Want to Build...

[asbest0s]

Verye thats why I said XP 32 bit and 3gig of ram and by high speed I did not mean ddr3, but fast ddr2

[Verye]

Right I understand that you said he should get DDR2.

And yeah, 3 GB will be fine if you only play WoW and no other games, other than maybe 2D/other low-graphic games. This is also assuming he never, ever plans to add another stick of RAM in.

I'd highly recommend 4 GB of RAM to anyone in this day and age. It is just generally useful, and more and more programs can now use most or all of that RAM. This is especially important if you plan on running multiple things at once.

If he ever, ever plans on using more than 3 GB of RAM...EVER...then he needs a 64-bit OS. And Vista Home Premium/Vista Ultimate (Ultimate is gimmicky and just has a few extra unnecessary features, yet is more expensive, so go with Premium) is the best Windows OS that fully supports 64-bit.

[Dori]

Well, Verye, would it be better if i just buy the Parts on eBay and let a friend of mine build the Computer for me who knows how its done? Might be cheaper then?!
And if you say ebay sucks, which i guess will come, what page can you tell me where i can buy parts online (since i think its cheaper to get them online)

I will for sure go for 4GB Ram, since i wont buy 1x2GB and 1x1GB , rahter run around with 4GB then.

Is there any "Tutorial/Guide", a good one, on how to apply the paste? Or wouldnt you recommend a "noob" like me to try that and screw up the whole computer?

Greets

[Verye]

First off, you should never, ever buy parts off of Ebay. It's unreliable, plain and simple. Use a good, reputable hardware site. There's Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, Digital Cameras and more! for the US. They have really great deals and have pretty much any single computer part you could imagine. Unfortunately, they do not ship outside of North America. TigerDirect.com - Computers, Computer Parts, Computer Components & Electronics is another good site, but I'm not sure if that ships to Austria or not. You could check.

Second, if you have a friend who could build it for you/with you, by all means do it. However, I recommend you look at a tutorial and do as much as you possibly can, and only ask for your friend's help when you're stumped or you're doing something particularly delicate.

There are many tutorials you could find on PC building. Here's one I just found on Youtube: [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFUDfLOxf2w]YouTube - Build a Computer Part VI: Installing Hard Disk and CD-Rom[/ame]

It may be old/not very good, but it's just an example. Honestly, you should just do a Youtube search and a Google search on "how to build a PC," "computer build guide," "computer build tutorial," and the like. You could probably find a tutorial in German, too.


Here's a guide specifically on how to apply thermal paste to a CPU: Thermal Paste and How To Use It

And here's a good video on it: [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7rPqCvCt0g]YouTube - How to Apply Thermal Compound to a CPU[/ame]

You basically want to put a little dab in the center and then spread it out evenly and flatly over the CPU with a card. You can put on a little more than that video shows, but do not use too much. If you use too much thermal paste, and the layer is too thick, the heat won't conduct properly and will stay within the paste, thus making the fan useless, overheating your CPU, and potentially causing it to break. The rule of thumb for applying thermal paste is typically placing a "pea-sized or rice grain-sized dot" on top of the CPU.

If you don't have a card lying around, you could also put your finger in a paper bag/plastic wrap and spread it, or use gloves. You shouldn't touch the top of the CPU with your bare fingers, since the grease/oil of your finger can potentially upset the thermal paste, and either way will probably cause it to heat up more. And never, ever touch the bottom of a CPU with your fingers. Just grab it by the sides.

If you ever need to clean the top of a CPU to remove the thermal paste (if you applied it wrong or if you're replacing it), you can use isopropyl alcohol on a cloth that doesn't leave fibres, then gently rub it off.