Corsair CX500M compatability Help?

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TheGameAce

TheGameAce

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Hey, I could really use some help here. Just got a Geforce GTX 970, and I needed a larger PSU to go with it, so I got with it a Corsair CX500M, ATX. I checked the previous PSU in my computer, and it was also ATX. Was a tight fit, but still worked.
The problem I'm facing now is, it was a refurb, and there was no instruction manual with it, so now I'm sort of lost on what plugs go where. I've figured out a few, but I'm not sure about the others. The computer that it's being installed in is a Gateway DX4300-22 model. The GTX barely fit, and now I can't figure out where all the plugs for the PSU go, if all of them even will work properly.
Desperate to get some help here so I can get back to the work I need to do on that computer :(
 
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CTurbo
I really really really recommend you do NOT use that psu. It uses low quality parts and will certainly not last very long. ESPECIALLY if it's a refurb.

Send it back if you can.
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TheGameAce

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Oh. I had heard Corsair was a great PSU. Any other Power Supplies around $30 - $40 that are the same wattage or higher, and better than that? (It also doesn't solve my problem, unless my GTX 970 will work with a crappy 300 watt, or I can figure out temporarily how to at least hook up this PSU) I don't honestly have much more time I can spare :(
Need the answer ASAP.
 
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Rogue Leader

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+1 a CX is bad enough a refurbed one is only compatible with a garbage can.
 
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TheGameAce

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Like I said. That's nice, but I need a solution right now. Will my old 300 watt PSU work with my GTX 970 for now until I get a new PSU, and what PSUs are out there that are better for around the same price.
 
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Rogue Leader

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No on the old PSU. Don't even bother.

As for your price range there is really nothing that cheap that is worth buying. For a little more (around $60-$70) you can get the XFX TS 550, and after rebates this is a killer deal and $10 off if you order today with the discount code:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207013&cm_re=xfx_ts_550-_-17-207-013-_-Product

 
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galeener

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You will find that a lot of comapanys don't make there own psus even if they brand them. Corsair does have some very good psus such as the ax, axi , hxi series. They use different companys to build different series of psus. here is a guide
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html.
Never skimp on the psu a bad one can cause a tone of headaches or kill your system.
For gaming and overclocking a tier 1 or 2 from the list a tier 3 will be ok for a basic system or on a tight budget. I would recomend nothing lower.

Since however you already have that psu you can search toms for a guide for replacing the power supply even youtube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgEYW4OxCGw
 
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Goattt

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Hi TheGameAce.

Your old 300W PSU will not work with your 970. It may work on idle but the second you utilize the GPU, the wattage supplied will not be enough to sustain the system and could cause further complications.

The 500W PSU you have should work fine until you can find a replacement, and as other users have suggested, it is recommended that you do as the CX brand is not known to be reliable, especially since it is refurbished.

Now, onto the cables. I am unsure of what you have done exactly, so I'll try to be as broad/vague as possible.

You are going to have a number of cables come from the PSU. The main power is going to be either a 20 or 24 pin cable called an ATX connector. This normally plugs in around the middle-right side of the motherboard.
Plug the 4 pin AUX connector to the slot which is close (depends on the motherboard) of your CPU. It provides additional power voltage to the CPU.
You will also have 6 or 8 pin connectors. These look similar to the AUX CPU connectors, but these plug directly into the side of your 970 Video card, depending on what is required by the GPU (some require double 6-pins, some double 8-pins).
Next you will have Sata power connectors. These provide power into your drives, whether they are Sata Hard drives or SSDs. I assume you aren't running any old IDE drives.
Other then whats listed above, you might require molex connectors that provide power elsewhere, often related to the case itself (such as a built in fan controller, or LEDs).
If your front connectors are plugged in, good. Otherwise, this can be the most frustrating part of plugging things in. The best advice I could give is refer to the motherboard manufacturer and just try your best. As long as you can get the power button working, the rest is somewhat irrelevant (e.g. you can get an additional USB hub for extra USB ports).

Once you've plugged the main connectors in, and you're sure they are plugged into the right area (Pay particular attention to the 4pin CPU plug and 6-8 pin GPU plugs. Do NOT confuse these), give it a test boot and see if you can get through to your desktop. If fans start spinning but no display, check the connectors around the CPU and the monitor itself. If you get nothing from pressing the power button, check the 20/24 pin ATX connector and the front power connector.

If you run into any further problems let me know.
Hope this has helped.


 
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rocket_sauce

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Newegg link from Rogue Leader is a great deal. 550w psu would be perfect for you as well. +1 Galeener is correct in that you shouldn't even try that psu. Your already lucky enough that you haven't killed most or all your computer parts. Now your taking a chance of killing your new GTX 970. PSU is a very important part of your PC if not the most important. Good luck.

Play with this link and get more familiar with PSU wattage requirements.
PSU Calculator
 
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rocket_sauce

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I didn't see it mentioned anywhere in this thread, but you may have extra cables/plugs coming from the PSU that you wont need. Also, make sure the PSU you buy has the correct plugs for your GTX 970. You may have got a plug adapter with your GTX (as long as you didn't buy that one refurbished as well). Refer to instruction manual that came with your GTX on the plug type.
 
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giantbucket

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CX430M and CX500M are fine power supplies as long as you don't try to push them beyond their limits. i have three, all work perfectly fine.

pictures or descriptions of what cables came with it, and what you're trying to plug into where.

the CX500M should have come with a PCIe (graphics card) cable that has an 8pin on one end that goes into the power supply (into the only 8pin socket) and two 6+2 connectors on the other end, for your graphics card.

it should also have come with some cables that have a 6pin block on one end and either wide flat SATA power connectors or the old 4pin Molex connectors. those are for your hard drives, DVD drives, fan controllers, etc.

the 24pin and 4+4pin should be hard-wired, and those are going to the motherboard.

pics of where you're having problems?
 
