My 1st build

The link you provided merely goes to NewEgg's log-in screen for existing customers... and, NO, I don't want your ID and password! Maybe you should just copy and paste the info into the next forum post so we can comment on it.
As for the one question I can answer, I have never had thermal paste supplied with a CPU. I have always had to buy it seperately.

That seems a little hard to read so here's one without prices

The 2x8GB of Corsair should be plenty of memory (do these sticks come with built-on heat sinks?). 
According to this they have a heat spreader...would that suffice. I wonder if I should add a fan...the case seems to have 3 places for one.
My only concern is the single SSD hard drive; can I assume you will transfer at least one (hopefully 2) existing drives to store audio and synths/samples?
Yessir, I have an abundance of storage drives...my only concern is the C drive (the new 128 GB SSD) won't be quite big enough even though my current (dedicated) system is only using 100 GB.
Thanks very much,
Randy

Thanks, I'll add a case fan
but any hard DISC drive starts showing signs of "indigestion" once you get past 50% capacity. 



I've heard this isn't the case with SSD but I don't know....perhaps I should go with a larger C drive...maybe I should go with a fast HDD...any suggestions there?
Thanks again,
Randy

This case has built in fans...what do you guys think about it.
Hey Charlie, I'll PM you now and thanks!

Randy, if it were my system, I would buy a much larger 7200 rpm drive for the C:. 
I just don't want any bottlenecks...the drawing of wav forms in my NLE (Vegas Pro) is very slow when they are long ones and I was told this was to to my HDD
Do you have any suggestions on a HDD (brand/model) and should I look at 10K rpm?

Specifically, it would be the THROUGHPUT of the CPU in combination with the speed and efficiency of the drive that would cause that problem (IMHO).
On second thought, if I were building a new system right now, I would do some serious research into SSD use for the C: drive before buying. If you find several builders who are successfully utilizing them, and you can afford one that would be large enough for your purposes, it might be the way to go. If not, a 7200 rpm drive should be fine, but if you want to spring for a 10k model, go for it! I always hesitate to recommend brands/models because you never know when a Key Lime might turn out to be a dyed lemon. But I will say I have never gone wrong with top-of-the line Seagate or Western Digital drives, even OEM models.

As per your advice I think I'll go with this HDD

I think they meant to say "negligible", although 19 dBA might not be so negligible if your mic is only six feet away from your tower! Still, compared to most OEM fans, that IS rather quiet.


Yessir I found some that were above 49 dba for a single fan...surely they are talking about per fan thogh and not collectively (all 4) but I think I'll only need a couple since I won't be overclocking ya?

I don't know but have you looked at the motherboard manual of your computer. I have an old computer, but I have either 1.5 or 3gB (whatever it is) transfer rate from my HDD which is 7200rpm. If you have not switched the jumper on the mother board then perhaps your tranfer rate is set to the minimum (mine was) for DMA transfer to memory of the computer (it does not go through the CPU). The newer computers are 3 or 6gB transfer rate, but if your computer's motherboard is only set for 3gB transfer rate from your HDD you are working at half-speed for transferring data from the HDD to the computer. Setting the jumper on your motherboard (which be in the manual) would change it from the factory setting of 3gB to 6gB transfer rate. Virtual memory in Windows is suppose to be 1-1/2 the amount of memory in the system. Meaning that if you have 16gB of memory, virtual memory should be 24gB.

As for the one question I can answer, I have never had thermal paste supplied with a CPU. I have always had to buy it seperately.

 
True enough CPU's do not usually come with thermal paste, but I have not seen a CPU heatsink/cooler that did not come with a thermal transfer compound patch attached for almost a decade. If the CPU heatsink has one of those, then thermal paste is not only superfluous but detrimental to the thermal coupling.

Not knowing the difference in thermal paste and thermal transfer compound I googled it and came up with this ...it seems they're saying it's the same thing but to get clear on your post; are you saying if the CPU comes with some kind of stuff (for lack of a better word) to use it and if not to use this paste I bought? Thanks very much,

 
Hi Randy,
 
Use one or the other... not both.
FWIW, If you're using a quality 3rd-party CPU cooler with decent thermal paste... you'll be fine.

If you suggest another cooler please let me know which one you and I'll order today.

 
Hi Randy,
 
Shoot me a PM

are you saying if the CPU comes with some kind of stuff (for lack of a better word) to use it and if not to use this paste I bought?

 
In the old days, heatsinks were shiny metal where they contacted the CPU (also shiny metal). That direct metal to metal contact was actually metal to air to metal since even apparently shiny metal has lots of microscopic pits. The thermal grease/paste/compound is needed to bridge/fill those microscopic pits to improve heat conduction. Nowadays, most CPU heatsinks are supplied with a patch of stuff stuck to them that does the same thing. It usually does not look like grease, but rather like a patch of something. If you look at the CPU cooler where it contacts the CPU and you just see bare metal, then you need the stuff you bought. But if there is a patch of stuff there, you do not. I expect there are some cooling afficiandos out there who will remove the supplied patch of thermal coupling material, sand down to bare metal and then apply some mysterious silver containing compound that cost an arm and a leg to get to an imagined optimum transfer. If you do not remove the supplied patch, then you will probably make the situation worse by using grease on top of it, not better.
 
btw some of the fancy silver containing heatsink compounds turn out to be electrically conductive as well, and if not really carefully applied can cause short circuits.
 
Your CPU spec sheet will give you an operating temperature range, and your motherboard bios, or some utility software will give you an accurate enough reading of the CPU temp to see if you are cool enough. Unless you are massively overclocking, or your CPU fan fails, it is unlikely that you will fry your CPU.