Help with PC [CALLING DMORRIS!!!]

Live forum: http://forum.freeipodguide.com/viewtopic.php?t=67422

DIABLO

29-07-2007 06:56:57

Okay, I just ordered all of these parts from Newegg, just want to make sure they're all good. They're all compatible, right?

Case - http//www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811133041

Mobo - http//www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813128018

HDD - http//www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822136073

Video Card - http//www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130071

CPU - http//www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819115017

Drives - http//www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827136083 and http//www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827151145

RAM - http//www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145034

PSU - http//www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103941

dmorris68

29-07-2007 07:58:15

Pretty nice build.

Yeah the Antec Neo is a good choice. 550W is plenty for that rig, and will liprobablyli support a second 8800GTX should you decide to go SLI later.

Not a huge fan of Gigabyte mobo's personally, but they do have their following so I'm sure it'll be fine.

I have that same HSF on my Opteron 175, I like it. It is quite tall however so make sure you've got a case with clearance.

The only real question is why you have spec'ed two ROM drives. I can't imagine why you'd want two, but no burner. You do realize those aren't burners, right?

DIABLO

29-07-2007 08:08:11

Thanks, and no, I didn't even notice they weren't burners oops How much should a good burner cost? Also, you think I should change from a gigabyte mobo to something else? I'd rather take your advice than just get it and end up screwed out of $100.

+kma

EDIT I'm confused / Those 2 drives were IDE, but my mobo only supports ATA100 and SATA 3gb/s. IDE won't be good, will it? All I see is IDE, E-IDE, and PATA. /

dmorris68

29-07-2007 08:18:32

You can find good burners in the $30-$40 range easy. I used to be a big NEC fan, but their more recent models have been a disappointment, so my last one was a Samsung SH-182M. Other good brands to look for are Lite-On, Pioneer, and Plextor (expensive though). There are a few other good ones, but those are the top ones I usually stick with. The thing is, different models within a brand's lineup can vary wildly in performance, that's why it's important to do your research. Check out CDFreaks.com, particularly their hardware forum, for reviews and user experiences with each model.

If you're researched that model of mobo and find it popular, then I wouldn't change it. My thing with Gigabyte just stems from my experiences with a couple of older boards -- they were poorly made and prone to failure. And awhile back a friend of mine who does PC repairs had somebody bring him a PC with a dead Gigabyte mobo, he ordered & installed a new one, and they brought it back a couple months later, dead again. Personally my favorites are ASUS (the Cadillac brand), MSI, and eVGA. And if you're not into overclocking and heavy tweaking, Intel makes rock-solid mobo's. But like I said Gigabyte does have a following, so I'm not saying you will necessarily have problems with it.

The key is to research all your major hardware components to make sure there aren't known issues that would affect you.

[quotefb625e7487="DIABLO"]EDIT I'm confused / Those 2 drives were IDE, but my mobo only supports ATA100 and SATA 3gb/s. IDE won't be good, will it? All I see is IDE, E-IDE, and PATA. /[/quotefb625e7487]
IDE, E-IDE, PATA, and ATA100 are interchangeable terms. Technically SATA is an IDE drive too, and the distinction should be PATA vs SATA. If it doesn't say SATA, assume it's PATA and will work if your mobo has a PATA/ATA100 controller on it.

DIABLO

29-07-2007 08:29:27

[quoteb387a0844c="dmorris68"]You can find good burners in the $30-$40 range easy. I used to be a big NEC fan, but their more recent models have been a disappointment, so my last one was a Samsung SH-182M. Other good brands to look for are Lite-On, Pioneer, and Plextor (expensive though). There are a few other good ones, but those are the top ones I usually stick with. The thing is, different models within a brand's lineup can vary wildly in performance, that's why it's important to do your research. Check out CDFreaks.com, particularly their hardware forum, for reviews and user experiences with each model.[/quoteb387a0844c]

Okay, I'll be getting the Samsung SH-182M also, I'm a copycat )

