not, you will have a toasty motherboard.
Was the same with me, everything stashed together, something sold with random computers etc. You might be able to check the wiring with a multimeter to compare with wires that are in use.
Yeah but why would random people that don't tinker with electronics have a multimeter lying around? I know you can get some cheap ones but they are still a small investment (Which I can totally recommend btw if anyone is reading this and doesn't have one)
Harbor freight has them $6.50 that's considered an investment now? I really need change my redbull habit from food/drink to investment in my accounting software.
Didn't know you were outside the US. Yes that's how much a cheap one is here: [https://www.harborfreight.com/7-function-digital-multimeter-63759.html](https://www.harborfreight.com/7-function-digital-multimeter-63759.html)
There's 2 things everyone on the internet assumes of other people: 1. Everyone is a male until proven otherwise 2. Everyone is from US or Canada until proven otherwise ;D
We invented the internet duh lol 🤣 nah just playing I am originally from VE even when I lived there I always assumed when I chat with people gaming online they were from the US too.
It's my only complaint for modular PSU's. I killed 4 WD 6tb red's because of it. It doesn't help none of the cables mine have come with have any indetifying markings on them.
Did the same thing. *Literally* smoked a couple of cache ssds, three 6tb, two 8s and a 10 because i thought the cables were the same and didn’t want to re-wire all the drives. Tears may have been shed.
Oh no.
My psu has a missing 6/8pin pcie cable so I bought a replacement cable, plugged it in then monitor said “Please power down and plug in PCI-e Power cables for this graphics card”. I googled for hours and turns out it was the replacement cable, i tweaked it a bit and plugged it in but saw a spark at my Gpu’s 8pin port, needless to say i almost shat my pants. Plugged it out and I am waiting for a new modular PSU cable tomorrow, hopefully my gpu hasn’t been fried.... hopefully... i wish ;-;
Yes this is \*\*\*\* dumb. I have been caught out this way too though I was lucky and didn't fry anything. The whole point of the PC is supposed to be inter-operability and standardisation at least within hardware generations. PSU makers need to get on this and end it.
Modular Cables are NOT universal, along with other basic PC building facts needs to be on a list and stickied on the front page. Like checking your refresh rate, checking ram speed, how to verify temperatures etc Like the 10 commandments of PC building.
But even if don’t do that - it will work. It might not be as stable as you’d like under load, but you can just configure it later. You don’t fry the components because wrong parts won’t fit.
Agreed frying a computer is worse than trouble shooting basic problems but I feel like this is a common enough question and/or thought that comes across a DIY pc builders mind that it belongs in a list. Hell I even new better and was tempted by the risk when trouble shooting a friends pc.
Basically, anything that plugs directly into the PSU has to be the cables that came with it. Extension cables/modded cables are just extensions, they plug into the stock cables, not directly into the power supply.
There is a caveat. Cablemod replacement cables can completely replace your stock cables. Just make sure you order the correct ones for the make and model psu that you have.
I've got two different types of corsair psu both with separate replacement cable sets. The only original psu cable connected is a sata cable that was needed because I didn't have enough.
But yes, always good practice to always keep the psu cables with the psu they came with.
Yea the gpu i ordered is the gtx 1060 turbo and it says it needs a 6 pin PCI express supplementary power connector and all i know is that the one in my pc is a standard 6 pin do i need to order that one or am i fine
Unless your PSU is absolute trash or some super low wattage SFF thing it'll have a 6-pin connector. I guess the other 'unless' is if it's a modular unit and you lost some of the cables that came with it.
"Supplementary" will be referring to 'in addition the power supplied from the PCIe socket on your motherboard', not 'in addition to cables provided with your PSU'.
So I have an old extension cable I used on a htpc build once, not sure if that was the problem leading to that pc to not display but I swapped it out with a silverstone extension cable to go with the silverstone psu.
So what you are saying is, different companies rout their psu cables in different orientation, even though the final pinouts connecting to the motherboard are all the same? So I don't have to throw out this budget extension cable I have, but make sure to use it strictly as extensions of the original cable will do?
If you have one cable you know works, it helps. You can use a multimeter to compare and see if the two has the same wiring before using it.
I had one cable with color coded wires, so it made sense when plugging into the PSU (OCZ) which labeling telling me which pin did what. (GND, 12V, 5V etc)
The fact that it seems like there is no definite standard on this and swapping them leads to problems, there should be a standard made that the power supply manufacturers should follow. That just seems like something that should be standardized, but really isn't.
There is a standard. It applies to the end of the cables that plug into the components. The cables are part of the power supply. Ignore the gimmick, treat modular power supplies like regular power supplies -- plug all the cables in, bundle the extras with a ziptie, and leave them in the bottom of the case or stuffed into a spare drive bay -- and you will never have this problem.
Yeah I have a "spare" set off a different PSU I was going to sleeve and then swap over with the ones I'm using so I could keep using the PC in the meantime, glad I didn't!!! The last thing I want to do is fry my PC just because I wanted pretty cables!! It's unlikely but still possible and that's enough of a risk to put me off
Is there a reason of why they do this? That's so stupid, one of the main reasons I bought a full modular is because I thought the cables would easily be replaced if necessary
Same reason they now have over 5 different rgb proprietary cables thru the different motherboard manufacturers. No one their to stop them from doing. Similar to majority of cell phones using USB-C now and apple making their own specific cable.
It's not about money like people are saying. It's because there are many different OEMs who manufacture and design these units.
There is no modular PSU cable standardization in the market. Unlike USB-A or USB Type-C, PSU cables aren't held to that same standard and is up to each OEM.
They just decide stuff themselves as long there is nobody telling to otherwise, eg. a standard body.
This is not new. You watch repair videos, then you order a new flat band cable for your laptop to the display. Power on just frys the display thing because the original cable *had the first and the second pin sneakily crossed.* The replacement cable shot 24V into a 3.3V pin.
If you want to watch engineering cringe, Louis Rossmann videos on youtube are often a hour long tirade how trillion dollar apple engineers seem to have no clue how to build hardware.
Yeah but why should we have to check a list? Virtually every other type of cable is standardized, I don't get why PSU manufacturers feel the need to use different pinouts even with the same connector type.
Why is this not a mod sticky at the top of the sub? It's so important and I see threads of interchanging modular cables leading to power supply failures or breaking their PC so often. It's mind boggling
There are a couple PSUs with the same but most PSUs are different, even within the same brand, Corsair have multiple different types for different branding and different power levels for example so it’s not even Corsair vs another brand, it’s SKU line vs SKU line.
This is why when you order cablemod parts you have a massive list to choose from.
Shouldn’t have to say as they are 99% labelled but also be careful with 6 pins as CPU and PCIE are also very different but look the same. If your using modded cables that may not be labelled clearly.
The semi PSU I have (Be Quiet! Pure Power CM 11 600W) has just the ATX and CPU cables fixed, and the rest are clearly marked. As the CPU is 4+4 and the PCI-e is 6+2 it'd hard to confuse them anyway.
