Teach A Baby How to Connect!

[nymzee]

Hello all,

First post on here but looking for some help after watching near 1 billion YT videos and have them all more or less skip over the PSU/general cable connections part.

I was in the process of upgrading an SSD on my 10-year old rig when I decided to just finally build my own full rig. Almost all of the parts arrived yesterday so I managed to get everything bar the GPU (coming Wednesday) installed but when it came to the cabling I almost had an aneurysm. I am a complete novice when it comes to the hardware side of PC's.

My new rig:

CPU: Ryzen 5 3600X (Wraith Spire cooler included)
Motherboard: MSI B450 Tomahawk Max
GPU: GTX 1650S ROG Strix
SSD: Samsung 860 EVO 1TB
HDD: Seagate BarraCuda 4TB
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB)
Power: Corsair RM750
Fans: 2x Corsair ML120 RGB inc. Lighting Node PRO
Case: NZXT H500i

Can anyone give me a really simple answer as to what cabling I need and where it goes? Or a decent YT tutorial I may have missed? I've got a ridiculous amount of cables in all the boxes now. I think I maybe bit off more than I can chew getting a case with a smart device & RGB fans as the lighting node baffles me.

So far I know the obvious:

- 24-pin cable from PSU directly into MOBO for power
- 8-pin cable from PSU directly into MOBO for CPU
- I think because I don't have an Intel MOBO I have to connect the case F_connect cable (LED) from the smart device to the short f_connect "connector" then into the MOBO?
- I can have one cable from PSU with some SATA connectors on it to connecto to my SSD (mounted on back of MOBO) and HDD in driver rack

After that I am lost... quite overwhelmed by all the cables and connections.

This is the smart device:

- I presume the LED cable is what I need to connect into the MOBO with the f_connect "connector"?
- USB I'm assuming goes directly into the MOBO (will I have enough USB slots on the MOBO for all the connections?)
- Fan 1 and 2 are connected to the 2 exhaust case fans, but wondering if I need to remove the FAN 3 cable to somehow link up the lightning node pro or this cable connects to the lightning node pro?




Much appreciated if anyone can help at all.

 

[ne6togadno]

f-panel connector from case (with non intel extension) goes to jfp1 on mobo https://download.msi.com/archive/mnu_exe/mb/E7C02v1.3.pdf p.26&27
led from smart should be going to jrgb1 or jrgb2 on mobo
usb from smart goes to jusb1 or jusb2 on mobo.
fan ports are only for fans dont attach anything else on them
you should be fine on available usb quantities


you may have troubles with corsair ram. if you havent unpacked it yet you'd be better replace it for gskill trident 3600, patriot viper steel 3600 or team group 3600 (i think model name was t-force)

 

[nymzee]

f-panel connector from case (with non intel extension) goes to jfp1 on mobo https://download.msi.com/archive/mnu_exe/mb/E7C02v1.3.pdf p.26&27
led from smart should be going to jrgb1 or jrgb2 on mobo
usb from smart goes to jusb1 or jusb2 on mobo.
fan ports are only for fans dont attach anything else on them
you should be fine on available usb quantities


you may have troubles with corsair ram. if you havent unpacked it yet you'd be better replace it for gskill trident 3600, patriot viper steel 3600 or team group 3600 (i think model name was t-force)

Thanks buddy, what does the 'j' denote on the MOBO ports then? This was one thing that confused me the most wondering if it mattered which of the 6 SATA connections to use etc. for my pieces.

Do you refer to the RAM because it's not on the QVL for my MOBO? I wondered this but I read online a couple of people using it and it working. Unfortunately it's already installed on my MOBO however if I get it up and running & stuff crashes I'll know where to look.

 

[oxrufiioxo]

Ram issues with corsair lpx/ryzen seem to be more prevalent than with other brands.

 

[ne6togadno]

Thanks buddy, what does the 'j' denote on the MOBO ports then? This was one thing that confused me the most wondering if it mattered which of the 6 SATA connections to use etc. for my pieces.