[quoteb387a0844c="dmorris68"]If you're researched that model of mobo and find it popular, then I wouldn't change it. My thing with Gigabyte just stems from my experiences with a couple of older boards -- they were poorly made and prone to failure. And awhile back a friend of mine who does PC repairs had somebody bring him a PC with a dead Gigabyte mobo, he ordered & installed a new one, and they brought it back a couple months later, dead again. Personally my favorites are ASUS (the Cadillac brand), MSI, and eVGA. And if you're not into overclocking and heavy tweaking, Intel makes rock-solid mobo's. But like I said Gigabyte does have a following, so I'm not saying you will necessarily have problems with it.[/quoteb387a0844c]

Oh okay, I was going to buy an ASUS board but ended up not getting it for some reason. But it sounds like this one is pretty good from the reviews so I'll stick the this.

[quoteb387a0844c="dmorris68"][quoteb387a0844c="DIABLO"]EDIT I'm confused / Those 2 drives were IDE, but my mobo only supports ATA100 and SATA 3gb/s. IDE won't be good, will it? All I see is IDE, E-IDE, and PATA. /[/quoteb387a0844c]

IDE, E-IDE, PATA, and ATA100 are interchangeable terms. Technically SATA is an IDE drive too, and the distinction should be PATA vs SATA. If it doesn't say SATA, assume it's PATA and will work if your mobo has a PATA/ATA100 controller on it.[/quoteb387a0844c]

Oh, okay, I get it. Thanks )

Can you give yourself 100 KMA from me? If not I'll just do it every day )

Daggoth

29-07-2007 08:54:41

That PSU won't support a second 8800GTX, but it does not matter since the motherboard only has one video card slot.

No real point in getting a CPU fan unless you have good RAM and plan to overclock. I am not sure how good that RAM is. Do you plan on overclocking the CPU?

I would personally save a little and go for the Q6600 because it is more future-proof.

DIABLO

29-07-2007 09:45:15

[quote36ea8011c7="Daggoth"]That PSU won't support a second 8800GTX, but it does not matter since the motherboard only has one video card slot.

No real point in getting a CPU fan unless you have good RAM and plan to overclock. I am not sure how good that RAM is. Do you plan on overclocking the CPU?

I would personally save a little and go for the Q6600 because it is more future-proof.[/quote36ea8011c7]

Nah, I'm fine without overclocking, but I might. I'd rather spend $40 for the fan just incase. What's a Q6600? You mean E6600? I was going to, but then I upgraded to the E6750 for $3 more /

dmorris68

29-07-2007 10:11:11

The Q6600 is a quad core.

I wouldn't be quite so fast to discount the Neo's ability to SLI 8800GTX's. While I did qualify my comment above with liprobablyli, the fact is that quality PSU's can support a heckuva lot more than what they appear. A quality, efficient 550W will outperform an el-cheapo 700W. Now granted, Nvidia specs a 450W minimum for one 8800GTX, and 800W for two. But I see people all the time running SLI rigs on PSU's that are way below Nvidia's specs. Even if the PSU doesn't have 4 PCIe power connectors, you can get by with adapters. That said, I still would hesitate to say for sure it will work, but it would appear moot in this case since DIABLO isn't spec'ing an SLI rig.

Oh, and I do agree that if you're buying a retail CPU and not overclocking, I wouldn't bother with the bigger HSF. The stock HSF's work fine under stock conditions. I bought one with my boxed Opteron 175 just for overclocking purposes.

DIABLO

29-07-2007 10:36:19

[quote45167ce693="dmorris68"]The Q6600 is a quad core.

I wouldn't be quite so fast to discount the Neo's ability to SLI 8800GTX's. While I did qualify my comment above with liprobablyli, the fact is that quality PSU's can support a heckuva lot more than what they appear. A quality, efficient 550W will outperform an el-cheapo 700W. Now granted, Nvidia specs a 450W minimum for one 8800GTX, and 800W for two. But I see people all the time running SLI rigs on PSU's that are way below Nvidia's specs. Even if the PSU doesn't have 4 PCIe power connectors, you can get by with adapters. That said, I still would hesitate to say for sure it will work, but it would appear moot in this case since DIABLO isn't spec'ing an SLI rig.

