Need help building my first computer

[smash1820]

Hey guys,

So I'm trying to build this desktop that I got a good deal on as a barebones kit, but I need some help putting it together. This is the first computer I'm building, and I hope I've been doing it correctly so far. It's an AMD Phenom II X6 w/8 GB of memory and I've managed to get all the components in the case already except for the fans. However, my question is with regard to the cables.

I guess I'm not good at building computers cuz I know this is a pretty basic concept, but I'm not sure how to hook up the cables and I don't see any instructions for this anywhere. First of all, is there a place or thread here on Neowin that could point me in the right direction? I've checked all the manuals and I see no instructions in there. So, to make it easy and clear, I've also attached some images of my computer and the cables that I need help with.

Would anyone be able to distinguish which cable is which (pictures are below), and give me a brief description of what the cable is, what it's used for (and whether I need it), how to plug it in, etc. If you could do that for each cable, it would be a big help to me.

I also have a few questions in particular, so I guess I'll go in order of the pictures:

1 & 2) What are these two black and yellow cables? You can see in the first picture there are two separate cables, and the one on the left has two separate connections, as you can see in the second picture. So these black and yellow cables actually have three separate connections, all of which are different.

3) What is this cable in the third picture? It has a four-pin connection on the left, and the other two connections have four of those circle things, lol. I only have one cable like this, but please notice that this cable is different from the cables in pictures four and five.

4 & 5) The cables in the fourth and fifth picture are the same type of cable, but a little confusing to me. I have two cables like this. I know they're power connectors, but for what, and why are there three different connectors on the cable? Does it matter which one I use? As you can see in the fifth picture, one of the connectors has four of those circle things (I don't know what you call them), and the other two have a much smaller pin connection. Please tell me what each of these two cables is for and what to do with them.

6) I'm assuming this bigger cable provides power to the motherboard, but correct me if I'm wrong. I'm still not positive what to do with the other cable, so I still need some help on this one ;)

7) I bought (4) 120mm fans because that is how many the case supports. I talked to one of my friends and he told me the fan has a molex connection (ie: the bigger connector that looks clear has 2 prongs inside of it, and 2 empty holes next to to them). He mentioned I might have to "daisy chain" them together to hook up all four fans, but I don't know what that means or how to do it. I certainly don't see four fan connections on the motherboard. And also what do I do with the smaller white connection on the fan? What's that for?

8 & 9) Here's a couple of pictures of the case and a snapshot of all the cables I need help with. And by the way, I don't plan on gaming, nor do I have an external graphics card...I plan on using the graphics card the motherboard comes with. It is a Gigabyte GA-M68MT-S2 GEFORCE 7025 DDR3 AM3+ motherboard if that helps.

If anyone could help me out with these questions, that would be terrific!!! The more detailed the better!

Thank you in advance.

[AstareGod]

It's hard for me to quote your pictures in my reply so I'll just go through them in order (1-9).

#1: This picture is kind of blurry so I may misrecognize it, but these appear to be extra power connectors for your CPU or GPU for a dedicated graphics card. Look near the CPU socket and if there is another socket that will accept the pin layout, that's probably what its used for. I didn't see a dedicated graphics card in your build yet, but if you are planning on adding it in later, the other one may go there.

#2: These look eerily similar to #1, so I'd look in the same places.

#3: Those are Molex connectors for traditional hard disk drives (PATA, not SATA, though you can use adapters to power SATA drives with these power connectors) or for 3.5" floppy drives. They may also be used to power other things like fans or card readers possibly.

#4: Those are power connectors for SATA drives, which may include hard disk drives or optical disc drives.

#5: Looks like another Molex connector, with some SATA power connectors that you're not holding.

#6: That's your ATX power connector. It usually has 20 or 24 pins (looks like the 4 pins are separated from the other 20 but you can put them side by side to make 24). The ATX socket on your motherboard should be pretty close to the northbridge or RAM slots.

#7: That would be a fan :-) Find a cable from your power supply that may hook into it, Also your fan may plug into a fan power source on the actual motherboard.

#8: Nice build!

#9: Those look like SATA connectors again.

The beauty of power connectors is that it's nearly impossible to insert the wrong plug into the wrong socket, or insert the right plug the wrong way into the right socket. Don't force anything, take a look at what you're about to hook up to make sure it will insert properly, and if not, rotate it until it does.

Good luck!

