Hardware purchased, time to build. Any advice for a beginner?

[eqmassa]

I?ve finally finished selecting hardware (see below, signature may be a little outdated), so on to the next step: actually building my own PC, solo. If anyone with any experience building this type of system, or any for that matter, would care to advise me, it would be greatly appreciated. I?m pretty nervous since this is my first solo build, and I want it to run as smoothly as possible. I?m planning to basically follow a tutorial, here are the ones I?ve found online:

http://www.pcmech.com/byopc/ (seems pretty comprehensive)
http://www.dansdata.com/buildpc.htm (outdated)
http://www.pcguide.com/ (mostly tips)
http://multimedian.com/diypc.html (not very comprehensive)
http://www.barnettcomputerservices.com/tutorials/build_your_own_pc_tutorial.htm (haven?t reviewed this one yet)

Also, do I need to buy any extra supplies like thermal paste or tape? Still trying to find that sort of info online, but thus far to no avail. Thanks, and sorry about my ignorance, heh.

Processor: AMD 2500+ Barton Core @ 1.83 Ghz, 333mhz FSB
Motherboard: Abit NF7-S Rev 2.0 (onboard LAN/sound)
Hard Drive: Western Digital Special Edition 80GB
RAM: 1024MB Corsair XMS PC3200
Video Card: ATI OEM Sapphire Radeon 9800 Non-Pro 128mb
Optical Drive: Lite On 48x24x48 CD-RW / 16x DVD Combo Drive
Case: Black Chieftec Aluminum Dragon
Power Supply: Fortron FSP400-60PFN 400w
Speakers: Logitech Z-340 3-Piece Speakers
Floppy Drive: Samsung 1.44? Floppy Drive
Keyboard: Logitech Access Keyboard
Mouse: Logitech MX 300
Operating System: XP Home
Monitor: To be decided later.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Make sure to read your motherboard manual and set it up correctly. This is probably the best bit of advice I can give you.

As for thermal paste, try a local computer store. They should have it.

 

[BennyD]

that first guide gives you pretty much all you need although i wouldn't trust thier advice on heatsinks.

"Heat sink compound is something that many do not use anymore, myself included."

wtf?

 

[Corporate Thug]

Also, do I need to buy any extra supplies like thermal paste or tape? Still trying to find that sort of info online, but thus far to no avail. Thanks, and sorry about my ignorance, heh.

get some arctic silver ceramique

 

[saber800]

Your setup looks pretty good. Some things you might want to look into (since its not in your msg):

-Heatsink/Fan for the processor - you might want to upgrade it if you are o/c
-Case fans if the case doesn't come with any. At least one exhaust and intake
-Cables - I haven't checked to see if the NF7-S comes with only one set or 2 sets of IDE cables Why not just get round IDE and floppy cables. They look a lot neater and probably better airflow in the case.
-Some thermal paste Arctic Silver 3 or Ceramique

Make sure everything is seated properly. Good luck on the system build!

 

[StraightPipe]

use a static leash

 

[eqmassa]

Thanks for the thoughtful replies. As for the HSF issues, I figured that it meant you wouldn't need compound with the stock HSF, which is what I'm using until I am ready to OC. I got enough case fans, just didn't list them. My case comes with 3 and I ordered 3 more (only has room for 5, but Newegg had a special so it was $20 for 2, $24 for 3).

Also, will I need thermal paste if I use the stock retail heatsink? I heard it has thermal compound already. I know I'll need some Artic Silver or something if I OC and add a real heatsink though.

 

[Jojo7]

No, you won't need thermal paste (arctic silver, etc) if you use the retail heatsink; it comes with a thermal pad pre-applied to the bottom of the heatsink.

PS- THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT PART about building a system (imo) is installing the heatsink correctly. Please don't mess this up. Read the instructions in your motherboard manual and follow them EXACTLY.

Official AMD "how-to" install the heatsink: here

 

[anandfan]

Don't know if the other sites mentioned it, but most ATX power supplies and motherboards are always on. That means you need to be sure to UNPLUG the power supply before working on the system. A few PS do have a manual on/off switch which should do a real, dead-as-a-doornail power off, but a lot don't.

Good luck, have fun. There are usually some minor glitches, just take your time, don't panic. Helps to have a working computer on the side so you can go online for new drivers and to ask questions if you get stuck.