I have just bought a ati 5850, and a TX 750watt power supply (corsair), to replace an ancient 9500gt and PSU.

Problem is is that my new PSU doesn't have a 4pin connector (for what i think is the CPU), yet it has the full 24pin connector for the mobo (where as old PSU was only running 20pins).

My question is, why the **** wouldn't this brand new, fairly new make of PSU NOT have the 4pin connector for the CPU? And is there any work around at all?

I tried just plugging the 24pin for the mobo in, including the 2 PCI-E connectors for the card, plugged the Harddrive in, etc, hit the boot button and it made no beeps, and showed nothing on the screen.

Thanks guys, i'm pretty pee'd off at this so any advice would be lovely

why did you not check to make sure the SPU was compatible with your motherboard?
20 pin is the old standard IIRC.

Shit, i'm such a newbie.

I had assumed the 8pin connector with the PSU was for other, newer technology, but really, my mobo is just old so only has a 4pin slot. Half the 8 pin connector works.

Brilliant, YAY!
Drivers incoming.

Yeah. The 8pin connector breaks in half so you can use it on old 4pin mobos and you can break off 4pins from the 24pin connector so it can be inserted in to old 20pin mobos.

For the purpose of edification...

I recently found out myself that the opposite is also true: you can put a 4pin atx connector in a motherboard which has an 8 pin connector. The power is the same, it's just that the wires will be stressed more if you use only 4 pins instead of 8 (hence why they came up with the 8 pins in the first place).

I've successfully tested this myself, but not on a long term basis (which I wouldn't recommend).