not to get off topic, but i wish i could have spoken to you before you pulled the trigger
Just some questions on your product choices. I too went with the p55d asus board but have since opted for the p55LX, in customer builds. All you really lose is a pcix16 slot that on that board only runs 8x8 anyways. Also, conductive tim is not somethign you have to worry about if you take your time. I have had really nice results with MX2. Also the coolermaster 212+ is still one of the best coolers under 60 bucks. Just soem thoughts for you to chew on.
For the board it wasn't a choice, I had to deal with the fact that I won't only use a pci-e GPU on it, but also a PCIx-1 sound card and a PCI slotted 56k modem ( yeah, still living in caverns around here ). This model was the only Asus model that gave me the room and the open slot once the dual slotted GPU was in. I looked for others, but noticed I would've had to sacrifice either the 56k modem ( unacceptable ), or the add-in sound card which is brand new.
And talking about that Gigabyte Hd5850 OC, it got good reviews, but before buying there is something I overlooked and I do feel ashamed about it. Being a Vet at building my PCs myself, been at it for 12 years now. I didn't look at the CUSTOMERS posts in forums. Looks like they have one hell of a time with it, no 2d clock by default ( can be corrected with ati tray tools, but it still sucks ). Fans are a bit loud, but I don't mind that at all, as long as I can make it spin faster than the default 55% up to 100%. People complained that you couldn't slow them down. Manufacturer says they're working on a bios fix. Actually, I noticed that they fixed one of the aforementioned problems already with a bios update a few months ago. Let's hope they continue to work on it. Shouldn't be hard to fix something like this.
It's actually the first time around I mess with the TIM on my builds, I thought that by going "safe" in my learning phase would be wise. But you're right in a way, the Mx-2 and Mx-3 aren't conductive nor capacitive ( I learned that too late ). Alas, newegg doesn't have them in store. But, I'll definately consider them for the near future for my GPU and CPU.
As for the cooler, I had to compromise to make sure it would fit under the huge 250mm fan on the side panel of the Azza Solano 1000 case. The 212+ was too tall, I feared that it might get in the way of the 250mm side panel fan. So I went with the slightly smaller 92mm fan equipped one. I will use it in push-pull tho, and being spotted just below that monster of a side panel fan, I'm fairly confident it will still shine. I guess I could've modded the side panel a wee bit so as to make the 212+ fit under the huge fan, but as I've never had any on hands and it's kinda hard to judge what you can do with pictures, I prefered to play it safe. Not to mention the TX3 is WAY cheaper and still delivers a lot over the stock cooler. Great bang for the buck, especially in push pull. And lightweight to boot, just what I was looking for.
My guess? He orderd the giftcard from newegg.com and then tried to use it at newegg.ca which there systems are different and thus the gift cards wont work. (Just what I gathered via google search"
Actually, I just double checked that, cause you may have well been right. But all my historical records show that we indeed ordered the Gift Card from newegg.CA. That's nice to know for future reference tho. Thanks for the info.
UPDATE:
Gift card went through it seems, it got charged, I haven't verified the balance left on it yet, but my account do says "charged" on the order. Since I clicked "use gift card as only payment option at step 1", everything should be smooth sailing from now on. As long as all parts are functional at reception.
Will keep you guys posted.
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you can change it yourself.
