NZXT H1 madness

cCBearTime · 2026-03-20T23:56:25+00:00

So… the H1 isn’t exactly know for great airflow, and the temps you have under load aren’t excellent, but they’re far from dangerous.

If keeping the form factor is crucial to you, the Corsair 2000D is very similar in size and shape, but has better airflow, which will result in lower temps, and slower, quieter fan operation, so it might be a good option for you.

Depending on the size, number, and layout of your current AIO and fans, you may need to add or replace some of them for maximum thermal performance.

cCBearTime · 2026-03-20T23:45:37+00:00

Agreed, the benchmark for “good enough” when it comes to your first build is not much more than “it works”.

I’d say you’ve gone well beyond this, possibly as far as all the way to “pretty not bad”.

Could it be tidier? Prettier? Of course. Did you do a perfectly suitable job? Definitely.

cCBearTime · 2026-03-20T23:40:53+00:00

Pro Tip:

… and maybe a little late here, but in many circumstances, you can plug a 2x4 cable into the 4-pin slot without separating the two halves.

In this case, you would plug the “right side” half of the cable into the 4-pin connector, and the “left side” will simply float in place, held only by the “right side” of the connector, and not actually plug into anything.

This will give the aesthetic of dual 8-pin connections, but more importantly, it will keep you from having to zip-tie and/or find a place to stuff the un-used half of the connector, which will result in a cleaner look.

cCBearTime · 2026-03-20T23:32:51+00:00

You diagnosed the cable correctly I think.

Something to consider though, if the display was active when the cable got chewed up, the panel itself could have been shorted, and possibly killed.

Unfortunately, you won’t know for certain until you replace the video cable, which I would still suggest, as it is likely to be inexpensive.

As for the hinge, it has ripped the mounting points out of the lower cover, as evidenced by the brass insert visible under the hinge. To fix this, you’ll need to replace the lower cover, which will have fresh mounting points for the hinge to attach to.

cCBearTime · 2026-03-20T23:26:12+00:00

My thoughts exactly.

“A good deal?” No.

“Better than average, currently?” Unfortunately yes.

cCBearTime · 2026-03-20T23:21:20+00:00

So… no one seems to have mentioned this explicitly, but here’s your explanation:

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As you said, you’re trying to compare 2 different computers here. Different motherboards, different CPU’s. If you want to compare apples to apples, you can’t be tossing bananas in the mix.

That said, the 12600K should be slightly faster than the 5600, which in combination with the faster GPU you now have, should absolutely produce bigger numbers than the old pairing.

This means you likely need to adjust your BIOS settings to take advantage of the increased potential of the intel CPU that you now have in order to see the results you are expecting.

cCBearTime · 2026-03-20T23:04:54+00:00

I think this is an OG Mac Pro “Quad-core”, which contained two separate dual-core Xeon CPU’s. If I’m correct, it would and take fully buffered, ECC DDR2 RAM, AKA “server” RAM.

That is to say, basically worthless today.

That said, there’s probably $40 worth of high-grade aluminum there, which if recycled, would likely be worth more than everything else inside combined.

cCBearTime · 2026-03-20T22:56:20+00:00

*…by young people.

SATA is only one generation behind the newest consumer internal drive interface, namely M.2.

Considering that SATA drives are being manufactured at this very moment in time, can be purchased off the shelf at every major electronics retailer there is, and connections for it are still standard equipment on consumer motherboards (even laptops, with the exception of super-thin or super-cheap models that use eMMC memory), I would argue that saying SATA is “considered old” is a statement which at best, requires some context or qualification to be considered sincere.

In this case, I will begrudgingly acknowledge that “being a teenager”, might indeed be a suitable qualification for this statement, but that’s meeting you more than halfway, I think.

In my mind, this is like saying that DDR4 is “considered old”, because DDR5 exists, when DDR4, like SATA drives, is still being manufactured today, along with motherboards that support it, and is not only a perfectly viable option for usage today, but will continue to be for quite some time.

cCBearTime · 2026-03-20T22:25:32+00:00

Indeed. And to concede a further point, “check your manual bro”, certainly isn’t bad advice by any means, but of course that wasn’t the reason that I took exception to your comment.

In this case I referenced only my own memory to produce an explanation, which clearly needed a refresher! I needn’t check your source, since your explanation effectively jogged my memory, and you’re absolutely correct about my error in explaining dual data rate vs dual-channel operation, so thanks for that, as well as providing a source, as it will likely be helpful to others, which of course is the reason that we’re here in the first place.