Do you refer to the RAM because it's not on the QVL for my MOBO? I wondered this but I read online a couple of people using it and it working. Unfortunately it's already installed on my MOBO however if I get it up and running & stuff crashes I'll know where to look.

j comes from jumper cause those connectors look similar to jumpers on old mobos. this is my guess for msi's logic behind j infront of the connectors names. for us as users j is meaningless.

for sata connections doesnt really matter. during POS sata connectors are initialized 1 by 1 starting from number 0 till last bit difference is within nano seconds and wont have noticeable effect on boot times. use whichever fits. just make sure data sata cable are not twisted and bent too much. you can also use 90° connectors of the cables at mobo side if you like.

corsair ram and ryzen have love-hate relationship (hate is less with ryzen 3000 series). for some it is just plug and play, others cant make them run past 2133 no matter what.
since it is already installed try it. if it works fine (xmp profiles may not work so set ram speed in the bios from the list). if it doesnt make your life easier and replace it.

 

[nymzee]

j comes from jumper cause those connectors look similar to jumpers on old mobos. this is my guess for msi's logic behind j infront of the connectors names. for us as users j is meaningless.

for sata connections doesnt really matter. during POS sata connectors are initialized 1 by 1 starting from number 0 till last bit difference is within nano seconds and wont have noticeable effect on boot times. use whichever fits. just make sure data sata cable are not twisted and bent too much. you can also use 90° connectors of the cables at mobo side if you like.

corsair ram and ryzen have love-hate relationship (hate is less with ryzen 3000 series). for some it is just plug and play, others cant make them run past 2133 no matter what.
since it is already installed try it. if it works fine (xmp profiles may not work so set ram speed in the bios from the list). if it doesnt make your life easier and replace it.

Thanks, that's great help. I just spun the case round last night when everything was installed and gulped at the amount of case cables and amount of cables in the PSU's bag. Does it matter if I use all the SATA slots on one cable power-wise or should I try split them up? I'm just worried I'll miss something and when I power on it doesn't work or something pops.

I know I need all these powered up but just wish the component manuals simplified things. They seem to all be written in a condescending manner whereby they assume it's really simple to understand for novices.

- MOBO powered
- CPU powered
- GPU powered and connected to MOBO
- SSD/HDD to PSU (SATA) and MOBO (Data)
- Case powered
- Fans powered

 

[ne6togadno]

one cable for ssd/hdd is fine. use shortest that fits so it doesnt take too much space in the case.
your case have some cable ducts that look interesting but i havent used nzht case so no first hand xp with them

- MOBO powered
- CPU powered
- GPU powered and connected to MOBO
- SSD/HDD to PSU (SATA) and MOBO (Data)
- Case powered
- Fans powered

if you connected front panel properly (see p.5 of mobo manual) looks like you are ready to power it up.
check if fan of the cpu cooler is connected to cpu_fan1 and give it a try

 

[nymzee]

one cable for ssd/hdd is fine. use shortest that fits so it doesnt take too much space in the case.
your case have some cable ducts that look interesting but i havent used nzht case so no first hand xp with them


if you connected front panel properly (see p.5 of mobo manual) looks like you are ready to power it up.
check if fan of the cpu cooler is connected to cpu_fan1 and give it a try

Yes, cpu_fan1 was the first thing I connected as it was the most straightforward lol

I have some blue cable extensions coming today (my case is black/blue) as the 24-pin felt too tight coming through the cable management bar. To be fair, everything feels tight. The 8-pin for the CPU comes up through a gap right next to it on the MOBO and it feels like it's almost going in 180 degrees.

 

[ne6togadno]

bends on power cables are not big deal as their size is bigger. data cables usually are thinner and damage on them can cause a lot of problems till you find what exactly is wrong

 

[nymzee]

bends on power cables are not big deal as their size is bigger. data cables usually are thinner and damage on them can cause a lot of problems till you find what exactly is wrong

Thanks for all your help. I'm going to try get things hooked up tonight after I pick up my GPU. Hoping it works well.

Not sure if you know anything about monitors but I'm looking into upgrading/adding a new monitor as well since the one I use it a 10-year old Samsung SyncMaster (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-S24A350H-inch-Widescreen-monitor/dp/B004R9JEV6) which, whilst serving me well, could be used as a second monitor by now.

Was looking into maybe getting: ViewSonic XG2402

How do I work out which monitor is okay or overkill with my GPU? Do certain GPU's only go up to certain refresh rates?

