Computer Setup Question
 

I just got my new case and am a little confused. It came with two bags of screws. One of which contains 4 screws and 4 things that look like screws but have hexagon like structures on top. I assume that these are motherboard screws and standoffs. These are all silver.

The othe bag seems to be a random assortment of the standoffs except they're brass colored, screws with threads that look like wood screws and various sized metal screws. I'm totally and completely baffled to their purpose. Are they hard drive mounting screws? something else? was i wrong about the first ones?

I wouldn't worry about it, just as long as everything gets mounted :)

^Tramp! :D

how many standoffs should i use? all of them?

Use as many as your motherboard will allow. Be careful mounting the motherboard to the case - you can short out the board with the standoffs, which is a bitch to troubleshoot if you don't realise that can happen.

how do you remove the old I/O shield? It doesn't want to budge

sometimes u have to break the metal to remove I/O shields...like twist/bend till it comes off.

btw...whats the model for your case?


for motherboard mounting...be friggin careful! yeah use all screws (4 surrounding chip + few scattered around board)

raidmax Scorpio 868. I'll go try a screwdriver and see how it goes.

edit// yup. came right off. Thanks.

the brass posts are screwed into the case. the board is then mounted on them.

As boards are different but cases are universal to an extent, the way I do it is to first attach my anti-stat strap. I ALLWAYS wear cotton. Nylon creates static. Static is our main cause of fuck-up's on builds. I know an engineer who still hasn't figured this one out. He blow ten boards on one computer build last year!! and that is totally honest! this guy is wired most of the time so he don't need nylon...LOL

Anyway that is a must before you start. not saying you'll blow any thing but the risk is higher. Holding the board by the edges (do not grip a board - sweat transferal can and will short a small gap between solder points for instance)
offer it up to where it would be when mounted in the case. Note where approx. the screw holes in the board line up. This then will geve you a good idea of where to screw in your mounting posts. Place your MB carefully out of the way, preferably back in it's anti stat bag/box.
Screw in your mounting studs. the silver ones go around the processor the brass ones do the rest. Pick up your MB and carefully fit it in place. It'll sit slightly of the mounts sometimes cause of the little tensionn springs/lifts on the ports plate (MB plate) some cases come with two types of port plates make sure you fit the right one for your board. they simply pop out and in.

ok also in that bag of bits there would have been some little card rings? you fit one of those to each screw and gently but firmly screw the screw home.
Make sure you tuck the wires that are floating about, power cable, usb cables, on/off, reset, on-board speaker, power pack out of the way...

Next stage is to fit your processor FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS!! then Ram ..then have fun with the cables....

watch your usb connections. do you have front case usb? if so the socket you connect them to will run:

in this order
rear of case

1,2
3,4
5,6
7,8
9,10

front of case

9 is generally a blank

remember those anti stat proceedures though ;)

g'luck...

smeggle i understood all of that except the las part about the front USB. the cable coming from my front USB ports has 4 plugs on it. Where would i plug it in on that?

*runs in*

and make sure that you screw in the front panel too
those can be a pain if you break :D

*runs out*

I have the exact same model tower case, I saw a picture of it and the cresent(sp?) moons on the door thing won't light up when there is harddrive activity like it's supposed to do.

hmmm. I'll tell you if mine works in a couple hours once i get everything set up.

is it ok if there aren't 4 holes in the case that are exactly around the processor?

oh ur screwed dude!!!

no ur fine, just when i was building me comp a friend told me to make sure the screws were tight, especially the ones around the chip cause they bare the weight


[edit] NICE CASE!

does it matter in what order i install drivers?

not really, but mobo, video, sound, other is a good start

Do your cresents light up now?

yup. they light up fine. they're pretty bright too. Did your case have a molex connector that only had two wires coming from the front panel? I wasn't sure what that was for but i connected it anyway. maybe it was for those lights?

a fan? shiney lights?

its NOT for the power/reset lights unless theyre uberbright and controlled by a small circuit

the power reset lights on this case are really big and bright

generally on most modern cases you have two usb ports. two generally grey covered wires lead from the ports ending with four slim plugs. if you look carefully they are marked with +, -, and what ever the other two are ...with your case would have come a small bit of paper with the keycode as to what they are..you then get your mb manual ..

find the page that shows you where and the coding for your usb socket on your mb.
as i said above it generally runs in line from back to front ..boards differ so check. I had one that was a right pig a Matsumi board and the usb board socket was right next to the wall of the case..rather than strip the board back out i had to nick the girlfriends eyebrow tweezers to fit the plugs lol

be sure to check your sure where they go..the piece of paper and the manual will be different but a bit of figuring gets it..usually one set of plugs go's on the odds one set on the even.....but they can be different ..

example1:
this is the two cables set in block form
+ -
1, 2
3, 4 (these would be the data transfer cables
5,
then
+ -
6
7, 8
9, 10

so each set is alternating side to side..

+ -
1, 2
3, 4
5, 6
7, 8
9, 10

in the last version one set runs from 1,3,5,7,9 the other set 2,4,6,8,10 most that i do have this configuration...if you get stuck scan the manual page and that bit of paper (usb cable fitting key) post them as an attach and i'll figure em out for you...:)

Can someone give me a quick explanation on how to install case fans? The screws that came with it seem too big to go in the fan but i don't get how you'd ever be able to screw them in anyway.

there should be a space for it to be screwed in. or drill your own holes in the case.

antec cases come with clips that attach the fans without screws,

I konw that normally i would just screw them in but how can I screw in the screws? I can't get at the top of them because the other side of the fan is in the way and I can't get to the other side of the case because theres a plastic grill in the front with the door and stuff on it. Unless the plastic front comes off. . .

usually there'll be clips to remiove it.