# Asking advice on upgrades: PSU, cooling, RAM + possible Win7-related upgrades



## hhiker (Jan 3, 2010)

Morning.  
Here's the situation: 
I'm going to have the "weak links in the system" replaced with better quality ones (PSU and cooling first and foremost). I'm not planning to go for the biggest and meanest parts, but for what works well together and with the current build. I'm also going to get all the pieces from the same local retailer (extending my warranty ). 
Budget - about 9000 EEK (~$830), including possible extras. 
Adding links to the retailer online store (info sorted by manufacturer). 

- PSU: http://www.ordi.ee/EPood/Products.aspx?MC=KOMP&IC=1810&Sort=3 
(BUT, i've been advised on this one before: http://www.ordi.ee/EPood/Product.aspx?MC=KOMP&IC=1810&Sort=3&ItemID=1810-1152)

- cooling: http://www.ordi.ee/EPood/Products.aspx?MC=KOMP&IC=2100&Sort=3 

- RAM: http://www.ordi.ee/EPood/Products.aspx?MC=KOMP&IC=1200&Sort=3 

--- 
Second question. 
I'm also going for WIN7. Is there anything that absolutely needs to be replaced because of that? (According to Win7 Compatibility Centre my current hardware is fine ... but i'd like a second opinion on that.) 

In addition - 
i just realized i've been postponing getting decent speakers along with the other upgrading  
So, the speakers available (not in the budget above) - http://www.ordi.ee/EPood/Products.aspx?MC=LISASEADM&IC=2500&Sort=3.


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## Fourstaff (Jan 3, 2010)

Links are not understandable (as in too many products)

Edit: Specs is good, I would replace the PSU with the Corsair one you linked.


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## p_o_s_pc (Jan 3, 2010)

only advice i can give is go with the Corsair
and windows 7 will run fine on your rig without changing anything


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## hhiker (Jan 3, 2010)

p_o_s_pc said:


> only advice i can give is go with the Corsair


 

OK, that's the advice i got before too, thanks  

To clear up some of the confusion and narrow down the selection, here are the manufacturers they've got to offer   - 
- cooling: Akasa, Arctic-cooling, Codegen, Coolermaster, Frontier, Gelid, [skipping some], Zalman, 
 Thermaltake. 
(what i need is CPU cooler and an extra case fan) 
- RAM: PQi, Apacer, Corsair, Kingston 

I can look up more specific information when told what to look for  

ED: 
The plan to replace RAM is related to some earlier (system hard lock) troubles that  haven't showed up lately... but then the question of reliability came up. I'll think about it and maybe leave that part alone. 

As for cooling, that has to go, because it's not working properly. I could have it fixed under warranty, but they'll probably put in more ramdom components... i'd prefer something that lasts and saves me some trouble.


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## p_o_s_pc (Jan 3, 2010)

hhiker said:


> OK, that's the advice i got before too, thanks
> 
> To clear up some of the confusion and narrow down the selection, here are the manufacturers they've got to offer   -
> - cooling: Akasa, Arctic-cooling, Codegen, Coolermaster, Frontier, Gelid, [skipping some], Zalman,
> ...



I recommend  for CPU cooler and fans Arctic-cooling,Coolermaster Zalama and some Thermaltake 

for ram PQi,Corsair,Kingston 
Now PQi isn't the best but they aren't bad for the price most of the time but i would look into the Corsair or Kingston first 
If you have any thing your looking at post here and i'm sure people will give you some input on it

EDIT:here is a decent priced CPU cooler that should do fine on your CPU since i assume your not overclocking
http://www.ordi.ee/EPood/Product.aspx?MC=KOMP&IC=2100&Sort=3&Page=3&ItemID=2100-1193


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## hhiker (Jan 3, 2010)

p_o_s_pc said:


> EDIT:here is a decent priced CPU cooler that should do fine on your CPU since i assume your not overclocking
> http://www.ordi.ee/EPood/Product.aspx?MC=KOMP&IC=2100&Sort=3&Page=3&ItemID=2100-1193



