For Those Who Told Me Installing a Graphics Card Was Easy....

[Porky Gorky]

I feel your pain Czari. I have been upgrading recently and got a new card and 2 new monitors. The card has 3 ports, one DVI-I which can be used to plug a vga cable in using a DVI adapter, this would run an analogue signal, Another port is DVI-D which is used for running a digital signal and the 3rd port is HDMI. So I went and bought 2 brand new HD digital monitors so I could duel screen and both of them came only with a VGA cable! I was amazed, no cabling or adapters included to connect the digital monitors to digital ports. Dillion is spot on when she said that monitors seem to be out of sync with graphics cards nowadays.

 

I also feel your pain with fitting large graphics cards inside cramped towers. Been there and done that too many times. So on this build I got a Coolermaster case which is just massive. You can run allot of the wiring around the back of the mobo leaving the main chamber less cluttered to give improved airflow. Also makes it allot easier to get the video card in and out as required. Here are some pics of my build :matte-motes-big-grin:

 

 

[Suspiria Finucane]

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Porky Gorky wrote:

 

I also feel your pain with fitting large graphics cards inside cramped towers.

 

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The joy of a gaming case :matte-motes-inlove:

[Maryanne Solo]

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Awe Thor wrote:

Women should really leave gadget management to men.

Awe . . . made his own HDMI cable recently out of two paperclips, a bendy straw and a safety pin.

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Metinx dont you mean "awwwww" as in cry?

Mass exposure does that to you.

[VRprofessor]

Just wanted to add my sympathies to the list.  I have certainly had my share of issues in recent months. 

I had DVI ports on both card and monitors, but I had the wrong DVI cable--so I had to order new.  

I had a power supply upgrade partially installed to support installation of a better graphics card before I noticed that the computer in question was using obsolete power connections.  I couldn't even find an adapter.  Sigh.

The joys of upgrading never end.

[Melita Magic]

I feel your pain.

Sorry to hear of the frustrations. 

I never believe when people tell me something I have never done before "will be easy." The first time is never easy, unless it's a first time catastrophe. And I am not good at teaching myself.

I could only ever teach myself things I had years and nothing but free time to learn...things I began as a child. Even then, those skills dropped off once I hit adulthood. 

Hope it will work out for you.

 

ETA: As always I replied without having first read the thread...only if it's a thread with a linear style or Q & A only do I read first. I was being literal when I said "I feel your pain," not echoing Porky's post. I'm heaving a big sigh along with you. I wish I could afford a new computer also, so that I could use newer viewers much easier when I want to.

[Sassy Kenin]

 

Agreed and using VGA it is likely got adaptor but firmware not set up for it

[Czari Zenovka]

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Porky Gorky wrote:

I feel your pain Czari. I have been upgrading recently and got a new card and 2 new monitors. The card has 3 ports, one DVI-I which can be used to plug a vga cable in using a DVI adapter, this would run an analogue signal, Another port is DVI-D which is used for running a digital signal and the 3rd port is HDMI. So I went and bought 2 brand new HD digital monitors so I could duel screen and both of them came only with a VGA cable! I was amazed, no cabling or adapters included to connect the digital monitors to digital ports. Dillion is spot on when she said that monitors seem to be out of sync with graphics cards nowadays.

 

I also feel your pain with fitting large graphics cards inside cramped towers. Been there and done that too many times. So on this build I got a Coolermaster case which is just massive. You can run allot of the wiring around the back of the mobo leaving the main chamber less cluttered to give improved airflow. Also makes it allot easier to get the video card in and out as required. Here are some pics of my build :matte-motes-big-grin:

 

 

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Thanks, Porky, I appreciate your response.  That is wild about purchasing new HD digital monitors and even they didn't come with the DVI/HDMI cables!  Dillon definitely had it pegged.

