Stay Plugged in With 4-pin Peripheral Computer Power Connectors
Build a computer to suit your needs whether for work or for play. Peripheral power cables provide you the connections you need to operate each device.
What is a 4-pin peripheral power connector?These power connectors allow you to provide extra functionality to your computer and they add information to and retrieve information from it. They draw voltage from your power supply and send it to your motherboard. Some components attached with peripheral cables include the following:
- Input peripheral devices: This includes items such as a mouse or keyboard, image scanner, game controller, or webcam. Digital cameras and microphones also are peripheral devices.
- Output peripheral devices: Computer monitors, projectors, speakers, and printers are some that provide information from your computer.
- Input/output peripheral devices: Your 4-pin connectors often enable you to use USB drives, memory cards, hard disks, and other storage. This makes it possible for you to store and retrieve data, and it helps you transfer files from one device to another.
- CPU sockets: This is another type of input and output device that is responsible for communicating with all major motherboard components. The sockets are located on the underside of your CPU and attach to your board from there.
You have a variety of options for use of these power supply cords in different scenarios. This will help you make room inside your machine as you build your computer from scratch. The same is true when you upgrade or repair your computer.
- 90-degree right angle cords: These are adapters that usually change a male end to a female end or a female end to a male one. This will provide you with compatibility when building your own tower that you otherwise would not have.
- 4-pin Y splitters: This allows you to divide the voltage you want to use either from your power supply or a wall outlet. These Y cords often split into opposite genders and act as an adapter, and they also might change to an end with 6 or 15 pins for improved data transfer speeds.
- 4-pin to DC adapter: This provides you with versatility, because now you can plug in 12-volt electronic devices that normally you would plug into a wall outlet.
- AC/DC: Some are as long as 19-24 inches long. They allow you to draw power from a wall outlet for running a cooling fan, lighting, and other equipment. This could reduce the amount of voltage you would pull from your computer power supply and prevent system burnout.
When you look at a 4-pin power connector, you will notice that it has at least three different colors of wires. One combination of colors often used is two black, one yellow, and one red. They usually regulate voltage coming in and out of them and to a power supply or wall outlet and to your motherboard.