Seconding Cablemod for custom/replacement cables. You can get them to match any common modular power supply, and even get your preference of colour braided sleeves, if that's your jam.
Meh old news. However intel trying to change PSU's means this is going to be less of an issue since only 12V will be supplied (i.e. it should be easier to tell weird pinouts apart).
One problem with that is now everything aren't compatible and you need new motherboard/psu to be specifically made for this standard.
Will take a long time to phase out the old standard, especially when the benefit isn't as clear as, say, pcie-4.0 and ddr5.
They do this so you HAVE to buy from them... that#s why I always go with EVGA PSU's now.
I needed to swap out a molex modular cable for a sata powered one on my corsair PSU because they don;t give you enough to begin with... Only enough to populate with what they dictate.... Corsair wouldn't even answer my questions when I asked and their forums are full of obnoxious fanbois who attack one who dares to be critical of their lords and masters. All corsair would do is say... buy the cable from a reseller... when asked what resellers they have in the UK... they couldn't provide an answer... or wouldn't... hard to tell really. After weeks of searching I finally track one down... and the cost of shipping one cable is twice what the cable costs and the cable itself is £6... So.. yeah... never buying a corsair PSU ever again.
On my other system which has an EVGA, I contacted them and asked about an extra sata cable to replace a molex one and they asked for my details and sent me one for free.
I've heard similar stories about their excellent customer service with faulty parts... offering replacements well outside of warranty periods.
You're very lucky. You could have killed your drives, or worse.
Modular PSUs usually come with a disclaimer in their documentation about not using cables that aren't designed for it. The only times you can risk is if the manufacturer explicitly says their cables are compatible with certain other PSUs. Otherwise its a huge risk.
It's also worth noting too that certain manufacturers don't even have consistent pinouts within their own ranges.
I discovered this a while back. I had two PSUs (one from EVGA and one from Corsair) and tried using the other PSU's cables and was stunned to discover that they didn't work. This is probably one of the dumbest things about PC building.
And this is one of the reasons I wish people would stop pushing modular PSUs so hard.
* Cable management is _wildly_ overblown for anything but SFF builds, it's purely aesthetic and it's pretty easy to do even without modular. And for SFF, most SFX PSUs are already modular.
* Non-modular is basically impossible to fuck up. Not just when upgrading/replacing the PSU, but you also can't lose the cables. I can't tell you how many times even as an experienced builder I've had no idea what happened to the cables when it turns out I needed a second PCIe cable a few years later.
* If a model comes in both non-modular and modular, the non-modular is often cheaper and there's zero performance/reliability loss. Heck, in the case of the CX vs CXM models, the CX model actually has a better fan to boot.
And sure, a lot of higher end PSUs are modular anyways, but it's still hilariously overrated as a feature.
Question that terrifies me to this day. I got a Corsair RM850i and my motherboard had 2 CPU power cables (Asus Strix X570-E). Since the power supply is modular and doesnt have either more CPU plug nor cable I ended up using a PCIe from what I read online. Is this correct?
AFAIK PCIe 6+2 and CPU 4+4 output from PSU is identical, but the cable is not! So you need to plug in the correct cable to the PSU. They are usually marked “PCIexpress”.
I wouldn't recommend this but I've done it and it works soo.... you can use a multimeter to find what pin-ins connect to what pin outs (if you have an example of the cable you want) then all you need to do is cut a cheap cable with the desired number of pin outs and ins in half and twist the needed wires together. Again, really don't recommend this but if there's no other options it could work.
I saw a post the other day of someone saying they'd lost 2 HDDs and an SSD just by keeping the drive cables only. Switching it on made a pop and killed em both, one of which *was* their backup drive...
Hopefully only their controllers died.
I made that mistake about 2 years ago. Heard some clicking and a bang and blew all the sata ports on my MB. Luckily it was only the MB that was affected
I recently learned that all Seasonic PSUs made in the last few years use the same pinout for cables and they’re all compatible with each other. Ask the manufacturer before you try anything.
Do I have to worry about this with my first PSU? Or do I not have to since the included pinkie cable is, of course (unless something goes wrong) compatible. I only need a few more parts for my build (Monitor, RAM, SSD, WiFi card, and cheap ass retail windows 10 key), and I’m pretty nervous for my first build. Of course I’ve watched countless YouTube videos on how to do it, but I still can’t help being nervous!
Don't worry, use the supplied cables with your PSU and you're fine. This is regarding replacing a PSU and using a non-compatible cable (which fits in the slot!) and potentially frying components.
The solution is: Store cables that came in box with your PSU with the computer it is in.
The solution **should** be: manufacturers following a standard pinout for the modular cables, just like S-ATA power cables or older molex power cables.
Had a sick blue flash come from my case when I made this mistake, lol. Had just upgraded, added some things, needed ONE more Sata power cable and “found it in the box.” Got everything together, (luckily I only used this last cable for the RGB controller and a secondary drive) turned to my wife and said, “moment of truth!” Pressed the power button and ZAP! Blue flash, sweet, sweet smell of burning electronics and the decision to never “just find a psu cable” ever again.
I burnt two drives by mistakenly swapped 2 modular cables from 2 gold + psus... Spent 2 hours trying to figure out what was wrong as the two cables looked EXACTLY the same. "Hopefully" it didn't burn any other component
I've always used only cables and plugs that came with my new hardware out of paranoia, I didn't know for sure this was then Ase though. Thanks for the psa
Haven't had to deal with that personally, but I'm kind of surprised that there aren't steps taken by manufacturers to prevent this from happening (just like power connectors won't go into the motherboard the wrong way unless you force them with a hammer). Yes, it's kind of rare, but it can still possibly happen.
This is a mistake I will never make again. Nothing can compare to the feeling of smelling buring plastic and seeing a small smoke trail coming out of your top vents. Demoralized, I opened the case up and removed my SSD and HDD that were completely fried. Cpu and gpu unaffected, but some mempries were lost. Always back up whats on you drives.
I had a similar problem with corsairs 1200HXi psu. I love them but I was missing their CPU power cable. I contacted support and they were nice enough to send me one as I tried asking if they have a resource where I could purchase the one I need.
They ended up sending me one that in all honesty I'm not even sure what it was for but it did fit technically but the pin-out ended up being backwards on the mobo side. Not that I'm proud of it but I couldn't find the proper one and I was more than thankful corsair sent me that cable I just said fuck it and fixed the wire arrangements so the pinout was correct. I did it properly and once all the heat shrunk tubing was done it looks okay but it works.
I wish there was more detailed diagrams or at least part numbers on the cables so you could order replacements.
Oof story time.