 

[INSTG8R]

How do I work out which monitor is okay or overkill with my GPU? Do certain GPU's only go up to certain refresh rates?

Other way around I mean GPU power plays into it but the monitor is what determines the max refresh rate

 

[ne6togadno]

gpu refresh rate depends on the game you play.
for some old games you may have 200fps(hz) while on other you may barely hit 40fps.
you can read more about monitors at https://www.tftcentral.co.uk/articles.htm

check if those 2 fit your size/price

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[nymzee]

Okay lads, update on tonights work... my GPU didn't arrive so still got that to sort out but I think, think , everything else is hooked up. I have - drumroll please:

- 24pin from PSU to MOBO
- 8pin from PSU to CPU slot
- f_panel connector from smart device, through extension to jfp1
- LED from smart device to jrgb1
- USB from smart device to jusb1
- Audio into jaud1
- SATA cables from PSU to SSD & HDD
- data cable from SSD to SATA2
- data cable from HDD to SATA1
- data cable from Corsair Lighting Node Pro to jusb2
- Fan 1 (case) into smart device Fan3 slot
- Fan 2 (case) into smart device Fan2 slot
- 2x Corsair RGB fans connect to the Fan1 cable (which has 3 slots on it)
- RGB fans into Corsair RGB hub (SATA cable also attached to these from PSU)
- Corsair RGB hub connected to lighting node pro (SATA cable also attached to these from PSU)

Aside from connecting up the GPU when it arrives can anyone think if I've missed any vital connections or made an obvious error based on the components diagram? (https://download.msi.com/archive/mnu_exe/mb/E7C02v1.3.pdf - Page 26)

I'm hoping I can just set up the GPU tomorrow, tidy cables up and then power it up. Does a GPU need a USB slot? Or is it just GPU slot into PCI_E1 on MOBO and cable from PSU to GPU?

@ne6togadno

Actually, one thing confusing me : nothing is connected into the sys_fan1 on the MOBO? Shouldn't it?

 

[ne6togadno]

sys_fan[put number here] are for case fans. since you hooked them to smart box you dont really need to put anything there. sys_fan[put number here] headers dont have pin for rgb adjustment so if you connect there rgb fan you want be able to change colors of the fan. the fan itself will work just fine. single color/non rgb fans will work too.

looks like all cables are in place.
gpus dont need usb. just put it in the slot and connect pcie cable from psu and it is good to go.

you did pretty good job

 

[nymzee]

sys_fan[put number here] are for case fans. since you hooked them to smart box you dont really need to put anything there. sys_fan[put number here] headers dont have pin for rgb adjustment so if you connect there rgb fan you want be able to change colors of the fan. the fan itself will work just fine. single color/non rgb fans will work too.

looks like all cables are in place.
gpus dont need usb. just put it in the slot and connect pcie cable from psu and it is good to go.

you did pretty good job

Ah that’s fine then. Getting RGB fans was probably a poor choice in the end as I’m using them both as front in-take fans so they won’t even look good. I could swap them both for the existing case fans but I’m not so confident in doing that. I might also buy a riser to vertically mount my GPU eventually.

I’m still fully expecting it not to work when I switch on mind haha.

Some pics of how it looks for now:

 

[ne6togadno]

I could swap them both for the existing case fans but I’m not so confident in doing that.

it's not that hard you just need proper sized screw driver. but if you have to disassemble half of the case to remove front fans... i wouldnt bother.
you can start the pc even w/o gpu. you wont be able to do anything beside to see fans spinning and lights but this can help you decide if you want rgb fans swapped.
you can turn it off by holding power button pressed

NZXT H500i Review

The NZXT H500 and H500i present a smaller version of the H700 chassis, but employ the same steel construction. On top of that, the "i" variant features a built-in NZXT CAM module. With their retail-grade fans and well-executed features, the H500 cases are surprisingly affordable and have the...

www.techpowerup.com

some pictures there

 

[nymzee]

it's not that hard you just need proper sized screw driver. but if you have to disassemble half of the case to remove front fans... i wouldnt bother.
you can start the pc even w/o gpu. you wont be able to do anything beside to see fans spinning and lights but this can help you decide if you want rgb fans swapped.
you can turn it off by holding power button pressed

