I got some computer parts as gifts!

[The Mighty Gerbil]

Okay, so I'm thinking EVERCOOL sidewinder STC-01 Cooling Grease or Arctic Silver AA-1.75G Thermal Compound for thermal grease and Rosewill RCX-Z775-LP 80mm Sleeve Low Profile CPU Cooler or SilenX EFZ-92HA2 92mm 3rd generation fluid dynamic bearing Effizio CPU Cooler for a heatsink.

Thoughts?

Back when I researched my computer parts I saw Arctic Silver being used everywhere but that was years ago. I use it with a cooler that happened to be on sale when I bought my computer.

Also, I ran the Thermaltake Power Supply Calculator and it recommended 331W minimum, so I should be good with a 400W power supply.

I do ponder if those calculators take into account mouse, other usb devices power needs, fans and miscellaneous gunk. Still it seems like it should work.

 

[Tek7]

Okay, so I'm thinking [...] Rosewill RCX-Z775-LP 80mm Sleeve Low Profile CPU Cooler or SilenX EFZ-92HA2 92mm 3rd generation fluid dynamic bearing Effizio CPU Cooler for a heatsink.

I measured and cut out some cardboard squares (yay old cereal boxes) to see if the fans would fit and the SilenX was a tad too large for comfort while the Rosewill was a sure fit. I'll probably stick to the Rosewill fan just to be on the safe (and cheap) side.

I thought about doing the ShopRunner 30-day trial to get the free 2-day shipping, but I think I'll save that for a future occasion.

Just use gum.

Also, does this mean you'll play D3?

Nope. I won't be playing Diablo III because (1) I'm the President of two Christian gaming organizations and I don't want to be a stumbling block to others who feel personally convicted about playing D3, (2) it would murder my wrists, (3) I have a backlog a mile long, (4) I'm not a fan of always-on DRM (no matter how Blizzard tries to explain it away), and (5) I only paid $60 (well, $40 plus a $20 Amazon credit) for one game--StarCraft II--and I don't ever plan on spending that much on one game ever again.

I discovered some new (potential) options for heatsinks:

• MASSCOOL 8W553B1M3 90mm Ball CPU Cooler ($15)
• Rosewill RCX-Z300 92mm Ball CPU Cooler ($16)
• Rosewill RCX-Z90-AL 92mm Sleeve CPU Cooler ($12)
• MASSCOOL 8WT15-38 90mm Long life Bearing CPU Cooler ($12)

(Prices include shipping.)

But the compatibility is confusing. I thought all Intel Socket 775 processors were the same size?

EDIT: I cut out a 92mm x 92mm cardboard square and confirmed all 4 fans linked above will fit. Now to decide between the 5 available options...

EDIT#2: I somehow overlooked the Rosewill RCX-ZAIO-92 92mm Sleeve Bearing Fan CPU Cooler as an option.

I do ponder if those calculators take into account mouse, other usb devices power needs, fans and miscellaneous gunk. Still it seems like it should work.

I'm still toying around with the idea of picking up an inexpensive mid-tower case as my current desktop is housed in a full tower and it's rather hefty (and then I'd have a complete computer using my old PC parts).

Here are some of the cases I'm considering:

• Thermaltake VL84301W2Z V3 Black Edition with 430W Power Supply ATX Mid Tower Computer Case ($55 after rebate)
• Rosewill R363-M-BK Black Ultra High Gloss Finished MicroATX Computer Case with 400W ATX 2.2 12V Power Supply ($55)
• Rosewill R218-P-BK-450W MicroATX Mid Tower Computer Case, come with 1x 120mm Fan, 450W Power Supply ($55)
• Rosewill R101-P-BK-450W MicroATX Mid Tower Computer Case, come with 1x 120mm Fan, 450W Power Supply ($55)
• Rosewill R519-BK Black Computer Case 500W Power Supply ($65)

EDIT: I think I'll probably go with the Thermaltake case IF I decide to get a case.

 

[ewoksrule]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...tion&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-cables-_-na-_-na

 

[Tek7]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...tion&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-cables-_-na-_-na

Awesome case, but doesn't come with a power supply.