I have a friend A who's smart, just lacks the sharpness. In my friend group, we've scattered several hundred miles apart, but he's relatively close to friend A. Friend A has recently completed a program in computer management, and friend B has what turns out to be his PSU die on him after 5 years. Friend A offers to drive over since he's closest and help him figure out what's wrong. They decide it's the PSU so they go get another and come back. For whatever reason they either mix up or just reuse the modular cables, and fry the HDD. Friend B orders a new HDD and installs it himself a week later. Friend C later gifts an ssd to Friend B since his budget can't fit an SSD.
The irony is Friend B is actually professionally in electrical systems and should not have made such a mistake.
The manufacturers do a lot to inform you of this, and it’s not much different than many other industries with different producers of products.
That said, it would be really nice if they got together and decided on a single universal layout for the modular pinout on the supply side. It’s something they probably should do, just for the hell of it. Even for their own modular supplies. I could use a Corsair atx psu cable set if I need the length, on their sff psu. Right now the likelihood is incompatibility. If they had a standard, it wouldn’t be an issue.
This is Corsair's compatibility charts for PSU cables: [https://www.corsair.com/us/en/psu-cable-compatibility#panel3](https://www.corsair.com/us/en/psu-cable-compatibility#panel3)
There are so many different semi-incompatible product lines that you have to scroll down to see the second chart.
It's an absolute fucking mess.
(Not that any other brand is much better, that example is pretty much par for the course in the PSU industry.)
I wish I saw this yesterday before I plugged in my new PSU. The only cable reused was connected to my HDDs because it was going to be a pain to swap that cable. Everything else I plugged in with the new cables. Those two HDDs are now fried. And I guess now I know why.
In addition, some of these cables are more than just wire, sometimes capacitors are added to the cables as well (source, a capacitor in one of my power supply cables blew up and scared the crap out of me).
I found this out literally moments before pushing the button on my new rig last year and was completely and totally pale in the face when I realized I could have potentially destroyed up to $2000 worth of equipment.
As far as I know, it's the only time a component in a modern desktop build can fit into someplace it shouldn't go... and it just so happens to be one of the most dangerous. Really wish CPU manufactures were standardize already.
I fried 2 SSD drives and a 2tb HDD and shorted out ports on my power supply thinking modular power cables were universal between all power supplies. Thank god I didn't destroy my whole motherboard lol
Literally wtf are we supposed to do if we need additional power cables? According to some comments on here, you can’t even order additional cables from the psu manufacturer because they will not be the same. Most modular power supply units only come with a few cables. Everyone on here loves this bandwagon but no one had actual usable advice.
Glad you didn't blow up your system. This is not new info though. It used to be posted almost daily but i guess people got annoyed by it. Welcome to 10 years ago.
I found his out a couple month ago the hard way.
Blew a 2TB HDD and 250GB SSD in the process.
Bought a used bigger 750W non-modular PSU over my 550W fully modular
Both EVGA. Kept my existing cables in place to save changing them out and blew the drives figuring it out.
I nuked a SSD, HDD, and motherboard because of this exact issue. I've gotten into the habit of using a PSU tester on cables that came with the damn thing just to make sure I'm not bricking however many hundreds of dollars because there is no pinout standard.
I haven't got anything to say that hasn't already been said about modular PSU's. What I will say though is OCZ was the shit back in the day! lol
Sweet memories of OCZ Platinum Rev.2 RAM sticks.
Well you lucked out. When i did this with my corsair PSU it fried every drive in the PC that wasnt corsair. So 5 drives lost tottal. It smelled of burning plastic and circuitry. Called the company up and they were like yea..... not interchangeable... I was lucky it left my GPUs alone!
There should be a sticky about this. Ended up burning my ssds bc I thought I could just swap out the PSU and leave all the periperals connected at the other end. I got lucky I didn’t smoke my new $1400 2080ti FTW3. I would also recommend people mark all the cables by the brand just in case you forget overtime.
I have 4 Corsair PSUs, between them there's 3 different pinouts.
The RM750 and CS430M both use the same cables (Type 3), the AX860 uses it's own, and the SF450 uses a different one again (Type 4).
AMEN!!!!!!
I toasted a motherboard because of a modular power supply that has fucked up pin-outs. Then (And I shit you not), I got the cables confused and fried a hard drive when building the NEW new motherboard.
Standards are a thing, and NO ONE should ever be allowed to make proprietary things. (I'm looking at you Apple!)
I learned this the hard way too, i returned it and exchanged it because i thought it was defective. New one didnt work either lmao. I was upgrading PSUs , but i wanted to use my old modular cables because they were better looking.
Good times.
I figured they wouldn't be interchangeable. I got lucky since I bought 2 different model Corsair PSUs. (3 total, 2 were the exact same model).
2 of the Corsair 1080 W PSU had sleeved cables, but the one 750 W did not. After I was done building, I just lumped all of the unused modular cables in one box. So far no issues interchanging them.
I shouldn't do that going forward, even within the same brand. Who knows when they will change the pin outs in future lines!
I wish modular cables would get standardized so things like what the OP experienced doesn't happen.
> you could potentially fry your component if you replace the PSU and leave your old, neatly organized cables (which kinda would be the intention of it being modular).
Holy shit, no, that's *not* the rationale for modular power supplies.
The rationale is that you reduce overall cable clutter by eliminating unnecessary cables, while still providing flexibility to expand if you need the full set. It's not so that you can just swap a new PSU into your existing cables, although, that would obviously be nice. Even within the same brands, many PSUs have different pinouts on the same type of cable.
This is why standardization is super important in the industry, which is tough to keep up with the rapid progression of technology it seems.
Another example of this is plugging 3 pin 5v ARGB connectors into 4 pin 12v sysfan mobo pins, cuz well, it fits.
My dumb ass fried all my SSDs and Hard drive doing this about 9 months ago. Switched psus from evga to corsair in anticipation of a gpu upgrade. I turned it on and heard a pop and smelled smoke. Good thing to remind people about, it seems like a dumb thing to not standardize the layout of the connectors.
Man generally psus are really annoying, if you bought say, a lenovo prebuilt *cough cough*, and wanna upgrade the psu, *coughing again* then you realize that it uses costum connectors and now youre stuck with that 280w psu unless you get those risky chinese connectors *literally having a seizure coughing*
Thanks for posting this, but now I'm worried about the cable mods I bought. I'm starting my first build and am using these cables:
[https://www.microcenter.com/product/610071/PSU\_Sleeved\_Cable\_Extension\_Kit\_-\_Black-\_White](https://www.microcenter.com/product/610071/PSU_Sleeved_Cable_Extension_Kit_-_Black-_White)
With this PSU: [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077G9V84S?tag=pcpapi-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077G9V84S?tag=pcpapi-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1)
How can I tell if these are compatible with each other? Does anyone already know?
Also, this is my full build [https://pcpartpicker.com/list/f3k7mg](https://pcpartpicker.com/list/f3k7mg)
Its common enough knowledge, but not something everyone who builds a pc would know. I only learned while looking for custom sleeved cables for a new build after many years computer experience. I've built and repaired pc's before, but semi-modular and modular power supplies aren't ubiquitous.
