Well im giving my feet a break, so i have time to at least throw out a few other things that were on my mind. i wont be able to research for optimal for you so you atm though.
CPU heatsink/fan. i havent mentioned this yet(i think) and i know it wasnt on your parts list. if you plan on doing any sort of over clocking its a MUST to get a good quality after market heat sink. generally if you know you are getting a after market one you can make sure the you buy just the processor(instead of a bundled heat sink/processor) taht will save you 10-15$ on the CPU purchase price, which obviously will be going straight into a nice new one. The great thing about a really nice after market heat sink(with fan or not) is that you can use it again and again and again so long as it has a bracket that fits for the processor in question. (ie a heat sink that fits an i5 will fit an i7(same socket type) but may not fit the next pentium processor. the only part you can/may need to replace or work on is the fan itself if your case has a side exhaust port for a 120mm fan you may not get a great deal of benefit from a heat sink with a fan, though it will still help some. the general price range you should be look at would be around 50$ for one of these. you can and will find ones both more expensive and less. sometimes you can get an INSANE deal on one for like 20-25$ that is just killer, but most of the time you will be looking more in the 40-70$ range for a really good heat sink. ALWAYS use artic thermal paste products. ALWAYS even on a stock heat sink/processor it will lower your temps by a few degrees. ALWAYS clean the processor of old compound with a non abrasive, static free, non shedding material(glasses cleaning rag or coffee filter work GREAT for this) NEVER touch the bare processor with your hand or the bottom of the heat sink either. (sides dont matter) this is because your oily ass unclean hands will gum up the pores and give you a worse mating surface. If you are buying a processor new you will NOT have to worry about residue/cleaning it. MOST after market heat sinks also do not have any thermal compound on them, so you only have to worry about applying the paste correctly(RTFM that comes with the paste!
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dont forget waht i talked about earlier either. make sure you get a case that has at LEAST 3 120mm case fan positions and 2 80mm(5 120 is better, 6 120 even better...) its best to have more airflow IN than out. this both keeps your temps cooler as well as reduces dust buildup.
well when i get the time i will do some more for yah...also decided to make a tut on this so i can just start pointing people to a thread
Who knows when i will get to that though. got like 15 different topics lined up to write about, tons of crap to read and some gallons of beer to consume. i will probably prioritize this article though.. just not sure when i will get to it/finish it because as you can tell just from my more general over view their is a TON of information to put down. Would someone mind figuring out how to add more hours to the day? thanks.
