Wiring Instruction Needed

[destiny_driven]

I am a newbie doing my first build. I have prepared myself by watching many videos and reading what ever I could find on wiring the case from the PSU to the various components. However, I didn't plan to find what I have run into.

I have purchased a COOLER MASTER Storm Scout SGC-2000-KKN1-GP ATX Mid Tower Computer Case and a CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W ATX12V 2.2 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply. The Corsair PSU has some very impressive thick black cables to distribute the power. However, once I opened the case, I have found an entire wire harness of thinner wires running to fans, USB connections, etc.

The problems are:

1. There are so many cables that I am worried that I won't have enough air flow for an Intel I-7 920 running at 130 wats and a EVGA 017-P3-1295-AR CO-OP Edition GeForce GTX 295 1792MB 896 (448 x 2)-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card requiring a minimum of 680 watts of power. Although a Cooler Master V8 Nickel Plated Copper Base Aluminum Fins 8 Heatpipes Core i7 1366 CPU Cooler should help with the CPU heat.

2. It appears that Corsair went way overboard providing many more cables than needed and they are so thick that it will be extremely challenging to hide them, with the wire harness already behind the MOBO plate.

3. I am not sure what all of the cabling is for in the case. Cool Master drops the ball on their documentation. Basically, I could get more information from cave drawings. Cool Master seems more interested in providing their single sentence descriptions in 197 languages, than they are in actually providing helpful instruction to guide installation. No where in the technical documentation or on their website is the wire harness addressed.

So, I am taking a shot with you pros and hopefully someone out there can give me some much needed insight to plan a wiring strategy so that I can move forward with installing the actual components. Thank you in advance.

Gerry

 

[Twoboxer]

This is your first assembly, so you will NOT get the wiring perfect the first time. And you may encounter some surprises, like the first time you try to insert the back plate, and then the mobo into it.

I suggest you loosely assemble all standoffs needed for the mobo, the mobo (4 screws only, no cpu or cooler, DVD, HD, psu, then plug in all the cables including the cables from the case. Your mobo manual will probably be your best guide. As you do this, save all the twist ties that came along for the ride.

Look at the wiring and start to re-route it and "tie it off" with twist ties. Look at what you've done, and make some decisions as to how you will actually assemble the case. Extra power cables are tied up tight, and stored in the bottom of the case, in empty HD bays, spread out behind the mobo or other parts . . . anywhere you can to minimize blocking air movement.

Then pull the mobo and as much other stuff as necessary, install cpu and heatsink on the mobo, screw it in place, and continue with the rest of the install.

Ask questions if you have them, and above all, go slow, stay cool, have fun.

 

[tomvertommen]

Maybe this will help;

Wiring diagram



P.S.: I'm afraid you'll just have to use your manual and your common sense. Goodluck !

 

[destiny_driven]

Thank you for the great advice, Twoboxer. Your strategy and advice both make perfect sense. I stopped installing components because I was too worried about where the wires were going, but once the devices are in place, it will give me a visual concept of what wire is headed where and allow me to then look for ways of tying them off one by one.

Tomvertommen, you are just a genius! That wiring diagram was just such an upgrade over the manual that I just cannot thank you enough. I was just a little disappointment that there was no space traveler shown.

Thanks guys, I appreciate you both taking time out to reply. I do appreciate it greatly!

 

[jsc]

Study the motherboard manual. Find out where all the case cabling goes.

Twoboxer has good advice. In addition to planning where all the cables will go, if you need to, mark places where you might want to drill holes for extra tie downs. Obviously, you need to remove the components before drilling.

Make certain that you plug any case USB cables onto motherboard USB connectors and not a motherboard RS-232 port. That will fry any USB device plugged into it.

The motherboard header for the power switch, case reset switch, case power LED, and case HD LED have polarity markings. The case wiring may or may not. The polarity of switches do not really matter. For the case wiring, the white wire generally goes to the negative post. For the LED's, if they do not illuminate, simply reverse the connections.

The following link:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261145-31-read-posting-boot-problems

is primarily for troubleshooting boot problems, but the first section of the thread contains a building checklist that may help you avoid some of the common mistakes.
----------
Building computers since 1977.

 

[destiny_driven]

Thanks, JSC! Being a newbie at this, I can use all the advice I can get. It is definitely a lot more difficult than the manufacturer sponsored videos on YouTube suggest. It would have been so much easier if they had color coded the wire harness so that you knew that green was for USB 2.0 connections, the yellow was for the LED's, the purple was for the fans, etc. But, I guess that would have made it too easy. Thanks once again for your advice and the checklist.

 

[Twoboxer]

destiny, I can tell by your replies that you will do well. We all had to do one the first time, and most of us now laugh to ourselves at what we "accomplished" and what we were satisfied with that time.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is that most of the problem connectors are keyed. "Problem" meaning they can cause one, and "keyed" meaning they can only go in easily one way . . . a 10pin connector with one pin missing . . . a 4,6,8pin connector with different shaped pin shrouds, etc.

The ones that won't cause a problem, eg, 2pin led and switch connectors, aren't.

 

[MRFS]

MRFS

 

[MRFS]

http://www.overclock.net/computer-cases/416409-cm-haf-932-cable-management-guide.html


MRFS

 

[destiny_driven]

MRFS, Wow! That is some example of cable management! Seeing the CM HAF 932 taught me a valuable lesson that I should have took a little more time in investigating all of the possibilities before becoming attached. I like my case, but now that I am up to my elbows with cables, it becomes apparent that a little more space would have made my first attempt a little easier.

Anyway, I am coming along much better than I was thanks to all of your help and suggestions. Experience is a great teacher and I am paying close attention to what I am learning from you guys and from my mistakes. I suspect that it will get harder before it gets easier, but the end result is going to be well worth not getting taken to the cleaners by Dell again. See? I said I learn my lessons well! Thanks guys!

 

[jitpublisher]

http://www.supremelaw.org/systems/cooler.master/CM.690.cable.management.1.jpg

http://www.supremelaw.org/systems/cooler.master/CM.690.cable.management.2.jpg


MRFS

Wow, I am not one who ever cared what the inside wiring looked like, as long as everything ran cool, I simply slapped the side of the case on it and away we go. But I have to hand it to you here MRFS, that is one nicely done build. Makes me completely ashamed of what my wiring looks like, and I have been building my own for over 15 years!