I need some help. -Newly Built Desktop

[AnExecutiveNightmare]

Where to begin... Long story short my previous computer was fried by electricity that jumped through my Comcast Cable Connection (the Wire) and that was that. Built a new one:

MSI P6N NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI Motherboard
C2Q Q6600 2.40GHZ 775
G.Skill 1GB DDR2800 PC26400
NVIDIA GeForce 9600 GT
WD 320GB 7K 8M

Any Opinions on system? System was suggested to me. did a little research and found it to look good.

Anyways here is my issue. I have everything put together as properly as to my knowledge and still i have NO SOUND coming from my rear audio port. I can only get SOUND when the speakers (2.1) are plugged into the front port. However recently it seems that when i play Day of Defeat, there is NO SOUND any longer though when i play a MP3 or watch YouTube there is sound... I think it might have something to do with the mother board or maybe the drivers or both! Not sure if this is common with P6N mobos or what but i want MY REAR AUDIO PORTS TO WORK!!! Any Suggestions or Tips would be immensly appreciated.

Last question, there is an Orange and Black wire (2 wires- Twisted/SingleStrand) about 12 inches long that came with my 9600 GT Graphics card to which i found the proper pins to connect it with but as to its purpose im not that clear. i know it has something to do with S/PDIF and HDMI or something like that but i would like some clarification in this matter. [perhaps this might cause my audio problem] (took it out and tried again to no avail however)

[Katreat]

system specs look good. I think the 680i chipset has a problem with the newer 45nm processors but that wont be a problem unless you upgrade processor down the road.

As for sound I would suggest you check the settings in the bios. When I built on my P35 board it was defaulted to degital and had to re-set it for AC (?) something to get sound. Dont remember the exact name, dont build that often, but the problem sounds similar.

As for the wire I have no idea so will have to wait for others.

Kat

[alex530]

Did you do a new build with only 1 GB RAM? If you're using vista, I'd upgrade to at least 2GB, but since DDR2 is so cheap might as well go with a 4 GB kit. If you're using XP, 1 GB is probably OK, but 2 might help you out if you do a lot of gaming or multi-tasking. Make sure you get a 2X1 or 2X2 GB kit so you can run your RAM in dual channel.

[AnExecutiveNightmare]

Originally Posted by alex530 Did you do a new build with only 1 GB RAM? If you're using vista, I'd upgrade to at least 2GB, but since DDR2 is so cheap might as well go with a 4 GB kit. If you're using XP, 1 GB is probably OK, but 2 might help you out if you do a lot of gaming or multi-tasking. Make sure you get a 2X1 or 2X2 GB kit so you can run your RAM in dual channel.

Roger that. Yeah, this was kind of an emergency build with my college semester ending and all so i totally forgot to get another stick of ram. as for the dual channel would you recommend it over simply another 1gb stick? oh yeah and i am using good old XP

[AnExecutiveNightmare]

Originally Posted by Katreat system specs look good. I think the 680i chipset has a problem with the newer 45nm processors but that wont be a problem unless you upgrade processor down the road. As for sound I would suggest you check the settings in the bios. When I built on my P35 board it was defaulted to degital and had to re-set it for AC (?) something to get sound. Dont remember the exact name, dont build that often, but the problem sounds similar. As for the wire I have no idea so will have to wait for others. Kat

hmmmm... good lead. ill see what i can find. thanks

[Panama Red]

Please don't double post. I'm closing your other thread.

[AnExecutiveNightmare]

Here is another one. I am using my old powersupply from my previous 5 year old Desktop (350W) and am pretty sure that it wont accomodate my new Desktop in the near future. So with the setup i have i was wondering if a 500 Watt supply will do. Another question is when a product states "Modular Cabling Support" it is reffering to the ability to expand on one Connector to 2+ other device/connectors correct? And as far as size goes, i have an ATX mid case (Raidxax Smilodon) and am not certain as to the specific spec size of a powersupply i am looking for if anyone could educate me. Thanks again to all you Mechs'.

[Katreat]

I would say 500w will run your system just fine but not if you put a second vid card in. For two 9600 in SLI you would probably need around 650-700w from a SLI certified PSU. I am surpised it is running on 350w right now, that is a bit low for what you have in the box.

Modular cables just means you can un-connect cable you dont need which saves clutter in the case. I dont think modular gives you an extra options, I have both a modular and standard PSU in different machines and the standard has the same number of power connectors, I just have to wrap them up and shove them in an empty drive bay instead of unplugging them.

As for size, any standard PSU should fit a standard case. There are some units designed for specific cases but they will likely list those specifics in the discription. Just be sure to get a quality unit. Check out this site for Good brands and check out the Nvida site to determine what size PSU you need if you want to be SLI ready.

http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?t=131195

http://www.slizone.com/object/slizone_build_psu.html

For your system I would look at around 550 w just to give yourself some head room if staying with a single card. If going SLI then go with the recommendations from Nvida.

Kat

[AnExecutiveNightmare]

Originally Posted by Katreat I would say 500w will run your system just fine but not if you put a second vid card in. For two 9600 in SLI you would probably need around 650-700w from a SLI certified PSU. I am surpised it is running on 350w right now, that is a bit low for what you have in the box. Modular cables just means you can un-connect cable you dont need which saves clutter in the case. I dont think modular gives you an extra options, I have both a modular and standard PSU in different machines and the standard has the same number of power connectors, I just have to wrap them up and shove them in an empty drive bay instead of unplugging them. As for size, any standard PSU should fit a standard case. There are some units designed for specific cases but they will likely list those specifics in the discription. Just be sure to get a quality unit. Check out this site for Good brands and check out the Nvida site to determine what size PSU you need if you want to be SLI ready. http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?t=131195 http://www.slizone.com/object/slizone_build_psu.html For your system I would look at around 550 w just to give yourself some head room if staying with a single card. If going SLI then go with the recommendations from Nvida. Kat

Wow. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with me. . Excellent information.And yes i am suprised it is running so smoothly(at all)with the 350watt as well!

I have another question for you or anyone who might know what i'm talking about so i'll try and be clear. when i said "to the ability to expand on one Connector to 2+ other device/connectors" i meant like if you had a single connector from the PSU and say, a fan, that had a set of connectors (female and male) so when connected you were left with an extra connector to attch another device. What would this be called and is it ok to do granted you have a PSU that can handle X number of periphials?