Molex connectors nowadays?

[Mihail Anghelici]

Hi, i just read in an article "molex connectors are a no-go in 2015" , couldn't find why.

Any insights ? Are they a "no-go" in 2015?
Personnaly , i'm using a 4 to 6 PCIEe pin right now and on load ,i have a good amount of power available, just needed the peg for my gpu.

 

[silentbogo]

There is almost no new hardware left that uses 4-pin Molex power connectors.
In my opinion it should've been gone 5-6 years ago (at least from the consumer market for new PSUs) and replaced with extra 6 or 8-pin 12V connector with molex adapters.
I even modified my old Chieftec PSU by removing a jungle of legacy connectors and replacing them with 1x6-pin PCI-E and one extra lane of SATA connectors from a dead PSU.

 

[Jetster]

Last time I used one was on a Corsair H100. But PSUs still come with an option for them

 

[rtwjunkie]

I still have a number of fans with molex connectors. Alot of USB 3 add-in cards require a molex connector.

For a proper cooling setup customized to each person's airflow needs, there will frequently not be enough 3-pin points on a motherboard to handle it all. Molex still come in handy.

 

[hat]

Fans... that's about all I can think of.

 

[Bill_Bright]

Hi, i just read in an article "molex connectos are a no-go in 2015" , couldn't find why.

There is almost no new hardware left that uses 4-pin Molex power connectors.

Got a link to the article? I suspect silentbogo is right and the common 4-pin power connectors is what they were talking about since more and more computers are going with SATA drives, which use different connectors, as do most fans.

It should also be noted that Molex is technically a brand name from the Molex Connector Company and a Molex connector typically refers to "any" connector using a two-piece pin and socket interconnection. The term "Molex" connector has become a generic, synonymous term, similar to how the brand name "Kleenix" became synonymous for a piece of tissue paper use for blowing your nose into. Or to "hoover" in England means to vacuum the rug, because Hoover vacuum cleaners were at one time the most popular brand used.

While "Molex" connectors may be going away in the PC, they will still be widely used in electronics and other industries for years to come.

 

[Brusfantomet]

Using 3 atm, one for a Swiftech mpc35x waterpump and two for my fan controller (Lamptron FC-2).
It is not the best connector in my mind, cheap molex plugs where the pins have some wiggle room is not always the ideal connectors.

 

[INSTG8R]

I am running a pretty ancient Thermal Take Kandalf L.C.S. case. It uses a Molex for the Pump/Fans combo.

 

[peche]

Got a link to the article? I suspect silentbogo is right and the common 4-pin power connectors is what they were talking about since more and more computers are going with SATA drives, which use different connectors, as do most fans.

It should also be noted that Molex is technically a brand name from the Molex Connector Company and a Molex connector typically refers to "any" connector using a two-piece pin and socket interconnection. The term "Molex" connector has become a generic, synonymous term, similar to how the brand name "Kleenix" became synonymous for a piece of tissue paper use for blowing your nose into. Or to "hoover" in England means to vacuum the rug, because Hoover vacuum cleaners were at one time the most popular brand used.

While "Molex" connectors may be going away in the PC, they will still be widely used in electronics and other industries for years to come.

in the piont fella...

i use them for some fans... as my new riings on my rad

also several waterpumps run on molex conector...

Regards,

 

[FordGT90Concept]

Molex (Mate-N-Lock) isn't going anywhere. Reason: It can supply a lot more power than the SATA power connectors. There may not be as many of them but the option will exist as long as ATX standard does.

 

[Bill_Bright]

but the option will exist as long as ATX standard does.

That's an excellent point too. I note the ATX Form Factor Design Guide for PSUs refers to the main power connector as a 24 pin Molex, in addition to the traditional 4-pin. Even the Serial ATA connector is called a Molex or equivalent.

Until hand-helds and portable supplant the "PC" completely, the ATX standard will surely be around, and so will Molex connectors (even if made by someone else).

