It only took nigh on three hours to do, but my computer now has a 600w Corsair CX600 installed.  Now, I'm sure many of you out there are saying to yourself "three hours?  How in the world did it take that long???"

Well, there were a few problems along the way.  Problem number one, and the most time-consuming, discovering that the CX600 doesn't actually have a four-pin 12v ATX connector.  This, I found out after I had spent an hour and a bit getting the old PSU out, getting the new one in, and running cable.  The four-pin 12v ATX is used on old motherboards, like mine, and is never seen anymore.  After nearly removing the installed CX600 in frustration, I remembered that I have another computer (which I'm typing this post on) and could google around about this conundrum.  This is where I discovered that Corsair has a more modern eight-pin connector that splits into two four-pin 12v ATXs.  While I wish that had been obvious from looking at the various cables, it's done and over with.

Problem number two, and the most aggravating, was finding out that my old PSU was actually better equipped for hard-drive and DVD drive power cables.  That one, an old ThermalTake (which only puts 18amps to the 12v rail, by the way... well below the 20 required for my new graphics card, which confirms the suspicions of all of you, and thanks!), has four individual cords with a four-pin molex connector on them.  The CX600 has ONE cord with four molexi "spliced in."  The run from the top of my case (DVD) to the bottom (hard drive) is just barely within reach of the CX600's cord... and that, I think, only because my DVD drive is installed in the bottom of the optical drive bay.  If it was in the top slot, I don't think it'd reach.  Getting that cable run was quite annoying... I'm still not even sure I can put the side panel back on.

Problem number three was that the younger me who installed the ThermalTake PSU all these many years ago was something of a diplodocus when he put it in.  Slip-tabs that would normally hold the drive in place were badly bent, a plastic friction clip wasn't there at all, so on and so forth.  As it is, I managed to re-bend the bottom tab to do a little bit of gripping, but the three case screws that are supposed to just lock the PSU in place are, instead, doing most of the work of keeping it from falling. 

So there it is... three hours of effort, dust and swearing... a LOT of swearing... but little Chiyo-chan now has a new heart PSU.  Next step is the graphics card, but that won't come until AFTER dinner.  I'm starving.

Posted by: Wonderduck at 06:28 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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