Building a Computer

Building a computer may seem like a daunting task, but in reality it is as easy as snapping in legos! Here are three reasons why you might want to consider building one yourself. You’ll be able to create a custom machine that exactly what you need. It will be much easier to upgrade your machine in the future. You'll definitely learn a lot about computers. In this instructional, I will take you through the entire process of building a computer. You'll learn how to put them all together. When you're done, you'll have exactly the machine that you need. Final assembly is usually the quickest part of a build. Finding the parts you need is typically the longest part. However, every computer needs the same basic components. A case, motherboard, processor, heat sink, RAM, hard drive, optical drive, video card, and power supply.
Getting Started, Open the case. You might want to wear gloves or some sort of hand protection, as the inside of the case does not have ground down metal and could be very sharp in some cases. Install the power supply. Make sure that the power supply is installed in the correct orientation, and that nothing is blocking the power supply's fan. Remove the motherboard from its packaging. Place it on top of its box. You will be adding components to the motherboard before installing it in the case, as it is easier to access the motherboard before installing it. Remove the processor from its packaging. Observe the missing pins in the processor and match these with the socket on the motherboard. On many processors there will be a little gold arrow in the corner that you can use to orient the processor properly. Open the CPU socket and carefully insert the processor (no force needed). If it doesn't slip right in, or it feels like you have to push, it is probably misaligned. Close the socket and ensure the CPU is secure. Some sockets have small arms while others have complex assemblies to open and close the socket. Apply thermal paste to the CPU. Put only a dot of thermal paste on the CPU. Some processors that come with heat sinks do not need thermal paste because the heat sink already has thermal paste applied by the factory. Place the RAM in the proper slots by opening the latches and pushing the RAM in until the little handles can lock it into position. Note how the RAM and slots are keyed--line them up so they will fit in properly. When pushing, press both sides of the RAM module with equal force. Many modern cases do not have a pre installed back plate, but your motherboard should come with its own back plate. Push the new back plate into place in the back of the case. Make sure to install it the correct direction. Almost all cases come with a little baggie that has standoffs in it. Standoffs raise the motherboard off of the case, and allow screws to be inserted into them. Your case most likely has more holes available than your motherboard supports. The number of spacers required will be determined by the number of shielded holes in the motherboard. Position the motherboard to discover where to screw in the standoffs. Once the standoffs are installed, place the motherboard in the case and push it up against the I/O back plate. All of the back ports should fit into the holes in the I/O back plate. Use the screws provided to secure the motherboard to the standoffs through the shielded screw holes on the motherboard. Plug in the case connectors. These tend to be located together on the motherboard near the front of the case. Remove the back panel covers that line up with the PCI-E slot. You may have to punch the plates out of the case. Insert the graphics card. You may have to bend a tab on the slot to allow the graphics card to be inserted. Apply light, even force until the card is seated uniformly, and the back panel lines up. Once you have inserted the card, use a screw to secure it to the back panel of the case. Remove the panels for the locations that you want to install you optical