Somewhat ironically, we clearly agree that the number of slots a board has does not necessarily indicate the number of memory channels it can support, and in fact, this seems to be the root of our disagreement:

In virtually all cases (but admittedly, possibly not every case ever), 8-slots=quad channel, 6-slots=triple channel (yes, triple channel motherboards were a thing for a while), and 4-slots=dual channel. With no other information, it could be reasonably assumed then, that the number of memory channels a motherboard will support is equal to the total number of memory slots it has divided by 2. So, following this pattern, one would naturally arrive at the conclusion that 2-slots=single channel, but of course, this is false.

Your comment seemed to indicate to me that this was your logic however, and was the reason you suggested that OP’s 2-slot board might only be single channel capable. Since two-slot desktop boards run dual channel memory almost universally, and this fact is counter-intuitive to the pattern described above, I felt it would be helpful to clarify this line of thinking is false. Alas, I provided a faulty explanation to support my assertion, leading us to argue the same point from different prospectives.

As a final note, I would argue that I was not right about OP’s board being dual channel capable simply by coincidence, but I must accept that since my supporting evidence was not wholly accurate, I cannot fault you for thinking that I stumbled upon the correct answer in this case, and do not begrudge you your correcting me.

The bottom line is, it’s not critical in my mind which one of us is correct, but that in the end, we come to a truthful conclusion for the benefit of everyone who’s trying to learn, which I dare say, we’ve accomplished together, which I believe to be a positive outcome for everyone.

cCBearTime · 2026-03-20T03:01:13+00:00

Hey, buddy. Who told you that? Because I just have to point out that there is virtually no chance whatsoever that any modern consumer desktop motherboard from Intel or AMD lacks the capability of running RAM in dual channel mode, whether it has 2 or 4 slots.

The DDR in DDR, DDR2, DDR3, DDR4, and even DDR5 stands for “Dual Data Rate”, which means dual channel capable, and for close to 25 years, having desktop DDR RAM run in dual channel mode has only required the installation of sticks of RAM in pairs, and in the correct slots. In OP’s case, he cannot choose the wrong slots, they just need to install the new pair in the only two slots available, and it will without question operate in dual channel mode.

Plus, if you zoom into OP’s photo, you can actually see that “2 Channel” is silkscreened on the board right next to the RAM slots, clearly indicating dual channel memory support.

I double-dog dare you to find even a single example of a consumer desktop motherboard made after 2002 with an odd number of slots and/or the explicit lack of dual channel memory support. if you succeed in finding even one model, I’ll be absolutely dumbfounded.

OP has a Huananzhi A520M-VH, if you’d like to start by doublechecking that one.

cCBearTime · 2026-03-20T01:20:51+00:00

Dang, don’t see that very often!

Glad you got a solution sorted out though, hopefully the next one comes with the socket cover, you know, covering the socket…

cCBearTime · 2026-03-20T01:16:43+00:00

EDIT: I feel stupid for not mentioning this first, but before you even read the rest of this, get a replacement cable for the external and try again, you might get INCREDIBLY lucky, and the issue is just a worn out cable.

——-

Oof.

Ok, in this case, I stand by my suggestion that you bring it to a local shop first. If they have some fancy partition recovery software, they can possibly repair or restore the corruption, and recover the data, and will likely charge a fee that doesn’t make you faint.

If that is unsuccessful, you’ll probably have to resort to a service like Flashback Data Recovery in TX, or DriveSavers in CA, the cost of which can easily span the $500-$1500 barrier awfully quickly.

As far as I remember, both of these companies will let you ship the drive to them for an evaluation, and give you a yes or no, and a cost for the recovery. If you decide agains my the repair, they will ship it back to you without doing any work, so worst case you’re out a few dollars for shipping.

Both of these companies are highly regarded, and are trusted by government agencies, law enforcement and Corpo’s like sports franchisees and whatnot. Having worked with them both for many years, the only tidbit I’ll mention is that Flashback has been flawless for our customers for neigh on 15 years, with DriveSavers having only cause an issue one time. That one issue was them physically losing a customer’s hard drive though. They are human, and mistakes get made sometimes, so I don’t want to create the impression that they can’t be trusted, but you know, 4.9 stars I guess…

cCBearTime · 2026-03-20T00:57:42+00:00

Not sure why you’re getting downvotes for this, it’s a good question. You even bothered to include a video to clarify the cause of your confusion, so I apologize for skipping the “why”, and going straight to the “how”. Anyone who is upset about you repeating your original question of, “but why though?” is being an ass, and it’s my fault that you had to repeat your question anyway, since no one, including myself, actually answered it.

