Cabling my new system. + A8N SLi question.

Firstly, any general tips? I'm cabling my new system (see sig) and have this cable wrap. Any advice? I also noticed that this kit doesn't have a slot down the side, which means it appears to have to be put on at the end of the cables, is this right?

Also, I have a question about my Asus A8N SLi Deluxe edition motherboard. The SATA ports, there are 8, and two different kinds, am I right in thinking the black ones (on the motherboard) are for RAID drives, and the red ones are for non RAID drives (unless you edit this in the BIOS?)

Basically I have the one Raptor, which I want as my boot drive, and then two Segate Barracuda 7200.7 200gb models, which I want in RAID 0. So do I put these in the black, and the Raptor in the red?

Thanks,

Ross

Hide as much cabling as you can - despite the lovely brightness. Route things cleverly, even if the route taken is longer, but neater.

Black SATA is the nVRAID which is SATA 2, red is the Silicon Image RAID, which supports RAID5 through a non-WHQL driver but isn't SATA 2.

So I just want RAID 0, and am not planning any RAID 5 in the future for this machine. Where would be best to put the 3 HDDs? Or doesn't it matter either way (none are SATA 2 obviously, etc.)

Also, what is the best general order to do things in re cabling, and does heatshrink really make a difference?

If your Seagate's support NCQ and have native SATA support your going to want to make sure they go on the SATA 2 controller. I know the 7200.8 Seagates have these features not sure about the 7200.7 though.

7200.8 drives use the same platters as 7200.7 drives, but feature NCQ, so 7200.7 do not have NCQ. :)

I'm going to sit down now and see what I can do with this wiring, I'l try and make it look neat. We shall see.

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Originally Posted by RDL

I'm going to sit down now and see what I can do with this wiring, I'l try and make it look neat. We shall see.

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It'll take aaaages to get it perfect, but it's worth it. The real PITA is when you need to remove something and create a flippin' mess again!

Well I'm having the problem now. I wired it all very neatly, but I boot it to find all the fans spinning (including GPU) but the top DVD R (master) doesn't open, it has no light. The second DVD RW (slave) has its light on and won't open. I tried switching the jumpers, but no luck. I don't know, anyone else had this problem? What's up.

Also, the EZ plug on the Asus A8N SLi Deluxe edition. Do I need to put a molex in it, I'm just running one 6800gt?

Cheers,
Ross

Seems a bit odd with your DVD's, have you tried just conencting the top one on it's own power and IDE cable and seeing if it works? As your runing a single card you shouldn;t need to but it won;t hurt if you plug a molex in anyhow..Did you check the EZ Selector card was in the correct sngle card direction? It's meant to come that way but my Asus SLi board had it set to Dual card mode when it arrived...

Yeah it is on single. I could try that. I'l go check now.

I don't think the system is posting either. Bugger. :(

I'm just experimenting with the IDE cables, but that one certainly doesn't work, it seems inverted, so I'l try the next one.

You've plugged in both the 20 pin ATX and the 12v 4 pin square power haven't you, had a few people have missed them previously? Thought had better check, if you can get it post then plug some speakers in and it'll tell you whats wrong

Do they both go into the same slot? I have plugged in the big ATX (the 20 pin, but is that including the 4 pin detachable one?) and the 12V 4 pin too, although does it matter which of the two connectors you use for that?

No....Not the same slot.....There is another 4 pin square connector behind the parelel port the square one goes into...Pray those protection circuits have done the job

Just for clarity, he means 40 pin ATX.

So there are 2 connectors I need, right? The big 40 pin one (which has the detachable part, but keep it on) and the 4 pin?

If that's right I've plugged them in, but I still have a spare 4 pin.

On the Asus it's a 24 pin connector you plug a 20 pin plug into, the 4 pin is an extra plug behind the parelel port to the left of the processor socket, the 24 pin connector is next to the Ram

We're going to get there..The 4 pin plugs behind your processor socket, see where the little metal heatsink rises up behind the socket? Thats where the 4 pin ATX 12v plugs in

Right, so I wasn't supposed to plug the full 24 pins into the plug beside the RAM? But only 20, and the other 4 were for the extra plug?

You see I also had other cables... If this is right it could be my problem.

Well generally most PSU's seem to come with 20 pin ATX and 4pin aux, you plug the 20 into the main slot and the 4 in to the AUX slot and off you go, give it a try, you plug the main 20 to the left so you have 4 holes showing to the right

OK I'l try it. I have the 480W Tagan, which has the extra 4pin connector there as detachable, but reading the manual I think that's for BTX. I'l go and try.

it says on page 2-25 of the manual Do not forget to connect the 4-pin ATX +12V plug else sytem will not boot, which sound liek the problem you have

Hmm. I think not though. I re read the Tagan manual. I shouldn't have had that extra 4pin in, because it is for BTX. But I already have a 4 pin +12V plugged into the correct slot. Is it possible that taking the extra 4 pins out would make this work? I'm just about to try now.

