8-pin cpu power on the motherboard, CPU fan only 4-pin

The 8 pin is for CPU power from PSU! The fan goes on a small 4 pin fan header on the board!

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/274745-31-step-step-g...

Ugh, man this stuff has me so confused -_-

Well, I also have the 212+ and I have it set up as push/pull with this fan:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

That fan is the EXACT same one that comes with the 212+. Only difference is My Cpu header is only a 4pin, but I used a splitter and it works great!

Use the guide I posted and your manual.

Rolli is correct. A CPU fan header has four PINS. A CPU power connector has four or eight HOLES, and in either case is considerably larger. There is no possibility of plugging the fan into the power connector, or the power cable into the fan header.
Some motherboards have two CPU fan power connectors. Each is four PINS (not holes). Where there is only one fan power connector, ZMan's method can be used.
Your motherboard's manual will clearly illustrate each type.

Well, i havn't bought the parts yet, i'm just trying to make sure everything fits correctly. This is my first build, so i'm kinda confused. Can i get your opinion on these two motherboards?

#1: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

#2: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...


#1 was the motherboard i was initially gonna use, but #2 has more RAM slots, and its the same price.

Also, this is going to be my rig, rate it for me?
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx...

Im sure that memory will work on that motherboard, but here's the list of memory thats supported for that board.

http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/H77M/?cat=Memory

Swap the ram for ram with 1.5 volts! Something like this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... and go with the pro board. Since your CPU is not overclockable you can save some money and use the stock cooler and spend a little more on GPU maybe HD6870.

I'm going to be gaming tho... You need an after market fan if you're gonna be gaming.

WHoever told you that is trying to make you spend more than you need too.

I have an i3-2100 with a stock cooler and play Skyrim, Borderlands 2, XCOM etc at MAX settings with no issues.

Well then, i might just wait on the fan and just get the radeon 6870. I'll just use the stock fan unless it starts overheating.

You will be fine with the stock fan.