How to Build a Computer Step by Step

Welcome to my instructions on how to build a PC from scratch. I hope this Blog helps you build your own computer and have some fun while doing it. You will find it is cheaper to build your own then buying a machine from Dell or HP.

Well first off we need a list of ingredients. I can’t help you choose what to use in your new computer. I can just tell you what you need then it’s up to you to choose the make and model of said part.

Make sure you do plenty of research about every part you buy. That way you can be assured the parts will hold up and are compatible.

You will need:

• Computer case
• Power Supply (650 watt or better)
• Motherboard
• Processor (CPU)
• CPU fan (May come with the CPU)
• Memory (RAM)
• DVD ROM or DVD Burner (I recommend a SATA model)
• Hard Drive (Again SATA)
• Video Card
• A copy of Windows  XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7 if you plan on using Windows
• A copy of your favorite Linux flavor such as Fedora, Ubuntu or SuSE if you will be using Linux

Some extras that come in handy:

• Card reader
• Floppy drive
• Extra case fans

Just make sure when you purchase your motherboard and CPU and memory that they were made for each other. In other words make sure they are compatible.  This is a MUST.

Let’s have a brief, oversimplified description of each of these items and what they do. Pictures are JUST examples.

The Case: This one’s simple. The case is the big metal and plastic box that holds everything. Once upon a time they were all beige. Now they’ve gotten all wild and crazy, and you can get cases that look like spaceships, or insects, or robots or whatever. But the function remains the same: all the other bits and pieces go into it.

Here is a look inside the same case:

The Power Supply, also known as the PSU. It’s not going to run without power. The power supply is a metal box with a fan in it, and a bunch of cables hanging out. The cables get plugged into the motherboard, and the drives, and the graphic card, and whatever else needs power. Don’t be cheap here, especially if you’re going high-end. Lots of clean, stable power will make your system happy. I recommend a power supply of 550 watt to 700 watt.

Make sure it has all to connectors you will need as well. I recommend a power supply with at least:

• 3 SATA connectors
• 4 MOLEX connectors
• 1 floppy connector
• 1 PCI Express video card connector

The CPU: The processor…the brain. Everything that’s going on is generated and calculated by this magical piece of engineering. It plugs into the motherboard. Both Intel and AMD make CPU chips.

Intel CPU:

AMD CPU:

The CPU cooler: CPU’s get hot. You want them to not get too hot, or bad things will happen. The cooler is usually a combination heat sink/fan apparatus that sits on top of the CPU and draws as much heat as possible away from it.

Motherboard: This is the big circuit-board looking thing with all the sockets on it. The CPU, the RAM, the drive cables, the graphics card and other stuff all plug into it. It looks very complicated and dangerous, but don’t let it scare you. It’s just a circuit board.

The RAM: This is the memory that your system will have. The bottom line is that the more you have the better (within reason). Keep in mind any 32 bit version of Windows can only use 3.5 GB of memory. If you use a 64 version of Windows it can use 4 GB of memory and more.

Plan on getting a minimum of two gigabytes. I recommend getting 2 one GB sticks so you can run them dual channel. Your motherboard manual will show yo where to put the sticks.  If you’re doing a lot of graphic work or want a good game system, get four gigabytes or more depending on your operating system.

The Graphics card: This is the thing that hooks up to your monitor so that you can see what’s going on. If you don’t play games or do heavy graphics work, you can probably get away with almost any recent (or near-recent) card. If you demand maximum gaming or pixel-pushing though, there are a lot of fast cards available made by nVidia or ATI. I prefer nVidia.

NOTE: Some motherboards come with video built in. Should the board you are considering have built in video there is really no need to get a video card.

However adding a video card to a system with on board video can increase system performance.

The Hard drives: You store everything on these guys…all your files, your data, your applications, your photos…you name it. In all reality most people will need just one hard drive. You can backup data to a USB stick or DVD R as well.

A look inside the Hard Drive for those who are curious. Please DO NOT TAKE YOUR HARD DRIVE APART. Doing so will make the drive unusable.

The CD/DVD drive: Once upon a time these were considered an “extra” but these days are essential. Most software ships on CD’s these days, with larger programs shipping on DVD’s. Prices have dropped like crazy on these, so there’s no excuse for not getting a good one. You should really get one that reads all current disc formats, and you might as well get one that burns both CD’s and DVD’s so you can back up and permanently store important files.

The Operating System: Windows. Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7. You can also choose a flavor of Linux. The operating system is the is an interface between hardware and user; an OS is responsible for the management and coordination of activities and the sharing of the resources of the computer. The operating system acts as a host for applications that are run on the machine. As a host, one of the purposes of an operating system is to handle the details of the operation of the hardware.

The Monitor: This is the TV thing that sits on your desk. You still have a choice of CRT (big, heavy old-school) vs. Flat-panel. I prefer using the old-school CRT for my main monitor, but flat panel for the secondary monitors. They plug into your graphics card.

The keyboard and mouse you’re already familiar with. They’re the input devices, and also the things you bang on when things aren’t working right.

A few other helpful items:

You can also use a floppy drive if you use the old 3.5 inch floppies.

I also highly recommend using a card reader. Card readers make using flash memory a breeze.

DO NOT connect the card reader to the motherboard until you have completely loaded your operating system.

Getting it together:

Once you have bought everything take a moment to look over the purchases to make sure you got everything. Once you are ready you will need the following tools:

• Phillips screwdriver
• Small Phillips screwdriver
• Pliers
• Nail clippers
• Zip ties

A NOTE ABOUT STATIC ELECTRITY!!

Static electricity can kill computer components. It’s takes only a small discharge to ruin the smallest part. Ground yourself before working on any of these parts we are discussing. If possible buy and use a static electricity strap so you will always be grounded.

Once you are ready let’s get that PC built! Let’s start with the case. Here is a shot of our case. You will need to remove the sides of the case. They are held in by screws in the rear. Just remove the screws and side the sides off. To prevent scratches you can lay down felt or a towel on the work surface.

A shot of the front of the new case:

First we will install the power supply. It is held in by 4 screws in the rear of the case. Fit the power supply in it’s place and secure it with the 4 bolts. For now move all the wires out of the way. Here is a picture of the power supply installed. Notice I keep the screws I need to assemble the computer in a small dish.

Notice how I have moved all the wires from the proceeding picture out of the case. The tend to get in the way till they are needed.Also take note of that 120mm fan. They are needed for system cooling. Most cases come with them. If your new case did not come with extra fans they can be purchased. Follow the fan’s instruction’s for installation instructions.

Next we will install the copper motherboard standoffs. They are small. The color can be gold or silver. They look like this:

You can also substitute these plastic standoffs on the corner of the motherboard for extra support:

Now we need to know how many bolts to use. To do this unpack your motherboard carefully after grounding yourself and count the number of holes they look like this:

Now carefully hold the motherboard over the case. By sight determine where the standoffs go. We will not be mounting the motherboard quite yet so set it aside carefully. Go ahead and screw the standoffs in and secure them with a pair of pliers. Here are some pictures to help you see how to install the standoffs.

You will want to install the rear IO Shield at this time. It should have come with your new motherboard. They snap into place. They look like this:

Here we are snapping the IO Shield into the case:

Time for some work installing parts on the motherboard before we actually put the motherboard in the case. Make sure the board is resting on a static free workspace. I usually put the board on top the box it came in while working on it. Here is our new board. Notice the anti-static bag protecting the bottom of the new board:

Read more on the next page.