 

[FordGT90Concept]

I think ATX is due for replacing. There's a lot of legacy voltages that should be removed, the voltage regulation should be moved to the PSU and give the CPU the voltage/amperage it needs directly, there should be a better solution for devices (like add-in cards) that require significantly more power (a smaller connector that can handle 250w), better implementation of sleep states, better consideration of providing 5v power to USB when on or standby, and so on and so fourth. ATX keeps getting extended and it works but the situation is far from ideal.

 

[silentbogo]

That's why we still don't have hoverboards, flying cars and personal fembot-assistants: archaic/legacy crap, force of habit and laziness

 

[Bill_Bright]

I think ATX is due for replacing.

the voltage regulation should be moved to the PSU

Revising, but not replacing. And regulation already is with the PSU. The PSU needs regulation, no doubt, but because motherboards break voltages down further for RAM and other devices, and those voltages need to be controlled by the motherboard, and via BIOS configuration by the user, the critical devices connected to the PSU still need their own regulation. Moving regulation entirely to the PSU will require a significant increase in intelligence, complexity, and cabling (for the extra voltages) in the PSU, adding significantly to the costs.

And note that sleep states are dictated by the OS working with the BIOS - and that is how it should be. I want the system to tell my PSU when to go to sleep, not the other way around.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

Not revising. To do what needs to be done for the 21st century of computing will inevitably break backwards compatibility; hence, replacing. ATX was designed to run Pentium Pro processors, not Core i7s. Motherboard power control has gotten more and more complex as hardware requires less and less voltage. Maybe main voltage should now be 5v instead of 12v, for example.

PCI Express should likely be tweaked as well due to power requirements. SATA power connectors definitely need to be tweaked so device manufacturers actually use 3.3v. Accessory Mate-N-Lock perhaps also be reconsidered to have only 12v + ground.

 

[Bill_Bright]

ATX was designed to run Pentium Pro processors, not Core i7s.

No it wasn't. ATX was designed so manufactures and consumers could buy an ASUS motherboard, Intel CPU, MSI graphics card, Crucial RAM, LG DVD, Seagate HD (and now Samsung SSD), power them all via a Seasonic power supply and install them all in an Antec case and insure (1) they will physically fit and align with applicable mounting holes using ATX standard screws, (2) electromechanically connect with compatible ATX standard connectors, and (3) electrically connect with ATX compatible compatible voltages.

Motherboard power control has gotten more and more complex as hardware requires less and less voltage.

Yes, but it still belongs on the motherboard, not inside the PSU because the motherboard/chipset/socket is what determines which CPU and RAM is compatible with the board - not the PSU.

They tried to replace the ATX standard once and it failed miserably. Remember BTX? Manufacturers and us consumers rejected it almost entirely. I say "almost" because consumers do like cases that support bottom mounted PSUs.

We will NEVER have a "replacement" for ATX because it will be impossible for the major makers to come to a consensus on a new form factor. And notebooks are a perfect illustration of that. It is because Sony, Acer, IBM, Dell, HP, Compaq and the others wanted to have proprietary designs to (1) force users to their brands and (2) keep prices artificially high, there is no real form factor standard for notebooks.

And who suffers the most for that? We consumers! Why is there virtually no build-it-yourself notebook industry? Because there is no ATX standard for notebooks that allow consumers to buy parts from different component makers and be certain they will fit and work together.

So again, there will never be a replacement form factor standard for PCs. And there does not need to be either - not until we consumers are willing to give up total control of our PC configurations to Dell, HP, Acer, and Lenovo.

 

[Sasqui]

No it wasn't. ATX was designed so manufactures and consumers could buy an ASUS motherboard, Intel CPU, MSI graphics card, Crucial RAM, LG DVD, Seagate HD (and now Samsung SSD), power them all via a Seasonic power supply and install them all in an Antec case and insure (1) they will physically fit and align with applicable mounting holes using ATX standard screws, (2) electromechanically connect with compatible ATX standard connectors, and (3) electrically connect with ATX compatible compatible voltages.

