How to Assemble a Desktop PC

Transcription

1 How to Assemble a Desktop PC By Taylor Koch

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3 iii Table of Contents Introduction to Building a Desktop PC... 1 Preparation and Precautions... 3 PC Parts... 3 Basic Tools... 3 Safety Precautions... 3 Installing the Motherboard... 5 Preparing the Case... 5 Placing the Motherboard... 6 Installing the CPU and Heat Sink... 7 General Guide to Installing a CPU... 7 Installing the Heat Sink... 8 Installing the RAM... 9 Installing a Graphics Card Installing Storage Drives Powering the System Installing the Power Supply Unit Connecting Power Cables Troubleshooting Wrapping Things Up... 19

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5 1 Introduction to Building a Desktop PC For a first time builder, assembling a PC can seem very intimidating. However, it can be a great hands-on educational experience. Building your own PC takes some of the mystery out of what is going on inside that box. Additionally, you can fully customize your system to suit your exact needs. Before following this guide, be sure you purchase compatible components. This guide is for assembling the PC only. For information on purchasing parts and installing an operating system, consult other guides.

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7 3 Preparation and Precautions PC Parts Case Motherboard CPU and heat sink RAM Video card (optional) Power supply unit Storage Drives (HDD/SSD) Basic Tools #2 Phillips-head (cross-shaped) screwdriver Needle-nose pliers Anti-static Wrist Strap A large level working space Safety Precautions The greatest danger to computer parts during assembly is static electricity. Even a tiny shock of static electricity can damage or ruin computer parts. It is important to use the antistatic wrist strap for this reason. Keep the anti-static wrist strap clipped to the bare metal parts of the case when working on your PC.

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9 5 Installing the Motherboard Preparing the Case 1. Remove existing I/O shield that came with the case. Most I/O shields will pop out easily by pushing it into the case from the back. Use a flat screwdriver to pry up one side of the shield if it is difficult to pop out initially. 2. Install the I/O shield that came with your motherboard. It will go into the location of the shield you just removed. To install the new shield, reverse the procedure you used to pop out the original shield. It should pop into place without too much pressure The I/O shield shown next to the fan holes. 3. Find the motherboard standoffs and screws that came with your case. The motherboard will rest on top of the standoffs and you will attach it with the screws. Brass standoffs with screws 4. Simply screw the male end of the standoffs into the holes in the case to install them. Tip: Some cases will have more holes for standoffs than you will need for your motherboard. To determine where you should put your standoffs, place the motherboard onto a blank sheet of paper and mark the standoff screw holes on the paper. Compare the marks you make on the paper to the standoff holes on the case and mount the standoffs that correspond to the marks you make on the paper. Corresponding standoff holes for case and motherboard

10 6 Placing the Motherboard 1. Place the motherboard on top of the standoffs. When handling the motherboard try to touch only the edges of the board. Be sure that all the holes line up with the standoffs you placed. Check the I/O shield s alignment with the I/O on the motherboard. If you notice any of the metal tabs on the I/O shield are blocking a port, remove the motherboard and use the needle-nose pliers to bend the tab inside the case and out of the way before placing the motherboard back in. The arrow point to a metal tab on the I/O shield blocking a port 2. When you are confident about the motherboard s alignment, screw the motherboard into the standoffs using the Phillips-head screwdriver. Apply pressure directly downward when using the screwdriver

11 7 Installing the CPU and Heat Sink Installing the CPU and heat-sink is the most difficult part of assembling your PC. Because the procedure for installing CPUs differs in small but important ways for each manufacturer and type of CPU socket, you should rely on the instructions that are provided with the CPU. Be sure you thoroughly understand the process before you try to do anything. Carefully studying the diagrams and steps in the instructions provided with your CPU can prevent a potentially very expensive accident. If at any point during the process something does not seem to make sense, stop what you are doing and review things carefully before proceeding. General Guide to Installing a CPU All CPU sockets have a bar you need to lift before placing the CPU chip onto the motherboard. The CPU should have an arrow on one of the corners. This arrow corresponds to an arrow on the motherboard. These arrows are aligned when the CPU is oriented correctly. Place the chip into the socket. Intel brand CPUs have flat connections that contact pins on the motherboard, while AMD brand CPUS have pins that insert into the socket. Once the chip is set, push the bar down into the original position. Align these arrows when inserting the chip

