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Computer Build Resource Thread - Page 377

Forum Index > Tech Support
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When using this resource, please read FragKrag's opening post. The Tech Support forum regulars have helped create countless of desktop systems without any compensation. The least you can do is provide all of the information required for them to help you properly.
skyR
Profile Joined July 2009
Canada13817 Posts
June 28 2011 18:09 GMT
#7521
@ whersmyspacebar

Coolermaster Hyper TX3, or Scythe Mugen 2.

@Melancholia

The 4th pin on the fan header is for fan control. If there is no fan plugged into the cpu fan header, most motherboards won't start or will display a warning during boot-up regarding a missing CPU fan. There's nothing wrong with interchanging a 3pin and 4pin fan header.
JingleHell
Profile Blog Joined March 2011
United States11308 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-06-28 18:13:53
June 28 2011 18:12 GMT
#7522
On June 29 2011 02:56 Melancholia wrote:
Well son of a bitch, I'm an idiot. The CPU fan *wasn't* spinning. Plugged it into the system fan slot and it started running just fine, about 35C. Though out of curiousity, is there likely to be any impact having a four-pronged fan connector in a 3-prong slot? What's that fourth prong for? Also, should I be concerned that the fan doesn't run in he CPU fan slot?


Nah, 4th pin is just a ground, as long as you aren't doing anything retarded inside your case, you should be fine. Check your BIOS PC health status to configure the fan control.
@skyR, I thought the 4th pin was the ground? Or am I thinking backwards on the header/connector?
skyR
Profile Joined July 2009
Canada13817 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-06-28 18:14:09
June 28 2011 18:14 GMT
#7523
The first pin is ground. The fourth pin is for PWM aka fan control.
JingleHell
Profile Blog Joined March 2011
United States11308 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-06-28 18:16:55
June 28 2011 18:16 GMT
#7524
Ground is the one that gets thrown out on a 3 pin connector, I thought... my Tricool on my CPU cooler is a 3pin, going to the mobo CPU header with 4 pins, and it's controlled, but no ground.

But then, I have to change it in BIOS for it to work that way, maybe my motherboard is smarter than me...
Bambipwnsu
Profile Blog Joined November 2010
Canada698 Posts
June 28 2011 18:19 GMT
#7525
When I bought from NCIX a couple months ago, I don't think they were happy when they figured I pricematched some OCZ Vendetta 2 heatsink to almost 50% and so they gave me this with a fan that usually doesn't come with the vendetta 2...some 2 pin one that I couldn't fit on the motherboard and had to cram in one of my case fans connectors. It would have been fine if they gave me the adapter that is illustrated in the guide but that didnt come as well.

Needless to say it was pretty fail from NCIX.

Anyways there was also some other fails which i documented with pictures and that I have yet to (be not lazy) and b@tch at NCIX for. lol

/endrant
LoL @ NA: bambipwnsu
skyR
Profile Joined July 2009
Canada13817 Posts
June 28 2011 18:29 GMT
#7526
On June 29 2011 03:16 JingleHell wrote:
Ground is the one that gets thrown out on a 3 pin connector, I thought... my Tricool on my CPU cooler is a 3pin, going to the mobo CPU header with 4 pins, and it's controlled, but no ground.

But then, I have to change it in BIOS for it to work that way, maybe my motherboard is smarter than me...


A 3pin header has ground (black), voltage (red or yellow), and monitor.
FryktSkyene
Profile Joined December 2010
United States1327 Posts
June 28 2011 18:30 GMT
#7527
Ok so I'm gonna need some help here if possible..

I'm on a laptop now since my computer died and I'm getting sick of playing on it.

I'm not the smartest guy when it comes to computers. In fact im probably the dumbest

But none the less, i'm need need of a new computer so I was hopeing someone here could help me.

----------
I live in USA
Budget is around 700-800 dollars. (Maybe flexible a bit)
Hopeing to make a computer that can run sc2 at some of the highest settings without hitting any lag, aswell as haveing other things open at the same time. (Playlists for music, a stream or 2, etc.)
----------

Thanks in advance for anyone who helps
Snitches get stiches
Melancholia
Profile Joined March 2010
United States717 Posts
June 28 2011 18:35 GMT
#7528
On June 29 2011 03:09 skyR wrote:
@Melancholia

The 4th pin on the fan header is for fan control. If there is no fan plugged into the cpu fan header, most motherboards won't start or will display a warning during boot-up regarding a missing CPU fan. There's nothing wrong with interchanging a 3pin and 4pin fan header.