Oh, and I do agree that if you're buying a retail CPU and not overclocking, I wouldn't bother with the bigger HSF. The stock HSF's work fine under stock conditions. I bought one with my boxed Opteron 175 just for overclocking purposes.[/quote45167ce693]

Oh okay, I'd upgrade but all this is coming out of my parents' pocket so don't want to push it.

Yeah, I don't think I'll need a 2nd 8800gtx but if I ever do get one I'll probably get a new PSU for it.

I guess I'll skip on the HFS if both of you say I don't need it.

Thanks for the tips )

Daggoth

29-07-2007 12:25:32

The Corsair 520W, which I believe is a better brand than Neo, cannot "officially" handle SLI 8800GTX. I might be wrong, but it is a tossup whether that PSU would be able to handle it. Now for suggestions

1. The fan is [b5baea50c23]useless[/b5baea50c23] since you're not overclocking. Save the money ($30) and put it towards the Q6600, which is $320 on newegg.

http//www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115017

2. Since you're not overclocking, save money on RAM. I guarentee you won't see a noticeable difference if you are not overclocking.

http//www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231098

3. If necessary, downgrade the video card to the 8800GTS. The 8800GTS is sufficient to play most games that are out right now on high settings and many of the games that are coming out. There is a good reason that most people are buying this over the GTX.

http//www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130071

DIABLO

29-07-2007 13:16:16

Okay, I just got rid of the fan, but I don't know about the Q6600 because it's still $70 more than the E6750, which is more than I'd like to spend. I'm not going to downgrade the RAM because I might end up overclocking later on, if I do I don't want to have to get all new RAM for it. And I'm going to stick with the 8800GTX because it's only $100 more and it might come in handy some day. Is there that much of a noticable different between the E6750 and Q6600?

Daggoth

29-07-2007 14:39:59

The RAM I recommended overclocks well (according to the reviews). It isn't record breaking, but it should be sufficient for your needs. The difference between the E6750 and Q6600 is that when multi-core games start being seen more, it will make a HUGE difference. IMHO, upgrading to quad-core is worth $70, especially when you so many other places where you can cut corners in a computer.

zdub08

29-07-2007 14:51:44

you will feel dumb when that graphics card drops hundreds of dollars in a few months. the best of the best if always overpriced. 8800 gts ftw.

also, are you sure you want a clear sided case? it seems like everyone always thinks they look cool (I did), but looking at it right now, it just looks like a mess of cables.

P.S. I think a retail CPU comes with a fan. correct?

P.S.S. would it be worth the extra cash to future-proof with a mobo that supports ddr3 ram? like this http//www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128048

DIABLO

29-07-2007 16:11:14

Alright alright, you convinced me. I'll be getting the Q6600, 8800GTS(640mb), and some $120 2GBs of corsair XMS2 RAM, with a $40 mail in rebate. For the Q6600 I won't need the fan, will I? The price actually went down to $1,500, so thanks ) I'm actually getting a thermaltake shark instead of the tsunami because there were a lot of people saying it's hard to fit stuff in, but the shark is huge according to the reviews. http//www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811133143

dmorris68

29-07-2007 16:52:45

All retail boxed CPU's come with a HSF. Only if you buy OEM CPU's do you have to supply your own. I often buy other OEM components, but have always preferred retail CPU's, at least for cutting edge versions and new builds. The price difference isn't that much, and you get a 3 year factory warranty on retail CPU's. With OEM CPU's, they're warranted by the vendor and can vary from nothing to a year, usually no more, and your chances of getting a remarked CPU are higher.