Coincidentally, my new case is also a CoolerMaster, which I LOVE the look of!  Mine is the CoolerMaster Elite 311 so not sure if your's is bigger.  The inside of mine seems roomy but the PSU is huge (in size - it's only a 480W that I want to replace soon if I can) at approximately 4"x4" (10.2 cm if my inches - centimeters converter is correct).  In your photos your MB looks smaller in size than mine.  I have an MSI Z77A-G45 motherboard which is mounted right above the PSU.  The CPU/heat sink fan is at the top of the MB with the PCI-e slots in between.  Add in the large size of the graphics card, that is what made getting it situated tricky.  (I'll try to get photos of mine later tonight.)

BTW, since you have the CoolerMaster case, I'm assuming it also has the non-reattachable expansion port covers.  What would you do to cover an open one that is not needed?

I'm realllllly glad now I didn't opt to build mine.  I'm sure I could eventually, but this definitely wasn't the time.

 

[Paul Hexem]

Could be worse.

Even with my giant tower, I'm at the point where I'm pulling the cables out and plugging random **bleep** in and leaving them on the desk next to it.

 

[Czari Zenovka]

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VRprofessor wrote:

Just wanted to add my sympathies to the list.  I have certainly had my share of issues in recent months. 

I had DVI ports on both card and monitors, but I had the wrong DVI cable--so I had to order new.  

I had a power supply upgrade partially installed to support installation of a better graphics card before I noticed that the computer in question was using obsolete power connections.  I couldn't even find an adapter.  Sigh.

The joys of upgrading never end.

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Thank you, Professor.  How did you resolve your issue with the better graphics card for the PC without the proper connectors?  I'm feeling your pain too. :smileysad:

You bring up another point - I have no idea what brand the PSU in this PC is (I ordered it pre-built from Directron and the info just said a 480W PSU) and it is installed with any printed info on it turned toward the back of the PC.  To see that info I would either have to unscrew the PSU or take the inner plate off one side of the case and, considering that is where the MB is, I don't want to mess with that. 

My graphics card is the EVGA GeForce GTX 660 2B SC.  Although I purchased it from TigerDirect, it is this exact card that came in this exact box and, in looking at the photos on EVGA's site, it was indeed supposed to have included the VGA adapter. However, this might have been a blessing in disguise since I would have used it of course and Maddy stated that would not be a good idea, I'm assuming for SL graphics.  After a call to my father (a retired electrical engineer) last night he said he had some extra HDMI cables laying around (he has a LOT of all kinds of electrical stuff laying around, much to my mother's chagrin...lol) so I will get that later in the week.  In reference to my PSU, I have to use the included molex to 6-pin adapter since the PSU doesn't have a 6-pin connctor for the GPU.  I would assume that the VGA adapter should have been in the same little plastic bag with the molex.

Another question has come to mind.  I did some quick web research and think I know the answer but, just in case, to hook up the graphics card to my PSU with the molex, I'm assuming I need to plug both of the two 3-pin molex connectors into the corresponding receptors in my PC and then the 6-pin into the card.  When I was trying to install the card on Sunday I just plugged one of the two 3-pins into a connector.  If that was incorrect, that would probably have been a disaster even if I'd had the VGA adapter. :matte-motes-bashful-cute:

Sooooo, when I can afford to, I need to upgrade the PSU.  Would looking for one with a direct connection (ie. no need to use a molex adapter) be better?  I sure hope swapping out a PSU won't be as tricky as the graphics card!

 

 

[Czari Zenovka]

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Melita Magic wrote:

I feel your pain.

Sorry to hear of the frustrations. 

I never believe when people tell me something I have never done before "will be easy." The first time is never easy, unless it's a first time catastrophe. And I am not good at teaching myself.

I could only ever teach myself things I had years and nothing but free time to learn...things I began as a child. Even then, those skills dropped off once I hit adulthood. 

Hope it will work out for you.

