First build help

[redfish]

Hi everybody, I'm new to the forum and building my first PC. I have a refined selection of parts, half of which already purchased, and many questions regarding the build. Stats so far:
AMD Phenom II x6 1055T 2.8GHz CPU
ASUS M4A88TD-V EVO/USB3 AM3 AMD 880G SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard
Cooler Master Elite 310 Case w/ side panel window (skimped on this)
Cooler Master Elite 460W PSU (skimped on this)
All the parts bought from NewEgg, had to skimp on a lot of stuff (like graphics and PSU) so I could afford the build on my limited budget. Still need HDD (prob WD Caviar Blue 250 GB 16MB Cache), RAM (looking for 4 gigs ddr3 1600 MHz on QVL), and ODD.
first question: How tight is too tight when it comes to mobo screws? I already installed the mobo and CPU, my biggest fear is that i accidentally screwed everything up during a careless moment. They are tightened as much as I can without applying too much force, or should they be completely loose?
Second question: to ground myself, I had made two rings out of heavy-gauge copper wire soldered to wires which were then alligator clipped to the baseboard heat. They were worn on my thumbs. Is this adequate?
Third Question: I've been really frustrated looking for RAM, as my mobo has a very picky QVL. There are some memory DIMMs made by the same manufacturer with the same CAS latency, timing, voltage, and speed but different model numbers than some on the QVL. What is the rule of thumb when it comes to RAM and the QVL? Can I only use those models with the exact model numbers on the list? What if it's the same DIMM model number but a different kit number because it comes with multiple DIMMs?
Fourth Question: Can I put foam spacers between the PSU and the case metal to reduce vibration noise or will this interfere with the functioning of the PSU?
Fifth Question: Any tips?

 

[patonb]

Welcome...

If you used the brass mobo standoffs, and youve tightenbed as you mentioned, you'll be fine.

I built my stuff without any antistatic bands... just touch ground every so often.

You can foam the psu, but honestly, i've never had vibration noise.

Don't know about RAM.

 

[redfish]

Thanks. the RAM has just made me really frustrated as I am on a really limited budget, just want to get it up and running by two weeks from now and will get better components as time goes by. My worst fear was that I damaged the CPU or mobo and it was useless. Speaking of which... I just remembered another question: When I installed the stock CPU cooler, it required a TON of force on the tab to get it to lock. My friend built a i7 PC and his CPU cooler was hard to get on, but this was ridiculous. The thing rotated a bit under the force. I heard metal "twangs" and instantly stopped and uninstalled the CPU to check for damage, none whatsoever. So I assume it was the heatsink...? Is this normal?

 

[Trotter]

Newegg.com - G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL8D-4GBHK
$94

Newegg.com - G.SKILL ECO Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL8D-4GBECO
$96

Dunno about the "twangs". I never had an AMD HSF be that hard to put on force-wise, but they were all s939 and not AM3.

 

[redfish]

Thanks for the links, Trotter. Another question- will the bios recognize USB devices? e.g. can I nix the internal ODD and plug one in to the USB socket to install Windows?

 

[Trotter]

Externals won't work for an OS drive. Even if you could get it to work it would be extremely slow.

Odds are you will need to use an old keyboard (PS/2) to be able to access your BIOS for the first time. All the mobos I have dealt with do not have USB activated to be recognized during boot.

 

[redfish]

thanks. I was wondering because I am on a very limited budget and might not be able to afford the DVD burner. I guess i'll have to try really hard to find some ways to save a couple bucks. This computer will be the only up-to-date computer in the house- we've been running off of two 7-year-old desktops since, well, 7 years ago.

 

[Trotter]

If you have a fairly new flash/thumb dive, you can use it to install your OS. Set it up on one of the other computers and then install it on the new one.

Install Windows 7 From USB Drive/Pen Drive

 

[redfish]

I'm really irked now. My father said he had a copy of windows 7 64-bit he had bought from his work that I could use. I now went to look for it and found that it was in fact an upgrade version. We have Windows XP on our current desktops that I could use, but it's a 32-bit version. I do have Windows 7 64-bit on his laptop, however, can I load that onto a flash drive and install it onto my desktop? Is that illegal? I wouldn't think so, since we own the operating system and should be able to install it into any computer we want. If it is legal, is there an installation program that I need to be able to install it or would I just copy it into the hard drive? If I cannot do that, does anyone have any experience with the ASUS Hybrid OS? Can I set up and use the internet on the hybrid OS without installing an operating system? (P.S. sorry about all these questions, and thanks alot for helping)

Unless... Can I install the upgrade on a clean hard drive if I have a product key for win7? In other words, is the upgrade version the same as the normal version without a key?

edit: I think that that's it. To save money, the university probably marketed an upgrade CD bundled with a product license/key/sn as a complete OS kit for a low price towards its employees to save money. So would that work? If i have an upgrade disk with the license sticker from a full version?

 

[Trotter]

You've got PM.