Apparent Successful First Build - A Few Concerns
Hey everyone,
I recently asked for advice on a new build, ordered it, booted it for the first time last night and I saw my motherboard manufacturer's logo and was able to enter the BIOS. According to the guide I was reading, that is a good sign. However, I'd just like to clear up a few things that was unexpected during the build.
Specs:
CPU - Intel Core i5 2500K
Motherboard - Asus P8P67 Pro
RAM - 8GB (2x4GB) Corsair Vengeance
GPU - Asus 1GB Gigabyte GTX 560 Ti DirectCU II
HDD - 1TB Samsung Spinpoint F3
SSD - 60GB OCZ Tech Vertex 2E
Optical Drive - Samsung SH-S223C/BEBE
Cooler - Coolermaster V8
PSU - 650W Corsair HX Series
Case - Coolermaster HAF 922
1. After installing the CPU, when pulling the side lever down, it was extremely stiff, and required quite a bit of force. I ended up forcing it, but is this always the case?
2. The GPU has two power ports on it, and my PSU has two PCI-E ports. I used both, and the GPU didn't explode, so I am assuming it requires both. Is this correct?
3. When connecting to the "regular" ports on the PSU (from SATA drives, ect.), they were pretty hard to get in. The BIOS detected my HDD, so I am assuming it is actually getting powered, but I'd just like to make sure.
4. I have been using the stock cooler up until now and plan to replace it with the V8 later today. When trying to remove the cooler after putting it on, it would not come out under quite a bit of force. I checked that it was unlocked, and it was, but I decided to leave it since I didn't need to get it out anyway. Does the stock cooler usually require a lot of force to get out?
5. Can SATA 6Gb/s be used with 3Gb/s devices? I have no 6GB/s devices and my motherboard came with two cables of each. I've only installed the HDD so far, not the SSD or optical drive.
6. I haven't tried this, but on each of my regular PSU power cables, they have a connection 12cm or so, making a total of 3 drive connectors and the connector for the PSU. Can three of these drive connectors be used on three different drives, to make one cable going to 3 HDDs, or similar?
Sorry if I lack the correct terminology, but I am new to this. :mrgreen:
Thanks in advance for any help.
Re: Apparent Successful First Build - A Few Concerns
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Kase
1. After installing the CPU, when pulling the side lever down, it was extremely stiff, and required quite a bit of force. I ended up forcing it, but is this always the case?
It can take what seems at the time to be a lot of force to do them. That's just the way it's designed; whenever I'm building a PC that's always the most cringeworthy bit!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Kase
2. The GPU has two power ports on it, and my PSU has two PCI-E ports. I used both, and the GPU didn't explode, so I am assuming it requires both. Is this correct?
Yep, it needs both plugged in.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Kase
3. When connecting to the "regular" ports on the PSU (from SATA drives, ect.), they were pretty hard to get in. The BIOS detected my HDD, so I am assuming it is actually getting powered, but I'd just like to make sure.
Yeah, that's fine. They can take a little pursuasion to get them in sometimes; I imagine this is so they don't have any chance of slipping out once you get them in ;P
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Kase
4. I have been using the stock cooler up until now and plan to replace it with the V8 later today. When trying to remove the cooler after putting it on, it would not come out under quite a bit of force. I checked that it was unlocked, and it was, but I decided to leave it since I didn't need to get it out anyway. Does the stock cooler usually require a lot of force to get out?
The thermal paste between the CPU and stock cooler, when applied properly, has no air bubbles in it and such acts as an adhesive. Basically, it kind of glues the heatsink on in a way - you will need to pull that baby pretty hard but don't worry, you have very little chance of breaking anything through it! Just make double sure you have indeed unlocked everything properly!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Kase
5. Can SATA 6Gb/s be used with 3Gb/s devices? I have no 6GB/s devices and my motherboard came with two cables of each. I've only installed the HDD so far, not the SSD or optical drive.
Indeed it can; All SATA standards are backwards compatible with their slower counterparts, much like USB.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Kase
6. I haven't tried this, but on each of my regular PSU power cables, they have a connection 12cm or so, making a total of 3 drive connectors and the connector for the PSU. Can three of these drive connectors be used on three different drives, to make one cable going to 3 HDDs, or similar?
Yeah, you can do this safely. I usually try to 'split' them up just to be sure (ie have 2 hard drives on one power cable and another drives on another cable, rather than having them all on one) but with a decent PSU like yours you've got nothing to worry about.
That's a beast of a PC you have there. Happy gaming! :D
Re: Apparent Successful First Build - A Few Concerns
Ah, very good to know. =]
I didn't apply thermal paste because I heard there is already some on stock coolers and I intended to replace it anyway. The thought of getting it out later is pretty daunting right now. :surprised:
Since both of my PSU PCI-E ports are taken now, and say I use all of my regular ports on drives, how would getting another GPU in SLI work? This isn't the plan right now, and I'd probably end up getting a higher wattage PSU anyway, but is there another work around for this? Also, I've been looking at a few monitors (used my HDTV for the boot), and the Samsung SM2233RZ seems to be very good. It's currently £185 on Amazon, with a 54% saving; free delivery too. =] It's slightly smaller than I would have liked, but it seems to have so much else going for it that it doesn't matter. Anyone recommend it?