zdub08

29-07-2007 17:14:33

[quote71b97a1afe="DIABLO"]Alright alright, you convinced me. I'll be getting the Q6600, 8800GTS(640mb), and some $120 2GBs of corsair XMS2 RAM, with a $40 mail in rebate. For the Q6600 I won't need the fan, will I? The price actually went down to $1,500, so thanks ) I'm actually getting a thermaltake shark instead of the tsunami because there were a lot of people saying it's hard to fit stuff in, but the shark is huge according to the reviews. http//www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811133143[/quote71b97a1afe]
The thermaltake soprano dx that I ordered came a couple days ago. it's purty
http//www.thermaltakeusa.com/product/Chassis/midtower/sopranoDX/+_image/03_bns_angleview_450.gif[" alt=""/img71b97a1afe]

off-topic why does newegg have a 3 business day shipping guarantee if they are going to take 4+ days to ship my stuff? x I hope it ships tomorrow. It's only in "phase 3" or something, so it isn't even packaged.

Daggoth

29-07-2007 19:23:56

[quote27ef9f7c2f="DIABLO"]Alright alright, you convinced me. I'll be getting the Q6600, 8800GTS(640mb), and some $120 2GBs of corsair XMS2 RAM, with a $40 mail in rebate. For the Q6600 I won't need the fan, will I? The price actually went down to $1,500, so thanks ) I'm actually getting a thermaltake shark instead of the tsunami because there were a lot of people saying it's hard to fit stuff in, but the shark is huge according to the reviews. http//www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811133143[/quote27ef9f7c2f]

A full-tower case is much larger than a mid-tower, which might cause some inconveniences if you have short wires. There should be no problem fitting what you have into most mid-tower size cases.

I have not been in the loop recently, but IIRC the cheaper corsair RAM was bad for overclocking.

You will not need to buy a CPU fan if you buy a retail CPU.

Unless you plan to show off your desktop, keep it on top of the desk, and know how to make the inside look clean (if you have side-panel window), then I suggest you downgrade your case.

http//www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119068

Daggoth

29-07-2007 19:24:51

[quote37274c161d="zdub08"]
off-topic why does newegg have a 3 business day shipping guarantee if they are going to take 4+ days to ship my stuff? x I hope it ships tomorrow. It's only in "phase 3" or something, so it isn't even packaged.[/quote37274c161d]

They guarantee it will reach you in 3 days after it is shipped.

zdub08

29-07-2007 19:27:50

I know... I was trying to say that's worthless when it takes a long time to ship it in the first place.

DIABLO

29-07-2007 20:03:00

I'll probably be getting the Soprano, then. It's cheaper and looks cooler, so I'll be good with that.

I think I'll stick with this RAM, I'm probably not going to overclock, I don't really need to, all I want to play in CS 1.6 and I guess source and BF2 later on, so I should be fine.

The bottom of my desk has a little shelf that I keep my PC on, but I don't want some shitty 20 year old PC looking case like that, so I got the soprano ) Total is $1,500+shipping, not bad )

EDIT I see some mobos have "quad core support", my mobo will be able to run with my Q6600, right?

DIABLO

31-07-2007 08:01:00

Just ordered the parts. They're all compatible, right? I'm 99.9% sure they are but just want to make sure in case I read something wrong.

Thanks!

Daggoth

31-07-2007 13:47:57

You picked the wrong motherboard. What were you were looking for was the 965P, not 965G. They both work and are compatible with your parts, but the 965G has onboard graphics, which will slow you down if you try to overclock.

http//www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128012

Tholek

31-07-2007 14:44:26

I think this thread proves that we would all jump off a bridge if dmorris68 recommended it. Face it, he'd have convincing reasons to do it. lol

Seriously, I'd go for a windowed case if possible. I might even consider a clear case altogether. Not just for showing off, or looking cool, but I like to eyeball components once in awhile to see if there are any color changes (darkening, mainly) on, or in, any components. By the time you notice a burning smell, it's probably already too late. ;)

zdub08

31-07-2007 14:52:22

there is a clear sided version of the soprano dx. I don't know which one he picked.

