ASSEMBLE A COMPUTER

STEP-BY-STEP

INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN BY WES YODER

INTRODUCTION
The goal of these instructions is to allow any reader, once theyve bought the necessary
equipment, to comfortably put a computer together. These instructions are aimed at those who are familiar with the various components that make up a typical desktop computer, but by no means require a high degree of technical understanding. Money savings provides the primary motivation to assemble your own computer. If you can assemble your own computer, you can get exactly what you want rather than buy a bundle of equipment that you really dont need. In the long run, this will provide for more

performance for the money. If these instructions are followed step-by-step, the full process should take around an hour to complete.

SAFETY INFORMATION

This symbol will be used throughout the instructions for warning against possibly damaging the computer hardware.

This symbol will be used throughout the instructions for warning against possible bodily harm.

Throughout the duration of the assembling of the computer, great care should be taken to avoid static electricity. Static electricity permanently damages electrical circuitry and therefore it is recommended that an antistatic wrist strap be worn throughout the entire assembly. To further reduce the possibility of static electricity it is not recommended to assemble the computer on a carpeted floor. Find an open wooden table, if possible, for the assembly area.

MATERIALS LIST
- Small to medium screw drivers (Phillips and flat head) - Antistatic wrist strap - Flash light - Hardware: RAM Sticks, CPU, Motherboard, Case, Power supply, Video card, Optical drive, Hard drive, Fans, & all necessary cords - Thermal paste for cpu - Screws for installation (usually supplied)

TECHNICAL DEFINITIONS
Thermal paste is very important and often under appreciated by most computer users. This paste is extremely important to the life of the processor (CPU). This paste cools the CPU by providing higher heat transfer rates between the chip and the heat sink. Without the paste, there is trapped air in between the chip and the heat sink. Air is a poor conductor which means that it does not transfer heat very effectively. The paste takes the place of the air and is a great conductor. Instructions on how to apply the thermal paste are included in the Motherboard and CPU installation section.

INITIAL ORGANIZATION & CASE PREPARATION FOR INSTALLATION

This section will take the case from an initial packaged state to open and ready for component installation. It will also take the power supply from the packaged state to the final installed location. For step 1, it is recommended that the work space be a large table with an overhead light because it will provide enough space for all of the hardware and also adequate lighting so that the subject of interest can be seen easily.

Figure 1: Displays the various components that can be installed into the computer

1. As shown in figure 1, assemble all the necessary hardware to complete the entire installation onto your work table/space. This should include everything given in the materials list.

Make sure the antistatic wrist strap is worn for the rest of this instructional installation (From now until the computer is completely assembled and the case is securely shut). 2. Open the box containing the case and retrieve the supplies that are included (Screws and possibly cords). Set these aside for later use. 3. Remove the case cover or open/remove the side panels, whichever applies, to allow accessibility to the inside of the case (Usually involves unscrewing a few screws on the back of the case). An example is shown in figure 2.

Figure 2: Removing the side panel of the case

4. Unwrap the power supply and locate the included mounting screws. 5. Locate the place (usually in upper, back portion of the case) where the power supply is to be installed.

Figure 3: Location of Power supply bay

6. Use the screws that came with the power supply to secure the power supply to the case (the side with the power cables should face the inside of the case).

Do Not Plug the Power Supply into the wall outlet!

7. Insert only the necessary power cables into the power supply that your configuration requires (cords that will power specific components of your computer). This should include power cables for the motherboard, hard drive, DVD drive, and fans.

Again, Do Not Plug the Power Supply into the wall until told to do so!

INSTALLING THE MOTHERBOARD AND CPU

This section will begin with the motherboard and CPU in its original packaging. It will result with the motherboard, CPU, heat sink, and CPU fan safely installed into the case. Definition: Thermal paste will be used to increase heat transfer from the CPU to the heat sink. The thermal paste takes up the room normally taken by trapped air. The paste has a much lower thermal resistance than air and therefore keeps the CPU cooler.

Do not touch any of the bare circuitry with your bare hand. The oil from your hand can ruin the equipment or adversely affect its performance.
8. Take out the cases standard motherboard mounting tray and replace it with the mounting tray supplied with the motherboard. Figure 3 shows the location of the motherboard tray. 9. Unpack the motherboard and gather the required screws and brass standoffs for your motherboard installation. There should be enough of each for each hole. The brass standoffs are small hollow cylinders used to create space in between the tray and the motherboard. The screws are to be tightened through the brass standoffs.

10. DO NOT over tighten screws; only snug them for this step. Carefully seat the motherboard into the case by snugging screws through each hole of the motherboard with the brass standoffs in-between the motherboard and the tray. 11. Connect the correct power supply cable to the motherboard

Figure 4: Giving the Motherboard Power

NOTE: If your motherboard has a 20 pin connector and your PSU has a 24 pin connector (or vice versa). Just plug the connector in and it will work. The extra four pins are for additional power which might not be needed. Your system will still work fine.
12. If available, connect the small cables coming from the front of the case (usually for a power light, reset button, hard disk activity, case speaker, and sometimes a usb/mic/earphone connection) to the appropriate ports on the motherboard. The motherboard has markings on it to

direct you where to plug these wires in. Refer to your specific motherboard manual, as each motherboard is different.

13. CAREFULLY unpack the CPU. Skin oils can adversely affect the cooling of the CPU and ultimately inhibit top performance. 14. Lift the lever on the motherboard next to the CPU socket. Align the CPU with the socket. NOTE: DO NOT FORCE IT IN! It can only be installed in one orientation. Place the CPU into the socket and put lever into the locked position to keep the CPU from moving.