Thanks for the help. Once (if) I get TDU2 running on it, I'll be sorted. :)
Edit:
I've attempted to install the V8, but I can't install the bracket that goes on the back of the motherboard to hold it in place. The motherboard tray has a hole in it behind the CPU/Cooler, but it is too far to the left (towards the back IO panel). Two of the screw holes are in sight but the other two are about 3mm behind the tray. There seems to be no way to install it without taking the whole motherboard out and disconnect everything, which I would really like to avoid. What is the purpose of the hole in the tray if you can only see two screw holes? Is the cooler absolutely necessary? I won't be overclocking, but I will be playing games on the maximum settings I can get a good FPS with. Any suggeestions here?
Re: Apparent Successful First Build - A Few Concerns
I assume the OP got a B3 revision motherboard??
If not I would have sent off the motherboard first:
http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/sho...php?t=18250719
It seems Asus will take up to 10 days to replace the motherboard!
Re: Apparent Successful First Build - A Few Concerns
Quote:
Originally Posted by
CAT-THE-FIFTH
Yeah, it's the B3 revision. Scan has had it for about a week or two now.
I've attempted to install the V8, but I can't install the bracket that goes on the back of the motherboard to hold it in place. The motherboard tray has a hole in it behind the CPU/Cooler, but it is too far to the left (towards the back IO panel). Two of the screw holes are in sight but the other two are about 3mm behind the tray. There seems to be no way to install it without taking the whole motherboard out and disconnect everything, which I would really like to avoid. What is the purpose of the hole in the tray if you can only see two screw holes? Is the cooler absolutely necessary? I won't be overclocking, but I will be playing games on the maximum settings I can get a good FPS with. Any suggeestions here?
Re: Apparent Successful First Build - A Few Concerns
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Kase
Since both of my PSU PCI-E ports are taken now, and say I use all of my regular ports on drives, how would getting another GPU in SLI work? This isn't the plan right now, and I'd probably end up getting a higher wattage PSU anyway, but is there another work around for this?
I thought the HX650W came with 4 PCI-E cables? You shouldn't need a higher wattage PSU for SLI with that spec of machine 650W should be just fine.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Kase
Also, I've been looking at a few monitors (used my HDTV for the boot), and the Samsung SM2233RZ seems to be very good. It's currently £185 on Amazon, with a 54% saving; free delivery too. =] It's slightly smaller than I would have liked, but it seems to have so much else going for it that it doesn't matter. Anyone recommend it?
You can get the Dell U2311h for £200 at the moment if you shop around. See review at www.TFTcentral.co.uk
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Kase
I've attempted to install the V8, but I can't install the bracket that goes on the back of the motherboard to hold it in place. The motherboard tray has a hole in it behind the CPU/Cooler, but it is too far to the left (towards the back IO panel). Two of the screw holes are in sight but the other two are about 3mm behind the tray. There seems to be no way to install it without taking the whole motherboard out and disconnect everything, which I would really like to avoid. What is the purpose of the hole in the tray if you can only see two screw holes? Is the cooler absolutely necessary? I won't be overclocking, but I will be playing games on the maximum settings I can get a good FPS with. Any suggeestions here?
Not familiar with the HAF922 case, but some motherboard trays have more generous holes than others. Depending on the MOBO and size of mounting tray if the hole is too small you sometimes need to fit the cooler mounting plate while the MOBO is outside of the machine.
A CPU cooler is absolutely necessary - don't even start up the machine without one in place. Presume you meant is a custom cooler necessary? Well no, a stock cooler will be fine for normal use, but it will be working hard under load and might not keep things as cool as a custom cooler would. Personally I'd always go with a custom cooler over the stock cooler as it will offer quieter performance and better temps at load - ie when gaming. Presume you got the right cooler for the CPU socket type ie LGA1155 compatible?
Re: Apparent Successful First Build - A Few Concerns
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Kase
Yeah, it's the B3 revision. Scan has had it for about a week or two now.
I've attempted to install the V8, but I can't install the bracket that goes on the back of the motherboard to hold it in place. The motherboard tray has a hole in it behind the CPU/Cooler, but it is too far to the left (towards the back IO panel). Two of the screw holes are in sight but the other two are about 3mm behind the tray. There seems to be no way to install it without taking the whole motherboard out and disconnect everything, which I would really like to avoid. What is the purpose of the hole in the tray if you can only see two screw holes? Is the cooler absolutely necessary? I won't be overclocking, but I will be playing games on the maximum settings I can get a good FPS with. Any suggeestions here?