DIABLO

31-07-2007 14:54:08

[quote9da6ab5880="Daggoth"]You picked the wrong motherboard. What were you were looking for was the 965P, not 965G. They both work and are compatible with your parts, but the 965G has onboard graphics, which will slow you down if you try to overclock.

http//www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128012[/quote9da6ab5880]

Yeah, I just saw that after I ordered it, I can always just order the 965P if I decide to OC.

Tholek - I wanted one, but after zdub said that it just looks like a mess of cables I kind of didn't anymore, because he's probably right. All clear case = http//forum.freeipodguide.com/smilies_mod/upload/239d62242f4a86311b8b1da88ad92d48.gif[" alt=""/img9da6ab5880]

Tholek

31-07-2007 15:14:40

[quote784cfe90e9="DIABLO"]Tholek - I wanted one, but after zdub said that it just looks like a mess of cables I kind of didn't anymore, because he's probably right. All clear case = http//forum.freeipodguide.com/smilies_mod/upload/239d62242f4a86311b8b1da88ad92d48.gif[" alt=""/img784cfe90e9][/quote784cfe90e9]

Perhaps zdub can inform us whether he has rounded cables or not. Rounded cables alleviate this problem to a great extent, both visually, but also for airflow. I use rounded cable, and would choose a clear or windowed case.

zdub08

31-07-2007 15:42:55

this was my first build and it's from like 4 years ago. it has thick IDE cables. I guess rounded cables and those fancy plug in only what you need power supplies would make it look alot nicer. I was under the impression that most hardware shuts itself down before damage.

DIABLO

31-07-2007 18:41:36

Oh, ok, well I already got the soprano so I'm good ) I've decided I'm going to RMA my board when it gets here and order the P, and I'm debating whether or not I should RMA my 8800GTS with it and get the eVGA overclocked one for $20 more. Opinions, please? )

Daggoth

31-07-2007 19:12:59

You can overclock the video card by yourself quite easily, not that it makes much of a difference.

dmorris68

31-07-2007 20:40:38

I personally like windowed cases too, just to see that fans are still spinning and whatnot, if it's time to clean out the dust bunnies, etc. It's not for show, as my primary rig with the windowed case is under a desk, and I have to turn it around to see into it, but it's a helluva lot more convenient than pulling the side panel off just to take a look. But to each his own, it's strictly an aesthetic choice, which is why I didn't offer an opinion on the subject. )

Oh, and I'm OCD about my rig wiring. I have all round cables or SATA. When I still used ribbon cables, I origami-folded them to lie flat along the sides and bottom of the case. I actually went as far to use a razor blade to slit the ribbon cables so they could be bundled in a round shape. I also use zip ties generously to gather up and tuck away all excess wiring. My rigs are pretty clean when I build 'em, so they're actually pretty to look at through the window. ;)

Tholek

01-08-2007 03:05:00

Heh, I've DIY rounded one or two ribbon cables myself, but most I have left that are still flat are old. Once you go rounded... ;)

Well, once you go [i648d6799a8]SATA[/i648d6799a8], but not everything is as cheap as IDE. )

SpaceMonkey

01-08-2007 09:13:09

I would get an evga 8800gts. The 8800gtx is really old now, almost a year, and the nvidia should be releasing the 9 series this fall. If you get an evga you can use the step up program and pay the difference for the newer card.

Tholek

01-08-2007 09:29:10

[quote1bef53b3e0="SpaceMonkey"]I would get an evga 8800gts. The 8800gtx is really old now, almost a year, and the nvidia should be releasing the 9 series this fall. If you get an evga you can use the step up program and pay the difference for the newer card.[/quote1bef53b3e0]

It's been mentioned before, and it still holds true The eVGA "step up" program is no deal at all. You essentially trade in your old card for a small discount off the [b1bef53b3e0]MSRP[/b1bef53b3e0] of any new model. Call eVGA tech support asking whether you need a new card and they'd refer you to Newegg or Circuit City for their products. Even they don't insult your intelligence by recommending you buy from them directly.

