CyberPower BlizzCon 2010 Grand Prize (from a winner's PoV)

[TheSobeGuy]

Thanks to the ASUS guys, one of the reps suggested that I should talk about the beast that I won playing the Starcraft II Psi Assault Challenge @ BlizzCon.

When the package arrived, I don't know if this system has been set to overclock, but I don't think it is. The i7 is pretty fast, 1 TB of HDD is too much to store (awesome though), the 8 fans light up blue (glows in the dark, enough to light the room), and just recently installed WoW. I had to buy a digital widescreen LED monitor for it to look good. The FPS on Starcraft II on ultra settings gameplay is way better than my old one. From 30 fps on low-medium settings to 75-125 fps on ultra settings, this computer is well worth the win.

Just one question to Brian Jang: Was this system overclocked before it was shipped? If it isn't, it's okay because I don't need to overclock anyway. I like it just the way it is.

ASUS ftw!

[TheSobeGuy]

These are what I had when I won the computer two years ago...
1. ASUS Nvidia GeForce GTX 460, 1 GB
2. 6 GB Kingston HyperX

ASUS Nvidia GeForce GTX 660-DC2 Series, 2 GB

Corsair Vengeance 4GB

Rough Draft Build

Final BIOS Stats

Final build while it's running.

[TheSobeGuy]

Hi guys. I now have a next-level, brand new situation:














So the gigabyte is a beast, although while unboxing, I noticed an 8-pin connector. Can it still handle my current motherboard - ASUS Rampage III GENE?

Also, what would you suggest for additional pieces to connect? What type of power supply that may have 8-pin and 6-pin slots?

Note that the bottom picture is the 6-pin connector provided when my winning prize was shipped.

[xeromist]

Since you are only running one card you don't have to worry about the motherboard. The extra power will be drawn from the PSU rather than the PCI-E slot and PCI-E 2.0 is fine since the card won't be sharing the bus.

The difference with the 8 pin connectors is they have additional grounds, allowing higher draw over the circuit, but otherwise they are the same. There are adapters you can get such as:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812200420

Technically using such an adapter could be undesirable because you might draw more current than the 6pin wiring can support but I've never heard of anyone having a problem. Quality PSUs are built slightly above spec so you should have some headroom. You just need to make sure that you look at the specs for your PSU and ensure it has enough amperage on the PCI-E power connectors (if your PSU is multi-rail then you need to make sure there is enough power on that rail or use two rails).

[TheSobeGuy]

Wow. Haven't made a post in a good four years or so...

My computer will not officially turn on. I suspect it is a power supply issue. I did dust free spring cleaning on my rig. While I was playing Injustice 2, the computer decides to shut off abruptly. If it is a power supply issue, then I do need a recommendation. Thanks again guys, and...possibly the good times I had with this PC...

[xeromist]

It could be the PSU or it could be something else like the motherboard. You can test an ATX PSU by using a small bit of wire to connect two of the pins. If you get no response using the link below then the PSU is dead. If the PSU works then I would go through and reseat all of the connections in your machine, check for debris, etc. Since you were cleaning something could be dislodged or debris causing a short.
https://bit-tech.net/guides/modding/how-to-jump-a-psu/1/

[TheSobeGuy]

xeromist wrote:
It could be the PSU or it could be something else like the motherboard. You can test an ATX PSU by using a small bit of wire to connect two of the pins. If you get no response using the link below then the PSU is dead. If the PSU works then I would go through and reseat all of the connections in your machine, check for debris, etc. Since you were cleaning something could be dislodged or debris causing a short.
https://bit-tech.net/guides/modding/how-to-jump-a-psu/1/

Thanks for the link xeromist. The paper clip test worked yesterday, and ran good...for a while. Now hopefully I could jump start it again. Just powered down abruptly again last night.

(Update): All my ground wires do not work anymore. Maybe a new PSU, unfortunately?

[xeromist]

If you suspect the power supply is flaky you should replace it immediately. If it hasn't already it could damage other components.

[TheSobeGuy]

If Brian Jang gets a chance to reads this, give him a shout out for me. It's been BlizzCon 2010, and here is my situation. If he, or anyone that understands the Cyber Power case build, I'm getting ready to take off the Cooler Master Silent Pro PSU. I'm taking the before photos as I'm getting ready for my replacement to come in. I ordered the [hopefully the same, or similar] model.

Update: Package came in. New Cooler Master SIlent Pro 850W is ready to go. My worry is disassemble the modded Cyber Power case that I got years ago from BlizzCon 2010 because it looks intimidating to work around it. What other things do I need before I start getting to work on the replacement? Hopefully it's easy, and not too much work.

[xeromist]

Brian has moved on from ASUS but I'm sure he would be glad to know the winner was able to get this much use out of it.

As for working on the machine, the first thing you could try is setting up the new PSU on the table next to the machine. You can hook up the connectors and test everything that way before going to the trouble of dismantling if you want to confirm everything else is functional. Otherwise, just take the disassembly one step at a time. If you encounter something complex that you might have trouble remembering just take a picture. And if you can't figure something out just post a picture here on the forum. You can use this thread but it might be better to start a new thread in the builds section of the forum since more people would read it.

[TheSobeGuy]

Now that the replaement PSU is connected, the last problem I will be encountering is the motherboard's "Start" and "Reset" buttons. The computer will not turn on, yet the PSU is "paper-clip tested" and working. All I need to do now is read the Rampage III Gene manual, move over RAM, etc. I don't hear beeps.