Well said, and arguably one of the reasons TPU exists in the first place

 

[FordGT90Concept]

No it wasn't. ATX was designed so manufactures and consumers could buy an ASUS motherboard, Intel CPU, MSI graphics card, Crucial RAM, LG DVD, Seagate HD (and now Samsung SSD), power them all via a Seasonic power supply and install them all in an Antec case and insure (1) they will physically fit and align with applicable mounting holes using ATX standard screws, (2) electromechanically connect with compatible ATX standard connectors, and (3) electrically connect with ATX compatible compatible voltages.

A new standard would do the same.

They tried to replace the ATX standard once and it failed miserably. Remember BTX? Manufacturers and us consumers rejected it almost entirely. I say "almost" because consumers do like cases that support bottom mounted PSUs.

BTX didn't go far enough and failed to provide obvious benefits.


Intel created ATX and BTX. I'm surprised Intel didn't create a form factor for NUC. Not having a form factor for NUC is the reason why they're so expensive. There's NUC clones out there but cross part compatibility is sorely lacking.

 

[qubit]

There is almost no new hardware left that uses 4-pin Molex power connectors.
In my opinion it should've been gone 5-6 years ago (at least from the consumer market for new PSUs) and replaced with extra 6 or 8-pin 12V connector with molex adapters.

Glad to see the back of them. The build quality tolerances alwats seemed so sloppy and they so often would be really difficult to disconnect, being almost impervious to wiggling them out, which really annoyed me. For the tough ones it was usually brute or nothing.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

They call them "Mate-N-Lock" for a reason. They're not supposed to be able to shake apart or fall apart.

 

[dorsetknob]

A new standard would do the same.

FIRST of ALL you would have to get the ENTIRE and related Industry to Agree a New Standard

fat chance of that To many Vested interest in the current Standard

 

[FordGT90Concept]

The reason why there is no USB 3.1 Type-C header for front ports is because Intel hasn't introduced it yet. In terms of form factors, everyone dances to Intel's tune. The reason why BTX failed? Intel stopped supporting it in 2006.

OEMs are largely doing their own thing now and so is Intel with NUC. A new form factor doesn't exist right now because Intel doesn't care to create it and no one else in the industry has the position to do so.

 

[Bill_Bright]

A new standard would do the same.

Then why have a new standard if it does the same as the old? That makes no sense.

Again, you are assuming all the major players would agree on this new standard. Not going to happen - not when the sale of PCs continues on the decline.

BTX didn't go far enough and failed to provide obvious benefits.

Right. And neither would an all new standard that would, in effect, make all current hardware obsolete - something corporations, governments, and the general consumer will not accept, and cannot afford.

 

[RealNeil]

I have a motherboard that has a Molex connection on it for added PCI-E power. Yeah, I have some fans with four pin Molex connections too but they're really old.

I have a few sleeved LED light strips, some small red LED lights, and a water cooling pump that is Molex.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

Then why have a new standard if it does the same as the old? That makes no sense.

Third party vendors would adopt the new standard just like they adopted ATX from AT. The new standard likely wouldn't have much/any backwards compatibility. It rolls out over time with new computer purchases just like ATX did.

Again, you are assuming all the major players would agree on this new standard. Not going to happen - not when the sale of PCs continues on the decline.

Case in point: Intel could forbid OEMs from installing their processors on ATX systems and instead require the new standard or risk not receiving anymore processor shipments from Intel. Intel literally can force the entire industry to change form factors over a three year period. They have no choice but to agree. PC sales wouldn't decline because 90%+ of consumers wouldn't even be aware of the change until something goes wrong and whomever services it explains it to them.

Intel may have eventually done this with BTX if they felt ATX needed to go.

Right. And neither would an all new standard that would, in effect, make all current hardware obsolete - something corporations, governments, and the general consumer will not accept, and cannot afford.

That depends on the standard, doesn't it?

Any system that fails and there are no ATX parts left to fix it gets replaced with the new form factor. Corporations and governments couldn't careless. A similar change was recently forced on consumers by way of ATSC. Many people moaned about it but it had to be done and NTSC was kicked to the curb.


There's a lot of 4-pin Mate-N-Lock fans in my systems. Virtually nothing, except HDDs and SSDs, is powered by SATA power connector.