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[Brutus007]

Forgive me for asking, but what is the ATX 12V connector for?  most of the mobos i've used dont have them.  but i built a new system that had one i plugged it in and i was having video card problems.  After unplugging it it seemed to fix the problem.  probably not related but i was just curious

[BalefireX]

If you're referring to the 4pin connector, that is also known as the P4 connector, it is used because new motherboards draw more voltage than older ones and need the extra supply for stability.

Originally this was only used on P4 motherboards, but I believe that some AMD motherboards now use this extra connector as well.

I'm surprised by your comment that you saw better stability with the connector unplugged... what are your system specs?

[Brutus007]

gigabyte 7vn400 mobo
amd xp 2000
gforce 4 mx600
512 ddr 2100
360 watt ps
40 gig wd hd
nothing huge .....once in a while the computer would black out or restart when i would open media player or hit the start button.  i had a little trouble installing drivers.  when i unplugged the 12 volt wire it stabilized, but i also reinstalled the drivers