Aha, cheers!  
(I don't exactly know what i sould be looking when browsing them ) 

I found they let select the subcategories too; so - case fans: 
http://www.ordi.ee/EPood/Products.aspx?MC=KOMP&IC=2100&Page=1&Sort=3&PGC=FAN 

DDRAM2:  
http://www.ordi.ee/EPood/Products.aspx?MC=KOMP&IC=1200&PGC=DDR2&Sort=3 

DDRAM3: 
http://www.ordi.ee/EPood/Products.aspx?MC=KOMP&IC=1200&PGC=DDR3&Sort=3


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## p_o_s_pc (Jan 3, 2010)

hhiker said:


> Aha, cheers!
> (I don't exactly know what i sould be looking when browsing them )
> 
> I found they let select the subcategories too; so - case fans:
> ...



since your board is DDR2 I would go for this 
http://www.ordi.ee/EPood/Product.aspx?MC=KOMP&IC=1200&PGC=DDR2&Sort=3&ItemID=1200-1473
its one of the cheaper ones that are there and should be reliable


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## hhiker (Jan 4, 2010)

*Speakers?*

Thanks for the replies; the picture is getting clearer  

Any words of wisdom on the possible speakers? 
I'm thinking 2.1 (space is more of an issue than budget here; purpose - gaming, random background music). 

I've taken a look at these ones: 
- http://www.ordi.ee/EPood/Product.aspx?MC=LISASEADM&IC=2500&Sort=3&PGC=SPK21&ItemID=2500-1515 
- http://www.ordi.ee/EPood/Product.aspx?MC=LISASEADM&IC=2500&Sort=3&PGC=SPK21&ItemID=2500-1351 
- http://www.ordi.ee/EPood/Product.aspx?MC=LISASEADM&IC=2500&Sort=3&PGC=SPK21&ItemID=2500-1477 
http://www.ordi.ee/EPood/Product.aspx?MC=LISASEADM&IC=2500&Sort=3&PGC=SPK21&ItemID=2500-1510


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## Conflict0s (Jan 4, 2010)

Have you considered a good headset? or are you just after speakers. 

Because you could throw a sound card into there and have a 5.1 headset, just a thought.


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## hhiker (Jan 4, 2010)

Conflict0s said:


> Have you considered a good headset? or are you just after speakers.
> 
> Because you could throw a sound card into there and have a 5.1 headset, just a thought.



A good headset would do just as well  
(i guess the old generic speakers will do for occasions like doing chores and such ) 

Any recommendations on that and sound card? 
(this is what they have to offer: http://www.ordi.ee/EPood/Products.aspx?MC=KOMP&IC=2600&Sort=3 )


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## Conflict0s (Jan 4, 2010)

To be honest I wouldn't want to advice because that site is not in my native language. What kind of price range are you looking at?


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## hhiker (Jan 4, 2010)

Conflict0s said:


> To be honest I wouldn't want to advice because that site is not in my native language. What kind of price range are you looking at?



Not sure, i haven't got any experience with that. 

Something like... 400-800 EEK (~£23-45 / $36-73)?


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## jjFarking (Jan 4, 2010)

For that money, you won't get a worthwhile soundcard..
You're better off using Rapture 3D for your games & stick to your on-board sound 

Unless you want to spend some decent money & get decent sound


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## hhiker (Jan 4, 2010)

jjFarking said:


> For that money, you won't get a worthwhile soundcard..
> You're better off using Rapture 3D for your games & stick to your on-board sound
> 
> Unless you want to spend some decent money & get decent sound




The other upgrades are a priority anyway, so i'd rather stick to what i have sound-wise right now than upgrade half-way. 

Buuut... i might start looking around for decent sound later on  
How much is "decent"? (the ready-to spend amount was based purely on what the local store had in stock.)


