Custom PC Building
Part 2 - How To Assemble Custom PC
You've done the hard part, choosing and ordering all the parts to build your new PC now its time to put it all together. You should double check that you have everything you need and layout all parts in a well lit clean area. If everything looks good then lets get started and put our PC together. Take a moment to look at your case and get familiar with all mounting areas for your components now before beginning. Remove the side panels and set them aside, you now can access the interior of the case and the mounting hardware kit.
Step One: Motherboard: you will need the case, motherboard, rear I/O Shield and mounting hardware kit.
The first step is to mount your motherboard to the case but take a look at the rear of the case, you will see a space for the I/O Shield. Check I/O Shield against motherboard for fitment and snap into place in the case. You can now lay the motherboard into place inside the case insuring everything is lined up correctly. Use mounting screws to lock motherboard to casing and standoffs (they have a male screw end on one side, and a female screw hole on the other side) to mount I/O Shield to the rear of the motherboard.
Note: Many of you have mentioned that you prefer to install the processor, cooler, RAM, and power supply before mounting the motherboard in the case. In some cases this may be simpler and save you some digging around in your case. I recommend using your motherboard box as a small "bench" for plugging these parts in if you're going to do it separately.
Step Two: Processor and Cooler: you will need processor, cooler and thermal compound(rec Arctic Silver)
Open up your processor's box and gently take it out do not touch the mounting surface. Your processor is one of the more fragile parts of the build, so this is one step in which you'll want to be careful. Find the corner of your processor that has a gold arrow on it, then look at your motherboard's processor socket for a similar arrowed corner. Line these two arrows up; this is the direction your processor will go into the socket. Run a small 1/8 bead of Thermal Compound across the cooler mounting surface of the processor if not already done for you.You are ready to install the processor now.
Lift up the lever on the processor socket and put your processor in (Intel motherboards might also have a cover you have to lift up first). Pull the lever down to lock it into place. Do this gently as it should fall into place easily, if not something's wrong. Take it out and try re-setting it, make sure your two arrows are lined up, and of course, double check that your motherboard and processor are of the same socket type.
Once your processor's in, grab the cooler that came with your processor or if you got an OEM processor your purchased cooler. It should already have some silver thermal paste on the bottom (remove thermal paste from cooler if you have a bead on processor).
Set your cooler on top of your processor. If you have an Intel cooler, you'll need to press down on the four pins until the click. You can find more info on this in your processor's manual. AMD coolers are much easier just hook the two latches on the sides onto the motherboard's square pegs, and pull the lever down to lock it into place. Some coolers will screw into the board with spring loaded retainer screws. Check manual for specific instructions.
Step Three: RAM Memory: you will need RAM Memory Sticks
Installing RAM is very simple. Find the RAM sockets on your motherboard, and pull the two clips on the side down. Line up the notch in your RAM stick with the notch in the socket, and press the RAM down into place. This might take a bit of pressure, so don't worry about being overly gentle. The clips should snap back into place when the RAM is fully in the socket.
Step Four: Expansion Cards: you will need add on cards including video, sound etc.
Install Your PCI (etc) Cards For your video card (or any other PCI expansion card), find the topmost slot that fits your card and match that up with its plate on the back of the case. Remove that plate and slide the PCI card's bracket in its place. The card should then be sitting on top of the socket, and all you need to do is press down to lock it into place. Ensure the card is properly connected to the board and use the expansion slot locking mechanism or screw the bracket onto the case, and you're good to go.
Note: that if you need to remove it for any reason, there may be a small lever on the back of the socket you need to press before you pull out your expansion cards. Cards can sometimes interfere with operating system installs and may need to be removed later.
Step Five: Hard Drive: you will need hard drives
Every case is a little bit different in how they install hard drives so check your case manual for instructions on your model. Should be as easy as looking at the case to determine your style. Proceed with any pre-assembly required before mounting drives.
