How to build a computer

Why build your own computer?

safety and tools

ESD: Electro Static Discharge, can cause major damage to computer parts.
Anti static devices: bags for all the parts to go in, matts for them to go on and for the case while youre assembling, and
a wrist strap or the arm you will be doing the most with.

You can build a PC that suits your individual

needs that is unique to you! Not just a
computer that was build in a factory.

Motherboard
The Case
Cases are designed to cool the computer and protect it better than the open air. It does this by sucking
cool air in the front and blowing hot air out the back. This is better than being in the open air because it
keeps cool air flowing past the parts that need it.

The first part of the computer that you need to install is the motherboard. The motherboard is a large circuit board that
every computer component is connected to in some way.
Motherboards are connected to the case using screws that go into stand outs, this grounds the computer to the case;
grounding is a method used to protect people and devices from shorts. The case is connected to the third prong on the
power cord and that prong is connected to the buildings ground rod.
line the motherboard up so the connector ports are coming out the back of the case and so that the holes in the
motherboard are lined up with the standouts. Once you do this screw in your motherboard.

before you beginning assembling your computer you should put your computer on an antistatic mat and make sure you
have an antistatic wrist strap on the hand you will be using most and hold the case with the other hand while you work.
tools: you will most likely only need a philips head screw driver.

RAM
Random Access memory: this is where all the programs on your computer run. It is temporary storage
where data can be changed, If the data in RAM is not saved in permanent storage it will be lost.

To start assembling your computer, you will need to figure out how to open your case and take off the
side panel. The way that you do this depends on the manufacturer of your case. There are three major
ways that cases are designed to be opened:
1.
2.
3.

Screws- these will most likely be phillips screw that hold the panel on
Thumbscrews- screws that require no tools to remove just your thumb and index finger.
Tabs- can be released by pressing buttons in or moving switches.

Be sure that you dont touch the contacts at any point during installation low levels of static
electricity can severely damage these parts.
Your RAM sticks get pressed into slots on the motherboard. (some PC builders like to do this
step before putting the motherboard in)
There are little indents in the contacts called keys, make sure the keys are lined up in the right
place before you push the stick in. That will ensure that you have stick oriented the correct way.
Firmly push the stick in until it clicks into place. Do not force them in as this can break them.

CPU installation

Processor(CPU)

The next step in building your computer is putting the processor in the socket. The processor is the
device that calculates all the data the computer needs. It is often referred to as the brain of the
computer. You will either have a LGA socket (Intel) or a PGA socket (AMD).

you may have color coded

slots on your motherboard,
this means your motherboard
has dual or triple channel
RAM capabilities. You will
want identical RAM sticks in
the slots of corresponding
colors.

cooling devices
devices like the processor do a lot of work. work produces heat and too much heat can cause those devices to become
damaged. Cooling devices include things like heat sinks, fans, and liquid cooling.
the most basic of these would be a heatsink and fan combo. Heat sinks are connected to the processor and other chips
using thermal paste. thermal paste sticks them together and also spreads heat between the two. fans are connected on
the inside of the case and get their power from connectors on the motherboard. They are what sucks cool air in and
blows the hot air out of the case.

place a small pea sized amount of thermal paste to the top of the processor
take the heat sink and spread it around
center the heat sink and let the paste stick the two together.
find where the fan goes on the outside of the case
make sure the blades will push air the desired way
screw the fan in

make sure that you dont touch the pins on the processor or its socket (ESD)
you dont need to use force to push the processor in (ZIF)
the first thing you need to do is locate pin 1 on both the socket and the processor. there is
usually something that makes them stand out.
line them up and drop the processor in
there should be a lever or a cover that holds in it place, take that and latch it down.

Expansion cards
These are circuit boards that add capabilities to your computer that your motherboard may not have.
even though they are still called this, they are typically a part of the motherboard now.
Similar to RAM sticks, expansion cards contacts go into slots on the motherboard. They have
connectors on the back of them so there are special covered slots that they slide into on the back. you
will need to decide where you want them to go and remove those covers before you install them. Push
the card into the slot you want and make sure the connectors can be accessed from the back.