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giantbucket

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i'm on these forums way too often, and can't recall the last time i read a post about someone who had a CX that fried itself or their system. i do, however, see TONS of knee-jerk reactions to "replace your PSU!" as soon as someone mentions that they have a CX, regardless of what the actual system problem is.

and no, we didn't get lucky. one other guy got UNlucky.

it's like a hybrid something-or-other. it's a fallacy to say you get the BEST of both worlds. you don't. you get a mix. a mix of the good AND THE BAD parts. doing a hybrid doesn't magically eliminate the bad bits and double-down on the good bits. it's a hybrid. a compromise.
 
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Rogue Leader

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I will agree I haven't seen a CX be a fire hazard which is good. I can also agree this place can be WAY to quick to say "its your PSU". Heck I've seen responses to long elaborate questions written as just "its your PSU" with no troubleshooting, context, suggestions, etc (and it was the wrong answer). Some folks will dump on a PSU if its any less than tier 1/2, which you don't really need if its a basic non gaming system.

That said I've seen it myself far too many times gaming systems failing strangely when running games which push the hardware and PSU hard. And every time they replace their PSU (their often Corsair CX because its a VERY common and popular unit) the issues clear up. I would say that due to its popularity, proportionally more of them show up on these forums as issues, simply because there are more out there in the wild.

All that said, I would NEVER buy a refurb PSU, and especially one that is known to have issues, which is one of the reasons I'd still jump on replacing this one. Don't get me wrong I own a lot of refurbished electronics (both my cameras, one tv, tablet) and they can be great deals. But I also previously worked for a well known camera/printer company and I know that many refurbs of products that folks actualy touch/use end up refurb for no reason (damaged box, lied at the store to return it saying its broken, too dumb to use), but stuff (like a PSU) that is plugged in and kind of inert, those are the ones that had the real problems.
 
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TheGameAce

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Unfortunately I couldn't even utilize the CX500M. Apparently the idiots that refurbished it missed replacing several pins, so I had to go back to the 300W and just go back to the default Radeon 5450 graphics installed.

I ordered the PSU that Rogue linked me to already, so hopefully I'll have it by Tuesday, Wednesday at the latest.
Will I be able to OC my GTX at all with the extra 50 watts too?

@Rocket. Well, I guess I learn something new with computers every day. At first I thought all power supplies were relatively the same, minus the ones with the bronze, silver, gold, etc certifications. Then I realized there are different types such as ATX, and now I understand quite a bit more. I'll also know now to stay away from refurbished. Talked to a friend who does this stuff for a living, and he told me that too. Guess I shouldn't have been so hasty a week ago to not bother researching, and just order that PSU.
And don't worry; The GTX is brand new.

I'm actually only gonna be using the power supply for a few months until I can earn enough extra money to do a full custom build, which will need a 1000 watt PSU to run an FX-9590. Hence the reason I'm trying to keep costs low on this PSU, since it's just to run my GTX.

I'm just now a bit worried about the computer... I think I screwed something up when reinstalling the 300W. Now when the computer starts up, it does several beeps, and goes to some sort of bios screen asking me how to start up, showing F1 to run default values, and a bunch of other crap.
This also caused the time on the computer to reset to January 1st, 2010, and made all the drivers for my mouse, keyboard, etc, reinstall automatically, and messed with Firefox.

I will know now though, to stay away from the CX series from Corsair, and never buy refurbished, so thanks for teaching me that.
Any extra help (like the new issue I'm having, or just advice about what to look for) would be appreciated :)
 
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Rogue Leader

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Other than the power supply did you happen to unplug anything else? Is it possible you plugged those things in differently?

Sounds like your PC isn't seeing the drive that was set as the boot drive in the same spot. It may be because your BIOS reset (hence the time). How old is this motherboard? You may want to replace that battery, and on top of that go into the BIOS and make sure to set your main drive as the priority 1st boot device.
 
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TheGameAce

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As a matter of fact, I did unplug the hard drive and the optical drive, and might have accidentally switched their plug locations with eachother. Would switching them back fix the problem?

And otherwise, besides the PSU, I only unplugged the graphics card, but I've done that before with no issues, to solve a monitor issue with the signal. The motherboard is as old as the computer. Was manufactured between 2010 - 2012 I believe. It used to sit in my grandmother's house, and the computer was almost never used.

Also not fully sure with this computer what to do in the bios menu for setting the priority on the HDD. I've only learned a bit how to work with custom rigs that have different setups for that.
 
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Rogue Leader

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Swapping the plugs may solve the issue (especially if there is a DVD in the drive that is not bootable), however it depends how it is set in the BIOS. I would try that.

Every recent BIOS I've ever seen had the ability to change boot order, when you go in it should be one of the main selections, maybe on the right side of the menu. Make sure the hard drive is first (after you swap the cables).

If the motherboard is around 5 years old that battery may need replacement, if you find your time resetting when you unplug the PC from the wall then you should definitely replace it.
 
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TheGameAce

TheGameAce

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Yes it's an older PC, but it runs pretty well due to the fact it was never used. I've never had to reset once, and it runs quiet, cool, and smooth. I'll give the swapping a try later tonight when I have time to do so, and see if that fixes it, and check the bios too.
 
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