12 8 Installing the Heat Sink The CPU heat sink mounts directly on top of the CPU. The heat sink included with your CPU will likely have a heat pad already attached. This heat pad improves the transfer of heat from the CPU to the heat sink. Simply insert the push pins on the heat sink into the designated holes. The push pins and the fan cable 1. Push down on each pin in an alternating pattern while holding the heat sink fan in place. You should hear a click when each push pin is secure. The push pin holes and fan cable connection 2. Once the heat sink is in place, connect the processor 4- wire fan cable to the motherboard 4-pin CPU fan header. The fan cable connection

13 9 Installing the RAM 1. Locate the longest slots on your motherboard. These will be used for the RAM. 2. If you have more than one stick of RAM and your motherboard has more than two slots, place the RAM into the matching colored slots. A stick of RAM with a heat spreader 3. Open the tabs at each end of the slot you are installing RAM in to. Use the notch on the RAM as guide to orient it correctly. There is only one orientation to insert the RAM. The tabs on the blue slot are open 4. Apply even pressure when inserting the memory stick. The tabs will automatically close when the memory stick is inserted completely The sticks are installed and the tabs are closed

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15 11 Installing a Graphics Card 1. Locate the PCI-e slot on your motherboard. Nearly all modern desktop PC graphics cards install into the PCI-e slot. 2. Use the notch on the graphics card to orient it correctly. Like the RAM, there is only orientation to insert the card. 3. Apply even pressure when inserting the card. The black slot is PCI-e. Notice the notch Apply even pressure when inserting the card

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17 13 Installing Storage Drives 1. Locate the hard drive cage. This is where you will install the storage drives. 2. Place the hard drive into the storage cage. This process will depend on your case. Some cases will have tool-less installation while others involve using a few screws. Refer to your case s manual for details. 3. Connect a SATA cable from the drive to the SATA port on your motherboard. This connection transfers data. 4. Connect a SATA power cable connection from your power supply to the SATA drive. The power cable and data cable SATA data cable ports on a motherboard

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19 15 Powering the System Installing the Power Supply Unit 1. Mount the Power Supply Unit (PSU). Do this by placing the PSU in the designated location. Depending on your case, this can be either at the top or bottom of the case. Placing the PSU Secure the PSU in place using four standard case screws that came with your case. Be sure you can see all four screw holes before beginning. If you are unable to screw in all the holes, the PSU may be upside down. Securing the PSU with screws Connecting Power Cables 1. Connect the 24-pin power cable to the main motherboard power connector. This supplies power to most of the motherboard. The 24-pin power connection 1. Connect the ATX12V connector. This supplies power to the processor The ATX12V connection

20 16 2. Connect a PCI-e power connector to your graphics card. A PCI-e power connection to a graphics card 3. Connect a SATA power connector to your storage drive. A SATA power connection on the back of a hard drive

21 17 Troubleshooting If you run into any problems while assembling your PC, the best course of action is to read the manual for the specific instructions for the specific part you own. Discrepancies between manufacturers make it impossible to detail troubleshooting guides for each component. Always be sure to completely understand what you are going to do before you attempt to do it. If at any point something does not make sense, stop what you are doing and try to identify the problem before proceeding.

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23 19 Wrapping Things Up So you finally completed assembling a PC. Hopefully the process was both enjoyable and educational. Your next step will be installing an operating system so you can use the machine you just put together. Enjoy using your new PC! A complete PC configuration