Building for first time

[EricM]

Hi, I am new to building computers and would like to make a checklist of everything I need and to make sure I am not missing anything.

So of course I need the essentials:
Motherboard
CPU
Hard Drive
DVD/CD ROM drive
Video and sound card
Memory
Power supply
Fans
HDD fan

And now things that I am unsure of...
CPU FAN/heatsink ... what is the difference? and which one is better?
Memory cooler and chipset fan ... are these needed?

So did I forget anything? I also have a question about the I/O panel on the back of the case.. what do u do if the motherboards back panel does not fit since the cut outs for the inputs may not be exactly the same as on the motherboard?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Kage]

Hey, well good choice on deciding to build

CPU FAN AND HEATSINK:

The CPU fan and heatsink will come with the processor more likely, but there is no, which one is better as they are both needed.

The heatsink fits over the processor you see, and at the bottom you place a thermal compound which sticks and also is really cool, and this creates a type of link between the processor and heatsink.

its built in such a way that the heat from the processor rises up through the metal of the heatsink and the fan then joins ontop of the heatsink to get rid of the heat that rises, and this together creates a good team to cool it down to a suitable level.

CHIPSET FAN:

As for the memory cooler and chipset fan, these should come with the motherboard if needed. Usually now, you'll find a heatsink will be there in place of the chipset fan, which won't need cooling down as much.

MEMORY COOLER:

As for the memory coolers, some RAM comes with them, and this would help mainly for overclocking as the parts would get hotter, but most RAM these days do come with some kind of heatspreader over them anyway.

I/O PANEL:

The I/O panel is rather easy to sort out.

The one that comes with the case can be discarded and taken out, but carefully as the sides can be sharp.

When you get the motherboard, it'll come with a new one to place instead of that one, which will fit all the ports and things that are needed.

I hope this helps

 

[jac006]

The OS man...

 

[EricM]

I didnt include the OS in here because thats obvious. And this is all hardware realted in this post.

 

[Kage]

I think your all sorted then.
Just check my above post for a few hints and answers

 

[EricM]

Thanks Kage for the info. My next question is regarding case fans. I know 120mm fans are more silent and move more air, but would 3x80mm fans do a good job? The case i want has 3x80mm fans. I was thinking of adding one of those add on fans that snap in to a pci slot like this one...http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=120565&CatId=804 or something like this... http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=664350&CatId=804

 

[EricM]

Sorry had to bump this post or else it would go unnoticed

 

[Computergen1]

Those fANs look nice. Since your canadian, incase you don't know. NCIX.COM is a good site for PC parts in canada.

 

[Kage]

Hey, no problems.

Those fans look kewl. Using 3 80mm instead of 120mm ones shouldn't be a problem, but expect slightly more noise from them.

Most cases only seem to have 1 120mm fan at the moment whilst the back has around 2 80mm ones.

 

[EricM]

Yes I already know about ncix.com. I am going to use both sites for parts. Most likely CPU and motherboard from NCIX while tigerdirect.ca is great for fans and modding accesories. I dont mind the noise from the computer, it probably will be quieter than the one I have now. So if i have 3 80mm fans and add that PCI slot one will that be good? Or should I add that Ultra one that uses the expansion slot? I already got a good deal on a case off of tigerdirect.ca ... http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1524797&CatId=1520 . So now I am going to move on to all the hardware.