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## jjFarking (Jan 4, 2010)

hhiker said:


> The other upgrades are a priority anyway, so i'd rather stick to what i have sound-wise right now than upgrade half-way.
> 
> Buuut... i might start looking around for decent sound later on
> How much is "decent"? (the ready-to spend amount was based purely on what the local store had in stock.)



Geez.. how long is a piece of string?
That completely depends on what you want to do with it overall - what's most important I guess.
For fairly decent audio sound & excellent game compatibility, a SoundBlaster X-Fi extreme gamer would be the way to go. For the best audio replication, you cannot go past the Asus Xonar D2X.. but it sucks at game sounds/compatibility.
Regardless, expect to pay at least a minimum of $100 (±1000eek?) on an entry-level soundcard that's actually worth getting


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## imperialreign (Jan 4, 2010)

Based on the link you provided . . . I can't exactly recommend any of those sound cards - it's not that they're bad, they're just . . . not the best one could get for their price range.

I'd stay away from the USB solutions if possible.  The Chronos is more like a Turtle Beach card that Creative licensed and slapped the SB logo on, the Xtreme Audio doesn't even really qualifiy as an X-Fi . . . and, sadly, it's actually the best card out of that list.

Are there other online retailers that deliver to your country?  There are excellent cards available that would fall under $100 USD, if they're available to you.


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## hhiker (Jan 5, 2010)

*soundcards; different sources*



imperialreign said:


> Are there other online retailers that deliver to your country?  There are excellent cards available that would fall under $100 USD, if they're available to you.



I was gonna say there are plenty of stores- and then i checked. Looks like there's only a few that sell components too, others only offer sets and a few extras  
Here: 
- http://www.ox.ee/est/catalog/341 
- http://www.arvutid24.ee/helikaardid/ (this one indexes offers from different stores. yay.) 

Now, the reason why i wanted to get all the pieces (and installation) from the same place was to keep and extend the warranty - but if i can get a significantly better selection from combined sources, i might re-evaluate the whole strategy. (I could probably bug a co-worker of mine to show me the basics of putting the pieces in place and finally get my hands inside the case ) 

What's your take on the speaker and/or headphone situation?


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## imperialreign (Jan 5, 2010)

Cool - that gives me a little more room to work with 



Out of the listing on your first link (www.ox.ee), I could recommend these (Ты понимаешь русский язык?):

http://www.ox.ee/rus/product/51494 <= I know nothing of this company, nor have I heard of them before . . . but, from what quick research I mustered, the card packs a CMI8768, which is a good quality DSP from C-Media.  I'd reckon this card should have decent output, based on the DSP and what channel filtering seems to be in use . . . but, the lack of stand-alone OPAMPs or DAC has me fence-posting . . . seems to support OpenAL.

http://www.ox.ee/rus/product/184523 <= if you're willing to spend a bit more than 800 EEK.  Half-PCB design.  Not as fast as Creative's Xtreme Gamer (or any of the X-Fi lineup), but better audio quality than 95% of Creative's lineup.  Will proove itself more if you spend more time listening to media, than playing games.  OpenAL compatible.


Honestly, I couldn't recommend any of the Creative cards, in good faith . . . the ones I would recommend are a bit high (for the price range you listed earlier), and the one's in your price range are either overpriced (for what they offer, i.e. Xtreme Audio, VX 5.1, Chronos), or are aging/out-dated tech (i.e. Audigy).  If you're willing to spend more, I could then easily recommend some of those cards, though.

Personally . . . if the Xonar is indeed out of your price range, I'd recommend the Ultron over everything else below 800 EEK.




Now . . . on to stereo recommendations . . . first off, take any recommendations with a grain of salt.  Percieved quality is subjective.  What one person may like, another may not - we're all different when it comes to what we can hear, and how we hear it.  I've always recommended people to check things out in store, first, if possible . . . there can be major differences in output quality between different brand setups - even though they're near identicle on paper.