Well, I'm posting from the computer so clearly the motherboard didn't put up a fuss. Thanks for putting my mind at ease though.
skyR
Profile Joined July 2009
Canada13817 Posts
June 28 2011 18:37 GMT
#7529
@FryktSkyene

You didn't mention whether you needed an operating system or not and whether you will be overclocking or not. Since you said you're not the smartest when it comes to computers, I'll assume you won't be overclocking and will be needing an operating system. Here's a configuration capable of playing Starcraft II on high at 1080p and stream for $789 before mail in rebates:

Intel Core i5 2400 @ $190
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115074

MSI Radeon HD6850 Cyclone @ $170 ($150 after mail in rebate)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127576

Asrock H61M U3S3 @ $75
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157236

Corsair CX430 V2 @ $45 ($35 after mail in rebate)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026

GSkill 1333MHz 2x4GB @ $65
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231424

Coolermaster HAF 912 @ $60 ($50 after mail in rebate)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119233

Samsung Spinpoint F3 @ $65
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

DVD Burner @ $19
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289

Windows 7 Home Premium x64 @ $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986
Myrmidon
Profile Blog Joined December 2004
United States9452 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-06-28 18:46:25
June 28 2011 18:45 GMT
#7530
Uh, I've got to say...you're not going to run much of anything without a ground wire. The 4th pin is the PWM control signal. The fan is then responsible for modulating the +12V. However, you can still do fan speed control for a fan with a 3-pin header by directly modulating the +12V line. With a PWM signal, the voltage supplied switches back and forth rapidly from +12V and 0V (on or off). The higher percentage of the time that it spends at +12V, the closer it is to a pure +12V line and the faster the fan will go.
http://www.allpinouts.org/index.php/Motherboard_(CPU)_4_Pin_Fan

@FryktSkyene:
edit: late, but this was mostly just copy+paste anyway

+ Show Spoiler [build] +
Core i5-2400 and Rosewill Blackbone - $222
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.669544

AsRock H61M-VS - $60
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157241

Mushkin 2 x 2GB DDR3 RAM - $35
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146748

Gigabyte GTX 560 - $190, $170 AMIR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125383

Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB - $45
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136073

Samsung CD / DVD burner - $19
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151233

Antec Earthwatts Green 430D - $45
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371034
Zepish
Profile Joined June 2008
Canada160 Posts
June 28 2011 20:20 GMT
#7531
Hey guys, this thread seems like the place to ask so here I go :

I'm trying to build a computer, wich I'll buy in around 1 month when I get the money to do so. My total budget will be around 1000$ including the screen, so that probably means around 800$ for the computer itself.

I live in Montreal, Canada, I think I will order from NCIX.com, it has been recommended by a lot of my friends.

I'll be using my computer to game, but shouldnt be the priority. I want to be able to run SC2, And recent games but not necessarily at the highest quality setting. I'm programming a lot, and design websites, so I also use Photoshop often.

As I'm a total noob, I don't plan to overclock my computer, except maybe if you guys really recommend so.

I dont need an OS, I will be using Ubuntu mostly, and I already have Windows 7 at home.

I'm not too sure about Crossfire/SLI so I would need help about that too.

I think thats pretty much it! Hope you guys can help, I'm a bit lost in all that hardware!

Thanks a lot,




Myrmidon
Profile Blog Joined December 2004
United States9452 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-06-28 20:27:12
June 28 2011 20:26 GMT
#7532
NCIX has weekly sales that change...every week, so check back when you're buying.

Probably you're looking at something like an i5-2400, socket 1155 motherboard (a cheaper one, H61/H67), HD 6850 (or GTX 460/560 or something like that), 8GB DDR3 RAM, SSD, HDD, optical drive, 380W PSU, case.
Zepish
Profile Joined June 2008
Canada160 Posts
June 28 2011 20:28 GMT
#7533
Thanks I'll look into those, is 8GB over kill ? I see a lot of people suggesting getting more that 4GB is useless...
JingleHell
Profile Blog Joined March 2011
United States11308 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-06-28 20:31:28
June 28 2011 20:31 GMT
#7534
On June 29 2011 05:28 Zepish wrote:
Thanks I'll look into those, is 8GB over kill ? I see a lot of people suggesting getting more that 4GB is useless...


8GB is a good idea, but cutting to 4 is a great way to shave some money without costing yourself actual performance, just multitasking ability.

You can always add another 4GB of RAM, but half a video card or CPU is a bit trickier.
NeonFox
Profile Joined January 2011
2373 Posts
June 28 2011 20:36 GMT
#7535
Hello, you helped me with a computer build I posted yesterday, and suggested I should get a ASROCK P67 PRO3 motherboard, wich I will since it seems a great choice but I just have a question with the ram to associate with it.

On their website they list the types of ram that work with it :

http://www.asrock.com/mb/memory.asp?Model=P67 Pro3 ) and I'm having a hard time finding ram on the website I plan buying on.