I say watch Newegg, or sift through SD for coupons/codes that can be used towards eVGA (or other cards) on sale at retail stores. That might be your cheapest avenue.

DIABLO

02-08-2007 17:58:18

Okay, I got everything today. Everything was good, then I had to plug in everything, the PSU to mobo and mobo to HDD and the drives, and I find out the PSU has 10 cables that I have no idea where to put, the manual says "plug in all cables" and that's basically it, and I don't have any cables to connect the HDD or drives to my mobo. The HDD and both drives were OEM, so they didn't come with cables. My mobo came with some cables, though, but only 1 fits into anything and it's my DVD drive. Should my mobo have come with the cables or do I need to buy different ones? And can anybody tell me what kind of cables I need and where I can get them?

The PSU doesn't plug into the HDD or drives, does it? Because they're the only things that the PSU cables seem to fit into.

zdub08

02-08-2007 18:15:26

[quote1ed6d5a61b="DIABLO"]Okay, I got everything today. Everything was good, then I had to plug in everything, the PSU to mobo and mobo to HDD and the drives, and I find out the PSU has 10 cables that I have no idea where to put, the manual says "plug in all cables" and that's basically it, and I don't have any cables to connect the HDD or drives to my mobo. The HDD and both drives were OEM, so they didn't come with cables. My mobo came with some cables, though, but only 1 fits into anything and it's my DVD drive. Should my mobo have come with the cables or do I need to buy different ones? And can anybody tell me what kind of cables I need and where I can get them?

The PSU doesn't plug into the HDD or drives, does it? Because they're the only things that the PSU cables seem to fit into.[/quote1ed6d5a61b]
first off, you're probably not going to be using every cable connected to your PSU. your dvd drives, hard drive, motherboard, graphics card, and fans all need power. there will be extras left.

my gigabyte mobo that I just got came with an SATA cable and 2 IDE cables. you could use the IDE cables for your 2 dvd drives and the SATA for your hard drive. that would give you connection to the motherboard, but I don't know what to tell you about power. I guess get the telephone book out and look up some computer parts stores.

dmorris68

02-08-2007 18:34:44

Oy, I didn't realize you didn't know more about internal PC connections than this. It's risky building your own system without at least some basic understanding of PSU's, drive cables, and other connections. You should have said so, or Googled around for step-by-step guidance first.

The leads with square 2x2 plugs are PCIe power lines and go to your video card.

There is as similar square 2x2 plug, usually white, that is the AUX power connector and goes to your motherboard. The wide ATX connector also goes on the motherboard, you can't miss that one. These are often together in the same bundle of wires.

The leads with (usually white, sometimes black) 4-pin D-shaped Molex connectors go to your PATA optical and hard drives.

The thin black connectors are SATA power connectors. Most SATA drives support both the old Molex 4-pin power connector, or the new SATA power connector. Do NOT plug in both, choose one or the other.

And as far as using "all of the cables" that is not the case -- you use only the cables you need, the rest you just tuck away neatly out of the way. I'm sure when the manual said that, it was either due to poor translation, or it just meant "all the cables that are needed."

For the drives you need either the thin SATA cables (for the SATA HDD you spec'd) or flat 40-pin ATA100 ribbon cables (or buy the rounded ones) for any PATA devices like optical drives. Like zdub said, most motherboards nowadays ship with at least one or two PATA cables and two SATA cables.

For the components you spec'd you should have plenty of cables and PSU connections on hand, but if you aren't more familiar than this, you need to STOP and consult some online resources on PC building first.

zdub08

02-08-2007 19:00:18

dmorris I have a couple quick questions also.

1. for all the small 2 or 3 pin cables I plugged in at the bottom of the motherboard (for power button, reset, etc.), does it matter which way they are plugged in? I just put all of them with the words facing down. the mobo and case manuals didn't say otherwise.