CPU socket placement varies from board to board so although your motherboard doesn't match up with the cut out in the case, there'll be other motherboards that will. You don't need to install any 3rd party heatsink; the stock cooler is designed to provide adequate cooling as it is. You'd only need a 3rd party heatsink if you're wanting to do some overclocking, find the stock heatsink too noisy or have some other use case where a 3rd party is desirable.
Re: Apparent Successful First Build - A Few Concerns
I see, well in that case, I'll take the motherboard out. The PSU only came with two PSI-E cables for me,so... =S
Anyway, thanks for the advice.
Re: Apparent Successful First Build - A Few Concerns
You should have two cables that plug into the 6pin port on the power supply, each cable should have two 6+2pin connectors coming off it for the video card.
for a total of 4 6+2pin pci-e connectors.
And yes I'd take the motherboard out anyway, I always find it easier to fit the cpu cooler with the motherboard outside of the case.
Re: Apparent Successful First Build - A Few Concerns
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Pob255
And yes I'd take the motherboard out anyway, I always find it easier to fit the cpu cooler with the motherboard outside of the case.
Depends on the cooler - i found it much easier getting mine in without the cooler in place. Getting it to fit into the back panel blanking plate would have been near impossible with the cooler in place. Fortunately my case (BitFenix Survivor) had a massive tray cut-out and it was a doddle fitting the cooler when it was inside the case. I guess it's just one of those times where there's no right way of doing it.
Re: Apparent Successful First Build - A Few Concerns
Well guys, I've managed to to install the cooler, the other components and Win7. Everything worked out fine. I'd like to thank everyone who helped. You guys are great. :clapping:
But I guess it wouldn't be complete without another issue. :rolleyes:
I have my SSD and HDD both going to the 6Gb/s SATA ports (both are 3Gb/s devices, SSD is using a 6Gb/s cable and the HDD is using a 3Gb/s cable). The SSD is showing up in "My Computer" but the HDD is not. However, in the device manager, it does detect the HDD and I can see it's size, status, ect. from there. How do I get it to show up in "My Computer"?
Also, do coolers vibrate a lot as to unscrew if not screwed in tight enough. I ended up not taking out the motherboard and just turning each nut little by little on the back plate, but not fully in. They are all in properly, the cooler is very stable if just nudged a bit and it didn't appeare to vibrate at all when I had the system on. The screws are also spring loaded, so I wasn't sure how far I was supposed to tighten anyway. I guess I could check at regular times to make sure the nuts are tight.
Re: Apparent Successful First Build - A Few Concerns
Go into Control Panel, Administrative Tools, Computer Management. On the left of the Computer Management window you'll see 'Disk Management' - go to that, and it'll bring up a list of all your disks (optical and hard drives). You'll see an 'uninitialized' disc in there somewhere; right click it to initialize and create a partition, assigning it a drive letter of your choice. Windows will then recognise it; from there you can format it either in the Disk Management utility or in My Computer :)
I wouldn't worry too much about the tightness of the cooler; if it feels solid to your hands it probably won't work itself free. Overtightening can cause problems, tbh, so if it's stable leave it be :P
Re: Apparent Successful First Build - A Few Concerns
Download a temp monitoring program to check the temps are okay if you're worried about the cooler being loose. All the cores should be teh same temp although I'm not convinced this is a sign of a well fitted cooler.
If you can get prime or intel burn test it will stress your CPU so you can find the absoloute max it will reach. Obviously if your GPU is stressed this will add a few degrees as well.......
Re: Apparent Successful First Build - A Few Concerns
Depending on the cooler design some have screws that cannot be over-tightened. If yours is one of those then turn em til they stop. Mine had these and it was a daunting process as I was sure I was going to break it. These were the screws holding the cooler to the mounting brackets. The mounting bracket screws through the motherboard to the backplate didn't go fully tight until the cooler spring screws were tightened. These did the job of holding the thing rigid.
RE your SSD and HDD - have a look at the guidance on moving the user files to a partition on the HDD. Also create a few other partitions for programs and other stuff. This takes the user caches and documents files off the SSD and helps keep the system drive lean and nippy.
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/how...ia_storage_ssd
Re: Apparent Successful First Build - A Few Concerns
Thanks for that. I've installed Windows and the mobo support DVD drivers on the SSD and Steam (and all other games), Firefox, ect. on the HDD. I'm writing this from the new computer now and it works like a dream. :)
I tried the C2 demo as well and it really looks stunning. With regards to temps, the CPU hovers between 24 and 28 degrees on normal use, and it was about 45 degrees whenver I Alt-Tabbed out of C2. When I closed it , it shot right down to 34 degrees immediately.
Thanks to everyone for making this possible.
Re: Apparent Successful First Build - A Few Concerns
pleasure. Thanks for the feedback - good to know it's all gone ok.