hmmm is that a balancer board i seen in the background @Possyguset
@NextGenVR
The people who assembled your pc did not know what the where doing. the cable that splits into 2… those are supposed to go into the singe connector on the MB with 8 pins, the cable is semi detachable.
If you have trouble with the 24 pin connector, try to get as much room for your fingers, then depress the clip and instead of pulling on the plug, just give it a push before pulling. this might help the clip getting loose, to me it sounds like this is the issue.
LED controller on the back most likely, and yeah you just have to push on the tab and yank, it can be rough. One finger against the mobo to prevent it from flexing, the other hand pushing the button and pulling. It’ll be fine.
Good PSU choice, I’m currently using that one as well.
DANGEROUSLY WRONG. Modular ATX PSU connectors are NOT standardized anywhere near well enough to preclude reversed polarity and wrong voltage unsafe connections. In fact, even the ATX side is not well standardized enough for this - I have found the Server and Desktop CPU power sockets to have the same physical fitness and reversed polarity, which I resolved by swapping pins. Out of a dozen or so PSUs, I have gone through at least two situations wrong polarity.
@NextGenVR
Do NOT rely on power supply plug shapes alone. Since you bought a new desktop PC PSU though, it should not be a problem. Also, it is normal for the 24pin motherboard power connector to require a lot of force. If it is really bad, you may have to take the motherboard out of the case entirely to do this safely. However, I find it is usually possible to wiggle the connector out side-to-side.
@Possyguset
Hey, that’s really cool. I love XT60 power connectors, they should be used on more circuit boards. We PC builders would probably have a lot less problems if those were used for 12V CPU/GPU power instead of Molex.
That sounds more like a QA issue or using a specialized psu meant for a specific mb type. Of which QA miss in a lottery is always possible. A psu tester is a good purchase imho even if not building all the time.
You can get fairly inexpensive ones for ones needs.
No, it was definitely not a QA issue. The server PSU legitimately had a different CPU power output polarity from what I needed for my early VR desktop. Some of my modular PSUs have had different polarities with physically compatible cabling as well.
EDIT: A bit tired here, so I missed the ‘specialized psu meant for a specific mb type’ part. That is sort of true, but it was a desktop sized ATX PSU for a standard server motherboard with standard connectors, not like rackmount or made just for a specific model motherboard. It would have been an easy mistake to make if I hadn’t been very wary of that sort of problem.
Good point. I was referring to the other ends of the cable, not the ends that plug into the power supply itself. I’ve not run into that problem, but I have heard of it.
And those other ends are also NOT standardized well enough to trust based on physical compatibility.
In this case, dmel642 probably doesn’t have anything to worry about. But in general, this is a problem, and it is a good idea to use a PSU tester or something similar.
I think You’re exaggerating/overcomplicating things a bit here…
Sure, the big guys use proprietary stuff in their PC’s, but if we’re talking the usual desktop/gaming DYI brands it’s not rocket science and should be fairly straight forward.
This coming from a person who’s been building PC’s for 20+ Years and has quite a bit of experience with HP/Dell/Fujitsu/IBM (worked there for 13 Years) server hardware too.
Overcomplicating? Maybe. Exaggerating, probably not. More likely, I am risking being pedantic, but for good cause.
The connectors have different shapes, so that you can’t plug a connector into the wrong socket or insert it with the wrong orientation (flipped).
This is a very broad statement, which can be catastrophically wrong, why I objected. Sure, it’s a rare problem, especially for most desktop/gaming PC builders. But it does happen.
The best way to deal with this problem is just to not plug in your hard disks before booting up with something like fans attached to the same Molex/SATA power connectors.
No, it is perfectly valid observation. It may go “catastrophically wrong” if you are blind, stoned and do not know what you are doing. Apart from that you are safe.
Getting into a train can also go catastrophically wrong if, instead of climbing into the car, you jump under the train, yet it is considered perfectly normal to use the train as a means of transportation.
I don’t want to drag this thread into a debate, but there is no obvious indication regarding the difference in server CPU power wiring polarity. There is no labeling, or color coding, on both sides of the connector, to hint something is catastrophically wrong. By every indication, it looks like a normal ATX PSU, is exactly the same size, has the same labeling, and the connectors fit the same way. But one is wired opposite polarity.
Whereas jumping under a train is just ridiculous and stupid.
Okay Matthew, you’re scaring me away from installing the new PSU myself. I have zero knowledge of what these cables mean and the only reason I will know where they go is because I took photos of where my previous PSU cables where plugged into. How do I know which way is the correct polarity?
Maybe I should have a computer shop install the new PSU.
@NextGenVR
Don’t be scared away. You’re fine. This doesn’t apply to you. I was just trying to address a dangerous misconception neal_white_iii might have unintentionally or unknowingly written in. One that affects other users of this forum.
All of the power connectors you are working with will only fit if they are correct, so long as you don’t try to use the modular cables from the old PSU with the new one.
It is still a good idea not to plug your disks in, but in your case, it really should be fine.
Most computer shops probably won’t be as careful as you can be anyway.
Neal only mentioned if using the same psu that the modular cables will match of the same manufacturer which is true.
As for motherboard connectors they are standard unless your dealing with some proprietary pre built systems. Ie old compaqs and such that made their own psu.
Okay thanks. One more question. How do I tell if I have a bad power supply? I bought it brand new from BestBuy but you never know. I don’t have a PSU tester.
