Build help

ijb1989

ijb1989

ijb1989

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2 Nov 2020
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Hi guys,

Hopefully this is the right place to post this but if not, please move it to the correct place!

I've started building my PC today after my 5600x arrived yesterday. So far, I've got the CPU and cooler on, mobo mounted, RAM is in and PSU is bolted in too. I'm just plugging in cables from case to mobo and i've hit a bit of a wall.

For clarity, Ive got a ROG Strix B550-F Mobo and a Phanteks P400A case.

MOBO Manual: https://dlcdnets.asus.com/pub/ASUS/...ING/E16609_ROG_STRIX_B550-F_GAMING_UM_WEB.pdf

Case Manual: http://www.phanteks.com/assets/manuals/PH-EC400ATG.pdf

Firstly, am I right in saying the HDD LED +- should go in the bottom right hand side horizontally, and the Power SW should go the same way?

Secondly, MB D/RGB 3PIN - i presume this is the RGB lights that need connecting to the MOBO but i'm unsure where to connect these - in the manual, it says in section 11 I can connect RGB LED strips but the diagrams are all 4-pinned & this isn't that connection..

Thirdly, the front panel HD Audio I'm pretty sure i've placed correctly but would appreciate someone having a look

Fourthly, i've connected the USB 3.0 front panel cable to the USB 3.2 Gen1 header - is this still OK?

Any help appreciated!
 
Page 1-19 of the motherboard shows the front panel connector layout, getting +ve and -ve the wrong way round won't do any harm, it just won't work, so if the cables arent clearly marked (which I'm seeming more often now) just try them both ways, one at a time.

The RGB connectors, there's 2 different types of connectors on motherboards normally, both different voltages. Hwever your RBG products may have a bespoke connection designed for a controller hub or similar i.e. Corsair fans use a different plug that is designed to fit their RGB controllers, that then connect to the motherboard via a usb header.
 
Invertigo said:
Page 1-19 of the motherboard shows the front panel connector layout, getting +ve and -ve the wrong way round won't do any harm, it just won't work, so if the cables arent clearly marked (which I'm seeming more often now) just try them both ways, one at a time.

The RGB connectors, there's 2 different types of connectors on motherboards normally, both different voltages. Hwever your RBG products may have a bespoke connection designed for a controller hub or similar i.e. Corsair fans use a different plug that is designed to fit their RGB controllers, that then connect to the motherboard via a usb header.
Click to expand...

That's a relief RE the getting LEDS the wrong way round - will remember that when I come to boot up the first time (i've not got my GPU yet so can't boot to test).

RE the RGB connectors, the cables i'm looking to attach to the MOBO are from the fans built into the case by Phanteks rather than via the mobo, so I don't think they're controlled by anything other than the mobo but I could be wrong.

I was also wondering about the BIOS flashing (when I get that far) - is that quite simple to do?
 
I just had this response on reddit:

Plug it into add_rgb header on the bottom row, and don't forget to connect sata power

is this right?
 
If it's the P400A RGB then it comes with a controller for the RGB, which is typically behind the back panel, probably top left when looking at it with the side off. Each fan will have 2 sets of wires, one RGB that plugs into the controller and one either 3 or 4 pin that plugs into a motherboard fan header. You then plug the controller into the add_rgb header and give it sata power, and it'll be controllable through the Asus Aura Sync software then. If the RGB controller isn't pre-installed in the case, look in the accessories boxes that came with the case, as it 100% comes with one.

If you can't see it, take some photos of the back side of the case (i.e. right side panel off, back of the motherboard tray) in the top corner near the power switch etc, as that's where it's likely located. The case has physical control buttons for the RGB so logic says the controller will be close by.

BIOS flashing is simple using the flashback feature, theres plenty of videos on YouTube explaining it clearly, just take your time and prepare for it to randomly not read off the USB. I had to reformat mine 5 times before my MSI board finally decided it was okay, for some reason!