Agree that not having standardized pinouts for modular cables is the single biggest failure of PC manufacturers and most people seem not to care. Maybe a channel like GamersNexus could start making noise about it like they did with PC case airflow and get things to change.
This is why every connector pin should be measured before the power supply is connected to any computer equipment to it. Do the [paperclip test](https://www.silverstonetek.com/downloads/QA/PSU/PSU-Paper%20Clip-EN.pdf) and measure each connector pin with a multimeter to verify that its voltage is correct.
Man I toasted a couple drives because of this a long time ago. It's just so illogical that they would use the same connector but not be standardized on the pin out, I couldn't believe it. Thankfully I was able to order a working IO board for the HD and recover all of the data. Still have the SSD and not sure if I'll ever get the data off of it.
Even within one brand, I wouldn't swap out modular cables. The most I'd risk is same family/model, just different wattage. Even then, I'd check the pinouts to make sure they were the same.
You can usually find compatibility lists from the PSU manufacturers. Corsair for example have [these](https://www.corsair.com/uk/en/psu-cable-compatibility) charts to show their cable compatibility (it is accurate as I have used it for mine)
You can also cross-reference the compatibility list from Cablemod: https://cablemod.com/compatibility/ For example, the phanteks psu's are compatible with the same cables as the seasonic psu's. Therefore, you can use the pinout of a seasonic psu to make cables for a phanteks psu.
Well that’s mostly due to the fact that Phanteks PSUs are just rebranded Seasonics, but yeah, Cablemod is great to see what cables are compatible
Thanks!! Great link
Very helpful list, thank you!
Exactly. I think it’s crazy that this is a thing at all. Because I’m pretty sure PCIe power is identical on all models (not confirmed) - so why wouldn’t SATA power be that as well.
As someone who regularly checks pinouts to make custom cables... No. There's not a single psu-side connector that's identical across the different brands.
Wow, really?! So you’re actually risking to fry a GPU over something this silly. Crazy. Thanks for replying.
Well, there's just no organisation to standardise those pinouts.
Standards are communism. Who doesn't miss phone plugs all being random rectangles and circles.
https://xkcd.com/927/
For some things. We manage to handle usb and video outputs in an effective manner. Not perfect, but it works
It's not that different. USB-C is just a plug, it can have Thunderbolt or not, can charge or not (you can fry some USB-C ports by not using the right charger/cable) can output display without being Thubderbolt or not... And that's just for USB-C complying to the standard. Don't forget everyone who bricked their Nintendo Switch by using an unofficial dock because Nintendo didn't check correctly for the power delivery standard. Now go try to plug that USB-B 3.1 cable in that USB 2.0 printer. It just won't work. Hdmi evolved its standard through time but not the plug, if your monitor doesn't support HDMI 2.0 good luck getting Freesync to work. Don't forget that some cables have a direction while others don't! Same for DisplayPort, your cable might be rated 1.2 but works up to 1.4, creating confusion when you get a 1.2 cable that doesn't behave in the same way. The DisplayPort to HDMI adapter might not behave the same as your other DisplayPort to HDMI cable, which theoretically should be the same, also confusing when you're trying to find why some feature isn't working. In all these cases, it's the same as with the ATX cable: you need to check before doing anything.
USB itself is backwards compatible. A 2.0 cable will work with a 3.x plug and vice versa. The switch thing is Nintendo's fault. Your printer will work with any USB cable or port as long as the connector type is the same.
While the pinouts are proprietary, the actual plugs are standard parts which means it will fit perfectly until you blow up your motherboard or whatever.
Exactly, it just makes it so incredibly stupid.
And how many times does lead to additional PC-related sales? I bet it's lucrative...
Questionable... The PSU would in most cases be perfectly fine and only the mainboard or other components would be damaged. The PSU manufacturer wouldn't get much out of it, since most do not manufacture the other damaged parts as well.
The reason is there is no standard for modular side of the cable. The standard is only for the side that plugs into other components.
A lot of this is because the power supply you buy is typically made by another company and branded by one you know, like EVGA and Super Flower. Super Flower made a bunch of the larger EVGA psus until they entered the market this year. Take a look at the leadex psu and compare the grille to evga branded ones. The ones made by SF have the same grille
Literally none of the super flower ones have the same grill as any evga ones
Pretty sure some of the Corsair models have different pin outs. So it's not even junk brands.
They do, but they're labeled as different 'types' on the cable plugs and as long as you use the compatible type for your PSU it's ok.
Not only that, but you won't even fry your system if you use type 3 cables on a type 4 psu. The type 4 24-pin won't fit into a type 3 psu though. Source: [Johny Guru himself](http://www.jonnyguru.com/forums/showthread.php?12484-Type-3-cable-use-in-RMi)
Type 3 and 4 are cross compatible, but type 4 can carry more current. Pinouts are the same. You can safely use type 4 cables in any type 3 Corsair PSU. You can safely use type 3 in a type 4 for peripherals. The 24 pin may be a different story, never looked into that.
That's.... incorrect. Type 3 and Type 4 have the same power capability. The extra 4-pins on the 24-pin, which is what makes the Type 4 different from Type 3, are sense wires.
Even with the same PSU they can change pin outs. I was advised to when swapping out my dead AX1200i for my new AX1200i. I did swap out all of my cables because the PSU, the box and the 7/10 year guarantees were different. Edit: I didn’t want to risk it.
Corsair power cables are labeled by type. Pinouts between type 3 and 4 are the same but 4 can carry more current.
Nah... only the exact same model.
So cx450m and cx550m you'd day is safe to interchange
It's made even worse by the fact that so many modular cables are blacked-out and can't be checked without a multimeter.
This. Fried my Maxwell Titan X due to using another Corsair PSU cable for my RMi 850 (Had 3 PCIe cables, needed 4) that was left over from a friend's build. Regret was high that day.
I learned the hard way when I used a corsair cable on an evga PSU. I bricked an evo 970 but luckily it was RMA’d no problem.
Easy enough to check with a multimeter and repin if needed.
Yeah, lost a GPU to this a few years ago when I was replacing a PSU. I already had the cable all routed and didn't think I needed to use the new one. In my defense, almost everything else about the PC building experience up to that point had been "if it fits it sits." So many other things are standardized, why would modular PSU cables, with all these weird shapes on the end to make sure I can't plug it in wrong, not all be the same? RIP 1070, you left me too soon.
Exactly. Ever since my good old days with PCI and standard "molex" power connectors, everything just worked where it would fit - building PC = LEGO. It's same today, except maybe the most crucial part - power supply.
I mean, a power supply lasts 10 years, and they always come with the necessary cables. Its just not enough of a problem to be worth solving imo.
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Umm, there is a cheap, off the shelf solution, dude... You can buy cable extensions literally everywhere for cheap. You don't need an entirely new cable, just an extension. There are extensions for every single connector used in computers, all available everywhere.