NZXT H500i Review

The NZXT H500 and H500i present a smaller version of the H700 chassis, but employ the same steel construction. On top of that, the "i" variant features a built-in NZXT CAM module. With their retail-grade fans and well-executed features, the H500 cases are surprisingly affordable and have the...

www.techpowerup.com

some pictures there

The case has a nice little frame at the front with thumb screws for installing fans so it would just be a case of swapping them around but as I say may be more hassle than it’s worth. I’ll take a look at it tonight with the fan cables to see if it’s an easy swap.

 

[Zach_01]

I’m still fully expecting it not to work when I switch on mind haha.

Come on man, show some confidence to your self. Most of us done a build alone for the first time... and successfully. And cables/connectors on a desktop PC are what I like to say... fool proof, or better newbie proof. You cant misuse anything, you cant plug anything wrong as it wont fit. If you didnt force anything excessively then do not worry. Make sure you CPU cooler is in good place/contact, and RAM modules sitting and hit the button...!!

 

[nymzee]

Come on man, show some confidence to your self. Most of us done a build alone for the first time... and successfully. And cables/connectors on a desktop PC are what I like to say... fool proof, or better newbie proof. You cant misuse anything, you cant plug anything wrong as it wont fit. If you didnt force anything excessively then do not worry. Make sure you CPU cooler is in good place/contact, and RAM modules sitting and hit the button...!!

I just know what my luck is like with tech haha. Nothing was forced in and I think it’s all hooked up so only time will tell.

————-

Does anyone know a built in/downloadable software to test CPU/GPU temperatures?

The H500i comes with an existing top fan (exhaust) and rear fan (exhaust) so I installed two intake fans because the front it closed. However now reading this may actually end up making it hotter inside compared to just leaving it as default (not sure how without any intake fans). Just want to be able to test in case I need to remove any fans.

 

[oxrufiioxo]

Aida 64 extreme for the CPU and unigine superposition for the GPU are my preferred free programs.

For paid I like 3dmarks... The free version doesn't have a stress test.

 

[Zach_01]

The H500i comes with an existing top fan (exhaust) and rear fan (exhaust) so I installed two intake fans because the front it closed. However now reading this may actually end up making it hotter inside compared to just leaving it as default (not sure how without any intake fans). Just want to be able to test in case I need to remove any fans.

2 fans intake, 2 fans exhaust is a good start...
Make the intakes throw in a little more air from the exhaust ones.

 

[ne6togadno]

I just know what my luck is like with tech haha. Nothing was forced in and I think it’s all hooked up so only time will tell.

————-

Does anyone know a built in/downloadable software to test CPU/GPU temperatures?

The H500i comes with an existing top fan (exhaust) and rear fan (exhaust) so I installed two intake fans because the front it closed. However now reading this may actually end up making it hotter inside compared to just leaving it as default (not sure how without any intake fans). Just want to be able to test in case I need to remove any fans.

the fans like they are now are ok. nzxt's late cases arent the best airflow performers but for cpu/gpu you have shouldnt be problem. if you consider to upgrade later to more powerful cpu and gpu you should consider (at least i would) changing the case.

 

[INSTG8R]

2 fans intake, 2 fans exhaust is a good start...
Make the intakes throw in a little more air from the exhaust ones.

Really I run it the other way? Exhaust a little more than Intake. My case is ”unique” in that it never gets dust inside but maybe I’m doing it wrong?

 

[oxrufiioxo]

Really I run it the other way? Exhaust a little more than Intake. My case is ”unique” in that it never gets dust inside but maybe I’m doing it wrong?

I think this is going to vary substantially case to case. I run mine identically in and out.

 

[nymzee]

the fans like they are now are ok. nzxt's late cases arent the best airflow performers but for cpu/gpu you have shouldnt be problem. if you consider to upgrade later to more powerful cpu and gpu you should consider (at least i would) changing the case.

Yeh it’s not like I’m a hardcore gamer or anything but I don’t want something running hotter than it should do. Guess it’ll be learning how to use the settings to optimise the PC in the end in regards to fan speed etc.