 

ETA: As always I replied without having first read the thread...only if it's a thread with a linear style or Q & A only do I read first. I was being literal when I said "I feel your pain," not echoing Porky's post. I'm heaving a big sigh along with you. I wish I could afford a new computer also, so that I could use newer viewers much easier when I want to.

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Thank you, Melita.   This has been an eye-opener but, after the initial frustration I was feeling when I first began this thread, as with many frustrations it has been a learning experience.  I know a lot more about what to look for if/when I upgrade any of the components in this PC.

I wish a new PC in your future as well. *Hugs*

[Czari Zenovka]

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Gadget Portal wrote:

Could be worse.

Even with my giant tower, I'm at the point where I'm pulling the cables out and plugging random **bleep** in and leaving them on the desk next to it.

 

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Whoa!  Lotsa stuff there!!!!  The good thing is, you know what *bleep* connects to other *bleeps*.  (I decided to just type the word "bleep" to save time...lol.)

So it sounds like even those of you who have been upgrading recently still experience "technical woes."  I'm feeling a LOT better now.

[Madelaine McMasters]

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Czari Zenovka wrote:

Another question has come to mind.  I did some quick web research and think I know the answer but, just in case, to hook up the graphics card to my PSU with the molex, I'm assuming I need to plug both of the two 3-pin molex connectors into the corresponding receptors in my PC and then the 6-pin into the card.  When I was trying to install the card on Sunday I just plugged one of the two 3-pins into a connector.  If that was incorrect, that would probably have been a disaster even if I'd had the VGA adapter. :matte-motes-bashful-cute: 

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I don't know if it would have been a disaster, but it looks like the GPU card requires more power than can be delivered via the PCI card slot, so they tap into two hard drive power cables for the extra oomph. Connecting only one of them might have resulted in flaky operation. Make sure you plug into two separate Molex pigtails coming from the PSU. I remember a couple of my old PCs had multiple Molex connectors daisy-chained off the same four wires from the PSU. If you find a cable like that, don't plug both GPU cables into it, as you're really then drawing power from the PSU on only one set of wires.

Say "Hi" to your Dad for me. I'm also an electrical engineer, and I may be retired (I'm not sure).

[Parhelion Palou]

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Madelaine McMasters wrote:

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Czari Zenovka wrote:

Another question has come to mind.  I did some quick web research and think I know the answer but, just in case, to hook up the graphics card to my PSU with the molex, I'm assuming I need to plug both of the two 3-pin molex connectors into the corresponding receptors in my PC and then the 6-pin into the card.  When I was trying to install the card on Sunday I just plugged one of the two 3-pins into a connector.  If that was incorrect, that would probably have been a disaster even if I'd had the VGA adapter. :matte-motes-bashful-cute: 

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I don't know if it would have been a disaster, but it looks like the GPU card requires more power than can be delivered via the PCI card slot, so they tap into two hard drive power cables for the extra oomph. Connecting only one of them might have resulted in flaky operation. Make sure you plug into two separate Molex pigtails coming from the PSU. I remember a couple of my old PCs had multiple Molex connectors daisy-chained off the same four wires from the PSU. If you find a cable like that, don't plug both GPU cables into it, as you're really then drawing power from the PSU on only one set of wires.

Say "Hi" to your Dad for me. I'm also an electrical engineer, and I may be retired (I'm not sure).

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I've installed a couple NVidia 660s in computers lately  - they only have one 6-pin power connector. From what I see on Newegg, the recommended power supply for Czari's card is 450W, so a 480W supply should work. ETA: I see what I missed ... the adapter takes 2 Molex connections and feeds them to a single 6-pin.

Redirecting this to Czari:

All the power supplies I've bought in the last few years have had at least one 6-pin connector for video cards. Cheaper or off-brand power supplies are more likely to skip them. A 600W supply is likely more than is needed, but get a known brand. I've bought 8 Corsair power supplies over the last 4.5 years & have had no trouble with them. I've also had good luck with Seasonic and PC Power & Cooling.