Personally, I wouldn't even bother connecting a HDD LED connector, I see no benefit in having a flashing light on a case showing me it's in use, and leaving it unplugged wouldn't do any harm.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for your response - RE the fan wiring, there's 3 cables for the fans themselves that I've already attached to the mobo's cha_fan1, 2 and 3. There is then another cable with M/B D-RGB tag (i've put this in ADD_GEN2 on the advice of a reddit user), another cable with the tag 'D-RGB FAN', and a bundle of cables plus a sata adapter. On the below image, the D-RGB fan cable is the one that is at the very bottom of the pic with the plastic cap on. I've googled where the p400a rgb controller is, and i'm pretty sure it's just built into the case but i'm not 100% - please also see manual: http://www.phanteks.com/assets/manuals/PH-EC400ATG.pdf

vhtCJRf


Again, thanks sincerely for your help
 
You'll need to connect the SATA plug to the PSU to power the controller, but other than that it sounds about right from what you're saying. Standard fan connectors plug into motherboard, fan RBG cables connect to the controller. Controller then connects to the motherboard with the D_RGB cable connected to the ADD_GEN2 as you said, with the SATA connection plugged in to the PSU for power.

For what it's worth, the RGB should kick in as soon as the system is powered on to make sure it's all plugged in, regardless if the system makes it to boot or not as the PSU will be sending power to the controller.
 
That's great advice - so glad I found this forum when I started planning this build a couple of months back.

I've also found a video specific to my case, in German but there's somewhat broken English subtitles (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPZ_VollOn4) which confirms each cable's use too.. the M/B DRGB cable has been left unplugged by this user in favour of operating lighting paterns via the case's controller (which for a novice like me seems like the better option at least to begin with!).

If only I had my GPU to test it all.. that delivery has been delayed again until 18th dec estimated.

Once i finish the fanwork and plug my SSD and HDD in, could i boot up without a GPU just to check lighting etc or is it safer to wait for the GPU before turning anything on?
 
The 5600x doesn't have an iGPU so you have no way to get video output. The lighting will work fine and it won't do any harm, the system will fail its POST and you'll get a flashing light on the motherboard telling you the issue (which in this case would evidently be GPU) but this doesn't cause any harm.

As you noted, the D_RGB header is totally optional in this situation, it's there for control only rather than power i.e. for syncing with other components like motherboard, gpu, ram rgb.

However, it's quite likely you'll need to update the BIOS on the board before the CPU will work, and it's best practice to have nothing connected for the BIOS flashback procedure i.e. no CPU or RAM installed, only the 24 pin ATX and the 8 pin EPS power connectors.
 
Invertigo said:
The 5600x doesn't have an iGPU so you have no way to get video output. The lighting will work fine and it won't do any harm, the system will fail its POST and you'll get a flashing light on the motherboard telling you the issue (which in this case would evidently be GPU) but this doesn't cause any harm.

As you noted, the D_RGB header is totally optional in this situation, it's there for control only rather than power i.e. for syncing with other components like motherboard, gpu, ram rgb.

However, it's quite likely you'll need to update the BIOS on the board before the CPU will work, and it's best practice to have nothing connected for the BIOS flashback procedure i.e. no CPU or RAM installed, only the 24 pin ATX and the 8 pin EPS power connectors.
Click to expand...

I see - that's disappointing! To confirm then, I should now take the build apart, flash the motherboard then re-build? If so, do you have any links you could perhaps share for videos of how to flash a b550-f for ryzen5600x? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3tIastGrjk is the first result I have found and it seems very straightforward but i'm unsure how i'd do any of that without having the various components plugged in?

Finally, and sorry for the question overload, will I be able to download this and create the flash drive using a mac or should I do this from a windows machine?

Thanks
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCcwvbRA_4s

https://www.asus.com/support/FAQ/1038568/

You'll need another PC to format the drive and rename the file. General opinion seems to be it works best with a USB2.0 drive of 8gb or less, but I managed mine with a 16gb 3.0 drive. May need to reformat a couple times for it to work, can sometimes be very picky!

I've also seen people say the flashback feature can sometimes work with a cpu/ram installed, so you can always try before stripping it back.
 
Thanks for your last message. GPU arrived today so took my build apart and now I'm flashing a b550F board without the CPU or any other peripherals connected, so I can use my new 5600x.

I've got the mobo in front of me with the usb plugged into the bios slot and then power the mobo on, wait 30 seconds and press the bios flashback button on the back for 3 seconds.

The green light underneath the bios button flashes 3 times, then lights a solid green colour as the manual says it should, but it's been green now for upwards of 10 mins which seems far too long. The manual says to wait until the green light goes out to signify that the bios update has completed.

How do i know whether this has worked without building my PC fully to check?

Update - I have also done this with 2 usbs, both formatted to FAT32 and both renamed using the renamer rather than manually. I have waited in both instances for 10 minutes to make sure i'm not just being impatient.

Any help appreciated.
 
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