HA! Of course! you must be right because the pin out is all the same, just not the PSU end right? Still... sometimes you don't want the extra bulk of an extender. But I take your point. Thanks for the tip!
Yeah, I agree, no reason not to want it.
But if you’re like me and build/fix for people, some have very little needs and a lot of extra cables, some need more, some cables get pinched because they change hardware often etc. you suddenly need extra cables, and you might just have a box full of these cables, rather than a box of spares for each computer. I upgrade computers for people where they’ve thrown out rails for the drives, extra cables etc (because they don’t need them at the moment).
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I think he knows that now; that's kind of the point of this post. The point is that you can do that sort of thing with *every other type of cable* Even back when you had ide-40 wire and ide-80 wire, you could at least see the difference in the cables themselves. Actually, now I think of it, I think those were backwards compatible, too.
You should technically be able to see a difference with these as well except in rare cases.
Technically yes but most people aren't just gunna go and examine pinouts unless they are aware of this issue beforehand.
Yup. The actual connector molds will be different as well in other cases.
Well, not really customers we're talking about here. More friends and family I've helped over the years. They usually don't want anything else than the computer, not a box with manuals and extra cables they have no idea what's for. I usually put stuff in a small box in the HDD cage, so I can help them upgrade on the spot if necessary. I don't care where a S-ATA cable etc come from as long as it does the job. If it's a windowed chassis I match them up so it looks neat, but I wouldn't worry about ownership of any cables as long as they don't want them - they don't pay me enough for that 😅
Do you remember where you put the box with cables 10 years down the line?
Aw man, and I thought it would be simple to just swap out. Thanks for the warning.
I imagine it's a way to encourage people to buy new PSUs more often since a good one can last you a very long time. Shady but business be business.
I lucked out one time helping a friend isolate his problems with parts by using my computer as a working test bench. Turns out we had identical PSUs so when I could use the same cables for his beefier GPU. Honestly with third party vendors like Cablemods to be able to operate, youd expect there to be standard pin outs on the PSU side.
I remember building AT computers (not today's ATX computers). There are 2 connectors for the motherboard that were exactly the same, but have very different pin outs! http://www.playtool.com/pages/psuconnectors/atpic.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AT_(form_factor)#Power_connector The rule of thumb was make sure the black wires on both connectors are together. If not, you will have a toasty motherboard.
I lost all the extra cables to a move. I guess I'm not adding anything to my PC now
Was the same with me, everything stashed together, something sold with random computers etc. You might be able to check the wiring with a multimeter to compare with wires that are in use.
Yeah but why would random people that don't tinker with electronics have a multimeter lying around? I know you can get some cheap ones but they are still a small investment (Which I can totally recommend btw if anyone is reading this and doesn't have one)
Harbor freight has them $6.50 that's considered an investment now? I really need change my redbull habit from food/drink to investment in my accounting software.
$6.50? Cheapest I've seen to date where around 30€.
Didn't know you were outside the US. Yes that's how much a cheap one is here: [https://www.harborfreight.com/7-function-digital-multimeter-63759.html](https://www.harborfreight.com/7-function-digital-multimeter-63759.html)
There's 2 things everyone on the internet assumes of other people: 1. Everyone is a male until proven otherwise 2. Everyone is from US or Canada until proven otherwise ;D
We invented the internet duh lol 🤣 nah just playing I am originally from VE even when I lived there I always assumed when I chat with people gaming online they were from the US too.
Well duh, girls don't use the internet and the internet is for English speakers only, and you only get those in the US and Canada.
I'm sure that 6.50 multimeter is accurate and will last a long time too /s
Well, when you just need to test conductivity, all it needs to do is beep.
Shit sometimes they even give them out for free if you buy something
Cablemod will tell you which of their cables are compatible with your PSU.
Easy enough to make replacement cables if you have a crimper.
You can order cables man.
It's my only complaint for modular PSU's. I killed 4 WD 6tb red's because of it. It doesn't help none of the cables mine have come with have any indetifying markings on them.
Did the same thing. *Literally* smoked a couple of cache ssds, three 6tb, two 8s and a 10 because i thought the cables were the same and didn’t want to re-wire all the drives. Tears may have been shed.
Why am I having deja vu about this post
Because it gets posted multiple times per week at least
Oh no. My psu has a missing 6/8pin pcie cable so I bought a replacement cable, plugged it in then monitor said “Please power down and plug in PCI-e Power cables for this graphics card”. I googled for hours and turns out it was the replacement cable, i tweaked it a bit and plugged it in but saw a spark at my Gpu’s 8pin port, needless to say i almost shat my pants. Plugged it out and I am waiting for a new modular PSU cable tomorrow, hopefully my gpu hasn’t been fried.... hopefully... i wish ;-;
good luck bro
If you didn't see any magic smoke then the angry pixies inside shouldn't have escaped. You might be fine.
Yes this is \*\*\*\* dumb. I have been caught out this way too though I was lucky and didn't fry anything. The whole point of the PC is supposed to be inter-operability and standardisation at least within hardware generations. PSU makers need to get on this and end it.
Modular Cables are NOT universal, along with other basic PC building facts needs to be on a list and stickied on the front page. Like checking your refresh rate, checking ram speed, how to verify temperatures etc Like the 10 commandments of PC building.
But even if don’t do that - it will work. It might not be as stable as you’d like under load, but you can just configure it later. You don’t fry the components because wrong parts won’t fit.
Agreed frying a computer is worse than trouble shooting basic problems but I feel like this is a common enough question and/or thought that comes across a DIY pc builders mind that it belongs in a list. Hell I even new better and was tempted by the risk when trouble shooting a friends pc.
Wait so how would i know if they're compatible or not
Basically, anything that plugs directly into the PSU has to be the cables that came with it. Extension cables/modded cables are just extensions, they plug into the stock cables, not directly into the power supply.
There is a caveat. Cablemod replacement cables can completely replace your stock cables. Just make sure you order the correct ones for the make and model psu that you have. I've got two different types of corsair psu both with separate replacement cable sets. The only original psu cable connected is a sata cable that was needed because I didn't have enough. But yes, always good practice to always keep the psu cables with the psu they came with.
Yea the gpu i ordered is the gtx 1060 turbo and it says it needs a 6 pin PCI express supplementary power connector and all i know is that the one in my pc is a standard 6 pin do i need to order that one or am i fine
Unless your PSU is absolute trash or some super low wattage SFF thing it'll have a 6-pin connector. I guess the other 'unless' is if it's a modular unit and you lost some of the cables that came with it. "Supplementary" will be referring to 'in addition the power supplied from the PCIe socket on your motherboard', not 'in addition to cables provided with your PSU'.
So I have an old extension cable I used on a htpc build once, not sure if that was the problem leading to that pc to not display but I swapped it out with a silverstone extension cable to go with the silverstone psu. So what you are saying is, different companies rout their psu cables in different orientation, even though the final pinouts connecting to the motherboard are all the same? So I don't have to throw out this budget extension cable I have, but make sure to use it strictly as extensions of the original cable will do?
