New PC Build Questions

Pepperami · 8 Feb 2009 at 13:57

Hiya Guys

OK I finally bit the bullet, and after nearly 5 years im upgrading :eek:

I brought myself some nice bits, heres a quick list

Antec 1200 Case
OCZ 650 PSU
Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2
Asus P5Q Pro Intel P45 MoBo
Intel Core 2 Quad Pro Q6600 "Energy Efficient SLACR 95W Edition" 2.40GHz (1066FSB)
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro CPU Cooler (Socket LGA775)
Corsair 4GB DDR2 XMS2 Dominator PC2-8500C5 TwinX (2x2GB) Supplied with Airflow Fan
Samsung Spinpoint 1GB HD
ASUS DVD writer

Probably forgot to put summit

Now, its been nearly 5yrs since I built my Lian Li Kick ass system, things change, and I havent been keepin my eye on the ball!

Do I need to know anything prior to building this?

I know the Artic Freezer needs to be blowing the air a certain way, anyone using this in an Antec 1200 case can let me know?

I remember using artic silver compound on the CPU, is it as little and as even as possible? I think I used an old Credit Card last time lol

These all sound silly to some im sure, but its been a while, and I want to make sure everything goes smoothly!

I will be using Windows Vista 64bit version so anything that someone might think useful to tell me, now would be a good time hehehe

Cheers guys

Chris

Blackberries · 8 Feb 2009 at 14:03

The ACF7 Pro comes with thermal paste pre-applied to the base (I'd imagine its Arctic Silver, in fact). Also what do you mean about the ACF7 Pro "needing to blow air in a certain way"? All CPU coolers with fans blow air in one direction, usually across the heatsink and towards the exhaust fan(s) of the case.

lankymorley · 8 Feb 2009 at 14:18

I think the paste on the base of the freezer is MX2, which is a very good paste anyway. People usually orientate the freezer with the fan towards the front of the case, so that it pushes air over the heatsink and towards the rear exhaust, but seeing as the 1200 has that huge 200mm exhaust in the roof, maybe it would be better to mount the Freezer so that the fan is towards the bottom of the case, pushing air over the heatsink and out of the 200mm exhaust.

Can anyone clear this one up and let us know which is the best orientation in the 1200?

Blackberries · 8 Feb 2009 at 14:21

lankymorley said:
I think the paste on the base of the freezer is MX2, which is a very good paste anyway. People usually orientate the freezer with the fan towards the front of the case, so that it pushes air over the heatsink and towards the rear exhaust, but seeing as the 1200 has that huge 200mm exhaust in the roof, maybe it would be better to mount the Freezer so that the fan is towards the bottom of the case, pushing air over the heatsink and out of the 200mm exhaust.

Can anyone clear this one up and let us know which is the best orientation in the 1200?

Would the position of the intake fans on the case/direction of airflow have a difference on what the optimum positioning for the Freezer would be? Having the fan towards the front of the case, where the cool air is coming in from, should help cooling a little bit?

I don't know. I initially stuck my Freezer on backwards, with the fan towards the rear of the case (stupid day, stupid day). Still kept temperatures very low (just had to blow a little harder!)

95thrifles · 8 Feb 2009 at 15:39

Yeah you want it blowing towards the back, as theres an exhaust fan there, any hot air that doesnt go straight out will then rise by convection and go out the top exhaust fan.

chainy · 8 Feb 2009 at 15:44

I remember using artic silver compound on the CPU, is it as little and as even as possible? I think I used an old Credit Card last time lol

You dont need to spread the Arctic Silver with a card anymore when applying to a Quad CPU. Generally a small pea shaped amount in the middle or a thin strip is now recommended. Check out Arctic's website for proper orientation and quantity.

Andrew G · 8 Feb 2009 at 16:22

Have a look at this great guide on how to "Spread the goop".

Steve09 · 8 Feb 2009 at 16:42

Nice components, but are you sure a 1gb hard drive will be enough

Pepperami · 8 Feb 2009 at 20:02

Well spotted that man lol

Steve09 said:
Nice components, but are you sure a 1gb hard drive will be enough

I did, of course, mean a 1TB Drive

Thanks for all the replies guys

The case airflow question was because I had read somewhere a while ago that the majority of cases took air from the front and expelled at the back.

The Artic Freezer is built with a couple of fins pointing down to spread some air over the MoBo but they recommend pointing it backwards to vent the hot air out the back

The Antec 1200 has fans at the back, but also one at the top, just wondered if anyone had an Antec 1200 who was reading this thread and could let us all know

I didnt know the cooler came pre-gooped

Would you recommend leaving it on there, or changing it for the Artic Silver stuff?

Looking forwards to getting it all done now

Chris

95thrifles · 8 Feb 2009 at 20:16

I have 1200 (in sig) and mine points back, very cool temps, different cooler but same principal. If you already have the AS5 then use it, if not its not worth getting hold of for marginal gain, imo.