Should I build or wait?

[01philip01]

Got all my parts except for the noctua cpu cooler, psu and gpu. ( in store but they won't let me get it until tuesday )

I have 7 days to test the stuff before they'll make me contact the manufacturer for rma's if anything.

Should I put the build together with my current psu to test it and then just take it all apart and redo it when I get all of the parts? Mostly worried about cleaning off the stock cpu coolers paste.

Also can't decide on win 7 or 8.

 

[RazerZ]

Assuming you don't have a firehazard as a PSU, I don't see why not. Thermal paste is very easy to clean off, just get some isopropyl alcohol and a cotton swab and it comes right off.

I would get windows 8. It's faster than Windows 7 and has a chance of a free upgrade to Windows 10. You can download software such as classic shell to bring back the start menu, and with 8.1 you can skip the tile UI and boot straight to the desktop.

 

[01philip01]

TBH, my psu used to do clicking noises to which I would open the case and actually punch it till it stopped. I flipped it around recently ( fan facing down now ) and the sounds gone. I was thinking 8 too, just to change it up.

Should I use the drivers from the cd's the products come with or get fresh ones from the internet?

 

[RazerZ]

Either one would work fine. If you have an internet connection you might as well get the latest drivers as they are the most stable.

 

[01philip01]

Still a bit worried about removing the thermal paste, someone told me I supposed to use a knife to pop up the thermal paste?
Also no idea how much to apply. ( I know the stock cooler has the thermal already on )

When doing the switch over to the noctua cooler, should I remove the motherboard when installing it? The standoffs on my current case are screwy from probably over tightening which is why I'm hesitant to break something.

One final check, is everything compatible?

 

[RazerZ]

Where's your parts list?

I wouldn't try breaking the seal with a knife if you're new to this. The seal can be removed simply by lifting and twisting the cooler off with a little force.

Once the stock cooler is removed and the remaining thermal paste is wiped off the cpu you can add a dot the size of a grain of rice in the center of the CPU. That's all you need.

There's a chance the cooler will come with a custom backplate and it would be easier to install it out of the case. It also eliminates the chance off shorting caused due to improper grounding. As long as you have a decent amount of standoffs in place you shouldn't have anything to worry about. When installing the motherboard in the case tighten it just enough to where it's firm in place.

 

[01philip01]

Odd, edited in my part list but it didn't show up.
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/01philip01/saved/NKsKHx

Yeah, ill just take the extra time to remove it all. I honestly don't want to screw up on this build!

One final final thing! I know my motherboard has 5 way optimization, planning to wait till I get the new cooler before OC'ing but should I bother using it/ is it reversible? I'm really conscious about noise levels hence the psu + gpu fans being off unless under load, I have a feeling that even with the OC it will be nowhere as loud as my current gpu is ( 9800gt at 100% all the time ) Does 5-way OC the gpu too?