Figure 5: Installing the CPU

15. If the CPU has thermal paste on it and its a trusted name brand, then leave it alone and skip to step 17. Otherwise, remove the old thermal paste with isopropyl alcohol on a cotton swab. 16. Apply a thin coat of thermal paste to the processor using a cotton swab. It does not need to cover the whole surface as pressure from the heat sink will even it out.

Figure 6: Applying thermal paste

17. Install the heat sink and fan on top of the CPU. NOTE: These two items are CRUCIAL to the life of your CPU.

Refer to the CPU installation manual as each CPU installs differently. The heat sink and fan will essentially clamp down onto the CPU for a secure fit.

Figure 7: Heat sink with fan on top

18. Attach the fans power cord to the appropriate connector on the motherboard. The motherboard is marked where to plug in the CPU fan.

INSTALLING THE MEMORY

This section involves the installation of the video card, RAM sticks, and a hard drive. This section begins with these three pieces of hardware in their original packing and ends with them completely installed. Definition: The video card was placed into the memory section because the video card provides dedicated video memory to the system. By adding a video card, memory is essentially being added to the system.
19. Unpack the video card from its box. Be sure to set aside any software discs that come with it because these will be needed later when the system will ask for drivers. 20. Determine what kind of video card you have. It is either an AGP card or a PCI-express. NOTE: AGP cards are becoming extinct, PCI-express cards are the best available. This will effect what port you place the video card into on the motherboard, as Figure 8 entails.

Figure 8: Motherboard showing an AGP and PCI slot

21. Clear a slot (Similar in size to the Metal Bracket seen in Figure 9) from the back of the computer so that the monitor port will point out of the back of the case. This usually involved removing one of the sections either by removing a screw or by twisting the section until it cleanly breaks at each end.

Figure 9: Typical Video Card

22. Find the appropriate port for your card on the motherboard. Line up the video card so that the monitor port faces towards the rear of the case and the gold contacts of the video card matches the appropriate slot of the motherboard. 23. Firmly insert the gold contacts into the motherboard port and align the metal bracket so that it is flush with the back of the case. Make sure that the video card is completely seated or it will not operate. Screw in the metal bracket to the rear of the case.

Figure 10: A video card shown in its final installation

24. Unpack the RAM sticks from their box and antistatic bag. 25. Find the slots labeled on your motherboard for RAM. Depending on your motherboard, there could 2 or 4 slots for ram. Find the slot labeled either 0 or 1, whichever refers to the first slot.

Figure 11: Various components of the motherboard

26. Unlock the number of memory slots needed. Insert the ram sticks into the motherboard beginning at the first slot. It may require significant pressure in order to get the stick to fully seat.

27. Push the two levers on each end of the ram stick toward the stick to lock the stick in place. If the stick isnt properly seated, the levers will not lock. 28. Unpack the hard drive and remove it from its antistatic bag. 29. Locate the necessary screws and use them to mount the hard drive to its 3.5 internal bay location.

Figure 12: Mounting the hard drive

30. Plug the transmission cable, IDE cable, into the first port for IDE drives on the motherboard (Refer to figure 11, if necessary). 31. Plug the other end of the IDE cable into the back of the hard drive. Make sure the master jumper setting is selected. Plug one of the spare power cords (from the power supply) into the back of the hard drive.

Figure 13: Ports for the hard drive

INSTALLING THE MEMORY

This section will guide the installation of an optical drive and case fans. It will begin with each of these in their original packaging and will end with them installed into the case. Definition: An optical drive is commonly known as a CD, DVD, CD/RW, or DVD/RW drive. The first two can only read a CD or DVD, while the last two can read and also write new CDs and DVDs.
32. Unpack the optical drive of choice and locate the necessary screws to mount the drive inside one of the external 5.5 bays. 33. Slide the drive into one of the 5.5 drive bays and tighten two screws on each side of the drive.

Figure 14: Side and rear view of the optical drive

34. Make sure that the jumper setting at the back of the drive is set to master (Same idea as the hard drive shown in figure 13). 35. Plug an IDE cable into the lowest numbered slot on the motherboard and connect it to the back of the optical drive. Also, take one of the standard power cables running from the power supply and plug it into the back of the optical drive. 36. Repeat steps 32-35 for additional optical drives, however, with the additional drives having a jumper setting of slave. 37. Unpack fans from their box.

38. Look at the fan face and find the arrow indicating which direction the fan turns. This is important because this lets you know which direction the air will go.

Figure 15: Typical fan used to ventilate the case

39. It is desirable that at least two fans be installed; one in the back and one in the front. They should be installed so that one fan blows air into the case while the other blows air out of the case. The fan locations should be apparent because the case will have holes to let air in/out. Refer to figure 3 for common locations for fans. 40. Attach the fans to the case by screwing each corner into the case, using the supplied screws. Figure 3 shows the rear fan completely secured to the case. 41. Connect each fan to the power supply. 42. Check all the power connections for a secure fit and turn off the power supply 43. Plug in a monitor, keyboard, and mouse into the rear of the case. 43. Plug the power supply power cord into a standard wall outlet. 44. Turn the power supply on and install an operating system. YOU ARE FINISHED!

BEGINNING AND MAINTAINING SECURITY

1. Perform a windows update, as soon as Windows is installed.

Figure 16: Where Windows update is located in Windows Vista

2. Download and install the recommended updates. Note: This may require a few restarts.

3. Set windows update to automatically update at least on a weekly basis. This can be achieved by finding the settings option when performing a windows update.

4. Download virus protection software and download any possible updates for this software. AVG Antivirus is recommended as it provides adequate, free service. 5. Set the virus protection software to automatically update on at least a weekly basis because there are constantly new threats that may harm the newly assembled computer!

RESOURCES
The pictures throughout this guide were used from the following websites: PCworld.com Techpubs.sgi.com Newegg.com Pics.computerbase.de Frozencpu.com Compreviews.about.com Directron.com