Do I need a server PSU to go with a server motherboard? If so what type?

[pyromaster114]

Okay so I was looking around at server motherboards. (I want a server, and I'll hopefully eventually get the money to buy one.)

I noticed that apparently this board doesn't state what type of power connectors it uses.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813182164

Now, they may be assuming that everyone of course would know what type it uses, but this seems presumptuous to me.

 

[Archean]

Well here is your board's complete technical specifications along with recommended power supply; I hope this will help, and good luck for your build.

 

[pyromaster114]

Thanks.
I guess any standard ATX one should work in that case as they say...

Although that weird CPU power connector on the board seems like it would require an 8-pin connector... but I guess technically a 4-pin would fit in half of it. :haha:
(Kinda almost looks like it's an 8-pin PCI-E connector.... odd.)

 

[dividebyzero]

The short answer is no. Server motherboards conform the the ATX standard as do standard desktop boards. Some hybrid types of boards (such as the new-ish non-standard XL-ATX boards EVGA 4-way Classified and their new dual socket Xeon mobo) may require extra power (PCIe) connectors, but the fundamentals of power delivery are the same. That is to say a 20 or 24 pin ATX 12v and a 4 or 8 pin EPS 12v.
The primary difference in componentry will be the use of server (Xeon, Opteron) CPU's and the use of error correcting (ECC) RAM.
Edit:
A PSU that conforms to the ATX 2.3 standard has the suitable EPS 12v 8 pin connector as standard- earlier versions of ATX 2.0 and greater may have the connector but you would need to check the PSU's specification to be sure.

 

[pyromaster114]

dividebyzero, that was very simple, easy to understand, and informative.

(Now where's the 'recommend user to be a mod button? ^_^)


So I guess the current PSU I have should work, because it has both the 20+4-pin connector, and the 4-pin EPS connector... and the list of specifications that Archean posted did say that "a 300W (minimum) ATX power supply [4-pin +12V AND (20 or 24-pin)] is recommended." So I assume that the 4-pin connector on mine will work fine.

Thanks everyone.

 

[dividebyzero]

Connectors will be fine. Much will depend on your PSU's specification and age, as PSU's lose a proportion of the power output with every passing year they are in use.
I'm fairly reluctant to give a yes/no answer without knowing a little more about the build, as that will determine the power draw requirements. CPU model, number of harddrives, add-in cards (RAID, SCSI, Graphics card, Sound), powered USB devices and chassis fans will all add to the power draw, and you will note that the word minimum is used in the motherboard specification. Not all PSU's are created equal !

 

[pyromaster114]

Alright, the connectors are what I was worried about.
I'll probably buy a new PSU anyways if I build it because the one I have now is old, and plus I'll probably keep the PC it's in running.

I was going to use the following for the machine if anyone's wondering.
Case:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119068
PSU:
(Don't know yet... but something around 500 Watts)
Motherboard:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813182164
CPU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117127
RAM:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134414
Hard Disk Drive:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148395 (2 of them in RAID 1)
CD-ROM:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118030

So given that this is relatively similar to my desktop which is running on a 500 Watt power supply, I don't assume I'd need a larger one. (Of course my desktop doesn't have a Xeon processor or a RAID 1 setup...)

 

[dividebyzero]

The setup looks straight forward. You probably wouldn't need a PSU of huge proportions, Some thing along the lines of this
Corsair 400 watt PSU ($39.99 after rebate, free shipping) would be more than enough