PC building help

I have had all the parts I need to build my first ever PC delivered (except the PSU), but I need to know what order things go into the case :) .

I've looked at some guides on the internet - some say put the CPU onto the motherboard before the motherboard goes into the case, and another says to put the motherboard in first, then turn the case on its side to put everything else in.

Exactly what is the best order to put it all together :inquisiti ?
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Also, is it a good idea to get extra fans, and how much thermal paste do I need - is it a huge problem if I use too much?

Thanks

I would put the CPU and heatsink on before the board goes in. A lot of the time it can be very awkward getting past the PSU to attach the heatsink onto the clip(for AMD anyway)
once the motherboard is attached it doesn't really matter whether you do the rest on its side or not (could be tricky aligning the Hard drive but no biggie)
Anyway, good luck with it and what parts are you using?

A few case fans is always a good idea - just remember to balance the intake & exhaust fans - intake from the front bottom, exhaust at the top and back(where the air is hottest)
This may involve hacking big holes in your case though

Finally - yes, too much paste will start to act as an insulator and keep your cpu too hot. You should be aiming for as thin a layer of grease as possible - you can ensure this by scraping a card over the top of the die (be careful though)

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Originally Posted by ajbrun

I have had all the parts I need to build my first ever PC delivered (except the PSU), but I need to know what order things go into the case :) .

I've looked at some guides on the internet - some say put the CPU onto the motherboard before the motherboard goes into the case, and another says to put the motherboard in first, then turn the case on its side to put everything else in.

Exactly what is the best order to put it all together :inquisiti ?
__________________________________________________________________________________
Also, is it a good idea to get extra fans, and how much thermal paste do I need - is it a huge problem if I use too much?

Thanks

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Depends on how much room you have to work with once the motherboard is in the case - I normally put the cpu and fan onto the motherboard first, then mount the board into the case, however if you can easily access the board to fit everything on, you might as well mount the motherboard right away.

It doesn't really matter tbh, what ever makes the whole process smoother.

Thermal paste - just put a thin layer on the cpu, as thin as you can make it with no gaps, use the edge of a credit card or something to get a thin even layer.

Extra fans are only required if you intend to overclock anything IMO.

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Originally Posted by Skii

Extra fans are only required if you intend to overclock anything IMO.

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Agreed - I just assume everyone is a potential overclocker who needs a little nudge in the right direction though ;)

Definatley install the cpu, paste, Heatsink and ram onto the motherboard first!! It's MUCH easier and you can look along the underside of the HS and make sure it's amking proper contact with the cpu.

Other tricky bits include pluging the case buttons / leds into the mobo - do this before you install any PCI cards

Optical drives - long ones can be hard to put in when the psu is installed - depends on your case really.... so you might wanna install those first.

Also you might want to consider suspending the hard drive between elastic stips (ie from john lewis / bhs) in a 5 1/4 bay - stops the vibration being carried to the case and cut out the low rumbles.

Ff

Since this is my first build, then I'll probably attach the CPU and the heatsink before I put the mobo into the case.

Just to check as I really don't want to screw this up - the thermal paste goes onto the small shiny rectangular area on the CPU?

The parts I've used can befound in the following link - I think I've only changed the PSU from this list:

http://forums.hexus.net/showthread.php?t=19562

What thermal paste are you using?

Put a little dab at one end of the cpu core (yep ur right) and then gently spread it along using a clean credit card or similar. Nothing dirty, nothing that will leave fibres....
Use as little as you can but still achieving total coverage.

Then dab a little on the bottom of the heatsink, jus where the core will make contact, and rub it in with a finger covered in cling film. Get it into all the nooks. I find a dabbing motion is necessary with thicker pastes like arctic silver 5.

anythig else?

good luck and be carefull but insistent when putting the HS on!

F

I don't know what thermal paste it is - I got it off a friend. It's just a sort of white gluey looking stuff

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ajbrun

I don't know what thermal paste it is - I got it off a friend. It's just a sort of white gluey looking stuff

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Does it say 'Arctic Silver' on the side ? Hopefully not primula...

it says this:

Heat Sink
Silicone Compound
SIL MORE Taiwan

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ajbrun

it says this:

Heat Sink
Silicone Compound
SIL MORE Taiwan

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Yup that'll do ;)

good - I just hope everything goes all right....

I'll start building when I get the PSU, which should come in an hour or so - hopefully