Building a computer from scratch

Legal Information:
Proceeding with this guide proves your acceptance of the following: You, and only you are solely responsible for any negative outcomes that can, may (and will) take place after the following of this written guide. Not in any way, shape or form shall I be held responsible or have legal action taken against.

Table of Contents
Legal Information: ......................................................................................................................................... 1 List of Tools: .................................................................................................................................................. 1 Identifying your Needs .................................................................................................................................. 2 Is a custom-built PC right for me?............................................................................................................. 2 Prebuilt PCs, OEMs and you; a debunking of the myth. ........................................................................... 2 Being a gamer / enthusiast ....................................................................................................................... 2 Design phase: Where to start? ..................................................................................................................... 3 Power Supply ............................................................................................................................................ 3 The power supply is the heart of every single build. ......................................................................... 3 Going cheap on the power supply is like not doing cardio because a strong heart doesnt make you look better. .......................................................................................................................................... 3 Motherboard............................................................................................................................................. 4 Verifying stage: Does everything fit? ............................................................................................................ 5 Building step: Fit everything inside! ............................................................................................................. 6 Troubleshooting ............................................................................................................................................ 6 Hazard Messages .......................................................................................................................................... 6 Index.............................................................................................................................................................. 7

List of Tools:
1x - Screwdriver 1x Anti-static (or ESD) wristband

Identifying your Needs

Is a custom-built PC right for me?
Simply put, a custom-built PC (hereafter referred to as just CB, for custom-build) is usually a good call for those who like the experience, the heart-pounding and the thrills of pushing a button and checking those eye-blinding LEDs light up for the first time, or the adrenaline rush that comes from listening your newly installed processor fans revving up for their cooling goodness. If none of this applies to you, you probably dont need a CB. Now, in all seriousness, building a computer is not an easy process, there are lots of decisions to make, many things that can go wrong, and it can (and will) get very expensive!.

Prebuilt PCs, OEMs and you; a debunking of the myth.

One of the most common myths is that a CB is significantly cheaper than a prebuilt (or OEM) computer, such as an HP, Dell or many of the other commonly available systems. This is not usually the case; you have to take into account that you are acquiring components at the end-customer price, whereas OEM system builders buy them in the millions, which allows them to lower their costs and offer lower priced PCs. There is usually a downside to this, and it is the fact that OEM builders tend to lower their prices by lowering component quality and limiting their expansion capabilities. There is a certain kind of curve that shows that, at base specifications (specs) or low-end PCs, an OEM builder can easily outperform the average system building hobbyist, but as the price increases, there is a significant trend towards preferring the CB road, since OEMs tend to raise their prices a few magnitudes of order above what it would usually cost to build the system yourself, in hopes of selling them in the high-end, gamer or enthusiast market.

Being a gamer / enthusiast

If youve come this far, it means youre still thinking its a better idea to build the system yourself. If so, welcome to my guide on building a computer! Once youve identified what kind of user you are, youll be able to go on to the next chapter: Designing it. How do I know what kind of user I am? You might be asking yourself Well, to know that, it is of utmost importance that you can sincerely imagine yourself on the average day in front of the computer, and picture yourself sitting there. Chances are youll fall in one of these: Gamer: Easy, you like buying not downloading (!!!)- newly released (usually console-based) games such as Call of Duty or Battlefield and playing them, while enjoying their high-definition graphics and fragging at maximum FPS. Enthusiast: You like clicking around at almost anything that shows on your screen, you usually mod your operating system to the max to optimize every single watt t hats pumped out of your household line. Into this category there usually comes a video-editor, I.T. people and some others. Casual: Please buy an OEM instead.

Design phase: Where to start?

Power Supply
It should be common sense for everyone that the heart of every build (and of almost everything that works in this world) is its power supply.(or PSU) It is simple physics that without energy, there is close to nothing thatll work by itself. Computers are no exception to this rule, and somehow it is one of the main mistakes beginners make while building a computer. Here, let me say it a bit more clearly for everyone to quote later on:

The power supply is the heart of every single build.

The point Im trying to make here is that, you should NEVER, EVER cheap out on the power supply. Power supplies are very complicated (and dangerous) components, and there is quite a bit of engineering behind them, so you might imagine theres also a good backside to that accusation. Its simple: brand-name power supplies are expensive, and so are their components, so you are better off picking a good one. Electronics (apart from a comment on PFC) are not the main point in this article, so here goes a good analogy to make you remember:

Going cheap on the power supply is like not doing cardio because a strong heart doesnt make you look better.
One thing that should be noted is that the power supply is actually the last thing to be chosen, since you have to pick it according to how power hungry your computer will be. There are a few power supply power calculators online, but again, thats out of the scope of this document.

