| How
to Build a ComputerBranded
computers can offer both value and performance, the parts used can be
powerful and not very expensive, and you can switch on and start work.
Yet parts are often short-spec in one place or another. Sadly you'll
often get a performance "bottleneck" such as a slow graphics card, only
a basic amount of memory, or a slimline motherboard with too few
upgrade slots. Luckily, computers are surprisingly easy to build. If
you can afford the time to plan and build your own machine, you can
design a system more targeted toward your own use.
How
to Coose Components to Fit Your Needs
1.
Locate the motherboard. Place it on top of its antistatic bag.
2.
Observe the missing pins in the processor and match
these with the socket on the motherboard. On many processors there will
be a little gold arrow in the corner that you can use to orient the
processor properly. |  |
3.
Carefully open the CPU's socket and carefully insert the
processor (no force needed). If it doesn't slip right in, or
it feels like you have to push, it is probably misaligned. Close the
socket and ensure the CPU is secure. Some sockets have small arms while
others have complex assemblies to open and close the socket. |  |
4. Apply
good thermal paste to the CPU. Use no more than a rice sized
amount and spread it in a thin layer over the entire processor surface
(or if this is an older Athlon series without the protective cover,
only apply to the chip in the center of the processor board). Adding
too much thermal paste will slow the transfer of heat, making it more
difficult to cool the CPU quickly. |  |
5.
Attach the heat sink. This varies from heat sink to
heat sink, so read the instructions.
|  |
6. Insert
the RAM in the proper slots by opening the slots and pushing
the RAM in until the little handles can lock it into position. Note how
the RAM and slots are keyed--line them up so they will fit in properly.
|  | 7. Open
the case.
8. Attach the PSU (power supply unit)to
the inside of the case, following the instructions included
with the case (some cases might have this step completed).
9.
Use an antistatic strap-on cable so you don't
shock the motherboard.
10. Identify the power
leads.
11. Identify the front
panel leads. |  |
12.
Your motherboard should come with its own IO backplate (former). It is
unlikely that your case will have an appropriate backplate for your
motherboard. Take out the one that came with your case (this
sometimes takes a bit of force). Sometimes they have screws
to hold them in place, but most are held in only by friction. Pop it
out be pressing on the bracket from rear side of the case.
13.
Knock out any tabs covering IO components up on the
motherboard's former.
14. Insert the
motherboard former into the case.
|  | 15. Find
some standoffs (e.g. metal jack screw standoff #4-40) that
raise the motherboard just off the case surface, also some screws (e.g.
#4-40 x 3/16" long) that fit in the spacers to screw the motherboard to
the case.
16. The number of spacers required will be
determined by the number of shielded holes in the motherboard. Position
the motherboard to discover where to screw in the standoffs.
17.
Screw the standoffs in the case at the relevant
positions and place the motherboard on top ensuring that the
ports fit snugly into the former.
18. Screw
the motherboard on to the standoffs. It helps to hold on to
the heatsink.
19. Attach the video card (if you have
one) and any other PCI cards into the motherboard. Be sure to secure
them into place with the proper screws.
|  | 20. At
this point it is a good idea to connect the case connectors.
These tend to be located together on the motherboard near the front of
the case. The order in which these are connected will depend on which
is easiest physically. Normally top left to bottom right is easiest.
~ Soft power switch (motherboard power switch).
It does not matter which way around this is connected
~ Reset
switch, again it does not matter which way around this is connected
~
LED hard disk indicator (sometimes called power LED)
~ Sleep
message indicator (if the case supports this)
~ Internal
speaker connection
|  | 21. Decide
where you want to install the various drives (floppy drive,
DVD drive, hard disk).
22. Remove the
front cover. There are normally cleats that can be squeezed
by hand to release the front cover from the chassis.
23.
Remove any metal barriers that are in the way between the
drive and the front cover. Normally these are loosely moulded
to the metal interior and can be removed by judicious wiggling until
the barrier snaps off.
24. Insert the DVD drive in
through the front of the case. Some cases will have their own fascias
that sit in front of the drives.
25. Install
the front cover back on to the chassis.
26.
A button on the fascia impinges on the drive button to transfer the
action when operating of the drive. Use suitable fixing
screws for each drive, normally 4 per drive to fix the drive
into the cages built into the case. Ensure that the drives are flush up
against the front of the case so that there is good positive action
when using the buttons on the front of the case.
| | 27. Install
the hard disk. For IDE drives, check the jumper. If this
drive is the master (first hard disk with the bootable operating
system) then the jumper should be set to master or Cable Select (CS).
If the jumper is set to CS then the first connector on the IDE ribbon
cable must be used for this drive. For SATA drives, it doesn't matter
which end of the cable you use for the drive, and there are no jumpers
to set. When installing the drive ensure that two screw holes can be
used on each side to attach the drive to the chassis.
|  | 28. Connect
the IDE or SATA cable to the DVD ROM drive. For IDE, the blue
end connects to the motherboard and the red strip connects to the right
handside at the back of the drive. Blips in the plastic surround help
you get the cable connected the right way round. Check the jumper of
the drive. This should be set to master if it is the first drive on
this IDE bus. When installing the IDE cable to the motherboard you may
need to support the motherboard with your fingers to avoid bending it
too much. It is simple for SATA: simply connect the drive to the
motherboard.