That being said, I can recommend some setups that I might suit you (based on my past experiences with them, or per their spec sheets alone) - but I don't know your price range for this, so:

http://www.ox.ee/rus/product/116055

http://www.ox.ee/rus/product/116034

http://www.ox.ee/rus/product/181317

http://www.ox.ee/rus/product/24809

If you're defi looking for a 2.1 setup - some things to keep in mind specifically:  avoid flat-panel speakers.  They tend to have a very limited range, and rely heavily on the subwoofer for low-end output.  Cone speakers are still the best choice out there.  Enclosure material heavily affects output as well - wooden units, although heavy, produce rich and warm tones, and give the output range a "deep" feel to it.


Regarding the headsets . . . I didn't see too much that impressed me - lots of earbud sets, though.  All the differing Philips models look good, though; especially these:

http://www.ox.ee/rus/product/172909

http://www.ox.ee/rus/product/172915

http://www.ox.ee/rus/product/172826

Excellent specs on those models.

Well, hope this all helps.  If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask stalker!


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## hhiker (Jan 5, 2010)

imperialreign said:


> (Ты понимаешь русский язык?):



Well enough to play CoP without translation mods  
(Besides, the site remains to ht eselected page when switching language.) 



imperialreign said:


> Honestly, I couldn't recommend any of the Creative cards, in good faith . . . the ones I would recommend are a bit high (for the price range you listed earlier), and the one's in your price range are either overpriced (for what they offer, i.e. Xtreme Audio, VX 5.1, Chronos), or are aging/out-dated tech (i.e. Audigy).  If you're willing to spend more, I could then easily recommend some of those cards, though.
> 
> Personally . . . if the Xonar is indeed out of your price range, I'd recommend the Ultron over everything else below 800 EEK.



Did i also mention, my budget has a little bit of wiggle room? No? Must have slipped my mind... 



imperialreign said:


> If you're defi looking for a 2.1 setup - some things to keep in mind specifically:  avoid flat-panel speakers.  They tend to have a very limited range, and rely heavily on the subwoofer for low-end output.  Cone speakers are still the best choice out there.  Enclosure material heavily affects output as well - wooden units, although heavy, produce rich and warm tones, and give the output range a "deep" feel to it.
> 
> 
> Regarding the headsets . . . I didn't see too much that impressed me - lots of earbud sets, though.



Alright. I'ts probably gonna be eiter speakers or phones; and looks like i'm gonna drag my butt to an actual shop for those and keep the notes handy. (These though  - http://www.ox.ee/est/product/24809 - experience or specs?) 



imperialreign said:


> Well, hope this all helps.  If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask stalker!



You bet it does! Always appreciate some background explanation and "what to look for" kinda information. Cheers


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## imperialreign (Jan 5, 2010)

hhiker said:


> Did i also mention, my budget has a little bit of wiggle room? No? Must have slipped my mind...



in that case - go with the Xonar . . . unless you can afford the much higher priced X-Fi Titanium




> Alright. I'ts probably gonna be eiter speakers or phones; and looks like i'm gonna drag my butt to an actual shop for those and keep the notes handy. (These though  - http://www.ox.ee/est/product/24809 - experience or specs?)



I've never used those (much less heard of the brand) . . . but based on the spec sheet listed on MicroLab's website, they look like they'd sound respectable.  Plus, considering the wooden enclosure, I'd bet good money they'd sound really good.


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## hhiker (Jan 5, 2010)

*sounds & deals*



imperialreign said:


> in that case - go with the Xonar


... And i think i'll do just that. (The next level is already out of my acceptable range.) 



imperialreign said:


> I've never used those (much less heard of the brand) . . . but based on the spec sheet listed on MicroLab's website, they look like they'd sound respectable.  Plus, considering the wooden enclosure, I'd bet good money they'd sound really good.