Power
takes the power from wall outlets and turns it into what the computer needs . It has a power cord that goes into the wall
and many molex connectors that plug into devices in the case.

slide the power supply into its compartment

make sure that it is lined up with the screw holes on the outside of the case.
screw the screws in to secure it to the case
do not plug in any of the connectors (this will be the last step)

SATA

PATA (IDE)

hard drives

Removeable storage

Hard drives are what is used for permanent internal storage in modern computers. You can either
have a standard hard drive or a solid state hard drive.

Optical drives: CD, DVD, and Blu Ray

Use drive rays to read and write to optical disks
floppy drives: 3.5 inch and 5.25 inch

Standard hard drives have magnetic plates in them that store electronic data, these plates take time to
spin up. The faster they spin the faster data can be transferred. They use a mechanical arm with a
magnetic strip at the end call a read-write head. Use SATA or PATA(IDE) connectors.

Solid state

Solid state hard drives use the same technology that flash drives use (microchips). Theyre faster
because they dont have any moving parts. Use SATA connector

Master and slave settings

if you have more than one type of drive in your computer you are going to need to make one a
master (bootable) and one a slave (not bootable).
these can be changed by putting jumpers on the right pins.
once this is finished you want to install the drives.
once they're in, you need to put the ribbon cables in
ribbon cables connect the motherboard to the drives
some are specific on which connector goes to the master and slave, make sure this matches
your specifications.
make sure you read the cables.

Find the right slot for the device

orient it
slide it in
screw it in

both use ribbon cables

Peripherals and connectors

include many devices: keyboards, mice, monitors, joysticks,etc.

Peripherals are devices that allow users to connect with the computer
through inputs and outputs.
Most modern peripherals use a usb connector.

Operating systems
Operating systems are software that makes the hardware in your computer useful. Examples of
modern operating systems would be windows 7, OSX, and Linux. To use your computer you need to
have one installed.

Maintenance

internal connectors

Dust is very bad for your computer and can

cause it overheat. You want to clear the inside
of dust periodically to ensure that you're safely
running you PC.

works cited
floppy drive-www.dvdyourmemories.com

power supply-http://images.esellerpro.com/2131/I/224/37/DCP_0622.JPG
peripherals- http://www.mbsystemzone.com/

blue ray drive- www.engadget.com

DVD drive- www.quietpc.com

windows 7-http://toastytech.com/guis/win7.html

CD drive- www.diskdoctors.com

gaming pv-http://www.nextment.com/product/gaming-pc/

Star wars case- www.theverybesttop10.com

asus pc-http://www.asus.com/us/News/AU2yjCWM6KZMP0Qn

computer case 1- www.designhomes.com

SATA cable-http://www.digistor.com

lightning- http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSYwJZLzfea01iZtZAbVH2y60vf-SpjM34ggeJyTaDYg1pwXnr0KQ2Xzh6Y
static- http://www.nefab.de/ESD.aspx

SATA power-http://en.wikipedia.org

cover page-http://tested.wikia.com/wiki/Recommended_Computer_Builds

sata hard drive- http://www.legitreviews.com

motherboard-http://wallpaperswide.com/motherboard-wallpapers.html molex-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molex_connector
single channel RAM-http://www.pchardware.co.uk/motherboards.php

ribbon cables- www.cl.cam.ac.uk

dual channel-http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DDR3_RAM_slots_%E2%80%93_dual_channel-top_oblique_PNr%C2%B00302.jpg
triple channel-http://icrontic.com/article/what-is-tri-channel-memory

IIDE hard drive- http://www.archmemory.com

LGA-http://jailangkung.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/lga775-socket.jpg Solid state hard drive- http://www.colocationamerica.com

PGA-http://mtnglenn.blogspot.com/2008/01/cpu-socket.html
CPU-http://www.hdwallpapers.org/blue-computer-cpu-wallpapers.html
graphics card- http://www.bestgraphicscardunder100.com/

connectors on the inside of your PC that connect things like frontside ports
and memory card readers to the motherboard.
Also includes ribbon cables and molex connectors.

This is possibly the most complicated step in building a PC and should be

saved for last. The motherboard should have writing on it that shows you where
these connectors need to be plugged in. It is crucial that you plug the right
connector into the right port, if you dont you can cause major problems. They
should be keyed and color coded but always double check before you plug
something into the motherboard.

FINISHED PRODUCT