I just bought a new computer, a DELL Inspiron 530. It has none of the older 4-pin power cables from the power supply; only the newer SATA power devices. I have an older hard drive, that connects via IDE cables (the gray ribbon). Ive already bought the card that converts the IDE to SATA, and it is connected to the mother board. Here is the problem: the IDE Hard Drive is powered with the 4-pin power supply that Ive seen on EVERY power supply before this one. The IDE to SATA converter came with an extension for that 4-pin power supply. But the power supply in the tower DOESNT HAVE ANY 4-PIN POWER ADAPTERS. It has one free SATA power. Im looking to take the SATA power from my power supply, convert it to the old-style IDE 4-pin power supply (female) and plug it into the 4-pin extension (male) that powers my hard drive and SATA-IDE converter. Most converters go the other way... Please post links with examples of parts, since I cannot find anything that lets me do what I am looking to
The SATA motherboard uses probably ATX or MicroATX. These are motherboard independant, but for SATA drives you need a SATA power adapter (it converts the 4 wire MOLEX into a flat SATA power cable). Most SATA drives come with this or even the motherboard does. if your power supply is ATX and your Motherboard is ATX then it will work (granted the wattage is enough for all your devices).
I am afraid you are a victim of the penny pinching that companies like Dell need to do to make the machines at the price you want to pay for them. I would always recommend buying from a proper store (bricks and mortar) and taking a good look inside before parting with your cash. There are plenty of suppliers out there who will build a PC for you and look after you.