Figure 1 - Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold - 800W

Motherboard
Another often overlooked component is the motherboard. It is, as its name says, the mother of your computer, since it interconnects all other components, and so it should not be cheapd out on either. Most of the times, it is the motherboard that defines all other components and features; some have advanced software/hardware features (ASUS Digi-VRM+, EPUs, etc.), and define the point-os of the other components, to name a few: USB 3.0, SATA 3.0, PCI-E 3.0 and so on. Apart from the mentioned above, there are also a few numbers to check and match: Socket type (775, 1150, 1155, FM1, FM2, AM3+): which define the type of processor to be used in it. Memory speed (DDR3 1333, 1600, 2200, etc.): These define the type and speed of the memory modules (DIMMs) to be used. Memory architecture (Dual or triple channel): This specifies the most efficient array of DIMMs to be installed (dual channel would mean you need 2 sticks, whereas triple channel means 3 sticks). Form Factor (Micro, Mini, E ATX): This specifies the size and form of the main board, to be matched with the chassis. I/O Storage: These usually show things like the USB 3.0 and SATA 3.0 (usually referred as III or 6Gbit/s), and higher numbers usually mean better (higher speeds), and represent the version of the standards. This space usually shows the supported RAID arrays. Expansion: This usually specifies the amount, type and version of PCI-Express slots the mainboard has, which is the main port for video cards.

Figure 2 - ASUS Z87 Deluxe Motherboard

Gamers should usually focus (and thus spend the most) on the video cards, since they are going to be doing most of the processing for the game. Most games dont take advantage of higher -cored (quad-, hecta- or octo-) processors, and as such, anything from a dual to a quad core processor will be OK. Second,

to fully harness your amazing video cards power, you WILL need a big monitor, and anything from 24 (1080p capable, that is) will be able to show full HD with decent pixel density for you to enjoy fragging in high definition. Careful, a bigger monitor will demand a faster video card and thus a bigger power supply! Enthusiasts (the video-editing or Folding@Home kind) should focus equally on the processor and video card, since most video cards are now capable of hardware decoding video, but the main processing is to be done by the main CPU.

Verifying step: Does everything fit?

The secret here, is to make sure every number fits on both sides. The higher <usually> means the better. You have to make sure youre using the highest number possible on both sides, or youll end up wasting resources and power and creating unnecessary bottlenecks.

Building phase: Fit everything inside!

Time to get your anti-static wristband and your screwdrivers ready and head on! First, fit your wristband tightly on <you guessed it> your wrist, and use the clip to fix it to the metal chassis. An optional step here is taking one of the three pronged wires, strip a bit and cut both the Line and Neutral wires, and plug it in to your power supply and the AC line. There will be no voltage but an existing ground connection is always welcome. Second, begin by opening your chassis and laying it on its side, then opening the motherboard box and aligning it with the screws. Be sure to not over-tighten the screws, as that may break the PCB and cut traces and things will go very badly! After the motherboard is in, go for the power supply and then the remaining components have no specific order, but be sure to use the correct screws (you can find the assignments on the chassis manual). Have the motherboard manual handy, once you finish the main components, you may now connect the front panel I/O ports (USB, Audio, etc.) to the mainboard middle connectors.

Troubleshooting
If your computer does not start once youve finished plugging everything in, there is a simple process to try and identify what is at fault. Benchmarking. First, unplug every single wire and connector you can find. Second, unscrew the motherboard from the chassis and take it out. Take a box and put the motherboard on top of it. Take the power supply and the remaining components out of the chassis and start plugging it one by one. After every installed component, try to boot up, and use the following as a guide: PSU -> Motherboard (this one should have an LED, if not, the speaker should beep) -> CPU -> RAM -> Video card -> Hard disks and Optical drives.

Hazard Messages
Take care when working with AC, as it can damage you or cause sparks and burns.

Index
A
Anti-static, 1 architecture, 3

M
Memory, 3 Motherboard, 3

B
Benchmarking, 4 building, 2

O
OEM, 2

C
CB, 2 computer, 2

P
PCI-Express, 4 PCs, 2 power supply, 3 prebuilt, 2 processor, 2 PSU, 3

D
downloading, 2

E
enthusiast, 2

S
SATA, 4 Screwdriver, 1 Socket, 3 specifications, 2 system, 2

F
Form, 3

G
gamer, 2

U
USB, 4

H
hobbyist, 2

W
wristband, 1

L
LEDs, 2