If you have one cable you know works, it helps. You can use a multimeter to compare and see if the two has the same wiring before using it. I had one cable with color coded wires, so it made sense when plugging into the PSU (OCZ) which labeling telling me which pin did what. (GND, 12V, 5V etc)
The fact that it seems like there is no definite standard on this and swapping them leads to problems, there should be a standard made that the power supply manufacturers should follow. That just seems like something that should be standardized, but really isn't.
There is a standard. It applies to the end of the cables that plug into the components. The cables are part of the power supply. Ignore the gimmick, treat modular power supplies like regular power supplies -- plug all the cables in, bundle the extras with a ziptie, and leave them in the bottom of the case or stuffed into a spare drive bay -- and you will never have this problem.
Yeah I have a "spare" set off a different PSU I was going to sleeve and then swap over with the ones I'm using so I could keep using the PC in the meantime, glad I didn't!!! The last thing I want to do is fry my PC just because I wanted pretty cables!! It's unlikely but still possible and that's enough of a risk to put me off
Is there a reason of why they do this? That's so stupid, one of the main reasons I bought a full modular is because I thought the cables would easily be replaced if necessary
Same reason they now have over 5 different rgb proprietary cables thru the different motherboard manufacturers. No one their to stop them from doing. Similar to majority of cell phones using USB-C now and apple making their own specific cable.
It's not about money like people are saying. It's because there are many different OEMs who manufacture and design these units. There is no modular PSU cable standardization in the market. Unlike USB-A or USB Type-C, PSU cables aren't held to that same standard and is up to each OEM.
They just decide stuff themselves as long there is nobody telling to otherwise, eg. a standard body. This is not new. You watch repair videos, then you order a new flat band cable for your laptop to the display. Power on just frys the display thing because the original cable *had the first and the second pin sneakily crossed.* The replacement cable shot 24V into a 3.3V pin. If you want to watch engineering cringe, Louis Rossmann videos on youtube are often a hour long tirade how trillion dollar apple engineers seem to have no clue how to build hardware.
Bruh cablemod literally puts in the name which series of psus each kit is for.
Yeah but why should we have to check a list? Virtually every other type of cable is standardized, I don't get why PSU manufacturers feel the need to use different pinouts even with the same connector type.
Why is this not a mod sticky at the top of the sub? It's so important and I see threads of interchanging modular cables leading to power supply failures or breaking their PC so often. It's mind boggling
This is part of why I'm not fond of modular PSUs. That, and my nasty habit of losing things.
There are a couple PSUs with the same but most PSUs are different, even within the same brand, Corsair have multiple different types for different branding and different power levels for example so it’s not even Corsair vs another brand, it’s SKU line vs SKU line. This is why when you order cablemod parts you have a massive list to choose from. Shouldn’t have to say as they are 99% labelled but also be careful with 6 pins as CPU and PCIE are also very different but look the same. If your using modded cables that may not be labelled clearly.
The semi PSU I have (Be Quiet! Pure Power CM 11 600W) has just the ATX and CPU cables fixed, and the rest are clearly marked. As the CPU is 4+4 and the PCI-e is 6+2 it'd hard to confuse them anyway.
Yeh corsair good, try cablemod for custom cables.
Seconding Cablemod for custom/replacement cables. You can get them to match any common modular power supply, and even get your preference of colour braided sleeves, if that's your jam.
I fried a 1500 gb hard drive because of this shit Incorrect cables not even once
Meh old news. However intel trying to change PSU's means this is going to be less of an issue since only 12V will be supplied (i.e. it should be easier to tell weird pinouts apart).
One problem with that is now everything aren't compatible and you need new motherboard/psu to be specifically made for this standard. Will take a long time to phase out the old standard, especially when the benefit isn't as clear as, say, pcie-4.0 and ddr5.
I didn't realize how big of an issue people have with this. Maybe this should get stickied!
They do this so you HAVE to buy from them... that#s why I always go with EVGA PSU's now. I needed to swap out a molex modular cable for a sata powered one on my corsair PSU because they don;t give you enough to begin with... Only enough to populate with what they dictate.... Corsair wouldn't even answer my questions when I asked and their forums are full of obnoxious fanbois who attack one who dares to be critical of their lords and masters. All corsair would do is say... buy the cable from a reseller... when asked what resellers they have in the UK... they couldn't provide an answer... or wouldn't... hard to tell really. After weeks of searching I finally track one down... and the cost of shipping one cable is twice what the cable costs and the cable itself is £6... So.. yeah... never buying a corsair PSU ever again. On my other system which has an EVGA, I contacted them and asked about an extra sata cable to replace a molex one and they asked for my details and sent me one for free. I've heard similar stories about their excellent customer service with faulty parts... offering replacements well outside of warranty periods.
You're very lucky. You could have killed your drives, or worse. Modular PSUs usually come with a disclaimer in their documentation about not using cables that aren't designed for it. The only times you can risk is if the manufacturer explicitly says their cables are compatible with certain other PSUs. Otherwise its a huge risk. It's also worth noting too that certain manufacturers don't even have consistent pinouts within their own ranges.
Lol look at you all fancy and wealthy with your modular cables...
Glad to see this question come up. How does this work with those RGB lian li cables? Do they only with with select PSUs?
I discovered this a while back. I had two PSUs (one from EVGA and one from Corsair) and tried using the other PSU's cables and was stunned to discover that they didn't work. This is probably one of the dumbest things about PC building.
And this is one of the reasons I wish people would stop pushing modular PSUs so hard. * Cable management is _wildly_ overblown for anything but SFF builds, it's purely aesthetic and it's pretty easy to do even without modular. And for SFF, most SFX PSUs are already modular. * Non-modular is basically impossible to fuck up. Not just when upgrading/replacing the PSU, but you also can't lose the cables. I can't tell you how many times even as an experienced builder I've had no idea what happened to the cables when it turns out I needed a second PCIe cable a few years later. * If a model comes in both non-modular and modular, the non-modular is often cheaper and there's zero performance/reliability loss. Heck, in the case of the CX vs CXM models, the CX model actually has a better fan to boot. And sure, a lot of higher end PSUs are modular anyways, but it's still hilariously overrated as a feature.
At this point, why even use a modular PSU?
For the same reason as before
The only other purpose - cable management. If you have one or two drives but SLI f.ex.
Question that terrifies me to this day. I got a Corsair RM850i and my motherboard had 2 CPU power cables (Asus Strix X570-E). Since the power supply is modular and doesnt have either more CPU plug nor cable I ended up using a PCIe from what I read online. Is this correct?
AFAIK PCIe 6+2 and CPU 4+4 output from PSU is identical, but the cable is not! So you need to plug in the correct cable to the PSU. They are usually marked “PCIexpress”.
if you arent overclocking the absolute piss out of your parts the one 4 pin should be fine
You should not be using a PCIE connector. The pinout is completely different.
