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My first build / Common rookie mistakes

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I've climbed the mountain to seek your professional wisdom! I'm building two systems: the first for my mom, the second for me. The following will be my mom's build so anything that doesn't fit or isn't compatible for any reason can be co-opted into my bigger badder betterer build. She won't be doing any overclocking or video gaming, but she will make use of hyperthreading technology for her video photography projects.

Then, I was also wondering about common rookie mistakes; things that are rarely mentioned on internet build guides, maybe mistakes you've made in the past. For example, I've been doing research for weeks and haven't come across many step by step build guides that mention thermal grease. However, seeing it mentioned in the community from time to time convinced me to research it specifically and sure enough, it's pretty damn important. It also seems like it would be important for the guides to mention mobo standoffs.

So, here's the build for the mother:

Corsair White Graphite 600T Case
http://www.corsair.com/pc-cases/graphite-series-pc-case...

Intel i7 2600k

Cooler Master Hyper 212+

MSI Z68A-GD65 (G3) Motherboard
http://www.msi.com/product/mb/Z68A-GD65--G3-.html

Kingston HyperX (2x 4GB) 8GB DDR3 RAM 1600
http://www.kingston.com/hyperx/products/t1_ddr3.asp

Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB SATA 7200RPM HDD

Samsung Blu-ray drive

Corsair TX650 650W PSU





Thank you all for helping. I really appreciate the efforts of this community.

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i just built my first one, make sure you take your time mounting the motherboard. and Read the motherboard map in the booklet to help you figure out what and where to plug in stuff. i got mine working perfectly on the first try without any issues, i just took it slow and made sure to get everything correctly.

Hauptmann1941 said:
i just built my first one, make sure you take your time mounting the motherboard. and Read the motherboard map in the booklet to help you figure out what and where to plug in stuff. i got mine working perfectly on the first try without any issues, i just took it slow and made sure to get everything correctly.


Thanks for the advice. What was your build? Any part of the process stand out in your mind as unexpectedly difficult?

farsuka said:
Is she doing video editing, or what exactly?
Also, get a hyper 212 evo instead of plus, newer revision of it.


Yeah, she does semi-professional editing with video and still photography, though I'm not entirely sure on the technical specifics of her work (whether or not she does any transcoding, etc) since I'm just not familiar with that work in general. I did the research and figured an extra 100 bucks on the i7 2600 over the 2500 would be a worthwhile expenditure to help further futureproof her rig.

And thanks a lot for the tip on the 212 evo, I didn't know about it at all.

DelroyMonjo said:
Why would you need enhanced HSF on a 'Mom" computer?

That's one of the reasons I posted this thread. I have no idea if the stock HSF is any good on the 2600k. I've heard some stock HSFs are complete garbage. If it's unnecessary for her needs, then I'll get the 212 evo and put it in my build (she'll never notice a thing! Muahahahaha).

DelroyMonjo said:

If Mom is doing photo edits I suggest more RAM. Even 8GB is enough.
Mom should be happy with her new computer...

I've got 8GB. Actually my order as it stands now will ship three 4gb RAM chips and I'm taking the third for myself.

theicon86 said:
Yeah she wants a white case and thought that one would look good in the room where the computer will live. Forgot the PSU, it's a Corsair TX650 (650W) for $95.


That is a huge and expensive case which only needs to hold a few components.

As an alternative, NZXT has a smaller case that is not so extravagant:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

If you want a really nice small case, look at the Lian liPC-Q11W. The white version may be hard to find.
It takes a M-ITX motherboard. Check out the dimensions and ask your MOM which appeals to her most.
http://www.lian-li.com/v2/en/product/product06.php?pr_i...

Since price does not seem to be much of an isue, get a SSD for the os and apps. 80-120gb is good.
Look to Intel and samsung for reliability.

The stock heat sink is fine for most users. Under heavy load, it will get a bit noisy, more so if overclocked.

For ram, get two 8gb kits; one for you, one for Mom.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

I suggest you download and read, cover to cover, the manuals for your case and motherboard.

if its your first build, there are some precautions you want to take first like compatibility. make sure your motherboard takes all the hardware, cables are long enough, etc. one thing i would definitely do is assemble most of your parts outside of the case. get the screws right first so that it doesn't scratch your motherboard or something. then assemble your cpu, heatsink, ram, and fans outside so when you'll have a much easier time putting it in. also make sure your airflow is correct. example is your PSU, where is it mounted and how is airflow directed.

Another thing to keep in mind is the positioning of your CPU HSF. Make sure it works with the airflow of the case fans and not against them. I would suggest overclocking the CPU slightly near 4.0GHz because heat isn't likely to be a problem, and getting a 2600K to 4.0GHz is a piece of cake. Further future-proofing you could say.

From my own personal experience, MSI motherboards are not great overclockers, but this one may be different. I know I had a nightmarish time with the P6N Diamond.
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