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Build Your Own PC: Step 3

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So you have all the parts needed, right?!?! If not, please start from the beginning and read Step One. As mentioned in the previous post, Build Your Own PC: News, there are certain guidelines you MUST follow when building a PC. Along with those guidelines, please remember to read all manuals for each piece or hardware involved for any and all safety precautions.

In this step, the first thing you must do is find a static free environment to work in. I use my kitchen table. Make sure you have all the tools necessary to build. Most likely this is just a Phillips Head screwdriver. If you have a anti-static mat, which I highly recommend. Place it on the table and lay your case on top of it. Im assuming you will have the area cleaned and layed out neatly before we move on.

**BTW - I can not be held accountable for any mistakes that are made or parts that are damaged during the building process. If you have doubts or questions, its best to stop now. Feel free to contact me on our forums, www.hbpforums.com, or email me TheYoungGuy@gmail.com with any questions**

Your case is layed out and open, right. You will need to have all manuals available being that I don’t know what parts you have and everything differs. The first thing to install is your motherboard. The center of the PC universe. Between your case manual and your motherboard manual, you will be able to determine exactly how to mount the motherboard. The first step in doing so is installing you I/O shield that came with your motherboard. Be careful, its sharp and you will almost always cut a finger or two. After the I/O shield is installed and after you have referenced your manuals, its time to drop that sucker in. Make sure you have mounted any spacing screws in the proper holes on your case, if they are made available. Line up the holes on your mobo with the proper holes on your case. Use the appropriate screws made available to tighten your mobo down. Its very important you do not tighten them to tight. You don’t want to crack your motherboard. Once you have the mobo in place and its lined up properly with your I/O shield, you should be ready to hook up your case connections. The locations for where to hook these items up should be in your mobo manual. Reference it and ensure you have everything hooked up properly.

Next is your Power Supply (PSU) if your case didn’t come with one or you are changing the one it came with out. This is a fairly easy step. Usually only 3 or 4 screws are involved and some cable ties. It’s recommended now-a-days to have a minimum of at least a 500 watt PSU because of the power needs for most new hardware. Once you are ready to install and have read your PSU manual, simply slide the PSU in place and tighten down the screws on the rear of the case. The important part of installing a power supply is cable management. Its a good idea to have cable ties available to keep your cables organized. I can’t tell you the best way to do this because again, every case is different. But a general rule of thumb is to keep your cables away from your fans and any part that tends to get hot. However you don’t want your cables too tight either.

The next step is installing your Hard Drive (HDD). Most cases these days are designed to have screwless drive bays or removable hard drive bays. Both of these features make installing your hard drive and CD/DVD drives very simple. However, if you are not fortunate enough to have these features then don’t worry its still pretty simple. Check your mobo manual to locate your hard drive bay. Once you know where to put it, its simple. You slide the drive in, line it up with your screw holes and tighten them down. A few key tips: If you have multiple hard drives you are installing, space them apart if you can. Leaving room between the drives increases airflow, which will improve performance. Also, make sure you handle your drives with care. Those platters inside are delicate and you don’t want to damage your drive before you get to use it.

And the last step that I will cover in this section is your RAM (random access memory). It is very easy to install. Most motherboards utilize Dual-Channel Memory these days so if you are installing multiple RAM modules you will need to ensure that they are identical in speed. Meaning 133MHz, 333Mhz, 400Mhz and so on. Also your motherboard will only except one type of RAM, DDR or DDR2 (DDR3 has just been released but not many Mobos support it yet) so check your motherboard manual for the correct type of RAM. As for the install process, your motherboard manual will also tell you where to locate your RAM slots. Locate them and line the gap on the RAM module up with the small wedge that is in the RAM slot. Insert the card and apply gentle pressure until the module clicks and secures into place. Be careful though, to much pressure can cause problems for your motherboard and/or RAM modules.

So you have succeeded in completing step 3 of building your own PC. The next step will be about installing your CPU and any expansion cards you may have. Keep checking back and we will have the next step up soon.

Tags: Build your own PC, CPU, DDR, DDR2, Hard Drive, Memory, Motherboard, Power Supply, PSU, RAM