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1) Like the Antec case. But basically provided a bag of screws. No place in manual describes what screw goes where (other than odd looking screw used for HD placement with associated installed rubber grommets). There were 2 possible screws that fit into the MOBO standoffs. Used the ones that had a rounded washer type ring around the head of the screw. These seemed to resemble the screws on my previous MOBO. When tightening the screws, I knew not to tighten to hard as you do not want to crack the MOBO. About half of them I could attach snug but not tight. The other half could not be attached in a snug manner. You just keep on turning them and the do not tighten any more. I tested the these screws in a MOBO standoff not attached to the case. When half way in, the screw seems firmly attached but does have some give in the along the axis of the screw. I assume this is designed this way to make a secure connection but prevent over tightening of the screws?
I was surprised to heard that it did not come with instructions. You did a good job by using your best judgment on the decisions. You are correct that those type are designed to prevent over-tightening.
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2) The processor heatsink/fan connection to the MOBO. My Soltek MOBO states to attach to the CPU fan header. The only headers I see are labeled Fan1, Fan2, and Fan3. I presume they are all the same. I attached the CPU fan to Fan1 as it was closest to CPU. Upon power up the fan does work but I have no way to know of the rotational speed. My basic question is: I assume it doesn't matter if I connect to Fan1, Fan2, or Fan3. Reading the MOBO manual, all 3 fan connectors have a sensor on them to determine the fan speed with software. But I think I need to install software to do this (as opposed to being able to detect fan speed through the BIOS). The Antec PSU has a sensor cable that I have attached to Fan2. I'm almost positive this is used to monitor the speed of the PSU fan. The 120mm fan does not have this sensor type cable that attaches to Fan1, Fan2, etc. It is powered straight from the PSU with a large 4 pin connector. Do all of my connections sound right?
All of the fan connections are correct. Typically, you go in order (fan1, fan2, ect...), in the order that you need them. If you have one fan, you only use fan1, if you have 2 fans, you use fan1 and fan2, ect... If you have a driver disk with the MOBO, then the sensor programs will be there. Another place to find them would be to google for <MOBO name> temp sensors. IMHO, if you do not overclock, then the default settings should suffice.
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3) Installed the DVDRW. Only problem is I bought it OEM through Newegg. Did not come with the CDin cable that attaches to the MOBO. I assume I need this. Tried to use the analog cable that I had previously on my DVD ROM and old CDRW, but these are 2 short. There is an adjacent smaller set of pins marked digital on all 3 drives, but this was not connected on either drive on my old computer. I'm assuming I can just connect the analog CDin as previous, but need a longer cable. Any idea where I can get one of these cheap?
If you have a Frys, that would be the best place. Best Buy, and Circuit City would be my next choices, but they may not have them. I would use Radio Shack as a last resort, only because of the quality of products (just my opinion). Being that you are so close to finishing your computer, you may want to find a local store. Looking in your phone book under computer equipment and supplies may reveal places close to you that I am not aware of. In any choice of location, I would take your old cable with you, and tell them how much longer you need it. You want to make sure that you have the same kind of pin configuration.
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4) Pamphlet that came with CPU and MOBO manual talked about using thermal grease when installing heatsink. The actual CPU manual as well as video on AMD's site just talked about removing plastic over heatsink and placing heatsink directly onto processor. There is a thermal adhesive that was already on the heatsink. Am I correct in assuming that I did not need to use ADDITIONAL thermal paste? I get the impression that users who change CPU's often may remove existing adhesive and apply different thermal paste as the thermal adhesive that comes with the heatsink can be difficult to remove if you have to do this down the road. For the average user like me who is going to use the same CPU for a long time, using the stock thermal adhesive is fine. Am I correct in this assumption?
Yes, you are correct that what is already on there will be sufficient for your needs.
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5) My case looks like it had an animal in it. Wires everywhere. What is the best way to deal with this? 1) Leave it alone? I assume this would compromise air flow. 2) Buy cheap wire ties to make appearance better? 3) I think they sell cable wraps or something along this line specifically for this purpose. Is this necessary? And if these are very helpful, where can I get them cheaply?
Controlling wire placement not only makes it easier for air flow, but if your case has a transparent side, then it will look much better. You can go with the wire tie method, but not the cheap kind. Make sure that they are at least rated for electrical wires. You can get them at any hardware store, in a variety of colors. As a guess, a package of 20 would be under $5. If you do use them, cut the extra off carefully with a sharp pair of scissors.
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Have bought a new Seagate IDE 160GB drive and I'm using an older Maxtor 20GB drive as a slave. I'm about to begin installing Windows XP on the 160GB drive. I was planning on using just one partition on this drive. Are there any pros/cons to using multiple partitions on this drive. The other 20GB HD will be used primarly for crucial data backup. Thanks for the help.
Have partitioned my 160GB into a 20GB (Windows and Applications) and a 140GB partition for my data.
Will use my older 20GB slave drive for data backup.
Have partitioned my 160GB into a 20GB (Windows and Applications) and a 140GB partition for my data.
Will use my older 20GB slave drive for data backup.
Many people have large HDs and they do not partition them. It is the same people that do not know the advantage of doing so. The main ones are speed and reliability. When you partition, the computer sees it as different drives. If one of your files is corrupted on one of the drives, it will not affect the other ones. When you back up from one drive to another, then you can restore the damaged file easily. The increase in speed comes in that when you defrag or clean out files, it does not have to search the entire HD. In time, you will see more of the advantage.
About the long post-its ok. I do not mind, and I do not think anyone else does either. Good job so far!