If you're using multiple hard drives in a big case, it's usually a good idea to leave some open space between them. Installing them in the first and third bays instead of first and second. This allows for more airflow between them and will help keep them running cool.
Step Six: Optical Drives: you will need Optical drives
The optical drive should be pretty self-explanatory. Just pull out the plastic cover on one of your 5.25" drive bays and slide in your optical drive. Screw it into place if necessary.
Note: All other 5.25" accessories can be installed also in this step.
Step Seven: Power Supply and fans: you will need power supply unit and fans
Once everything else is in, it's time to install your power supply and plug everything in. (Note that if your case came with a power supply, you can skip this step, as it'll already be installed). It should be pretty obvious where your power supply goes, as there will be a big rectangular hole on the back of your case. Some power supply's mount on the top, while some sit on the bottom of the case. Generally, they mount with the fan facing away from the edge of the case, unless that case has enough space in between the power supply mount and the end of the case to allow for airflow. Once you set it into place, you should see the holes on the back of the case line up with the screw holes in the power supply. Screw it into place and you're all set. The fans should be obvious as well but be aware of direction of airflow on each unit.
Step Eight: Wiring: you will need all accessory wiring
This can be the most tedious and difficult part of the process, depending on your case and power supply. Separate the cords coming out of your power supply and plug them in individually. Refer to any documentation provided to assist in this step. These are the ones you should have:
24-pin Motherboard Cable: This is the biggest cable on the power supply, which gives the motherboard the electricity it needs to run. It has the very long plug with, you guessed it, 24 little pins in it. Most cases should have a 20-pin with a 4-pin on the same cable, so you can just put them together and plug them into the big 24-pin socket on your motherboard. It should lock into place, and might take a bit of strength to get it in all the way. Push it in until you hear the click and you can't pull it out with just a slight tug.
4-pin Motherboard Cable: You should also have a separate 4-pin cable coming out of your power supply, and a small 4-pin socket somewhere else on the motherboard. This plugs in the same way as the 24-pin cable just push down until it locks into place.
6-pin PCI Cables: If you have a rather powerful graphics card, you might have to plug it into your power supply. This requires the 6-pin "PCI" cable coming from your power supply, which should look similar to the 24-pin and 4-pin cables. Plug it into the end of your video card. Note that not all video cards require these cables, so if it doesn't have a socket, you can leave it be.
SATA Power and Data Cables: Your hard drives and optical drives plug in via SATA, which contains two cables. One is the skinny black plug coming out of your power supply, which gives power to those drives. The other is a small red cable that should have come with your motherboard; this is the SATA cable that actually transfers data between your hard drive and everything else. Older systems also used PATA cables to connect some of these devices or IDE ribbon cables. Plug the power cable into the long pin on your hard drive, and plug the data cable into the short pin. The sockets are L-shaped, so they'll only go in one way. After plugging both cables into the drive, be sure to plug the other end of the data cable into your motherboard, in the sockets labeled SATA. Repeat this entire process with your optical drive.You should start with the Master hard drive into the SATA 0 or SATA 1 connector on the motherboard and proceed accordingly.
Molex Power Cables: Your Molex cables power other miscellaneous things in your build, like the case fans. Take the plugs connected to your case fans and plug the male side into the female Molex cable on your power supply. This takes a bit of force to get in, and even more force to get out.
Note: that some fans, like the one on your CPU, might have a smaller connector that actually plugs into your motherboard instead of the power supply via Molex. The small headers will be labelled CPU FAN or SYS FAN. If they're three pronged, they'll power your fans, but if your CPU cooler has a four-pronged fan plug then you'll also be able to control its speed from some programs.
Front Panel Audio, USB, and FireWire Connectors: Most cases have a few ports on the front, which can include but are not limited to USB, FireWire, headphone, and microphone jacks. You should see some small cables coming out of the front of your case labeled things like USB, HD AUDIO, and 1394 (which is FireWire). Plug these into their corresponding 8-pin headers on the motherboard—usually labeled USB, AUD, and 1394, or something of the sort.