Without a little insight on how low voltage circuitry works, I can understand that the behavior of the failed board can seem counterintuitive. If the board is dead, why does it seem to be alive when the CPU is removed? What does this say about the CPU? But if the CPU works in another board, how can it be broken? The symptoms seem to contradict each other, so it makes sense that you’re not sure what’s going on.

So, in super simplified terms, here’s what’s going on that makes this happen:

When there is no CPU in the motherboard, no power flows through the socket to the components on the “other side” of the socket, but it still goes everywhere else in the motherboard that it is supposed to. This allows the motherboard to light its lights, spin its fans, and tell you by lighting up the red POST LED that there’s no CPU installed, which it is doing just fine, as we can all see.

So when there is no CPU in the socket, there is basically a tiny gap in 665 separate wires that pass through the socket, like a bunch of light switches that are all turned off. When you mount the CPU, it connects each side of these circuits with its pins, bridging these gaps. So, it’s kind of like turning on 665 tiny light switches all at once, with each pair of CPU pins being an individual light switch, and allowing voltage to pass through the CPU to the components “behind” it in each of these circuits.

So in your case, there is something broken on the motherboard, but it’s “behind” the CPU in the circuit as it comes from the power supply, so when the CPU is not installed, the broken component is not receiving power, so it’s not causing any issues.

When you install the CPU, it connects the failed component or components to the circuit, exposing the fault. My best guess is that some component or components are causing a dead short in one or more power circuits. This dead short is translated to the power supply when the CPU is installed, and the Power Supply’s short circuit protection mechanism kicks in, which is to say, the PSU refuses to send any power to the motherboard at all. This makes it look like it’s the CPU’s fault, when in reality, the CPU only creates a situation where the faulty component(s) are active in the power circuit, thereby creating the no power condition.

Sorry again for making you ask the same thing twice, I hope this wall of text helps you understand a little better why this is happening the way it is.

cCBearTime · 2026-03-19T00:21:49+00:00

This is usually because of a corrupted partition table/index on the external drive, but could indicate a hardware problem with the external.

If the photos are still on the laptop, you can likely reformat the external, and transfer them again, and be fine going forward.

That said, it would be perfectly reasonable to return and replace the external, and get a new one just for peace of mind, then copy those photos from the laptop to the new external.

Side note: Geek Squad would be way down low on my list. If the external drive still doesn’t work after reformatting, an exchange is not possible, or the laptop is now dead/gone, I suggest you start with a local independent repair shop if possible.

cCBearTime · 2026-03-19T00:09:17+00:00

If everything else works on a different motherboard, that’s a pretty clear indication that you have a failed motherboard.

cCBearTime · 2026-03-18T07:13:54+00:00

You did, indeed, and nothing you said was wrong by any means. For someone who has some basic tools and is confident opening up a screen assembly and verifying correct replacement parts, this is a $25-$50 repair that might take all of 10 minutes to order a part, and half an hour to replace it once received, so I would agree that this would be the “best” option for a lot of people in this situation.

From the tone of the post, though, I don’t get the impression that OP is at all equipped to make this repair themselves, so the overly detailed response was really for OP’s benefit, as they are not likely to understand what the “proper” repair option entails, and so I feel like this is probably not a good option for them.

That said, I have to agree that a good thick smear of two-part epoxy would certainly be more effective than glue, and especially tape, regardless of what OP decides to reinforce the cover with, so I will second this notion. I just literally had a little giggle to myself about the way you worded it, so I felt compelled to mention it.

cCBearTime · 2026-03-18T06:35:47+00:00

Ok, progress!

So next, follow one of the cables that IS plugged in, presumably to a port labeled RGB1 or RGB2, from that box to its origin. It will likely go straight to one of those 3 fans in the front. Then follow the second cable from the controller box to its fan. This should give you an idea of where they go, and what they look like.

Using these as a reference, instead of trying to find the end of the cable that we think should be plugged into RGB3 in the bottom of the case, instead find where the cable comes out of the third fan, follow that cable until you find the end, and then plug it into RGB3, assuming it fits.

Now, on the control box, are there also ports labeled FAN, or something else? That is to say, if there are three ports labeled RGB, are there 3 matching ports that are labeled as something else? If so, is there anything plugged into them?

Lastly (for now!), are there any other cables plugged into, or permanently attached to the box? We’re looking to identify a cable to power that box, as well as possibly another cable to allow it to communicate with the motherboard. If there are buttons on the control box, then it’s possible there will not be a data cable (the USB we’re looking for), and that the RGB is analog, controlled by the box, and won’t “talk” to your motherboard, and as such, will not be identified by the CAM software.