EDIT: At this point, I'll probably just stick with the case I have since I'll be using the same hard drive, CD-R/W drive, DVD-R/W drive, and case fans as well. It's mighty tempting to drop $55 on a new case to keep as much as possible separate, but I should be thrifty for the time being and just use what I have.

 

[Tek7]

Well, the Rosewill RCX-Z300 92mm Ball CPU Cooler is the most expensive option I listed earlier (by a dollar), but it features a copper base. (All other heatsinks I listed were all aluminum.)

I think I'll splurge and get the RCX-Z300 unless someone has a better suggestion?

EDIT: Ugh. Might go with the MASSCOOL 8W553B1M3 90mm Ball CPU Cooler after reading some of the reviews on the Rosewill RCX-Z300. I'm starting to fixate when I should be playing games instead...

EDIT#2: And apparently the E5200 overclocks very, very well. Looks like I'll may finally dip a toe into the ocean that is overclocking soon...

 

[Tek7]

Okay, I finally decided on the EVERCOOL sidewinder STC-01 Cooling Grease and the MASSCOOL 8W553B1M3 90mm Ball CPU Cooler.

Yay free UPS 3-day guaranteed shipping! My total was just under $20 for both items.

Time to go play video games for a few minutes then go to bed.

 

[Tek7]

Well, it seems I received these gift computer parts at the perfect time. Earlier this morning, my desktop computer started making a beeping noise. When I checked it out, I discovered that the computer had restarted and wouldn't post.

EDIT: Good news is that it's highly unlikely that the hard drives are damaged. As long as I can pull the data from the drives, I can breathe easy. The wait for the thermal grease and heatsink/fan I ordered last night will seem even longer, but at least I should be able to assemble a mostly-new system this weekend.

 

[Tek7]

So I got my thermal paste and my heatsink/fan in the mail today, I've spent the last few hours hooking everything up and...I get a solid amber light on my power LED, no beep codes, and no video. The computer won't boot.

I ended up having to plug a 20-pin power connector into a 24-pin mainboard power input, so I'm thinking that's likely the issue. But I don't know.

I don't want to drop another $50-60 on a case + power supply if any parts were damaged in transit, but I don't really have any way to test the new parts since I don't have a power supply with a 24-pin connector.

/cry

 

[The Mighty Gerbil]

I ended up having to plug a 20-pin power connector into a 24-pin mainboard power input, so I'm thinking that's likely the issue. But I don't know.

I don't want to drop another $50-60 on a case + power supply if any parts were damaged in transit, but I don't really have any way to test the new parts since I don't have a power supply with a 24-pin connector.

/cry

Um yeah I would think that's the issue too Tek >.> . Once again I think buying a decent power supply would be the one thing you don't want to skimp on. It's also a pretty sound investment IMO. Buy a 600 watt and with all push for greener less power consuming parts you won't need a new one for a decade. Well unless you go duel video card or something.

 

[Tek7]

I'm thinking of ordering this power supply and just installing it in the case I already have.

Now I'm wishing I had been less disciplined and just ordered that case I linked in another post (or thread?).

 

[Tek7]

So it looks like the ASUS P5KPL-CM does require a 24-pin connector, though I haven't been able to confirm that with 100% certainty. Still, $40 isn't that bad of a risk to take on finishing up a new-to-me PC build that's significantly better than what I had before.

I'll probably do a little more research tomorrow, decide whether I want to order a case/PSU combo or just the PSU, then place the order with Newegg tomorrow after I get home.

In the meantime, I may load up DOSBox on the ancient PC (running a 1GHz Athlon with a fresh blob of thermal grease) and load up a few titles from GOG.com to bide the time.

Or just play TF2 and check out the new update.

Or play any of the absurd number of games in my backlog.

...But seriously, I really want to get this new PC running, if only so I can play Guild Wars 2 when it comes out (and, of course, goes on sale).

