General Build Question

[Myrkul23]

I've never built a computer before and I'm looking to do so for my new computer. The only reservation I have is installing the processor. Can anyone recommend some good sites that explain how to properly install a processor. The ones I've been googling are really outdated, and I'm not sure if they apply. I really don't want to build this thing and find out it's overheating. Thanks a lot!

 

[weilin]

processor installation hasnt really changed. any processor chip works in the same way. (none of hte slot processors installation will apply now, if u watched a video where the cpu is encased in the black rectangular block and isnt a chip with a pin grid thats not gonna help you). installing processor is EZ. lift up the little plastic or metal arm on the slot on the motherboard until it is stadning strait up (or simply as high as it will go). Line up the triangles on the socket and chip and hte processor will literally fall into place. NO force is necessary. once processor in all the way push the lever back down and the processor will be locked into place. Installation of Heatsink hasnt Really changed either. make sure there is thermal pad/paste on the bottom of the thing, line up the clamp and clamp the cpu heatsink to hte cpu. Make sure you plug the cpu fan into the motherboard. For the Socket 462, 370, it is hook it on 1 side and push down and hoook the other side with a screw driver. for Socket 754, 939, 478 (probably 775 idk never worked with them before) its screw driverless. place heatsink on top of cpu and lock the 2 sides of hte thing. no problems. It may seem intimidating at first but once you start doing it you will realize its mostly common sense and a piece of cake (heck it might take you longer to eat a piece of cake than installing a processor). As for over heating, most motherboards have a temp monitor somewhere in the bios just look and if ur processor is registered to be between 30-50 degress centigrade you should be fine (50 is a tad high but bearable).

any questions?

 

[steckman]

I've bought retail packages of Socket 775 CPUs and everytime they have come with a pretty detailed CPU installation guide. I've only bought OEM versions of Socket 939 CPUs, which did not come with a guide. However, every motherboard I have ever bought has had a section in the manual about installing the CPU. Like weilin said, just make sure that you have some kind of thermal paste on hand (retail packages usually come with this) to put between the CPU and heatsink.

 

[Myrkul23]

So when I go to newegg and buy a retail processor, it only comes with thermal paste?

If that's so, then I have two questions... should I use a separate thermal paste (superior to the one bundled with the processor) and do I also buy a fan/heatsink combo?

 

[steckman]

Retail packages usually come with the CPU, heatsink/fan combo, thermal paste, and installation guide. Unless you are trying to do some fancy overclocking, the stock heatsink/fan and thermal paste that come in the package work just fine.

 

[Myrkul23]

Thanks a lot for all your help steckman... couple last questions...

For a case such as this, it says that the cooling system contains 2 x 80mm Blue UV Sensitive LED Fans. Does that mean the case comes with these fans, or do I have to buy them?

Also, what are the differences between the different sized fans? Are there advantages/disadvantages to going bigger/smaller?

 

[steckman]

The way I read that listing is that the two fans are included. I could be wrong though.

Larger fans can move the same amount of air as smaller fans but at a slower speed ... which will be theoretically quieter. Or alternatively, they can run at the same speed (and volume level) but move more air. 80mm fans are pretty standard for cases, although some use 120mm.

P.S. That's a nice looking case, and Aspire usually gets kudos from review sites for solid cases that are easy to work in.

 

[weilin]

yes fans "should" come with the case (bigger the fans the quieter the case will NORMALLY be). factory default paste will serve you fine on a first build. Make sure you get a good power supply. They are under-appreciated but the most vital component in a system.

 

[Myrkul23]

Thanks for all of the replies. If I want a quiet computer, should I get a case that uses 120 mm fans? And should I also get a different fan/heatsink than the one that comes retail in order to reduce noice (120mm fan instead of 80) and maybe increase cooling?

 

[steckman]

It really depends on how quiet you want your system to be. Most fans have a db rating which is supposed to be a measure of how loud they are (but unfortunately the baseline 0db can vary). So you may want to do some research on 80mm fans vs 120mm ones. Also, some motherboards have headers which can control the fan speed ... only spinning up to max speed (and volume) when temperatures in the case get high. That is a cool feature which keeps your computer quiet most of the time.
As far as the stock fan for the CPU goes, it usually does a fine job cooling the processor at stock speeds. I personally don't think the stock fans are very loud either. I would recommend buying a retail CPU and trying the stock fan first before deciding on a 3rd party solution.

 

[steckman]

Oh, and unless you are trying to overclock your machine like crazy the Aspire case you mentioned should be an adequate cooling solution. Aspire usually designs their cases with decent airflow and 2 80mm fans should do quite nicely. I don't know anything about how loud the fans on this case are though.

 

[ikjadoon]

Make sure you get a good power supply. They are under-appreciated but the most vital component in a system.

Amen to that! I've had numerous, and I mean numerous, PC's break down, have random reboots, consequently BSOD's, everything because of a bad/weak PSU... The last one I changed had burnt out caps!

~Ibrahim~

 

[mesarectifier]

BTW don't worry about applying thermal paste, it always comes as a heat pad on the base of the fan.

Second that about the PSU, but I think anyone who's spent 5 mins on this forum realises the importance of the PSU (have you seen how many threads there are: 'is my PSU big enough' 'how big PSU for SLi?' etc... )