I did some digging and found this to describe their material: "Каркас из плит MDF качественно оклеен декоративной плёнкой." In my book "pressed wood fibre, something- something, covered with decorative wood layer" doesn't equal "wood"  
(I'd assume the soundwaves agree with that.) 
But these - http://www.ox.ee/rus/product/116034 - same question, specs or experience? 
---

All in all it looks like ox.ee has better deals for the same stuff (and free delivery). 
They've got the OK sound card; 
the PSU [switching to Russian...] - http://www.ox.ee/rus/product/34019 
RAM - http://www.ox.ee/rus/product/88935 

Their cooling assortment seems somewhat different though ... and i'm not sure how to navigate that information  
Here's the main cooler menu, in Russian if that helps. http://www.ox.ee/rus/catalog/15 

Just some guidelines what parameters to look, would do just as well. 
(Another piece of information i forgot to add before - the extra case fan i need is the one in front - here http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/4939/rig02.jpg) 

ed: also, are all thermal pastes made equal?


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## imperialreign (Jan 6, 2010)

hhiker said:


> I did some digging and found this to describe their material: "Каркас из плит MDF качественно оклеен декоративной плёнкой." In my book "pressed wood fibre, something- something, covered with decorative wood layer" doesn't equal "wood"



Agreed.  A "quality, pressed-on decorative film" != wood 

Kinda sad, actually, as wooden speaker enclosures are really hard to find anymore . . . and they can yield some amazing sound for such small setups.

I had noticed some of the other listings were marked "wooden," but I hadn't done any digging for thorough descriptions.




> But these - http://www.ox.ee/rus/product/116034 - same question, specs or experience?



Logitech's setups are good.  Not the awesome-1337 stuff, but definitely some of the best value for their price.  With a lot of the "pre-configured" speaker setups, especially the 2.1/3.1/4.1, Logitech offer good quality at a good price - most of their "audiophile" competitors only offer a slight increase in quality (compared to Logi) with a much higher price tag.




> All in all it looks like ox.ee has better deals for the same stuff (and free delivery).
> They've got the OK sound card;
> the PSU [switching to Russian...] - http://www.ox.ee/rus/product/34019
> RAM - http://www.ox.ee/rus/product/88935



Defi an excellent choice of PSU, by my standards . . . not 100% keen on the RAM, but at the least, Kingston are highly reliable throughout their product lineup.

What CPU/motherboard setup have you decided on, or are you re-using your current hardware (per system specs)?





> Their cooling assortment seems somewhat different though ... and i'm not sure how to navigate that information
> Here's the main cooler menu, in Russian if that helps. http://www.ox.ee/rus/catalog/15



Hmmm . . . honestly, a lot of the CPU coolers they offer, you might want to double check the rated dimensions of the cooler, and make sure your case can accomodate it.  A lot of those coolers look like they're aimed at mid-tower and full-tower setups.

This is a good cooler, that should fit into _most_ mid-tower cases: http://www.ox.ee/rus/product/104720 . . . it's not the _best_ CPU cooler available, but it's still highly respected and seems to continuously place of top CPU cooler lists from most PC-enthusiast publications.

As well, it looks like the product descriptions aren't really descriptive - if you do some i-net research, make sure you also look at the manufacturer's code number.  A lot of manufacturer's like to number their coolers sequentially, with higher numbers for the larger coolers (and hence, would require more space to accomodate).

Specifically - look for CFM ratings for the fans.  The more air they move, the better they cool (in general) . . . but, the more air they move, the louder they tend to be as well.

Copper finned coolers tend to cool the best - they give up more heat and faster than aluminum would; but, copper is extremelly heavy.  Aluminum is good all-around, but it's not a prime choice for enthusiasts, or those looking for the best cooling performance.  Plus, there's also the aesthetic value - some prefer the look of aluminum, while some prefer the look of copper.  As well, some of the best CPU coolers are actually aluminum - but they're huge, and offer a ton of surface area for cooling.  Copper coolers can typically offer great cooling capabilities from a smaller package.




