Help an old man out

[mphartzheim]

I haven't built a rig in awhile, and I just got all of my pieces here for a brand new system... but poor documentation and new technologies have left me a little confused. I'd be grateful if you could answer these questions (in no particular order).

Fans:
I have the Raidmax X-1 case with 3 fans, 2x120mm and 1x80mm. The 80mm uses either a molex or 3-pin connector (it's a 2 wire fan). The 120mm fans both use molex connectors with both male and female connectors (both fans are also 2 wire fans). The fans I dealt with in the past were all 3-pin connector fans... I'm not sure how these molex connectors work (with both the male and female). Do they have both male and female connectors so you can patch them together? What's the point of that?

Also related to fans... the X-1 has a fan monitor LED display, and I have two wires that I'm not sure what to do with. One of them is a 3-pin male connector. The other is a 3-pin male connector with a 3-pin to Molex adapter (the adapter has both male and female on it, again). This is where shoddy documentation comes in... which one of these is my fan monitor? And if only one of them is the fan monitor, why are there 2 wires?

Motherboard connectors:
Previous question about fan LED display goes here... but also I have some front-panel audio hookups I'm not sure about. On the wires the labels are:
Balance Left Out / Left Out
Balance Right Out/ Right Out
Mic 2
Mic Power
Ground

My motherboard's manual has the following listed:
Left Return / Left Out
Right Return / Right Out
Mic
Mic Power
Ground

Do the Balance Left and Balance Right connectors match up with the Return Left and Return right slots on the motherboard?

I also have 6 USB hookups on the motherboard (only 2 front USB slots to hookup on the case). What is the "N.C." for? Both of my USB connectors on the case have a N.C. wire, but only USB ports 6, 8, and 10 on the motherboard have one (the other 3 slots, 5, 7, and 9, have an empty "Key" slot). Should I hook the two front USB ports into 6 and 8 so I'm using the N.C. wire?

There are only 3 power connectors from the front panel of the case: HD-LED, Power, and Reset. The motherboard manual lists which pins are ground, positive, negative, etc... but the wires themselves don't say which is which. Is it going to cause any harm by just guessing (I'm assuming it won't power on correctly if the power wire isn't plugged in correctly).

HDD:
Lastly, I bought a SATA hard drive OEM, so it didn't come with any cables. But my motherboard had cables for me. I've never used a SATA drive before. I noticed it has the SATA power from the PSU, but it also has a slot for a Molex connector from the PSU. Do I need to use both of these, or only the SATA connector?



Sorry for the rookie questions, I really wish better documentation was a standard thing so I wouldn't have to ask these questions.

Thanks.

 

[DaveSimmons]

> The 120mm fans both use molex connectors with both male and female connectors ... I'm not sure how these molex connectors work (with both the male and female). Do they have both male and female connectors so you can patch them together? What's the point of that?

Because your power supply only has so many molex connectors. It saves you from buying molex splitters / y-cables


> HDD:
Lastly, I bought a SATA hard drive OEM, so it didn't come with any cables. But my motherboard had cables for me. I've never used a SATA drive before. I noticed it has the SATA power from the PSU, but it also has a slot for a Molex connector from the PSU. Do I need to use both of these, or only the SATA connector?

NO! just one power cable.


Try here for more (mechbgon builder guide) - http://www.mechbgon.com/

 

[vanvock]

The fan plugs are pass-through. I would think yes on the audio & if the pwr, re-set don't work just flip them around.

 

[mphartzheim]

Thanks guys. Great guide link, Dave.

Only question I have left is about the two 3-pin connectors coming from the front panel of the case. No clue which one to use.

Once my RAM gets here on Friday, I'll be able to throw that in and boot it up to make sure everything is working good. I'll see if I can borrow my friend's digital camera and get some pictures of the wiring job I've done.


Edit: I added a topic about the case fan connectors in the Cases forum

Raidmax X-1 Fan Connector Question

 

[Jiggz]

Originally posted by: mphartzheim
Thanks guys. Great guide link, Dave.

Only question I have left is about the two 3-pin connectors coming from the front panel of the case. No clue which one to use.

Once my RAM gets here on Friday, I'll be able to throw that in and boot it up to make sure everything is working good. I'll see if I can borrow my friend's digital camera and get some pictures of the wiring job I've done.


Edit: I added a topic about the case fan connectors in the Cases forum

Raidmax X-1 Fan Connector Question

These 3 pin connectors connects to the case fans. Unfortunately, the case fans installed do not have any third wire (RPM sensor) for the LED to display. So basically you might want to change the case fans with 3 wire fans. Check this review where it was mentioned on the paragraph just above the "Conclusion". RaidMax

 

[earthman]

Many cases provide duplicate connectors. Not all fans/boards have the small 3 pin connectors, or enough of them, or sometimes you may have a really big fan that should really draw power from a molex connector directly to the power supply.

 

[JimPhelpsMI]

Hi, In general the Pwr Switch and reset switches don't matter which way they go. The leds will not light if the connectors are backward. Just switch them around until they lite. No damage will be done if you are on the correct pins. Luck, Jim

 

[firewolfsm]

and the USB problems?