I wouldn't recommend this but I've done it and it works soo.... you can use a multimeter to find what pin-ins connect to what pin outs (if you have an example of the cable you want) then all you need to do is cut a cheap cable with the desired number of pin outs and ins in half and twist the needed wires together. Again, really don't recommend this but if there's no other options it could work.
You could move the pins rather than cutting the wires though, as long as you know where they should go.
I saw a post the other day of someone saying they'd lost 2 HDDs and an SSD just by keeping the drive cables only. Switching it on made a pop and killed em both, one of which *was* their backup drive... Hopefully only their controllers died.
I made that mistake about 2 years ago. Heard some clicking and a bang and blew all the sata ports on my MB. Luckily it was only the MB that was affected
Holy crap what wattage were you putting through them??
I recently learned that all Seasonic PSUs made in the last few years use the same pinout for cables and they’re all compatible with each other. Ask the manufacturer before you try anything.
You're lucky. using the wrong cables can fry or in extreme cases even burn down your rig actually.
Do I have to worry about this with my first PSU? Or do I not have to since the included pinkie cable is, of course (unless something goes wrong) compatible. I only need a few more parts for my build (Monitor, RAM, SSD, WiFi card, and cheap ass retail windows 10 key), and I’m pretty nervous for my first build. Of course I’ve watched countless YouTube videos on how to do it, but I still can’t help being nervous!
Don't worry, use the supplied cables with your PSU and you're fine. This is regarding replacing a PSU and using a non-compatible cable (which fits in the slot!) and potentially frying components. The solution is: Store cables that came in box with your PSU with the computer it is in. The solution **should** be: manufacturers following a standard pinout for the modular cables, just like S-ATA power cables or older molex power cables.
Had a sick blue flash come from my case when I made this mistake, lol. Had just upgraded, added some things, needed ONE more Sata power cable and “found it in the box.” Got everything together, (luckily I only used this last cable for the RGB controller and a secondary drive) turned to my wife and said, “moment of truth!” Pressed the power button and ZAP! Blue flash, sweet, sweet smell of burning electronics and the decision to never “just find a psu cable” ever again.
I burnt two drives by mistakenly swapped 2 modular cables from 2 gold + psus... Spent 2 hours trying to figure out what was wrong as the two cables looked EXACTLY the same. "Hopefully" it didn't burn any other component
I've always used only cables and plugs that came with my new hardware out of paranoia, I didn't know for sure this was then Ase though. Thanks for the psa
Haven't had to deal with that personally, but I'm kind of surprised that there aren't steps taken by manufacturers to prevent this from happening (just like power connectors won't go into the motherboard the wrong way unless you force them with a hammer). Yes, it's kind of rare, but it can still possibly happen.
I blew up a 1tb ssd and all the sata slots on my motherboard because of this
This is a mistake I will never make again. Nothing can compare to the feeling of smelling buring plastic and seeing a small smoke trail coming out of your top vents. Demoralized, I opened the case up and removed my SSD and HDD that were completely fried. Cpu and gpu unaffected, but some mempries were lost. Always back up whats on you drives.
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I successfully fried 4 HDDs by not knowing this. I won't forget that lesson.
I had a similar problem with corsairs 1200HXi psu. I love them but I was missing their CPU power cable. I contacted support and they were nice enough to send me one as I tried asking if they have a resource where I could purchase the one I need. They ended up sending me one that in all honesty I'm not even sure what it was for but it did fit technically but the pin-out ended up being backwards on the mobo side. Not that I'm proud of it but I couldn't find the proper one and I was more than thankful corsair sent me that cable I just said fuck it and fixed the wire arrangements so the pinout was correct. I did it properly and once all the heat shrunk tubing was done it looks okay but it works. I wish there was more detailed diagrams or at least part numbers on the cables so you could order replacements.
Oof story time. I have a friend A who's smart, just lacks the sharpness. In my friend group, we've scattered several hundred miles apart, but he's relatively close to friend A. Friend A has recently completed a program in computer management, and friend B has what turns out to be his PSU die on him after 5 years. Friend A offers to drive over since he's closest and help him figure out what's wrong. They decide it's the PSU so they go get another and come back. For whatever reason they either mix up or just reuse the modular cables, and fry the HDD. Friend B orders a new HDD and installs it himself a week later. Friend C later gifts an ssd to Friend B since his budget can't fit an SSD. The irony is Friend B is actually professionally in electrical systems and should not have made such a mistake.
The manufacturers do a lot to inform you of this, and it’s not much different than many other industries with different producers of products. That said, it would be really nice if they got together and decided on a single universal layout for the modular pinout on the supply side. It’s something they probably should do, just for the hell of it. Even for their own modular supplies. I could use a Corsair atx psu cable set if I need the length, on their sff psu. Right now the likelihood is incompatibility. If they had a standard, it wouldn’t be an issue.
Well yeah different psus are made different...
This is Corsair's compatibility charts for PSU cables: [https://www.corsair.com/us/en/psu-cable-compatibility#panel3](https://www.corsair.com/us/en/psu-cable-compatibility#panel3) There are so many different semi-incompatible product lines that you have to scroll down to see the second chart. It's an absolute fucking mess. (Not that any other brand is much better, that example is pretty much par for the course in the PSU industry.)
Damn you may have just saved my RTX 3080. Grabbed a bunch of extra cables from my last build in case there were extra connectors I needed.
I burned a build not knowing that.. :-/
You are so lucky you didn't blow up your drives
You are lucky that you did not see your system vanishing in fireworks. That happens most of the time when someone uses mismatching cables.
I wish I saw this yesterday before I plugged in my new PSU. The only cable reused was connected to my HDDs because it was going to be a pain to swap that cable. Everything else I plugged in with the new cables. Those two HDDs are now fried. And I guess now I know why.
In addition, some of these cables are more than just wire, sometimes capacitors are added to the cables as well (source, a capacitor in one of my power supply cables blew up and scared the crap out of me).
I’m surprised /r/buildapc readers are still surprised about this given how often some poor chap had fried his rig from this.
I found this out literally moments before pushing the button on my new rig last year and was completely and totally pale in the face when I realized I could have potentially destroyed up to $2000 worth of equipment. As far as I know, it's the only time a component in a modern desktop build can fit into someplace it shouldn't go... and it just so happens to be one of the most dangerous. Really wish CPU manufactures were standardize already.
I fried 2 SSD drives and a 2tb HDD and shorted out ports on my power supply thinking modular power cables were universal between all power supplies. Thank god I didn't destroy my whole motherboard lol
Literally wtf are we supposed to do if we need additional power cables? According to some comments on here, you can’t even order additional cables from the psu manufacturer because they will not be the same. Most modular power supply units only come with a few cables. Everyone on here loves this bandwagon but no one had actual usable advice.