 

[Maryanne Solo]

"They" say that connecting only 1 of the two molexes temporarily will do no damage. (underpowered supposedly) so "flaky" performance would be the result at best.

480w is a very small PSU these days. Most quads with 1gb graphics card for example really need 600w minimum.

Technicians or esteemed gurus who have commented here may prove this incorrect, but approx 3 years trouble free excellent performance from that combination before it was upgraded.

After many years of being lucky enough to work hard, I wanted the best case ever, this is what was recommended to me, its easily 5 years old now:

With regular upgrades It is still a total dream machine. It lives under the console so you don't actually see it

12 fans, (was in the tropics at the time), external E-Sata, wheel brakes, hydraulic thingies on the door & lid.. blah blah

My 2bobs worth

[Madelaine McMasters]

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Parhelion Palou wrote:

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Madelaine McMasters wrote:

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Czari Zenovka wrote:

Another question has come to mind.  I did some quick web research and think I know the answer but, just in case, to hook up the graphics card to my PSU with the molex, I'm assuming I need to plug both of the two 3-pin molex connectors into the corresponding receptors in my PC and then the 6-pin into the card.  When I was trying to install the card on Sunday I just plugged one of the two 3-pins into a connector.  If that was incorrect, that would probably have been a disaster even if I'd had the VGA adapter. :matte-motes-bashful-cute: 

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I don't know if it would have been a disaster, but it looks like the GPU card requires more power than can be delivered via the PCI card slot, so they tap into two hard drive power cables for the extra oomph. Connecting only one of them might have resulted in flaky operation. Make sure you plug into two separate Molex pigtails coming from the PSU. I remember a couple of my old PCs had multiple Molex connectors daisy-chained off the same four wires from the PSU. If you find a cable like that, don't plug both GPU cables into it, as you're really then drawing power from the PSU on only one set of wires.

Say "Hi" to your Dad for me. I'm also an electrical engineer, and I may be retired (I'm not sure).

---

I've installed a couple NVidia 660s in computers lately  - they only have one 6-pin power connector. From what I see on Newegg, the recommended power supply for Czari's card is 450W, so a 480W supply should work. ETA: I see what I missed ... the adapter takes 2 Molex connections and feeds them to a single 6-pin.

Redirecting this to Czari:

All the power supplies I've bought in the last few years have had at least one 6-pin connector for video cards. Cheaper or off-brand power supplies are more likely to skip them. A 600W supply is likely more than is needed, but get a known brand. I've bought 8 Corsair power supplies over the last 4.5 years & have had no trouble with them. I've also had good luck with Seasonic and PC Power & Cooling.

 

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Hiya Par!

It sounds like  Czari should check her PSU then, for a 6-pin cable that mates directly with the GPU. Absent that, my suggestion applies.

Eight power supplies in 4.5 years? If those were all for computers you still own, where do you sleep?

[Parhelion Palou]

 

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Madelaine McMasters wrote:

Hiya Par!

It sounds like  Czari should check her PSU then, for a 6-pin cable that mates directly with the GPU. Absent that, my suggestion applies.

Eight power supplies in 4.5 years? If those were all for computers you still own, where do you sleep?

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You could say I own most of them, but they're not in my possession. A couple were for computers I built for friends, some for family computers (my kids), and a couple for my own machines (I have 2).

[Storm Clarence]

Especially this forum.  

[Alicia Sautereau]

Lack of space, try this (Corsair 800D)

Was a challange to get the 650Ti in the bottom slot

The partner of the cpu, a 790 Watt chiller and the extra 480 rad connected to the 360 in the case for the GPU`s

Needs an update, but titans + wc gear gets kind of expensive that you wonder "why not buy a new car instead?"

