Assemble a Computer |
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Last Updated: May 10, 2008
Assemble the Computer
For step by step instructions on how to choose the rest of the pieces of the computer and how to assemble it, please see part 1-component selection overview, part 2-choose the right vendor, and part 3-put it all together at Tom's Hardware (Nov/Dec 2006). ExtremeTech recommends installing the motherboard before the power supply. The power supply wires get in the way.
Allow Enough Time
Your labor cost associated with researching, buying, assembling, and installing will far exceed the cost of buying a computer fully assembled. How much is your time worth? Assembling the parts and installing Windows can take 2 hours if you've already built the same computer in the past week. It could take 8 hours if this is your first time. Give yourself an entire weekend to work on it.
One example of why it takes so long is installing a processor, Zalman CPU heat sink and fan, thermal paste, and motherboard together. There are four sets of instructions, each with a "Step 1." The question is, whose step one is really step number one?
Allow time for breaks. This is especially helpful when something doesn't work and frustration starts taking over. I solved some of my hardest problems while thinking about it during a break or sleeping on it over night.
Work Environment
A large table, chair, and multiple lights make assembling a computer easier. I prefer a table I can use for several days without having to clear it for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Small bowls or plastic containers hold small screws. I use a small lamp with a heavy base, goose neck, and halogen bulb. The halogen bulb is bright and the goose neck holds the light at different positions. A second, fully functional computer with internet access nearby is a must. Use it to search for help or download updated drivers.
Tools
- A magnetized Phillips head screwdriver is a must. There’s no way to hold a tiny screw in one hand and a screwdriver in the other. Many places inside the case are just too cramped.
- Use an anti-static wrist band and follow the directions. Static electricity will fry your computer and everything attached to it.
- A keyboard with a round, purple, PS/2 connector is required. A keyboard with a USB connector won’t work right away. I borrowed a keyboard from another computer.
Other Considerations
- You have to be able to read the pin descriptions on the motherboard. They are in a 4 point Arial font in capital letters. Print a sample on a laser printer or a high quality setting on an ink jet printer.
- You have to plug in half a dozen tiny wires to the motherboard. It’s difficult to do. People with large hands, people who lack coordination, or people with poor eye sight will have a difficult time.
- Caffeine makes my hands shake ever so slightly. It makes things harder to assemble.
- Spare parts may never be needed, but they are nice to have when you need them. Locate a store nearby that sells screws, cable ties, rubber mounts, thermal paste, thermal paste remover, cable gender changers, network cables, USB cables, etc.
Assembly Tips
- Read the directions. You may have to read several instruction manuals and combine them yourself to make one manual. For example, the motherboard, CPU and third party CPU heat sink are made by three different companies and come with three different sets of directions. You need to read all three and choose which step is first. Does the first step come from step one of the motherboard manual, step one of the CPU manual, or step one of the heat sink manual?
- Most everything connects in only one way. Don’t force two things together. There is usually a slot, notch, indent, out dent, or odd shaped connector to guide you. The wires from the computer case to the motherboard are the only connections that do not have these features. Inserting memory sticks and video cards requires significant pressure, so make sure everything is lined up correctly first.
- Black wires are negative (-) and red wires are positive (+).
- The hardest part is connecting the wires from the computer case to the motherboard. The wires and connectors are tiny, the print is extra small, and the printed motherboard instructions may not match the words printed on the motherboard. The motherboard web site should have the updated manual. Make sure the print on the motherboard matches the instructions. If they don't, then believe the markings on the motherboard over the markings in the instruction manual. Boards are changed frequently, but the manuals are not.
- When all else fails, read the directions.
Assemble the Bare Minimum at First
Assemble the bare minimum to get the computer to boot up. You’ll have fewer things to blame in case it doesn’t boot up.
- Case
- Power supply
- Motherboard
- Processor (CPU)
- CPU heatsink and fan
- 1 memory stick, not 2
- 1 hard drive, not 2
- 1 video card, not 2
- 1 DVD drive, not 2
- Power/reset/speaker wires from the case to the motherboard
- Power wires from the power supply to the fans on the case, processor, and/or chipset
- Power wires from the power supply to the hard drive, DVD drive
- Power wires from the power supply to the video card (only if required)
- Keyboard with purple PS/2 plug
After the computer boots up successfully, turn it off, add another part or two, and reboot. If something goes wrong, then look at what changed since the last successful bootup.
Installing Windows
Turn the computer off. Turn it on. Press the eject button on the CD/DVD drive. Insert the Windows installation CD and close the CD/DVD tray. If you get an error message before all of this is done, turn off the power supply switch, wait 5 seconds, turn it back on, and turn on the computer. The Windows installation CD should start. Continue with step 6 and 7 on the reformat the hard drive section and then return here. After Windows is successfully installed and the hardware drivers have been loaded, turn off the computer, add another piece of hardware or two, reboot, and install the hardware drivers (if necessary). Continue this process until all of the hardware has been added. Continue with the software installation (Office, Photoshop, etc.).