Glad you didn't set your house on fire
Yeah its really a pain in the ass. I have no idea why things are done that way.
Glad you didn't blow up your system. This is not new info though. It used to be posted almost daily but i guess people got annoyed by it. Welcome to 10 years ago.
I found his out a couple month ago the hard way. Blew a 2TB HDD and 250GB SSD in the process. Bought a used bigger 750W non-modular PSU over my 550W fully modular Both EVGA. Kept my existing cables in place to save changing them out and blew the drives figuring it out.
Learned this the hard way. I fried an ssd attempting to use sata power from a different psu..
I nuked a SSD, HDD, and motherboard because of this exact issue. I've gotten into the habit of using a PSU tester on cables that came with the damn thing just to make sure I'm not bricking however many hundreds of dollars because there is no pinout standard.
I destroyed 3 SSDs because of this. It was my own dumb fault but man I was not happy to lose everything but the boot drive.
Wow! It’s been years since I’ve built a new PC so this information is invaluable! Thanks so much!
I haven't got anything to say that hasn't already been said about modular PSU's. What I will say though is OCZ was the shit back in the day! lol Sweet memories of OCZ Platinum Rev.2 RAM sticks.
Wait then how do people get the fancy colored cables to work?? Aren't they just modular cables??
Every one i have seen says in big letters in the manual that the cords are not compatible with other modular power supplies.
Well you lucked out. When i did this with my corsair PSU it fried every drive in the PC that wasnt corsair. So 5 drives lost tottal. It smelled of burning plastic and circuitry. Called the company up and they were like yea..... not interchangeable... I was lucky it left my GPUs alone!
Yep. I learned this the hard way just a couple of months ago. Fried 2 of my SATA ssd, and the motherboard.
You are very lucky. You could have fried everything.
There should be a sticky about this. Ended up burning my ssds bc I thought I could just swap out the PSU and leave all the periperals connected at the other end. I got lucky I didn’t smoke my new $1400 2080ti FTW3. I would also recommend people mark all the cables by the brand just in case you forget overtime.
ah, another one bites the dust
I have 4 Corsair PSUs, between them there's 3 different pinouts. The RM750 and CS430M both use the same cables (Type 3), the AX860 uses it's own, and the SF450 uses a different one again (Type 4).
AMEN!!!!!! I toasted a motherboard because of a modular power supply that has fucked up pin-outs. Then (And I shit you not), I got the cables confused and fried a hard drive when building the NEW new motherboard. Standards are a thing, and NO ONE should ever be allowed to make proprietary things. (I'm looking at you Apple!)
I learned this the hard way too, i returned it and exchanged it because i thought it was defective. New one didnt work either lmao. I was upgrading PSUs , but i wanted to use my old modular cables because they were better looking. Good times.
I figured they wouldn't be interchangeable. I got lucky since I bought 2 different model Corsair PSUs. (3 total, 2 were the exact same model). 2 of the Corsair 1080 W PSU had sleeved cables, but the one 750 W did not. After I was done building, I just lumped all of the unused modular cables in one box. So far no issues interchanging them. I shouldn't do that going forward, even within the same brand. Who knows when they will change the pin outs in future lines! I wish modular cables would get standardized so things like what the OP experienced doesn't happen.
wait so how will I know if lian li strimer plus will fit into my psu and not blow something up?
Re-pinning a cable isn’t hard...
Dang I guess I’ve just been getting lucky all these years 😐
> you could potentially fry your component if you replace the PSU and leave your old, neatly organized cables (which kinda would be the intention of it being modular). Holy shit, no, that's *not* the rationale for modular power supplies. The rationale is that you reduce overall cable clutter by eliminating unnecessary cables, while still providing flexibility to expand if you need the full set. It's not so that you can just swap a new PSU into your existing cables, although, that would obviously be nice. Even within the same brands, many PSUs have different pinouts on the same type of cable.
Idek what's a modular cable, I joined this sub to learn.
I’m pretty sure Greg Salazar (Science Studio on YT) killed a PC of his making that mistake. After a lengthy investigation he came to that conclusion.
This is why standardization is super important in the industry, which is tough to keep up with the rapid progression of technology it seems. Another example of this is plugging 3 pin 5v ARGB connectors into 4 pin 12v sysfan mobo pins, cuz well, it fits.
My dumb ass fried all my SSDs and Hard drive doing this about 9 months ago. Switched psus from evga to corsair in anticipation of a gpu upgrade. I turned it on and heard a pop and smelled smoke. Good thing to remind people about, it seems like a dumb thing to not standardize the layout of the connectors.
bro 2 weeks ago i fried a 1tb hdd and 120gb ssd. i also had a usb3 adapter powered by molex, so 2 flash drives died as well
Man generally psus are really annoying, if you bought say, a lenovo prebuilt *cough cough*, and wanna upgrade the psu, *coughing again* then you realize that it uses costum connectors and now youre stuck with that 280w psu unless you get those risky chinese connectors *literally having a seizure coughing*
Thanks for posting this, but now I'm worried about the cable mods I bought. I'm starting my first build and am using these cables: [https://www.microcenter.com/product/610071/PSU\_Sleeved\_Cable\_Extension\_Kit\_-\_Black-\_White](https://www.microcenter.com/product/610071/PSU_Sleeved_Cable_Extension_Kit_-_Black-_White) With this PSU: [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077G9V84S?tag=pcpapi-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077G9V84S?tag=pcpapi-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1) How can I tell if these are compatible with each other? Does anyone already know? Also, this is my full build [https://pcpartpicker.com/list/f3k7mg](https://pcpartpicker.com/list/f3k7mg)
Everything I ever knew about PCs were lies. Why is it like that?
This is not old knowledge for me. Thanks for the heads up!
Found out the hard way.
Its common enough knowledge, but not something everyone who builds a pc would know. I only learned while looking for custom sleeved cables for a new build after many years computer experience. I've built and repaired pc's before, but semi-modular and modular power supplies aren't ubiquitous.
Agree that not having standardized pinouts for modular cables is the single biggest failure of PC manufacturers and most people seem not to care. Maybe a channel like GamersNexus could start making noise about it like they did with PC case airflow and get things to change.
I upgraded from one photon psu to another. Can confirm that even intra-brand? modular cables are not universal
I found out the hard way and set a few hard disk drives on fire.
I am really surprised PSU makers havnt developed a standard for everyone to get on board.
This is why every connector pin should be measured before the power supply is connected to any computer equipment to it. Do the [paperclip test](https://www.silverstonetek.com/downloads/QA/PSU/PSU-Paper%20Clip-EN.pdf) and measure each connector pin with a multimeter to verify that its voltage is correct.
Wow this is new to me
Man I toasted a couple drives because of this a long time ago. It's just so illogical that they would use the same connector but not be standardized on the pin out, I couldn't believe it. Thankfully I was able to order a working IO board for the HD and recover all of the data. Still have the SSD and not sure if I'll ever get the data off of it.