Power Switch and LED Connectors: Lastly, you should have a few small cables labeled POWER SW, RESET SW, HDD LED, and so on. These connect the switches and LEDs on the front of your case to the motherboard, so you can actually turn your computer on. They all consist of only one or two pins, and all plug in on an 8-pin header somewhere on the motherboard. This varies from build to build, so you'll have to check your motherboard's manual to see how they all plug in. Your motherboard may also have a small speaker that plugs into an 8-pin connector, which you'll find in your motherboard box and will be listed in your motherboard's manual.
Note: As you're doing all this, you want to be wary of where you're putting these cables. Generally, you want to keep them as out of the way as possible. The more they're tangled up in the middle of your case, the more they're going to block airflow from your fans, causing your computer to run hotter, louder, and possibly even overheat. Your case may have come with some zip ties to help you wrap them up and get them out of the way. Some cases even come with built-in cable management features, like clips or holes through which you route these cables to keep them out of the way.
Note: Keep all the screws, brackets, and miscellaneous pieces you did not use for future usage. You should now have a complete PC unit and be ready to power on. Plug in your monitor, keyboard and mouse and plug in your power supply unit to a power source and you're done. Your computer should turn on and you should see what's called the POST screen where you can head into your BIOS setup by pressing a key on your keyboard (usually F2).
If you system boots correctly continue to Part 3 Tweaking The Bios using the following link:
>>>>>>>>>>Part 3 Tweaking The Bios<<<<<<<<<<
Note: If your system turns on but makes a beeping noise instead of going through the POST screen, then you have an error. Find your motherboard's BIOS manufacturer and you can diagnose these error codes to find out what's wrong with your system using these links:
AMIBIOS Beep Codes: http://www.bioscentral.com/beepcodes/amibeep.htm#
AwardBIOS Beep Codes: http://www.bioscentral.com/beepcodes/awardbeep.htm
PhoenixBIOS Beep Codes: http://www.bioscentral.com/beepcodes/phoenixbeep.htm
Step One: Motherboard: you will need the case, motherboard, rear I/O Shield and mounting hardware kit.
The first step is to mount your motherboard to the case but take a look at the rear of the case, you will see a space for the I/O Shield. Check I/O Shield against motherboard for fitment and snap into place in the case. You can now lay the motherboard into place inside the case insuring everything is lined up correctly. Use mounting screws to lock motherboard to casing and standoffs (they have a male screw end on one side, and a female screw hole on the other side) to mount I/O Shield to the rear of the motherboard.
Note: Many of you have mentioned that you prefer to install the processor, cooler, RAM, and power supply before mounting the motherboard in the case. In some cases this may be simpler and save you some digging around in your case. I recommend using your motherboard box as a small "bench" for plugging these parts in if you're going to do it separately.
Step Two: Processor and Cooler: you will need processor, cooler and thermal compound(rec Arctic Silver)
Open up your processor's box and gently take it out do not touch the mounting surface. Your processor is one of the more fragile parts of the build, so this is one step in which you'll want to be careful. Find the corner of your processor that has a gold arrow on it, then look at your motherboard's processor socket for a similar arrowed corner. Line these two arrows up; this is the direction your processor will go into the socket. Run a small 1/8 bead of Thermal Compound across the cooler mounting surface of the processor if not already done for you.You are ready to install the processor now.
Lift up the lever on the processor socket and put your processor in (Intel motherboards might also have a cover you have to lift up first). Pull the lever down to lock it into place. Do this gently as it should fall into place easily, if not something's wrong. Take it out and try re-setting it, make sure your two arrows are lined up, and of course, double check that your motherboard and processor are of the same socket type.