Your doing fine Czari, atleast you don`t have all the extra cable types that come with the latest hardware, i`m still puzzled how to connect the LG monitor toys to the pc lol

[Pamela Galli]

Wow Czari, what a nightmare. I sympathize. It feels to me like life now is a constant struggle trying to get technology to work.  Half the time I can't get my TV to do what I want. I would not be able to use a remote at all if my son had not programmed it for me. My phone sits there dead because it repeatedly insists I need to get a PUK number from AT&T. I don't even know what it is. Suddenly my iMac has lost audio -- any sound it makes now sounds like a cat coughing up a hair ball. To top it all off I have had to learn the world's most difficult software -- Blender.  Ugh.

 

[Dillon Levenque]

Thank you for posting the pictures. Every now and then I run across an article or comment online from a rabid gamer (NOT, of course, that I'm suggesting anything of the sort about you) and the one thing I've always considered entirely over the line was liquid cooling. I was pretty sure I'd never be willing to actually run liquid in hoses through a PC.

Having seen your pics, I am in complete agreement with my prior opinion. If THAT is what it takes, I'm not doing it! I'll go back to Asteroids or something! I have to say I admire your commitment, though. That is a whole lot of hard work right there.

You know, the original Volkswagen beetle and microbus were the most popular vehicles for touring the deserts of the American southwest. There are still a few left out there. They had no radiators: air-cooled.:smileyhappy:

[Czari Zenovka]

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Maryanne Solo wrote:

"They" say that connecting only 1 of the two molexes

temporarily

will do no damage. (underpowered supposedly) so "flaky" performance would be the result at best.

480w is a very small PSU these days. Most quads with 1gb graphics card for example really need 600w minimum.

Technicians or esteemed gurus who have commented here may prove this incorrect, but approx 3 years trouble free excellent performance from that combination before it was upgraded.

After many years of being lucky enough to work hard, I wanted the best case

ever

, this is what was recommended to me, its easily 5 years old now:

With regular upgrades It is still a

total

dream machine. It lives under the console so you don't actually see it

12 fans, (was in the tropics at the time), external E-Sata, wheel brakes, hydraulic thingies on the door & lid.. blah blah

My 2bobs worth

---

I'm drooling over that case - what brand is it?  I especially like the flip-top.  In one of the videos I watched (a series by a guy named Carey Holzman) he said that Lian Li is a case manufacturer that he really likes; he said it was the type of case one buys and keeps forever.  Your's looks even snazzier.

I'm always leery about what "they" say. (Who *are* these infamous people anyway???)  I really do want to get a 600W power supply, I just had a certain amount of money to work with so I got what I felt would work well for SL but still stay in budget then save up myself for any upgrades.

[Czari Zenovka]

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Madelaine McMasters wrote:

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Parhelion Palou wrote:

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Madelaine McMasters wrote:

---

Czari Zenovka wrote:

Another question has come to mind.  I did some quick web research and think I know the answer but, just in case, to hook up the graphics card to my PSU with the molex, I'm assuming I need to plug both of the two 3-pin molex connectors into the corresponding receptors in my PC and then the 6-pin into the card.  When I was trying to install the card on Sunday I just plugged one of the two 3-pins into a connector.  If that was incorrect, that would probably have been a disaster even if I'd had the VGA adapter. :matte-motes-bashful-cute: 

---

I don't know if it would have been a disaster, but it looks like the GPU card requires more power than can be delivered via the PCI card slot, so they tap into two hard drive power cables for the extra oomph. Connecting only one of them might have resulted in flaky operation. Make sure you plug into two separate Molex pigtails coming from the PSU. I remember a couple of my old PCs had multiple Molex connectors daisy-chained off the same four wires from the PSU. If you find a cable like that, don't plug both GPU cables into it, as you're really then drawing power from the PSU on only one set of wires.

Say "Hi" to your Dad for me. I'm also an electrical engineer, and I may be retired (I'm not sure).

---

I've installed a couple NVidia 660s in computers lately  - they only have one 6-pin power connector. From what I see on Newegg, the recommended power supply for Czari's card is 450W, so a 480W supply should work. ETA: I see what I missed ... the adapter takes 2 Molex connections and feeds them to a single 6-pin.