> (Another piece of information i forgot to add before - the extra case fan i need is the one in front - here http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/4939/rig02.jpg)




I'd guess a 120mm, based on that pic.  Any 12x12cm unit will work.  Look for high CFM ratings - but keep in mind, again, the more air they move, the louder they tend to be.  Be leary of any claimed dB rating, as there's no "standard," and manufacturers don't like to disclose how they come up with those figures.




> ed: also, are all thermal pastes made equal?



No, not at all.

I'd recommend sticking with AS5 or AS7.  It doesn't really matter what brand it is, nearly all formulas are identicle.  AS5/7 offers great heat transfer, but it's downside is that it will slowly "bake off" over time, requiring one to re-apply.  If you don't do much overclocking (which you don't strike me as the type), and don't punish the crap out of your hardware, I've seen AS5 last upwards of 2 years or better before you'd have to re-apply the TIM.  Those of us who tend to run extreme OCs and brutalize our hardware might have to re-apply as often as 3-6 months.

Stay away from ceramics, though . . . although they'll last damn near forever, they're a PITA to clean.  Not to mention, they tend to have lacklustre thermal conductivity.  Although they're cheap, "you get what you pay for."  Plus, some tend to be a thermal epoxy (although they're usually labeled as such), which will make removal of the cooler later on impossible.

There are quite a few other kinds of TIM available, but you probably don't need to worry about them, really.  They're generally aimed at the performance/enthusiast/overclocking crowd.


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## hhiker (Jan 6, 2010)

imperialreign said:


> Defi an excellent choice of PSU, by my standards . . . not 100% keen on the RAM, but at the least, Kingston are highly reliable throughout their product lineup.


Other options-opinions-recommendations? 
[/QUOTE]
http://www.ox.ee/rus/catalog/335



imperialreign said:


> What CPU/motherboard setup have you decided on, or are you re-using your current hardware (per system specs)?


Re-using. 

*digging into the cooling information* 
LOL, most of it is all unexplored questions to me, that includes the related vocabulary  
But, i can go on from here, look up stuff on the way when necessary.


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## imperialreign (Jan 6, 2010)

hhiker said:


> Other options-opinions-recommendations?


http://www.ox.ee/rus/catalog/335[/quote]


If you can afford this: http://www.ox.ee/rus/product/36054 2x2GB
Or even two of these: http://www.ox.ee/rus/product/3928

If you can pick up RAM that are aimed at your native BUS speed (1333 for the Q8200), you'll get better performance without having to really tweak things.  





> *digging into the cooling information*
> LOL, most of it is all unexplored questions to me, that includes the related vocabulary
> But, i can go on from here, look up stuff on the way when necessary.



S'all good - we're her to answer questions.  Regarding the cooling components, there are tons of reviews and comparison reviews out there.  If need be, I can dig up the links.


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## hhiker (Jan 6, 2010)

imperialreign said:


> If you can afford this: http://www.ox.ee/rus/product/36054 2x2GB
> Or even two of these: http://www.ox.ee/rus/product/3928


hmm, you mean 2 of these then? (The other links were to 1GB ones) 
http://www.ox.ee/rus/product/95304 



imperialreign said:


> S'all good - we're her to answer questions.  Regarding the cooling components, there are tons of reviews and comparison reviews out there.  If need be, I can dig up the links.



Yes please  
I'd gladly do a little more homework.


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## hhiker (Jan 25, 2010)

*Phase one: in progress (fans & cables question)*

Got the recommended sound card, the PSU and those Logitech speakers with first upgrade round  

And now i'm in the middle of connecting cables and the manual isn't helping anymore. (And at this point i'd rather not experiment ... yet.)
Mainly, i can't figure out how exactly connect the fans: 

1)
does this ... 






... go together with this ... 





... or is it better to connect it straight to the mobo? 

2) 
The fans back and front ... 
... do they just connect with peripherals or is there something else i'm missing here? 
(The original bundle was quite cluttered so i couldn't tell what was linked to what and through what) 

3) What about these 3?  




Just find a safe place to tuck them to? 