Once your processor's in, grab the cooler that came with your processor or if you got an OEM processor your purchased cooler. It should already have some silver thermal paste on the bottom (remove thermal paste from cooler if you have a bead on processor).
Set your cooler on top of your processor. If you have an Intel cooler, you'll need to press down on the four pins until the click. You can find more info on this in your processor's manual. AMD coolers are much easier just hook the two latches on the sides onto the motherboard's square pegs, and pull the lever down to lock it into place. Some coolers will screw into the board with spring loaded retainer screws. Check manual for specific instructions.
Step Three: RAM Memory: you will need RAM Memory Sticks
Installing RAM is very simple. Find the RAM sockets on your motherboard, and pull the two clips on the side down. Line up the notch in your RAM stick with the notch in the socket, and press the RAM down into place. This might take a bit of pressure, so don't worry about being overly gentle. The clips should snap back into place when the RAM is fully in the socket.
Step Four: Expansion Cards: you will need add on cards including video, sound etc.
Install Your PCI (etc) Cards For your video card (or any other PCI expansion card), find the topmost slot that fits your card and match that up with its plate on the back of the case. Remove that plate and slide the PCI card's bracket in its place. The card should then be sitting on top of the socket, and all you need to do is press down to lock it into place. Ensure the card is properly connected to the board and use the expansion slot locking mechanism or screw the bracket onto the case, and you're good to go.
Note: that if you need to remove it for any reason, there may be a small lever on the back of the socket you need to press before you pull out your expansion cards. Cards can sometimes interfere with operating system installs and may need to be removed later.
Step Five: Hard Drive: you will need hard drives
Every case is a little bit different in how they install hard drives so check your case manual for instructions on your model. Should be as easy as looking at the case to determine your style. Proceed with any pre-assembly required before mounting drives.
If you're using multiple hard drives in a big case, it's usually a good idea to leave some open space between them. Installing them in the first and third bays instead of first and second. This allows for more airflow between them and will help keep them running cool.
Step Six: Optical Drives: you will need Optical drives
The optical drive should be pretty self-explanatory. Just pull out the plastic cover on one of your 5.25" drive bays and slide in your optical drive. Screw it into place if necessary.
Note: All other 5.25" accessories can be installed also in this step.
Step Seven: Power Supply and fans: you will need power supply unit and fans
Once everything else is in, it's time to install your power supply and plug everything in. (Note that if your case came with a power supply, you can skip this step, as it'll already be installed). It should be pretty obvious where your power supply goes, as there will be a big rectangular hole on the back of your case. Some power supply's mount on the top, while some sit on the bottom of the case. Generally, they mount with the fan facing away from the edge of the case, unless that case has enough space in between the power supply mount and the end of the case to allow for airflow. Once you set it into place, you should see the holes on the back of the case line up with the screw holes in the power supply. Screw it into place and you're all set. The fans should be obvious as well but be aware of direction of airflow on each unit.
Step Eight: Wiring: you will need all accessory wiring
This can be the most tedious and difficult part of the process, depending on your case and power supply. Separate the cords coming out of your power supply and plug them in individually. Refer to any documentation provided to assist in this step. These are the ones you should have:
24-pin Motherboard Cable: This is the biggest cable on the power supply, which gives the motherboard the electricity it needs to run. It has the very long plug with, you guessed it, 24 little pins in it. Most cases should have a 20-pin with a 4-pin on the same cable, so you can just put them together and plug them into the big 24-pin socket on your motherboard. It should lock into place, and might take a bit of strength to get it in all the way. Push it in until you hear the click and you can't pull it out with just a slight tug.
4-pin Motherboard Cable: You should also have a separate 4-pin cable coming out of your power supply, and a small 4-pin socket somewhere else on the motherboard. This plugs in the same way as the 24-pin cable just push down until it locks into place.
