Can I permanently damage my new build by connecting wires wrong?

[eclancy]

Hi team,

I recently bought all the components to build an awesome gaming computer and was encouraged by the people at the store to build it myself because "even a trained monkey can do it". I believe I am one step ahead of a trained monkey, and I think I have everything plugged in correctly even though there seem to be spare wires and plugs, although I've read that that's normal. In the off chance I did do something wrong, will I cause permanent damage by turning it on for the first time? Usually I would go for it, but it could potentially be a $1,000 mistake.

Long story short, I'm afraid of turning on my masterpiece because I don't want it to explode if I did something wrong. Is that even possible, or worst case scenario it just won't turn on?

Please god help me, I have games to play.

 

[Someone Somewhere]

You have to use a very large amount of force to do so.

The sole exception that I know of is putting a 9-pin USB case plug on a Firewire header, or vice versa.

 

[pm4]

Cables should have small plastic pieces on it which won't allow you to put them often wrong way or to wrong slots. You can ofc put smaller cable into bigger socket, but who would do that?
In short if you got your biggest cable plugged into biggest socket on motherboard (mostlikely 24 pin) and 4 or 8 pin for your CPU near cpu socket you have 2 basic cables right. Other power cables should be easy too, just match number of pins and shape with socket and your are fine.

If you mean also various other cables like USB for front panel or so you should not be able to plug them wrong way they have different number of pins and can have plastic piece to prevent you plug it wrong way.

Rest are various small cables like power/reset buttons, those if you plug wrong way no big deal you will just reset your pc with power button or other way around .

Just doublecheck your setup with manual and you will be ok.

 

[Pondering]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKq7s9WXShw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gXFEuN7CI8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7Dpyhi2V30

Look over some of these to calm your nerves =)

 

[Davidgilinsky]

nowadays building a pc is alot more easier, all you need is you're common sense , eyesight and the manual that comes along with it, now components are much more reliable lets say sata cables for the hdd and odd will not fit in if you have plugged the wrong way aswell as the power connector that comes with it

 

[zenx]

Hi there!

As others have pointed out most cables only fit where they're supposed to and only in the direction they're supposed to..
However one thing that comes to mind is the CPU cooler. I assume you're using a stock cooler otherwise you probably would have mentioned all the 'lego fun' involved with separate coolers....
Modern stuff has thermal throttling and fancy things that keep your cpu from burning out, but yea be sure to completely press the cooler pins into the MB untill they click and only then turn them just to be on the safe side 😉 Otherwise you're good to go and hit the power button! good luck!

Cheers

 

[leeb2013]

Kaaabooooom!!!!!!!

seriously though, most critical stuff can only go in one socket, one way. Just double check headers for the case panel connections. Ensure 4/8 pin mobo power goes to mobo and PCIe power goes to GPU. Maybe try it without GPU first and use 1 stick of RAM.