--------------------------------------------------- 


EDIT: 
Got most of the confusion cleared out reading this thread http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=84924&highlight=peripheral+cable+fan&page=2 . 
Will connect the CPU fan straight to mobo for now (as i understand it will only mean the front panel display won't give me the fan stats - i can live with that). 

ed2: removed some photos too


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## hhiker (Feb 27, 2010)

*Mission accompished + one new problem (looks like PSU)*

Thanks everyone. 
Got nearly all the pieces in place (didn't put in the new RAM yet in case i fried something in the process ) 






But. 
After changing the PSU (i think about a week after) a new problem appreared: the machine started to power off at random. 
Right now i can switch it on for 15-20 minutes until it powers off again. 
Does this mean that: 
a) the new PSU is flawed 
b) i screwed something up when changign the PSU 
c) it's some deeper problem that the PSU change brought to surface 
d) something completely different? 

Any suggestions where should i look or what sould i double-check?


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## lobsta21 (Feb 28, 2010)

*single main power supply*

Hello, I've built rigs for friends and 1 thing that I put in all of them is a PCPOWERANDCOOLING power supply. My early builds with the 510 are still gaming. I'm new here but I know a great power supply solves headaches , present and future. They have been purchased by OCZ but still offer 8 year warrranties on most. Enjoy your build no matter what goes in it!


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## p_o_s_pc (Feb 28, 2010)

try the OLD PSU to make sure its not the psu. Also try to unplug EVERYTHING from the PSU and put it back (24pin,4pins,8pins,etc)


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## hhiker (Feb 28, 2010)

p_o_s_pc said:


> try the OLD PSU to make sure its not the psu. Also try to unplug EVERYTHING from the PSU and put it back (24pin,4pins,8pins,etc)



(LOL, the bugger shut itself off while i was typing my reply before)
I had tried the unplug-plug already and that didn't seem to make any difference. 

Put the old PSU back for the time beig  - will see what happens. Thanks.


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## p_o_s_pc (Feb 28, 2010)

hhiker said:


> (LOL, the bugger shut itself off while i was typing my reply before)
> I had tried the unplug-plug already and that didn't seem to make any difference.
> 
> Put the old PSU back for the time beig  - will see what happens. Thanks.



I wish you luck. Did you build a new rig out of the parts? If so its possible it could be something else too but testing the PSU is the easiest and first step i would take


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## hhiker (Feb 28, 2010)

p_o_s_pc said:


> I wish you luck. Did you build a new rig out of the parts? If so its possible it could be something else too but testing the PSU is the easiest and first step i would take



Nope, it was a pre-compiled set and i merely replaced some parts (the parts i was asking advice about in the beginning of this thread were my first upgrades). 

Here are the original specs: 
_Processor:	Intel Q8200 Core2 Quad 2,33/4M 
Motherboard:	Gigabyte GA-P31-Es3G
Cooling:	"regular" factory fans
Memory:	PQI DDR2 800MHz (2x2GB)
Video Card:	512MB Club3D 9600GT
Harddisk:	SAMSUNG HD753LJ
Sound Card:	onboard
PSU:	450W Codegen
Software:	Win XP home (sp3) _ 

I changed: PSU, CPU cooling, RAM, added soundcard, will replace case fan(s) (still haven't figured out how to access the front fan).


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## p_o_s_pc (Feb 28, 2010)

May i recommend checking CPU temps with realtemp? Overheating problem could also cause that problem
http://www.techpowerup.com/realtemp/


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## hhiker (Feb 28, 2010)

p_o_s_pc said:


> May i recommend checking CPU temps with realtemp? Overheating problem could also cause that problem
> http://www.techpowerup.com/realtemp/



Alright... i'm not sure i used it the right way but this is what i get: 






Also, so far the system has been running uninterrupted for 30 minutes; meaning the new PSU looks more and more like the culprit here


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## p_o_s_pc (Feb 28, 2010)

temps don't look to be the problem... Time to RMA the PSU


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## imperialreign (Mar 2, 2010)

IDK yet - 

Try running some kind of stress or CPu benchmark program . . . like http://www.ocbase.com/perestroika_en/index.php?Download (specifically the LINPACK test).