Redirecting this to Czari:

All the power supplies I've bought in the last few years have had at least one 6-pin connector for video cards. Cheaper or off-brand power supplies are more likely to skip them. A 600W supply is likely more than is needed, but get a known brand. I've bought 8 Corsair power supplies over the last 4.5 years & have had no trouble with them. I've also had good luck with Seasonic and PC Power & Cooling.

 

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Hiya Par!

It sounds like  Czari should check her PSU then, for a 6-pin cable that mates directly with the GPU. Absent that, my suggestion applies.

Eight power supplies in 4.5 years? If those were all for computers you still own, where do you sleep?

---

I looked everywhere for a 6-pin connector on the PSU (and will do another search just to make sure when I install the graphics card after getting the HDMI cable) and didn't find one.  I actually was surprised the PSU didn't have one but, based on the price of the PC that contains most of the main components I wanted at a better price than I saw in comparable PCs, they may have just gone cheap with the PSU.  I still find it interesting there is no writing on it.  The PSU on my old PC had all kinds of info on it plus some stamp thing that looked like a seal of sorts.

[Czari Zenovka]

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Alicia Sautereau wrote:

Lack of space, try this (Corsair 800D)

Was a challange to get the 650Ti in the bottom slot

The partner of the cpu, a 790 Watt chiller and the extra 480 rad connected to the 360 in the case for the GPU`s

Needs an update, but titans + wc gear gets kind of expensive that you wonder "why not buy a new car instead?"

Your doing fine Czari, atleast you don`t have all the extra cable types that come with the latest hardware, i`m still puzzled how to connect the LG monitor toys to the pc lol

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Whoa, Alicia!!! You look like you could supply power for a city out of all that!  Very impressive.

(And I can see mesh on your sim now - hint*hint*)

[Czari Zenovka]

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Pamela Galli wrote:

Wow Czari, what a nightmare. I sympathize. It feels to me like life now is a constant struggle trying to get technology to work.  Half the time I can't get my TV to do what I want. I would not be able to use a remote at all if my son had not programmed it for me. My phone sits there dead because it repeatedly insists I need to get a PUK number from AT&T. I don't even know what it is. Suddenly my iMac has lost audio -- any sound it makes now sounds like a cat coughing up a hair ball. To top it all off I have had to learn the world's most difficult software -- Blender.  Ugh.

 

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Hi Pamela   I agree re: technological struggles.  Based on my background that I posted earlier in the thread, I used to really love techie toys but lately I feel like - HEYYYYYYYY, slow down a bit!!!!! LOL

Sending good wishes your way in learning Blender.  I have confidence in you!!!

[Czari Zenovka]

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Dillon Levenque wrote:

Having seen your pics, I am in complete agreement with my prior opinion. If THAT is what it takes, I'm not doing it! I'll go back to Asteroids or something!

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Pong for the win!!!

Pull a chair up kids and I'll tell ye a tale: Years ago, even before the personal computer was introduced, my then husband and I were members of the wedding of college friends.  The wedding was in another state so we spent the weekend and hung out with the groom (husband's college roommate) while the bride was attending to last minute details.  The groom (Kevin) said, "Hey, you guys have to check this out...it's amazing!!" (Or words to that effect.)

We walked over to view "the amazement" and saw a small B&W portable TV sitting on the kitchen table.  There was a box with something sticking out of it as well as buttons plugged into it.  Kevin turned the TV on and said, "Watch this."  My husband and I sat transfixed as we saw "paddles" on opposite ends of the TV screen while Kevin explained how this amazing game worked.

Thus our introduction to video/PCish games.  A few years later (still before personal computers) we purchased a game console that hooked up to our TV.  I *think* it was a Nintendo but not sure.  It had a bunch of games on it, including Pong, but we had advanced beyond that by that time; our main choices were Pac-Man, Asteroids, and Tank.

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