When I say the 4 pin plug on the MB I mean the seperate plug behind the processor, not in the main 24 pin connector next to the meory, you must plug the 4 pin square in, can you see the diagram at the bottom of page 2-25?

Maybe we should take this to MSN. I know what you are meaning, but I already have something plugged in there. I have (reading from the Tagan manual) Transformable 12V/P4 ATX/BTX 4 pin to EPS12V 8 - pin (12V/P4 4-pin + add 4 - pin)

Isn't this right?

Ok, right I'm looking at the tagen 480w review now, forget the 24 to 20 pin conenctor, plug the 24 pin straight into the asus 24 pin power sockect next to the RAM slots (bottom of this link http://modtown.co.uk/mt/review2.php?id=taganpsu&p=2)

Next, plug the 4 pin connector into the AUX connector on the MB, (the one at top of link http://modtown.co.uk/mt/review2.php?id=taganpsu&p=3 )

Thats all you need to plug in

That's what I've had it like all along.

Lol...Well its been a laugh anyhow...So when you turn it on your fans spin up and that but no beep?

No Beep. What does that indicate? The system is not posting BTW.

First off start with the basics, take one stick of Ram out and make sure the other is securly in it's slot, then make sure your 6800 is in it's pcie slot correctly, also doesn't the XFX 6800GT have it's own molex connectors on the card itself? You'll need to plug power to those before you start else the card won't be powered, you shouldn;t need to plug the molex into the MB PCIE molex though, thats only for when SLi is used, and it'll give you a red light if it's required and you haven't..Might be worth clearing the CMOS as well using the jumper next to the CMOS battery just to make sure, then give it another try

The XFX 6800gt does have it's own Molex, but I don't have one plugged in. Isn't it just for the EZ plug? I don't see a Molex connecter on the card. I'l try the one stick of RAM. I'l also try clearing the CMOS, I think everything else is plugged in correctly, but the DVD drives don't open when they have their IDE connectors in, which suggests a jumper problem, however I have the master jumper on the top DVD R drive (which is using the end of the cable) and the Slave as the DVD RW drive which is using the middle. I presume that is correct? Also I have tried them on different cables, so I think that may be an unrelated issue.

The 6800GT should have a PCI-E power connection on the rear of the card that is a 6 pin connection and this requires the power connection for the card to operate within its parameters.

Also, the EZ-Plug next to the PCI-E does need to be connected for the board to operate correctly as well, as it stabilises the voltages within the PCI-E area incase the card requires a hefty charge.

Have you tried to plug in just the graphics, with 1 stick of memory with no drives at all attached. This should boot up and then report that there are not devices connected via the vocal warning system.

If the system doesn't boot when just using the memory and graphics card connected, remove the graphics card and then boot the system again. The vocal warnings should state thats theres no VGA and a few others as well. If this does not happen then the last thing I can only suggest that the BIOS jumper is double-checked and if this is not in the "clear" mode then it could possible be that the motherboard is in some way faulty.

If you need any more assistance, my MSN is over there and I'll be online late tonight as I have to go build a friends PC up from the burnt out solder that it is :)

Fingers crossed you get this sorted out and flash the bios to one that fixes a few of the issues when it was first released.

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Originally Posted by RDL

No Beep. What does that indicate? The system is not posting BTW.

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I had this issue and had to powercycle the system 3-8 times before it would even bootup. A quick flash to the BIOS 1003 fixed this issue and a few others issues.

Fingers crossed you get this fixed as once its up and running its a damn great board and I'll be getting another Asus A8N soon for another system :)

I have the PCI-E connector installed, and I'l put a molex in the EZ plug too.

I'l try your other suggestion too, and see what I can do. I only got 3 hours sleep last night (due to trying to fix this) so I probably will be off MSN by midnight, I'l see what's happening though.

Right, I tried with the GPU out (and in doing so I broke the bloody clip thing on the board for locking the card!!), I tried with one stick of RAM. Still no POST.

For disconnecting drives, I only disconnected them from the mobo, not from power, is that OK? Also, when I power on, the fans spin up, the GPU fan spins, the HDDs spin (I can hear them) the DVDs boot, but no POST. Could it be the fact that I have a PCI wifi card which is only half way in the PCI slot? That's the only thing I can think of tbh.

Also, do the voice warnings work without speaks plugged in? Are there any warnings if no speakers are plugged in?

I have determined that the PC does make a noise when I turn it on, I'm not sure I'd call it a beep, maybe more of a tick, but I think it comes from the PC speaker...

have you tried ditching everything, ie all the pci cards, the second dvd drive, even the case fans and gpu (all at the same time), and then see if you can post? i would try it without the wifi.

this is a complete guess, but will the pc POST automatically if the board is set up with a molex powered fan cooling the cpu (i assume the delta is molex?)? perhaps the pc needs to 'know' that the cpu is being cooled before posting. if this is the case, either swap the fans about or see if there is a way of disabling it in the BIOS. just a stab in the dark though.

have you checked that all the case on/off switches and speaker are connected up correctly?

have you loaded the RAID drivers?