6-pin PCI Cables: If you have a rather powerful graphics card, you might have to plug it into your power supply. This requires the 6-pin "PCI" cable coming from your power supply, which should look similar to the 24-pin and 4-pin cables. Plug it into the end of your video card. Note that not all video cards require these cables, so if it doesn't have a socket, you can leave it be.
SATA Power and Data Cables: Your hard drives and optical drives plug in via SATA, which contains two cables. One is the skinny black plug coming out of your power supply, which gives power to those drives. The other is a small red cable that should have come with your motherboard; this is the SATA cable that actually transfers data between your hard drive and everything else. Older systems also used PATA cables to connect some of these devices or IDE ribbon cables. Plug the power cable into the long pin on your hard drive, and plug the data cable into the short pin. The sockets are L-shaped, so they'll only go in one way. After plugging both cables into the drive, be sure to plug the other end of the data cable into your motherboard, in the sockets labeled SATA. Repeat this entire process with your optical drive.You should start with the Master hard drive into the SATA 0 or SATA 1 connector on the motherboard and proceed accordingly.
Molex Power Cables: Your Molex cables power other miscellaneous things in your build, like the case fans. Take the plugs connected to your case fans and plug the male side into the female Molex cable on your power supply. This takes a bit of force to get in, and even more force to get out.
Note: that some fans, like the one on your CPU, might have a smaller connector that actually plugs into your motherboard instead of the power supply via Molex. The small headers will be labelled CPU FAN or SYS FAN. If they're three pronged, they'll power your fans, but if your CPU cooler has a four-pronged fan plug then you'll also be able to control its speed from some programs.
Front Panel Audio, USB, and FireWire Connectors: Most cases have a few ports on the front, which can include but are not limited to USB, FireWire, headphone, and microphone jacks. You should see some small cables coming out of the front of your case labeled things like USB, HD AUDIO, and 1394 (which is FireWire). Plug these into their corresponding 8-pin headers on the motherboard—usually labeled USB, AUD, and 1394, or something of the sort.
Power Switch and LED Connectors: Lastly, you should have a few small cables labeled POWER SW, RESET SW, HDD LED, and so on. These connect the switches and LEDs on the front of your case to the motherboard, so you can actually turn your computer on. They all consist of only one or two pins, and all plug in on an 8-pin header somewhere on the motherboard. This varies from build to build, so you'll have to check your motherboard's manual to see how they all plug in. Your motherboard may also have a small speaker that plugs into an 8-pin connector, which you'll find in your motherboard box and will be listed in your motherboard's manual.
Note: As you're doing all this, you want to be wary of where you're putting these cables. Generally, you want to keep them as out of the way as possible. The more they're tangled up in the middle of your case, the more they're going to block airflow from your fans, causing your computer to run hotter, louder, and possibly even overheat. Your case may have come with some zip ties to help you wrap them up and get them out of the way. Some cases even come with built-in cable management features, like clips or holes through which you route these cables to keep them out of the way.
Note: Keep all the screws, brackets, and miscellaneous pieces you did not use for future usage. You should now have a complete PC unit and be ready to power on. Plug in your monitor, keyboard and mouse and plug in your power supply unit to a power source and you're done. Your computer should turn on and you should see what's called the POST screen where you can head into your BIOS setup by pressing a key on your keyboard (usually F2).
If you system boots correctly continue to Part 3 Tweaking The Bios using the following link:
>>>>>>>>>>Part 3 Tweaking The Bios<<<<<<<<<<
Note: If your system turns on but makes a beeping noise instead of going through the POST screen, then you have an error. Find your motherboard's BIOS manufacturer and you can diagnose these error codes to find out what's wrong with your system using these links:
AMIBIOS Beep Codes: http://www.bioscentral.com/beepcodes/amibeep.htm#
AwardBIOS Beep Codes: http://www.bioscentral.com/beepcodes/awardbeep.htm
PhoenixBIOS Beep Codes: http://www.bioscentral.com/beepcodes/phoenixbeep.htm