 

[ursen]

When I custom ordered my system back in 09 I had a 700 watt power supply put in to have lots of elbow room for peak demands, and for upgrading on video card and other items. Without going into lots of wall of text, effective usable power for a power supply is always less than the rated, the percentage is variable with make and quality of power supply. A very rough rule of thumb is get one that is approximatly 30% more than what you anticipate your peak needs will be, now and in the future. The difference in cost between wattage output is not really that great. Give the old he-man grunt and get one that is greater than expected.

edit:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182199
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3255392&CatId=1079

 

[ewoksrule]

I agree, buy 600w minimum.

 

[Tek7@Work]

I'd be more willing to drop a larger chunk of change on a power supply if I knew it would get the machine up and running.

There's a possibility, no matter how remote, that the mainboard, processor, and/or video card were damaged in transit and are fried. My wife and I are currently shopping for a new or used vehicle, so I'm wanting to keep my expenses as low as possible and don't want to take a gamble for $40, let alone $80+.

Given the symptoms (no POST, no video, no beep codes, fans spin up and stay spinning, nothing smells like smoke), do the tech experts among you think that a PSU would resolve the issue?

That being said: I know it's a longshot, but I don't suppose anyone has a spare 400+W power supply with a 24-pin connector? ^^;;

 

[Tek7@Work]

This 20-24 pin adapter might serve my testing purposes nicely.

I figure if I can pull the video card and get the machine to put with just the mainboard (which has onboard VGA), RAM, and processor connected with my 400W PSU + the 20-24 pin adapter, I can buy a better power supply with confidence.

 

[ursen]

A bad power supply does not always smell burnt, or smoke, but it will always give you some really odd errors, easily diagnosed as other bad components. Also there is a good chance that it will fry other components. People want all the latest and greatest in mobo, video card, drives etc., but forget about the cornerstone of the system, the power supply. It has been a long time since I went through A+ training, but I have on my personal systems run into bad power supplies that drove me nuts, even if it is a bad mobo the investment in a good power supply will always pay for itself, even if you go through 1 or 2 mobos on the same system. Experience there. Go ahead and try the adapter, it is cheap, but be ready to spend some cash after that.

 

[Odale]

I ended up having to plug a 20-pin power connector into a 24-pin mainboard power input, so I'm thinking that's likely the issue. But I don't know.

You did what?!

I'm thinking of ordering this power supply and just installing it in the case I already have.

Don't do that.

So it looks like the ASUS P5KPL-CM does require a 24-pin connector, though I haven't been able to confirm that with 100% certainty.

I can confirm that, I counted the connectors. Come on Tek!

I'd be more willing to drop a larger chunk of change on a power supply if I knew it would get the machine up and running.

<Grabs you.> Go to a brick and mortar store and buy a PSU, put it in the pc and see if that fixes it. If it does, then return that one and scour the interwebs for a cheaper one.

<Odale breathes into a paper sack.>

As a general rule of thumb, if it doesn't fit... don't use it.

 

[Tek7]

Multiple forum posts I found online stated that there shouldn't be any issue with plugging a 20-pin power connector into a 24-pin power connection on MOST mainboards.

The only PSU with a 24-pin connector I was able to find at work was a 280W PSU. I disconnected everything but the mainboard, CPU, and RAM, connected it, hit the power button, and...nothing. No video, no POST, no beeps--just like with the 400W PSU with the 200-pin connector. But seeing as the PSU is 120W short of the recommended PSU, I don't know if that means anything or not.

The more evidence I gather, the more I suspect the mainboard. If it is the mainboard, I'll simply have to shelve the entire computer and wait until I can build a new computer from the ground up (which will likely be several months from now, if not longer).

At this point, it looks like I won't be playing GW2 for a long, long time.

 

[ewoksrule]

wait , is this your new parts not working or your old ones?

 

[Tek7]

wait , is this your new parts not working or your old ones?

New ones. But they may be perfectly fine. I'm just trying to pin down whether the mainboard, processor, or power supply is the culprit.

Update: I tested my 400W 20-pin power supply with a multimeter and the -12VDC rail returned 10.57V, which, according to this list, is below the minimum voltage.

My plan now is to call local computer stores, ask for their prices on name brand 600W PSUs (as well as their return policy), buy a power supply, take it home, see if the system boots, and go from there.