PS. DO NOT forget to plug in the fan for your CPU into the connector normally nearby where the CPU socket is. If you turn on your computer for the first time and notice your fan not spinning, turn it off immediately! Unplug the power cord or shut off the switch on the back of the power supply if there is one.

[smash1820]

Thanks for the response Astare. Does it matter which of the power or molex connectors I use when I have several to choose from? Also, I'm still confused about how to hook up the four fans?? I don't think there are four spots for it on the MB, thats why my friend said I might have to daisy chain it. Unless they can all be hooked up through molex but I'm not 100% sure if that's a possibility? How do I even hook up the molex connectors when there's two prongs missing (on the fans)?

[philcruicks]

Any 4-pin molex will work with any device...there is no order or specific ones to use.

Unfortunatly the fans you have don't look like they're daisy chainable so you'll need a separate molex for each...as for the mobo connector they will run without the mobo connected they'll just be on full all the time...if you don't have enough connections on the mobo you may need a fan controller...or just leave then on the power connectors running at full.

and to confirm some of what astare said:

#1 GPU (6/8pin) thats what the little extra bit for is.

#2 CPU connectors

#3 yes 4pin molex (fans and IDE drives (optical and HDD)...the little one on the end is for Floppy drives and some card readers.

#4 onwards are all correct

and yes as astare said The beauty of power connectors is that it's nearly impossible to insert the wrong plug into the wrong socket, or insert the right plug the wrong way into the right socket. Don't force anything, take a look at what you're about to hook up to make sure it will insert properly, and if not, rotate it until it does.

and make sure the CPU fan is in the mobo...that's the most important fan but a long long way.

[metal_dragen Veteran]

  On 11/02/2012 at 20:46, smash1820 said:

Thanks for the response Astare. Does it matter which of the power or molex connectors I use when I have several to choose from? Also, I'm still confused about how to hook up the four fans?? I don't think there are four spots for it on the MB, thats why my friend said I might have to daisy chain it. Unless they can all be hooked up through molex but I'm not 100% sure if that's a possibility? How do I even hook up the molex connectors when there's two prongs missing (on the fans)?

It doesn't matter which one of the connectors you use if you have several. Most power supplies are built with a single 'rail' which provides the power at a specific voltage, so they all end up drawing from the same point on the power supply.

As for the fans, most motherboards will have at least 2 connections for fans - generally there's one for the CPU fan which is most often located just near the socket for the CPU and there's generally another connection (likely a 3-pin connector) somewhere on the board for a chassis fan (which is generally for the exhaust fan on the back of the computer). Some boards will have more of these 3-pin connectors - check the manual for your motherboard for the locations of these.

If your fans have the large 4-pin style Molex connectors, you just plug those directly into a connector from the power supply. Don't worry that they have 2 pins missing - these Molex connectors are "keyed," the top edges of them are beveled so they will only plug in the correct way.

[Astra.Xtreme]

Looks like you have plenty of good advise to get you up and running.

Something else to consider is the direction of the air flow coming out of the fans (mounting direction). Obviously the direction of the fan determines if it pushes air in or sucks air out. So here's where a little bit of technique comes into play. Simple thermodynamics states that heat rises, so we need to use that to our advantage. From your pictures, I can see 2 definite fan mounts, and I'll assume there is another one in the front towards the bottom. I'm not sure if your case came with plastic/rubber feet, but if so, you can mount one fan to pull air into the case. Technically the coldest air will be on the floor, so we can push that air in which will go across the hard drive and the CPU. Then mount another fan in the back to suck the hot air out. If there's a fan mount in the front, that one can also be used to pull air into the case. If your case didn't come with feet to raise it off the ground a little bit, then you won't want to mount a fan on the bottom since it will be doing nothing except making noise. Sometimes fans have a small arrow that points to which way the air is pushed, but if not, you can plug them in and turn on your PC to determine which direction the air is moving. Then you'll be all set.

Another tip for you is to use zip ties to tidy up the wires when you're all finished. That will maximize air flow and will overall look like less of a tangled mess. An option for your next build (or upgrade) is a modular power supply. For example:

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16817341017

If you look at the picture gallery, you'll see that the back has a bunch of blank terminals so you can plug in the exact cables you need. They are really really nice. Once you buy one of those, you'll never buy anything except modular.

Good luck with the build, and if you have any other questions, we're here to help. :)