2. I have 8 SATA ports I guess. it's 4 little squares, each with 2 connections. the manual names them SATA II 0-5, then one of the squares (2 ports) is randomly purple, and called GSATA II 1 and GSATA II 2. I guess they are "gigabyte SATA controllers." Apparently they are controlled gigabyte SATA II instead of ICH9R, like the other 6. Is this just some gimmicky shit gigabyte decided to add? I have a hard drive and an external SATA port that need to be plugged into 2 of the 8 spots. where do I put them?

dmorris68

02-08-2007 19:37:11

[quote44de4876b0="zdub08"]dmorris I have a couple quick questions also.

1. for all the small 2 or 3 pin cables I plugged in at the bottom of the motherboard (for power button, reset, etc.), does it matter which way they are plugged in? I just put all of them with the words facing down. the mobo and case manuals didn't say otherwise.[/quote44de4876b0]
The LED's matter, as they won't illuminate if plugged in backwards. It won't hurt anything, they just won't work. The switches, like power and reset, are dry contacts so their orientation doesn't matter. With almost every (if not every) motherboard I've ever used in a build, if you plug in everything with the metal tabs on the plugs (one side is solid, usually with printing, the other side will have holes with metal tabs showing) facing upwards, everything will work. Basically just how you described with the print facing down. That's assuming the normal ATX orientation of the mobo, with the case connections on the lower right corner.

[quote44de4876b0="zdub08"]2. I have 8 SATA ports I guess. it's 4 little squares, each with 2 connections. the manual names them SATA II 0-5, then one of the squares (2 ports) is randomly purple, and called GSATA II 1 and GSATA II 2. I guess they are "gigabyte SATA controllers." Apparently they are controlled gigabyte SATA II instead of ICH9R, like the other 6. Is this just some gimmicky shit gigabyte decided to add? I have a hard drive and an external SATA port that need to be plugged into 2 of the 8 spots. where do I put them?[/quote44de4876b0]
Yeah, it sounds like Gigabyte rounded out the chipset controllers with an add-on controller. This is quite common as most chipsets on the market support no more than 4 SATA devices. However SATA 0-5 only describes 6 ports, so the extra one you're seeing may be something else.

To get native support without drivers, put your primary devices on the chipset ports. The 3rd party ports will typically require drivers to work, including the F6 driver disk when installing XP. Using the native ports (on recent chipsets) will not require any drivers, they appear the same as regular PATA ports to the BIOS and OS.

DIABLO

03-08-2007 10:14:18

Well I just read your post over and over, and I don't have any idea what you're talking about ( oops

manOFice

03-08-2007 10:21:47

I have my led's on the front plugged in backwards and have been to lazy to switch them around, lol

DIABLO

03-08-2007 11:44:16

Just took my PC to a CompUSA shop, they said they'll have it done by tomorrow. They said I did 90% of it, but they're going to re-do the whole thing for $95 of my parents' money )

EatChex89

04-08-2007 11:19:00

I just bought a dvd burner for my rig. I forgot that I didn't have one, and was brutally reminded of the fact when I tried to watch 300 and stuck it into my cd player.

zdub08

10-08-2007 01:39:42

dmorris! (or anyone)

so everything is hooked up and running but I can't see my bios screen (. I hooked up my monitor to my graphics card (using DVI/VGA adapter), but nothing shows up. is my card not recognized or something, and that's why it isn't displaying anything? I can't hook up the monitor directly to my mobo because there is no port.

Daggoth

10-08-2007 02:05:33

Does it make it POST? You should here beeps coming from the motherboard. If there is more than one beep, then it is giving an error message in beep form. In your motherboard manual, there should be a translator to what the problem is.

If it is making it past POST, then make sure that

1. The graphic card is in the motherboard properly.
2. There is nothing wrong with the DVI/VGA adapter.
3. If your video card has two ports, try plugging in the monitor into the other one (using the DVI/VGA adapter).

zdub08

10-08-2007 05:32:14

I don't know how I did it, but it's working now.