If
your connections are different
Check your motherboard’s
instruction manual. All good
motherboards come with a detailed manual, which has diagrams for your
particular board. By referring to these
diagrams, it is very easy to see which connectors go where.
If
you are using an AT style motherboard
If you are using this type of
motherboard, the power connector that goes from the power supply to the
motherboard itself will be in 2 sections.
They will be labeled P8 and P9. These must be connected properly if you
wish to see the motherboard ever work.
THE BLACK WIRES MUST BE PLACED TOGETHER WHEN PLUGGING THEM INTO THE
MOTHERBOARD!!!
If
you are using an ATX style motherboard
If you are using this type of
motherboard, the power connector that goes from the power supply to the
motherboard will be a single connector - it is significantly different from an
AT style, so you shouldn’t have any difficulty identifying where to plug it in.
Speaking
of power, the ATX power supply can be a bit tricky at first. The ATX standard
is a 20-pin (2 rows of 10 pins) connector that plugs into the motherboard.
These wires are usually rather thick and bundled together, making it easy to
figure out what it is. The second is ATX-E, the 24-pin (2 rows of 12 pins)
standard, that is generally found in Pentium 4 motherboards and respective
power supplies. Most power supplies today will play it safe and give you a
20-pin connector and then also have a separate 4-pin connector that you can
plug in adjacent to the 20-pin, if needed. If not, you simply leave it hanging
somewhere safe. Worse comes to worse, you can buy a 24-to 20-pin converter and
vice versa.
Final
Connections Checklist
___ Drives properly connected
to power?
___ CPU fan attached to power?
___ Power switch is off?
___ The 110/220 volt switch is
configured properly for your area?
___ Ribbon cables attached
correctly, red edge on pin 1?
___ Are all connections tight,
no connectors off by one set of pins?
___ Cards fully in slots and
screwed down?
___ No wires protruding into
fans (these should be tied together with plastic ties)?