29. Untangle the power leads
with the various connectors and select the leads which do not
contain the small floppy disk power lead. Install one of these power
leads into the DVD drive.
30. For legacy
operating systems and optical drives, locate the DVD ROM audio lead and
connect this to the DVD drive. Find the location on the
motherboard for the DVD audio lead and connect it. Newer drives play
audio digitally through their regular data connection.
|  | 31. Install
the IDE or SATA cable for the hard disk. The blue end
connects to the motherboard and the red strip connects to the right
handside at the back of the hard disk. Blips in the plastic surround
help you get the cable connected the right way round. For SATA, use
either side of the cable for either connection.
32.
Connect
the motherboard power leads. There are various types of motherboard
power connectors. Older ATX motherboards will have a 20-pin connector
and possibly a separate 4-pin 12V connector, while newer motherboards
will have a 24-pin connector and a separate 6 or 8-pin 12V connector.
Legacy computers may have two or more in-line connectors.
33.
Connect
case fans if you have them. Most fans will come with their own adapters
for plugging into the motherboard or directly attaching to the power
supply.
34. Connect the CPU cooler's fan to the
motherboard.
35. Ensure screws
are used to hold in the PCI slot covers.
36.
Put
the case back together and connect only a keyboard, mouse, and monitor
to the computer. Once the operating system and drives are installed,
connect the other peripherals you have.
| | Software Installation1.
Plug
in your computer. Most CD/DVD drives will have a small hole for opening
the drive. Put a straightened paper clip in the hole and the drive
should open. If it does not, turn on the computer and immediately open
the CD drive. Put the CD for your operating system in the drive and
close it. Restart your computer by pressing the power button until it
shuts off and then push the power button again to turn the computer
back on. Don't forget to turn your monitor on.
2.
Check your
motherboard manual for keys to use to start the "boot sequence" or
"CMOS settings", or sometimes "BIOS settings". Click this button when
the motherboard splash screen appears. Set your computer's CD/DVD drive
as the first boot option. You may have to reboot your computer for
these settings to take effect.
3. Follow the
instructions to
install your operating system. With most operating systems, this will
include: Formatting the hard drive, configuring the boot loader,
configuring the operating system, and finally installing the operating
system. Once the operating system is installed, you're ready to go!
| | Tips
And Hints | | 1.
If you bought an OEM edition of Microsoft Windows and you
have a license sticker, you may want to attach the sticker on the side
of the PC for future reference, in a place you will be able to see it
when Windows Setup asks for it.
2. Each
power supply cable will only fit in the correct orientation, but
pressure will still be needed to push the cables in. If using a newer
power supply with a 8-pin EPS 12V connector and a PCI Express 8-pin
connector, don't attempt to force the cables into place.
3.
Use zip ties to carefully bundle all of the cables, and route
them to prevent them from blocking the airflow. If possible, avoid
using IDE components such as hard drives and optical drives, as the
standard ribbon cable will block airflow.
4.
Don't
leave the hardware on your floor for days while you figure out what you
should do, as this may lead to electrostatic discharge which can damage
or ruin computer components(it only takes about 10 volts to kill some
computer parts). When not attached to the motherboard and case, all
components should be left in their anti-static bags. An alternative to
this is placing the items on a non-conductive surface, such as a wood
or glass table or desk.
5. If you put
the computer
system together and it does not work, take out everything except the
power supply, motherboard, RAM, and processor cooler (and video card if
not using an on-board video card). Ensure that it works by viewing your
BIOS start up screen. Turn it off, then plug in your hard drives and
verify that it works. Turn it off, then plug in your DVD-ROM and ensure
that it works. Turn it off, and continue to plug in each additional
peripheral until everything is plugged in and working. The idea here is
to put in the minimum components to get it to power up, then add one at
a time so you know what component is causing the problem.
| | WARNINGS!! | | 1.
Do
not use force to insert any component into any slot or socket. The
tolerances of newer hardware components may be narrow, but everything
should still fit without the need to apply too much force. Memory
modules are among the few types of components that may require a bit of
pressure to install. Before installing your memory modules, make sure
they match the memory slots by comparing the notches.
2.
Do
not force cable connections. Fortunately, cables at the back of a
computer will only fit onto their intended connector. All cables,
except for coaxial and some laptop power connections, will only connect
when they are in the same orientation as their connector. For example,
DVI and VGA video cables have a trapezoidal connector, not a
rectangular one.
3. If you are
unsure about any
aspect of the construction of your computer, DO NOT try "winging" it,
either ask for someone who knows what they're doing to "spot" you while
you build or hire a professional to do it for you.
4.
Avoid electrostatic discharge when installing components.
Wear a
static wristband or regularly ground yourself by touching a metal part
of the case before handling components.
5.
Double-check all connections before switching on the computer
for the first time.
6.
When plugging in CPUs and PATA (IDE) devices, be gentle. If
you
bend a pin, use tweezers or a narrow needle-nose pliers to straighten
it. If you break a pin, on a CPU or CPU socket, your hardware will no
longer function correctly. If you break a pin on an IDE connector, you
have a 7 in 40 chance that you've broken a ground pin, which may not be
critical to a device's functionality.
7. Use care
when working around the sharp, sheet metal edges of a computer case. It
is easy to cut yourself, especially with very small cases. | | | Back to Top | |
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