Questions about my setup.

[Exhalation_]

I bought all the parts on newegg and had a few questions about putting it all together:

1.) My case comes with a fan controller plate on top that also has an audio jack. The wires coming from it say HD audio and towards the end of the wire there is a 3"- 4" offshoot cable that says AC 97, What do i do with this? Mobo has hd audio output, cant find anyplace for the ac 97 deal.

2.) Ive tried searching about this with no help, but do i need to physically support my GPU in the case? Would it be a bad idea to support it with fishing line or something?

3.) The CPU heatsink i bought comes with thermal paste, but i also have a 5-6 year old tube of Arctic Silver 5...what should i use? The thermal compound from corsair says: 4.0 W/mK thermal conductivity, 102K cPS Viscocity. I think thermal compound doesnt degrade and newer /= better, but it might be good and AS5 could degrade.

4.) I bought 1 MSI GPU (see below) and plan on buying another one later, anyone have experience doing this? How hard is it to find the same GPU to SLI with? Do i need the EXACT same gpu (clock speed wise)? How hard is it to find the same GPU down the road (5-8 months) I know i need the same memory capacity to not gimp one card, i also know that Nvidia says that SLI will work with different manufacturers. The mobo guide for my motherboard says that this is not the case....help?

5.) How should i go about monitoring temperatures once it is all together? i'd like to make sure nothing is overheating or whatnot causing a chain reaction destroying all my computer parts, in turn making me devote my life to making zombies to get back at the world that was so cruel....id like to avoid this

6.) What is the turbo boost thing on newegg for my i5 2500k?

7.) my ASUS dvd drive didnt come with any cables (OEM) but my mobo came with a a SATAIII cable can i use this? Do i need to buy a SATA I or SATA II cable?

8.) Any tips regarding anything about my build? im very rusty as its been quite some time (upgrading from Nvidia 6800GT 256mb/3.2 Ghz Intel pentium 4 single core....) Anything regarding my equipment?


Heres the parts i bought already:

CPU cooler - Corsair A70
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181011

Case - CM Storm Sniper
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119194

GPU - MSI n580GTX 3GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127589

CPU - Intel i5 2500k 3.3 ghz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

Mobo - ASRock extreme3 gen3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271

SSD - 120 GB OCZ vertex3 Max IOPS edition
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227714

DVD - Asus 24x
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204

RAM - Corsair Vengeance 8gb (2x4gb) 1600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233186

PSU - Corsair HX1050
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139034

Monitor - ASUS 24" 2ms response
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236049

Keyboard - Microsoft SIDEWINDER X4
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823109191

Mouse - Logitech G700
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104377

Windows 7



Hopefully the CPU cooler fits, and nothing breaks......what % of computer builders experience malfunctions with brand new parts?

im also ridiculously exited !!

 

[Exhalation_]

Also,how should i apply the thermal compound?

Use the finder in a plastic bag and spread method, OR the pea sized and plop down method?

If noone responds im leaning towards the finger in a bag method as i dont feel comfortable doing the other method as things can go wronger faster.....even if it is the better method to avoid air bubbles.

What should i do?

Any tips for finger in a bag method to avoid air bubbles?

 

[andrewcarr]

For the first you only need to plug in one for it to work. If your motherboard only has HD audio then just connect HD audio and the AC 97 will just be hanging.

No fishing line. A graphics card is supported by motherboard and when you connect it to the back slots of case.

Sorry on #3 not sure. But I personally would go with the Arctic Silver 5.

The same GPU should still be made if your upgrade is within the next year. You don't need exact same model.

Last question you can monitor using a downloaded program such as CPU such as "Core Temp" I just use the downloaded gadgets on the side of my screen that work on windows 7.

 

[andrewcarr]

And regarding the thermal past finger and bag will work but you have to be careful to not over do it.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cooling-air-pressure-heatsink,3058-9.html

 

[k1114]

1. As already stated ac97 will be unused, it's analog audio connection.

2. Again already answered, you don't need extra support for the gpu.

3. The included thermal paste is pretty good but as5 is better. As long as it stays in the tube it pretty much never goes bad.

4. You can SLI different brands and speeds but it will downclock to the lowest card's speed. Alternatively you can OC the card to match the higher one. It shouldn't be hard to find the same exact card within ~6 months.

5. I use hwmonitor mainly but will sometimes have coretemp up too, you can never be too sure what your temps actually are. Do note temps in bios will be hotter as the cpu doesn't idle til it gets to windows. Temps ~40-50C in bios is normal.

6. Turbo boost is an intel tech that auto OC your cpu depending on load and temp. You can use cpuz to see the actual speed of your cpu.
1 core: 3.7ghz
2 cores: 3.6
3 cores: 3.5
4 cores: 3.4
This gets automatically disabled when overclocking and I assume you will OC.

7. Sata is backwards compatible, that cable is fine.

8. Everything is fine.

+1 on andrew's link.
http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=170&Itemid=38&limit=1&limitstart=5
I would recommend the 2 line method for your hsf although these pics have 3 heatpipes and you have 4. Fill in the gaps beforehand like in the link but don't sand it, there is no need with your hsf. Put on the screws and then take it off if you're unsure about thermal paste coverage.