Tom's Hardware: Topic Assembling my first computer. Problem installing PSU.
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When I put it in the case, you can see that the holes SHOULD line up, but I need to push it down hard for all of them to line up correctly. I screwed in the top 2 (well the case is laying sideways), but the bottom two, won't line up. The case has a little part that would support the bottom of the PSU even without the screws but I don't think it's a good idea to leave those out.
Look at this picture:
http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/9765/20150329.jpg
It's difficult to screw in all of them. The bottom two screws are really tight against the edges and they would be eating away at them. Is that ok?
What case and what power supply?
Check and see if the case is square. Each corner and edge should be at right angle. The case may be slightly out of square causing the hole placement to be off. This sometimes happens in shipping as the box gets tossed about. If it is out you can return it for a new one or drill the holes out so the screws go in easy. In any case you should not have to fight the screws when putting in the PS.
I was able to screw in 3. Two at the top, 1 at the bottom, with little force. But the other one, there's no way I can put that one it.
So when I put the case vertically, the only one missing is the top left. But like I showed in the picture, that side is supported with a long, sturdy looking metal piece. It doesn't seem to shake or anything. Should I still return?
Message edited by MannyPAC on 07-31-2009 at 07:42:45 AM
Id try bending the tabs that support the psu when its in place . Maybe they are not exactly in the right place
The holes should line up perfectly . Its a standard ATX case and PSU .
I wouldn't, sometimes cases get tweaked a bit out of square, either in manufacturing or in shipping, 3 secure screws should be adequate to hold the PSU in place. You might try removing the screws you have in and screwing the problem screw in first, then the other top screw then the 2 bottom ones. Try setting the case upright and adjusting it a bit to see if it helps. Sometimes cases have metal tabs to hold a PSU, make sure one of those isn't pressuring the PSU out of alignment. You can always drill out the hole or file it a bit to get the hole large enough to attach all the screws. If you do drill or file on the case make sure you use a tack cloth to remove all filings and drill debris from the case before you do your assembly. You don't want any possible metal filings to be an electrical short concern.
Alright thanks for all the replies. I'll see what I can do. It seems the PSU won't go in all the way to the left (when the case is vertical).
From your last comment, it appears the case is not square and has probably been stressed out of shape during shipping. Have you checked the MB alignment for mounting problems? If it was me, I would send the case back for replacement. Since you paid for a case that is supposed to make your build easy but got one that is making it hard, why keep it? Send it back, get one that helps the build not inhibits it.
The motherboard aligns perfectly, the only problem has been that one PSU screw. I'll consult with someone else here in the house to see if we should return it (probably). Thanks.
Message edited by MannyPAC on 07-31-2009 at 06:42:52 PM
If you're handy with tools, just remove the PSU and drill a new hole.
GIGABYTE GA-EP45T-DS3R
E8500 - Sapphire 1Gb 4850
4G DDR3 OCZ Reaper 1333
Reply to aford10
I can't access your image at work, so please pardon me if this is a stupid question.
Are you putting the PSU in with the fan pointing down? The pics always show PSUs that have 120mm fans with the fans facing up, but that's really upside down. It wouldn't affect operation, but will affect mounting. The fan should be facing down when you mount the PSU in that case.
The fan/vent is facing down, next to the mobo.
Ok. Well then, it should fit. If it doesn't, sounds like more QA issues on a low-end CoolerMaster case. I switched to cheap Rosewill cases for that reason, and have never had an alignment problem on any of them.
If I were a gambler, I'd bet you'll need to re-tap some of the mobo standoff screw holes too. You can do that easily enough though, just force a case screw into (and back out of) each one before trying to put in the standoffs.
Guys, thanks for all the help. I gave it one more try, unscrewed everything for the 100th time, move it around again and I finally got all 4 in.
Anyway, one more question. I'm trying to connect the case fans (one small in the front bottom of the case, and the big one in the back).
I'm following the instructions and I'm supposed to connect a 3 pin cable to the mobo, but those cables seem to be connected to something else already... Pic:
http://img352.imageshack.us/img352/7069/96274979.jpg
There's the 3 pin cable and two hmm... power cables I guess, one female (the pins are crooked, it was like that) and one male. This is for both fans.
What do I do. My PSU has female ones but no males.
That's an adapter that's connected to it in case your motherboard doesn't have the 3 pin sockets. Just unplug the adapter by carefully pulling the tab on the 3 pin out and pulling it apart.
Your case got screwed up in transport, badly. It is wired that way so that you can daisy chain your fans together, but the fact that you got a PSU that barely fit and bent pins indicates that it took a pounding at some point in time, be glad it didnt have a preinstalled power supply or you would probably have a capacitors rolling around in there.
Alright the pins look bent, but they are easy to move, I thought it was worse. The only problem was the PSU, the mobo wasn't a problem, the stand-offs lined up perfectly to the holes. Since I got em all in, I'm not gonna bother returning it now.
Ok, so I should connect the back fan to the front fan using those male/females, and then unplug the front fan's 3 pin connector and connect it to the mobo right?
You need to connect them to a 4 pin molex connector from your PSU.
GIGABYTE GA-EP45T-DS3R
E8500 - Sapphire 1Gb 4850
4G DDR3 OCZ Reaper 1333
Reply to aford10
| MannyPAC wrote : Alright the pins look bent, but they are easy to move, I thought it was worse. The only problem was the PSU, the mobo wasn't a problem, the stand-offs lined up perfectly to the holes. Since I got em all in, I'm not gonna bother returning it now.
|
The 3 pin connector on the mobo senses speed and can adjust the fan speed. As a rule, you do not want to daisy chain more than one fan to a 3 pin connector. The 4 pin molex connectors will run the fan at top speed all the time; you can daisy chain as many of those as you want.
Damn it >,>. I don't get it, sorry.
You mean I can daisy chain either one or the other? I understand what you mean about the fan speeds. But I still don't understand how to properly connect it. I'm confused.
| MannyPAC wrote : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811119047
|
I got mostly that for my other desktop and it fit easily. On the worst case scenario, take a drill and pierce your own holes.
^^ OP is past that issue
You can either daisy chain the 2 fans together and then hook them to the PSU, or plug each to the PSU separately. I generally don't even bother with plugging them to the board. If you've got a quality case with good fans, they aren't going to be real loud, so there's no need to turn them down.
GIGABYTE GA-EP45T-DS3R
E8500 - Sapphire 1Gb 4850
4G DDR3 OCZ Reaper 1333
Reply to aford10
Ok. You only use those Molex to 3-pin adapters if there is not an available 3-pin fan header on the mobo. That allows you to plug the fan into your PSU instead. You have no speed control that way, but you can connect a lot of them together ("daisy chain" ) if need be. If your mobo has an available 3-pin header, you can pliug one fan into it; the adapter is not used. Your BIOS (and/or a program like Speedfan) can monitor and control the speed of a fan connected that way.
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