I have checked, everything seems to be wired correctly.

I haven't loaded the RAID drivers as I haven't been able to get anything on screen yet.

I will try that.

The Delta fan goes into the fan controller (all of the fans do) and the fan controller is then plugged into a molex.

what about with just the raptor? and perhaps swap the monitor (and mouse and keyboard) with your old one. would also try with fans connected to the mobo, leaving the controller completely disconnected. scraping the bottom of the barrel now though.

You are indeed. The mouse doesn't matter, as it doesn't have to be plugged in, the monitor and mouse are both working.

Tried without the Netgear wifi, no change. I'l have to strip it back down I think.

one more thing, have you checked the ide cables are oriented properly?

EDIT - and floppy

Yes. That was the first thing I checked.

BTW I bought these parts at least a month ago (but was waiting on one clip and so could't build.) Does that mean if I need an RMA I can't get one?

Any other ideas btw? I've tried all of the above I think. If there are any screws without a rubber part does that mean it will short?

Get a pic of the build so far so we can try and spot anything that's wrong?


BTW, This is what a good cable managament looks like:
http://img156.exs.cx/img156/765/p10101418co.th.jpg
(those ribbon cables are flat against the rear of the case, even though it doesnt look like it)

That is basically what mine looked like (until I started messing with it to get things working.) Only difference is my HDDs are lower down, so I tied the SATA cables with the fan cables.

Good :)

I looked at that PIC and it doesn't look like a Asus A8N SLi Deluxe to me. Only 3 RAM slots for a start. :confused:

I think the guy was showing the model cabling, rather than the board. Doesn't look like N-Force 4 to me.

Ah. My bad.

Have you:

1. Tried clearing the CMOS including removing the battery (as per manual).

2. Seen if it boots on a piece of cardboard (outside the case)?

Nope, I haven't tried either. I'l try both tonight. Is it best to clear the CMOS and take the battery out, then try it on the cardboard?

Yeah try the CMOS first. And if you're on the original BIOS (1002) then update. Cleared a problem I had with booting with one of the early BIOSes.

The cardboard is to check that the mobo isn't somehow shorting against the case.

I can't update, as I can't post.

I cleared CMOS, didn't make any difference, I tried on cardboard, I still couldn't POST. I rewired it all back into the case and when I switch it on it makes a beep then the HDDs spin etc.

Also, interestingly enough the DVD drives both worked with the IDE cable in on cardboard, but not in the case.

I tried using the S-Video on the GPU too, made no difference. Not sure what else to try to be honest...

Plug the speakers in. It will tell you whats wrong.

Speakers don't tell me anything, it doesn't POST. It's not shorting, because I just modded it so it definately isn't. That got the DVD drives to work, but still no POST. The only possibility I can think of is that the CPU is a fraction out (but it has an XP120 on it) or there is something faulty.

What signs would there be that would confirm the possibility of the CPu being out?

The signs are that it must be one of the main components causing trouble, i.e. CPU, mobo, PSU, or RAM. Just to be sure, take the mobo back to the cardboard, unplug everything except the above and one stick of RAM in the first slot.

No go, then change RAM stick and re-try. No go again and the best try is try another PSU. If still no go you have to try re-seating the CPU with the original heatsink/fan.

At least that brings it down to two possible components. At that stage if you have no possibility of trying the CPU in someone else's rig then you have to try a local shop to test or RMA the pair.

It doesn't have to post to get an error message from the speakers. Thats what the error messages are for. If it posted you wouldn't get any.

Well I get no message from the speakers. The only thing I haven't tried is to reseat the CPU and then add the Stock HSF. I shall go and try that now.

Right, I have come to the conclusion that it may be the Mobo, needing flashed to the latest BIOS. Is there anyway to do this without and RMA? Has anyone else had this problem with an Asus A8N SLi Deluxe Edition and an Athlon 3500 socket 939 before?

Download the BIOS, put it on a floppy with AWDFlash. Press <Alt><F2> during boot. I somehow doubt that this will work though.

Thorsson, is there a chance of this working even if I don't get anything on boot? i.e I don't see anything on the screen?

Also, what is AWDFlash? Is that just a flashing utility?

Edit: Ah, nevermind. My system doesn't POST, so there is no chance of this working, is there?

Exactly. AWDFlash is just the flashing utility. Best way to update the BIOS. I'd RMA the Board and chip if you bought from the same place. Otherwise RMA the board and hope that a new one fixes the problem.

I bought both from the same place. But surely they both won't be faulty, doesn't that mean I'l get charged?

Well, I'd ring them and say you know it's one of them but you don't know which. It seems logical to me to send both back - what if you send the mobo and it turns out to be the CPU?

I will do. I'l do that tomorrow. I have run more tests, and there is absolutely no way I can get this to work.