The rams in CP9 and 1333Mhz you recommend I can find on the site are all here :

http://www.rueducommerce.fr/Composants/24-Barrettes-Memoires/1812-Memoires-DDR3.htm?fa[]=IT_MEMORY_CAPACITY:523&fa[]=IT_MEMORY_TYPE:1537&fa[]=IT_MEMORY_CAS_LATENCY:1538&pma=

Is there really nothing in there that will work with the Asrock?
skyR
Profile Joined July 2009
Canada13817 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-06-28 20:39:37
June 28 2011 20:37 GMT
#7536
@Zepish

Overclocking is so easy these days so you might as well do it. Canadian pricing is also ridiculously low in comparison to the states for some odd reason. Here's an overclockable configuration capable of playing most games on reasonably high settings at 1080p and streaming for $802 before mail in rebateas:

Intel Core i5 2500k @ $210 (pricematch with http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=12200BD1527 )
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=57962

EVGA GTX 560 Ti -AR @ $244 ($214 after mail in rebate) (pricematch with http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=11610BD1412 )
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=58347

Gigabyte Z68MA D2H @ $115 (pricematched with http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=11830BD5085 )
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=61004

GSkill Ripjaws X 1333MHz 2x4GB @ $61 (pricematch with http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=15380BD8579 )
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=57950

XFX Core Edition Pro 450w @ $47 ($37 after mail in rebate) (pricematch with http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=15180AC2804 )
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=59614

Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB @ $35 (pricematch with http://canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?&item_id=036109 )
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=58402

Coolermaster HAF 912 @ $49 (pricematch with http://www.bestdirect.ca/products/230752/COOLERMASTER/RC_912_KKN1/ )
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=55583

Coolermaster Hyper 212+ @ $22 (pricematch with http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=11130AC8843 )
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=41337

DVD Burner @ $19 (pricematch with http://www.bestdirect.ca/products/234763/GH24NS70/LG Electronics/ )
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=60857


@NeonFox

Any DDR3 kit will work with the motherboard. The ones on Asrock's list and any other manufacturer's list has just been tested to work with the board. Motherboard manufacturers can't go testing the thousands of different memory kits.
Myrmidon
Profile Blog Joined December 2004
United States9452 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-06-28 20:39:45
June 28 2011 20:38 GMT
#7537
That depends on what you're doing in Photoshop I'd say. For gaming performance, over 4GB is not necessary. Also, the cheaper motherboards have only two slots for RAM, so you may as well get two sticks of 4GB if it might be needed and if it fits in budget.

Depending on how much you care about color accuracy for working on websites--though granted, people looking at them are going to be doing it primarily on TN panels--spending like $280 on the monitor for one of those eIPS panels and cutting slightly back on something or extending the budget slightly may be a good idea.

edit: I think getting an SSD for loading applications (Photoshop, Visual Studio, other IDEs?), holding scratch space for programming/compiling, etc., will make more of an impact than overclocking the CPU for that kind of work.
Zepish
Profile Joined June 2008
Canada160 Posts
June 28 2011 20:44 GMT
#7538
Alright, Thanks Myrmidon and Skyr. I think I will also need a 1TB Hard Drive as I plan to dual boot Ubuntu and Windows 7... I dont know what you guys think about that.


I think getting an SSD for loading applications (Photoshop, Visual Studio, other IDEs?), holding scratch space for programming/compiling, etc., will make more of an impact than overclocking the CPU for that kind of work.


SSD is kind of expensive! Is it useless to go for the cheap ones ? Or just having some kind of SSD will already be good enough?
Myrmidon
Profile Blog Joined December 2004
United States9452 Posts
June 28 2011 21:03 GMT
#7539
Oh yeah that's right I forgot: you use Linux for development like most sane people.

Um, how expensive it will be depends on how much space you need. Ideally you'd want Ubuntu, Windows, whatever applications you use commonly on both, and whatever programming projects/files you are working on, on the SSD. Games can go on mechanical storage as can all types of data. How much space do you need in Linux?

Most modern SSDs are good enough, as in the difference between the cheaper SSDs and top SSDs is much smaller than the difference between fast mechanical storage and the cheaper SSDs. Maybe look at an Intel 320 80GB for about $160? With the kinds of parts I listed, no CPU overclocking, and a $180 monitor or so, that fits into a $1000 budget.
skyR
Profile Joined July 2009
Canada13817 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-06-28 21:05:06
June 28 2011 21:04 GMT
#7540
Any SSD you can buy right now will provide a noticeable difference over a HDD. A Crucial C300 64gb which is still a very good SSD can often be had for as low as $80 after mail in rebate ($100-$110 before). If you want to accommodate a SSD in my suggested configuration, you can drop down to a Radeon HD6850 or GTX 460 1GB which is around $160-$180.

If you don't want to overclock or want to lower the total further, you can step down to a H61 / H67 motherboard which are around $80, step down to a core i5 2400 which is around $180, and remove the Hyper 212+. This would take roughly $70 off the total.

You can find 1TB HDDs for around $50 - $70 depending on the brand and line you'd prefer.

If you don't want to deal with mail in rebates, you can get a Corsair CX430 for $40 instead of the XFX power supply. The Corsair CX430 also sometimes goes on sale for $30 or $35 as well.
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