I've seen Intel CPUs with core temps that look normal at idle, but once under minimal load will sky-rocket to core shutdown temps (over 100C) . . .  Once those cores get hot enough, the entire CPU shuts down, and it typically appears as if the SYS will reboot.

If the temps are quickly climbing way too high (think 80C or higher) for stock clocks, then there's a good possibility the CPU cooler is simply not seated properly.

I can't imagine that PSU having issues . . . but there's always a possibility.  Even highly reputable manufacturers occasionally have some DOA or questionable units slip through.



BTW - nice looking rig you're working on


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## hhiker (Mar 2, 2010)

imperialreign said:


> IDK yet -
> 
> Try running some kind of stress or CPu benchmark program . . . like http://www.ocbase.com/perestroika_en/index.php?Download (specifically the LINPACK test).
> 
> ...



Mhmm... quite happy about it myself too  
Bits and pieces are one thing, but getting to know the insides of my machine = priceless. 
(Btw, those speakers i finally chose - with the onboard card the whole sound was rather  dirty and "rough around the edges" and i couldn't get the subwoofer to be soft enough - but once the new soundcard kicked in it's very nicely balanced.) 

If the problem's source isn't the new PSU, then the problem certainly manifests itself through the new PSU: For now i've let the machine run over 30 hours with the old PSU and it hasn't done anything quirky. 

Running Perestroika now. I'll need to study it a bit to get what means what and how to read the data and so on. 
When i look at the display, I'm noticing one thing about the voltages: just like the Everest report, this one is showing the 12v ... thing (socket? pin?) having signinficantly lower numbers than it should. But BIOS showed about 10v there - with both, the old and new PSU. Is that somehow significant? 

ED: 
More on the power issue - there was no reboot, the power would shut off entirely. Also, immediately after such shutoff i couldn't get it to power up again. (And after leaving it be for a while, when turned on again, it would keep runnin for shorter and shorter time until shutting off again.)


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## imperialreign (Mar 2, 2010)

hhiker said:


> Running Perestroika now. I'll need to study it a bit to get what means what and how to read the data and so on.
> When i look at the display, I'm noticing one thing about the voltages: just like the Everest report, this one is showing the 12v ... thing (socket? pin?) having signinficantly lower numbers than it should. But BIOS showed about 10v there - with both, the old and new PSU. Is that somehow significant?




Can be . . . depends, really, on how "out of range" those values are.

What the app is displaying is what the motherboards sensors are picking up - they're not 100% accurate, but it at least gives you a general idea of what's going on, before getting too involved in things . . .

Think of it like - the gauges on a car's instrument cluster.  You can get a good idea of how the car's doing by the temp gauge, voltmeter, oil gauge, etc.

Anyhow - usually for the 12V reading, around 11V-12.5V is alright . . . sometimes they read a little higher, sometimes just a bit lower . . .

If it's reading 10V - you more than likely have a definite PSU problem.  To verify, you might want to break out a voltmeter and manually test the voltage outputs: http://forums.extremeoverclocking.com/showthread.php?t=137886 . . . or, if you happened to get ahold of a PSU tester, makes things simpler.

If the output from the PSU _is_ low, then there's a definite issue with the PSU; if the ouput _is_ fine, then there's an issue with the mobo.  If your rig has been running fine with your older PSU, I'd take a good guess that the PSU is defi the culprit.




> ED:
> More on the power issue - there was no reboot, the power would shut off entirely. Also, immediately after such shutoff i couldn't get it to power up again. (And after leaving it be for a while, when turned on again, it would keep runnin for shorter and shorter time until shutting off again.)




Yeah, that sounds like a failing PSU - sounds like something inside is overheating, and it's shutting itself down . . .


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