So, I know what components I am going to buy, although with no experience, I fear that I may forget to purchase some essential equipment, things like anti-static wristbands. I'll put some questions in a list, which should make it easy. (antec 902, gtx 460, i5 760, 4 gb ram)
Will I need to purchase any additional wires for my system? (i.e. that don't come with the components themselves)
Maybe. The case you purchase will come with the connectors it needs. Your PSU will come with them too. Your motherboard may well ship with things like SATA cables etc in the box. If not, you need one sata cable for each device (optical and hard disks).
Does thermal paste come with the retail processor?
It will likely come with it already applied, but you can apply better stuff yourself. I'll leave someone else to tell you the best stuff. I just use OCZ silver thermal stuff (can't remember proper name).
Are there any points of general advice you could give me?
Everyone has different way of doing things. It goes without saying that you should read the manual for the motherboard before doing anything.
This is how I build a system:
- Unpack the motherboard
- Fit the CPU and cooler (some people find this easier with the motherboard in place. I prefer to do it on the bench)
- fit the RAM
- Unpack the case, and remove the sides
- Fit the power supply
- fit the optical drive(s)
- Fit the hard disk(s) (If I'm fitting a fan behind the disks I do this before the drives)
- Fit the standoff's for the motherboard into the case
- Fit the motherboard to the case and screw it down.
- Fit the graphics card to the now fitted motherboard
- Wire up all power connectors on the motherboard
- Connect the SATA connectors to the optical and hard disks
- Fit the silent, replacement and much better case fans
- Have a cuppa
- Then check absolutely everything from the start to the bottom
If I was to buy only the components listed in the 'Enthusiast system' found in the PC building guide, what else would I need?
Without looking you need the following as a minimum:
Motherboard
RAM
CPU & cooler (retail packs include both items)
Thermal grease if your replacing it
Graphics card (if your not using on-board graphics)
Optical drive
Hard disk
Power supply.
Case
Screen (
)
Operating system (its not hardware but its useless without it!)
Recommended:
Decent silent ball-bearing fans to fit your chosen case
It goes without saying that you should take your time, and finish something before doing something else. If its not fitting, don't force it!
If you have any specific questions by all means ask away and I/others can answer them.