Dear reader: If you are reading this note, you have probably accumulated years, if not decades, using a desktop computer. It is even probable that said apparatus is a gaming pc.
Ironically, however, there is also a high degree of chance that you have never had to open up the guts of the CPU to deal with the myriad of parts, connectors, SSD drives and other internal hardware.
The good news is that if you ever have to open your computer to connect some cables to the motherboard or the power supply, chances are you won’t suffer much.
All largely thanks to the fact that the cables and their plugs have very specific inputs and distributions that make it practically impossible to make a mistake.
But in any case, it never hurts to know the essentials about these components and what they are for. So make yourselves comfortable for this short gallery:
12VHPWR connector
This baby seeks to simplify the head colors of past generations. Created by Intel and used by NVIDIA for their RTX 30 Series graphics cards. Intended to be used with PCIe 5.0, and created to replace PCIe 4+4 pin connectors.
The point of its existence is to finally use a single 12-pin connector and so far it has more or less worked well.
6+2 pin PCIe connector
![PC gamer: identify the connectors of the power supply of your computer cable.](https://www.fayerwayer.com/resizer/LqbNmXS2WsLRvdTsrSKGJstTuQQ=/1440x0/filters:format(jpg):quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/metroworldnews/52KKVLFLHNBNDD2YPATGMPOOLE.jpg)
It could almost be considered a museum piece, less and less common. It was designed to power graphics cards when their consumption exceeds 75W, the limit of the PCI-Express connector.
The two additional pins do not operate by supplying more power but rather help to better detect and balance the flow when the card starts to get demanding. Something that is already in the past.
SATA connector
![PC gamer: identify the connectors of the power supply of your computer SATA connector](https://www.fayerwayer.com/resizer/vYa5Nrwz01ub1b7scBj_z_otgbo=/1440x0/filters:format(jpg):quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/metroworldnews/QC2UBIB4SFEBJFC6MCUPWQ7T4A.webp)
An already legendary cable used in SATA HDD and SSD hard drives, LED controllers, liquid cooling systems and an ever-expanding etcetera. With voltages of 3.3V, 5V and 12V it is versatile enough to account for the diversity of its applications.
ATX12VO connector
![PC gamer: identify the connectors of the power supply of your computer ATX12VO](https://www.fayerwayer.com/resizer/WNj28xGOjfLuaVsoDUAEYBF5iCM=/1440x0/filters:format(jpg):quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/metroworldnews/HMI43AWSF5CR3P3SHHRON6LILM.jpg)
A classic whose origins date back to the 90s. In its most recent version, the ATX12VO reduces the number of pins compared to the classic 24-pin ATX connector, removing the 3.3V and 5V lines. With this connector the motherboard must have voltage converters.
24-pin ATX connector
![PC gamer: identify the connectors of the power supply of your computer 24 pin ATX](https://www.fayerwayer.com/resizer/X92jARATOs38V-Qr43gSWqeTTRo=/1440x0/filters:format(jpg):quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/metroworldnews/UFAWJTQ6BVD6RGR3P4NLG3AQHU.jpg)
The direct grandfather of the previous model. If you handled this connector three decades ago, we must notify you that you are not exactly young.
The good news is that it still works in its own way on modern computers and power supplies, the good news is that it is much more stable than before.