HD 4870 installation help!

warning: will use very untechnical terms.

So on the card there are 2 holes to plug things into. The cables that go into those holes each branch out into 2 more connection plugs, totaling 4. Do i need to connect all 4 of these heads to my power box? Or is 2 just enough?

sure. By the way, why did they give me Y cables for?

EDIT: also, i used something similair on my 2 hard drives. It is a cable that connects both of them together and then to a power source. its like a 3-way thing. Is this okay? I also conected their SATA cables, i believe they are called. Anyways there is an 8 pin on the hard drives that i hve done nothing with yet. Do i have to connect them to anything? These are WD Caviar btw.

Ok, I take it that in the first post you are talking about molex to PCIe adapters? Are the parts you are using the ones in your signature? If so, your powersupply should have dedicated PCIe power plugs that can connect directly into those "two holes" you are talking about, they are 6-pin PCIe power sockets. The adapters just there if your powersupply doesn't have those plugs.

2nd post: In the bottom right corner of the motherboard, there are lots of pins sticking up at least a dozen or so in 2 rows, you will have to consult the motherboard manual to find out which ones are which, the manual will tell you which are power, reset, LED, speaker, HDD etc..

Ok, I take it that in the first post you are talking about molex to PCIe adapters? Are the parts you are using the ones in your signature? If so, your powersupply should have dedicated PCIe power plugs that can connect directly into those "two holes" you are talking about, they are 6-pin PCIe power sockets. The adapters just there if your powersupply doesn't have those plugs.

2nd post: In the bottom right corner of the motherboard, there are lots of pins sticking up at least a dozen or so in 2 rows, you will have to consult the motherboard manual to find out which ones are which, the manual will tell you which are power, reset, LED, speaker, HDD etc..

Marfoo

Ah okay thanks, i'll look into that. I'll probably be back within 5-10 minutes. And yes, parts are in my sig.

EDIT: Is the HDD Cable used only for RAID?

Just an FYI...I'm not sure if ATi says this in their instructions or on the plastic bag for those cables...HOWEVER...Nvidia puts a sticker on those plastic bags for the Y cables (4PinMolex) saying "These adapters are a TEMPORARY SOLUTION ONLY, and not designed for prolonged use!" Meaning that you really need to have a power supply that fully supports that graphics card.

I can't even count how many times I've seen posts here that say "Will this PSU work with my card etc." If you're not sure, or you think you may be cutting it close then upgrade. You can get an Antec 850 online for around $150.00. Personally I've got the Antec 1000, since I'm overclocking the snot out of my Q6700, OC'ing my Ram, OC'ing my GTX280, and running two DVDR's. Plus it leaves room for another graphics card if I want to go SLi and keeps me ahead of the curve.

I believe Antec or one of the other PSU companies has a webpage where you can enter everything that you have and it will tell you if your PSU is sufficient. Not saying that this information is perfect or on target but I know that it placed me at a 700Watt PSU, and most PSU's are only about 85% effecient, 100% under load (do you really want your PSU under 100% load all the time???)...so that seemed to be cutting too close for me. 750x.85=637.5 Plus PSU's lose efficiency over time, after two or three years you're getting less out of it. Thus my reasoning behind the Antec 1000, even at 85% efficiency I'm sitting at 850watts, which is plenty.

Just make sure you're not underpowering...I've said it many times before...modding CPU's is like modding cars, you've gotta "pay to play" if you cut corners then you're going to get stung! If your PSU goes **** up, it could take all of your components with it, including that nice new graphics card.

One last piece of advice. DO NOT install a graphics card and a PSU at the same time. I may be anal but my opinion is that you should install the PSU first and make sure it runs properly for a few minutes; if you've got the patience run it for a day or two. Then install that expensive graphics card. Reason being is that if it's a bad PSU, it could fry your componenets as well; rare but I've heard of it happening.

How should i go about testing my PSU? Just unconnect it from everything (well except the power cord of course) and then turn it on for a while?

EDIT: i didn't see the message. Then again i just decided to use it since they gave it to me.

There is a 2-pin HDD indicator plug coming from your case right? This controls the LED on your case that says the HDDs are being accessed.Marfoo

Yes....i was looking in the manual to find the right plug the 2-pin goes into. I was planning on putting EVERYTHING together first and then turning on the power. Is this a bad idea?

Install the new PSU then turn on your comp. with the old system. Is it risky, kinda, but let that PSU run for awhile. Or they do sell PSU testors at the stores or on newegg.com

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Description=PSU+tester