Building $900 Budget Build

[richarizard]

Ok I actually finished building yesterday, and all I need to do is wait for my SSD to arrive and I can finalize my build. But there was a slight problem.

After I installed the CPU into the socket, I went ahead and put in the heatsink. Now being a first time builder and having no knowledge and also being nervous, I tried locking in the pushpins onto the motherboard. During this, one of the pushpins made a weird noise and didn't have that click sound like the other pushpins so me being nervous, I thought I had broken it. I took the heatsink back OUT of the motherboard and checked; fortunately it did not break and before I installed it I asked my friend who has experience with computers on Skype. First he said no do not put the heatsink back on and tells me I need to go out and buy thermal paste. I told him I didn't even turn on the computer as I wasn't even finished with the build. After that he said I should be fine then.

This was before I did a POST boot of my sort of "pseudo" computer if you would. When I did the POST boot I heard one beep and thought I should be okay. I'm still extremely skeptical because it might overheat or just blow up lol.

Mguire what do you suggest I do? Should I redo the whole thing with thermal paste?

 

[Trotter]

I would clean it and re-apply thermal paste. I have had to pull a cooler like that and I didn't even consider NOT re-applying the paste.

That being said, you could go ahead and keep what's there and not worry about it as long as it has even coverage. Thermal paste should never be put on thick or it will act as an insulator instead of helping to transfer heat from the chip to the cooler, and an even layer wil make sure there are no "hot spots" under the cooler.

 

[Fat.Clown]

guilty here. i've re-seated my heatsink without re-applying the thermal paste. thermal temperatures were only 1-2 degrees worse than before.

However I am using an aftermarket heatsink with significantly better cooling ability than the stock intel heatsink. So don't take my case as an example.

 

[PP Mguire]

Ok I actually finished building yesterday, and all I need to do is wait for my SSD to arrive and I can finalize my build. But there was a slight problem.

After I installed the CPU into the socket, I went ahead and put in the heatsink. Now being a first time builder and having no knowledge and also being nervous, I tried locking in the pushpins onto the motherboard. During this, one of the pushpins made a weird noise and didn't have that click sound like the other pushpins so me being nervous, I thought I had broken it. I took the heatsink back OUT of the motherboard and checked; fortunately it did not break and before I installed it I asked my friend who has experience with computers on Skype. First he said no do not put the heatsink back on and tells me I need to go out and buy thermal paste. I told him I didn't even turn on the computer as I wasn't even finished with the build. After that he said I should be fine then.

This was before I did a POST boot of my sort of "pseudo" computer if you would. When I did the POST boot I heard one beep and thought I should be okay. I'm still extremely skeptical because it might overheat or just blow up lol.

Mguire what do you suggest I do? Should I redo the whole thing with thermal paste?

Depends on how much the paste was smudged when you originally tried putting it on. Odds have it you'll be fine either way. Just make sure the pins are in good and there is at least some paste on the bottom.

 

[richarizard]

Ok installed my OS on my SSD, but my Hard Drive isn't showing. Can someone troubleshoot me on this please?

Edit: Nevermind! I got it to work!

 

[richarizard]

I have an odd question. Is it a bad idea to reformat your PC right after you install OS?
Or in other words start all over again.

 

[PP Mguire]

Why would you want to? If you ****ed up and it isn't a virus, it can be fixed. Otherwise, no, just a nuisance. I've had to do it before though.

 

[richarizard]

No no I don't have a virus or anything. Again all this stuff is new to me so I messed up where my installs should go. Is it going to mess my PC up if I reformat right away...?

 

[PP Mguire]

Like I said, no. Doing a format simply deletes the data and you start over again.

 

[richarizard]

Alrighty! Thanks for the quick replies!