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ryalho

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So I'm buying the parts off of Newegg take a look, tell me what you think and what I should change. Please do not suggest a SSD.

>I will SLI in the near future.
>More than likely I will not OC

>>What is the best and most efficient way to apply thermal compound? I've heard you shouldn't use your finger wrapped in plastic because this will create micro air pockets. I've also heard that it's better to put a rice grain of TC on the CPU then just put the heat sink on.

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+ COOLER MASTER HAF 912

+ CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W

+ ASUS P6X58D-E LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

+ Intel Core i7-950 Bloomfield 3.06GHz LGA 1366

+ COOLER MASTER V6 GT RR-V6GT-22PK-R1 120mm DynaLoop CPU Cooler

+ A-DATA Gaming Series 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600

+ EVGA 012-P3-1570-AR GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) 1280MB

+ Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5"

+ LITE-ON 24X DVD Writer Black SATA Model iHAS-324-98B

+ Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM

+ Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM
 
One thing that may or may not concern you is that according to Intel CPU Warranty Information, if the CPU comes with an Intel supplied heatsink fan assembly, they come as a unit and you must use the supplied HSF assembly to keep the warranty valid. That is, if any damage occurs due to heat, if you used any cooler besides the one supplied, Intel does not have to replace it. And certainly, Cooler Master will not replace the CPU either. Something to think about.

What is the best and most efficient way to apply thermal compound? I've heard you shouldn't use your finger wrapped in plastic because this will create micro air pockets. I've also heard that it's better to put a rice grain of TC on the CPU then just put the heat sink on.

As far as applying TIM, here's my canned text on that:
An often misunderstood and sometimes overlooked critical hardware component is thermal interface material or TIM. TIM is typically seen as a thermal pad on a CPU heatsink, or in paste form. It may also be called thermal grease, silicon grease, heat transfer compound, thermal paste, heat sink compound, or goop. There are probably several more names.

The purpose of TIM is to ensure all the microscopic pits and valleys in the CPU die and heatsink mating surfaces are void of heat trapping air, maximizing surface to surface contact. Any excess is too much and gets in the way, and can actually be counterproductive to the heat transfer process.

The 4 Most Common Heatsink Fan (HSF) Assembly Mounting Mistakes:

  1. Failure to use TIM
  2. Used too much TIM
  3. Reused old TIM
  4. Did not clean mating surfaces thoroughly before applying TIM
Materials Needed: One clean plastic shaft Q-Tip (cotton swab), acetone or 91% isopropyl alcohol (Note - most rubbing alcohol is 70% and leaves a film. 91% alcohol can be found at your local drug store), clean scissors, can of compressed dusting gas, and the TIM. I recommend one of the new generations of non-metallic TIMs such as AC MX-2, Tuniq TX-2 or, OCZ Freeze or the venerable silver based TIM, Arctic Silver 5.

WARNING: Keep yourself grounded with the case to ensure there is no static buildup and discharge that might destroy any electrostatic discharge (ESD) sensitive devices. It is important to realize that the "threshold for human awareness" for a static shock is higher than the tolerance of ESD sensitive devices. In other words, you can shock and destroy a CPU, RAM module, or other sensitive device without even knowing there was a static discharge! Use an anti-static wrist-strap or frequently touch bare metal on the case to maintain your body at the same potential as chassis (case) ground.

Preparation: Power off and unplug the computer from the wall. Cut off one cotton swap near the end. Bend the plastic shaft about 1/2 inch from the cut end to make a nice little hockey stick. This is the working end of your TIM application device. Clean the die and heat sink mating surfaces with a soft, lint free cloth dampened (not dripping wet) with acetone or 91% alcohol. Do not let any fluids run down the sides of the CPU die. Clean skin oils from the working end of your applicator with the alcohol dampened cloth. Blast the surfaces with a quick blast of compressed air to ensure the surfaces are dry and no lint or dust remains behind. Do NOT touch the CPU die or heatsink mating surfaces, or the applicator's working end from this point on.

Application: Apply one "drop" of paste, about the size of a grain of rice, on the corner of the die and spread it out across the die with the applicator, like spreading icing on a cake. Spread the paste as thin as possible while ensuring complete coverage. It is easier to add more than remove excess. Remember, too much is counterproductive.

Note 1: Depending on the type of TIM used, some, such as the silver based compounds, can take 2 - 5 days or longer (depending on the power/heat up-cool down cycles) for the TIM to cure and reach optimum effectiveness. A 2 – 4°C drop in average temperatures may be realized after curing.

Note 2: A new HSF may come with a thermal interface pad already applied. Those pads consist of mostly paraffin, which is supposed to melt and squirm out of the way when the CPU heats up for the first time. Thermal pads are certainly better than no TIM at all, but they are not as effective as silver or ceramic based compounds. Do not use a sharp or metal object to remove the pad. A fingernail will work fine, removing any residue with acetone or alcohol.

Note 3: Do not reuse a thermal pad or paste. Always remove the old, cured TIM, clean the mating surfaces thoroughly, and apply a fresh application of new TIM.

Note 4: Thermal adhesive is a specific type of TIM used to permanently or semi-permanently glue heatsinks to devices that have no other heatsink mounting mechanism. Thermal adhesive is NOT intended to be used between a CPU and the CPU heatsink.

Note 5: TIM is also used to ensure maximum heat transfer to the heatsink from graphics processor units (GPUs), chipsets, graphics card memory modules, and other devices. Adhesive TIM, as mentioned in the note above, is often used on these devices as many do not have mounting brackets or holes to support a clamping mechanism. When mounting a heatsink to one of these components, the idea is the same; apply as thin a layer of TIM as possible, while still ensuring complete coverage.

See Benchmark Reviews 33-Way TIM Comparison or TweakTown TIM Review for additional information.
 
Being that sandy bridge just came out, I'd suggest getting one of those instead of the first generation.
Newegg.com - Intel Core i7-2600 Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I72600
Newegg.com - ASUS P8P67 PRO LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Newegg.com - G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL

If you're not planning on overclocking, then just use the stock cpu cooler - they work perfectly fine for regular cpu use (plus they don't void your warranty).

If you're set on that case, then get more fans to put in there especially with that gpu...or pick a different case that comes with more fans... Newegg.com - Rosewill ARMOR Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case ,Full mesh design front bezel, comes with Six Fans-1x Front 120mm Fan, 2x Top 120mm Fan, 1x Rear 120mm Fan, 1x 80mm Fan on motherboard tray, 1x Side 200mm Fan, option Fan-1x Bottom 120mm
although...after looking at the pictures, it seems to come with 1 front and 1 rear fan...despite it's description... Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER Megaflow 200 R4-LUS-07AR-GP 200mm Red LED Case Fan <--suggested fan if you're going to keep that case..
 
Thank you so much Night Fox! I went with all of your suggestions except for the RAM due to the fact that they're out of the Ripjaw's!
 
Well, the RAM you have down isn't compatible with the 2nd generation processors...it requires 1.5v or less (I've heard) that's why I linked you to memory that is "Designed for Intel P67 motherboard." Although that particular memory is now out of stock apparently >.<

Newegg.com - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL

or if you don't like ripjaw

Newegg.com - G.SKILL Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBSR
Newegg.com - CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9


(Keep in mind this is if you want 8gb of memory...I assumed you didn't want to go lower than 6gb)
 
How's this for ram?
CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600

EDIT: No that wouldn't work... something below $100 if possible, so say 6gb.

EDIT 2: I went with the g.Skill sniper (is this good memory?)
 
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