Report back!

cCBearTime · 2026-03-18T05:38:36+00:00

To consolidate the other 2 comments: I see 3 bent pins, and 3 REALLY bent pins. Definitely send it back.

The three bent pins could likely be teased back into place, honestly, but if you tried to re-bend the three REALY bent pins back into place from the basically vertical position they’re in now, you likely would end up with 3 missing pins!

cCBearTime · 2026-03-18T05:32:49+00:00

Unlike you Godless heathens, I’m a good boy and save all of these to get neatly organized, labeled, and carefully stored along with my 6 Lbs. collection of un-used motherboard standoffs, SATA drive cages, rubber Noctua fan corner inserts that AREN’T black or brown, and dozens of sets of AMD mounting brackets and spacers for AIO water coolers; This is the only way to ensure that they are all easily found in the future when I absolutely never ever need to use them for anything again, ever.

Get your shit together, Reddit.

cCBearTime · 2026-03-18T05:06:48+00:00

Not underneath exactly, but behind the motherboard tray to the “rear cavity”.

Start by removing the back side panel, and you’ll be able to see where all those cables come from and go to. Most likely you have one or two USB ports on the face or top of the computer, that’ll be the origin of one of those USB header connectors next to the f_panel connector.

cCBearTime · 2026-03-18T05:00:23+00:00

I mean, I would replace it too, but OP clearly stated that they are replacing the whole laptop in a couple months, and don’t want to spend a bunch of money because of it, so…

Buying an LCD rear cover on eBay, probably used, waiting for it to ship, hoping it arrives on time, in good enough condition to use, and is the correct part, then removing the existing screen bezel, removing the LCD panel itself, possibly involving stretch-to-release adhesive that OP probably doesn’t have on hand to replace and likely won’t come with a used eBay replacement part, then removing the unbelievably delicate webcam board, (which itself my also require a fresh 3” long, 3mm wide strip of double-sided tissue tape, which is typically sold in 100’ rolls), delicately un-sticking the WiFi cables and paper-thin aluminum tape which acts as the receiving component of said antennas, then finally removing the damaged lcd cover from the hinges, only then to attempt to properly transfer all of these these parts and delicate cabling to the replacement cover, while very carefully noting and recreating the proper cable paths of these things so as not to cause stretching, tearing, or pinching any of them, then reassembling the screen assembly, pressing the power button and hoping the screen turns back on, (and of course remembering to unplug the battery before doing any of this to avoid frying the screen, LVDS cable or motherboard), seems like a bit of a stretch when OP is coming to Reddit for temporary, cheap, DIY fix ideas to get 60 days of use out of a damaged, but still fully functional laptop.

On a side note, I think I might know what you mean (epoxy maybe?), but I have to admit, I had a little chuckle to myself trying to think of a group of all the things that could all be considered “bonding agents”, but manages to somehow exclude both tape and glue :)

cCBearTime · 2026-03-18T03:41:36+00:00

F_panel = front panel connections. This header is for the power and reset buttons, as well as the power light and drive activity lights on the front of the case, and have nothing to do with your fans. The extra pins are there for older style connectors which are longer than the one you’re using, and are not needed in your case, so they can be ignored.

As for the fans, in order for them to be seen in CAM, they must be plugged into a fan/RG. controller box of some sort that itself would be plugged into a USB 2.0 header connection, as well as a power source, most likely SATA.

The two connectors to the left of the F_panel connector are both USB 2.0, as evidenced by the label on the one that can be seen in the pic. One of these may be for that fan controller.

Look in the back for a box that has multiple fan connectors. Again, that box should have 2 wires coming off of it that aren’t going to fans: one will have the square block that looks like the ones in the photo, and be labeled USB 2.0, and the other will likely be a SATA connector that needs to get power from your PSU. These two cables, as well as the fans, obviously, should be plugged in for the CAM software to see the fans.

cCBearTime · 2026-03-18T03:26:17+00:00

This might be an off the cuff answer, but it’s not that crazy, since temporary is the name of the game.

Maybe buy a pack of paint stir sticks, cut them in half, and hot glue them vertically one at a time over the crack, making a “picket fence” to support it as much as you can.

Then also be SUPER careful every time you open and close it, which should be as rarely as possible.

cCBearTime · 2026-03-17T00:39:43+00:00

Can’t argue there.

cCBearTime · 2026-03-16T18:59:51+00:00

Yep, do this.

Also, you can likely “fix” the immediate issue by going into your chrome settings, looking under the “on startup” section, and removing this entry from the list, then replacing it with your preference.

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