Personal Computer Assembly

Step 1. Prepare your workplace

• A. Take Inventory: Before you start, take an inventory of
your parts. Do not begin assembling your computer if you
don't have everything you need. Begin the step-by-step
process once you are ready with everything you need.
• B. Make Space, Make Time: Building a PC takes up space
- about a dining room table worth. So make sure you have
plenty of working room and a few hours to proceed with
minimal interruption. Work on a flat, stable table top
surface, or bare floor, where you have room to layout all of
the items.
Step 1. Prepare your workplace
• C. Prepare Grounding Protection: Use an inexpensive
antistatic wrist strap. Make sure you are wearing your
antistatic wrist strap correctly.
• D. Have the Drivers Ready: Assuming you have another
internet connected PC, download the latest drivers from
the vendors' websites for each component you will be
installing. Sometimes drivers are updated between the
time the component was manufactured and the time you
are installing it. It is always best to have the latest. Copy
them to a CD for easy access.
Step 2. Prepare the Motherboard
• 1. Great care should be taken when installing the
motherboard. First, take the board out of its packaging and
put it on top of the antistatic bag it came in. Remember, you
always want to safeguard your components from potentially
hazardous static electricity (wear your strap).
• 2. Before you secure the motherboard onto the PC
case/chassis, inspect it carefully for any visible defects.
• 3. Next, review the motherboard manual, to make sure you are
familiar with the motherboard layout and understand which
socket is which. Manuals are extremely helpful, usually easy to
read, and include illustrations.
Step 3. Install the CPU
• 1. Use the unlocking mechanism to open the CPU socket
which is usually a lever.
• 2. Carefully line up the pins and place the chip in its
socket; it will fit only when oriented the proper way. An
arrow or a missing pin on one corner of the chip will show
you how to line things up.
• 3. Align Triangular CPU and socket key marks
• 4. Lower the lever to lock the CPU into place.
Step 4. Install the CPU Heat Sink
• 1. Follow the manufacturer's directions to install the heat
sink and the fan that will cool the processor. If you bought
an OEM CPU and a separate heat sink, you may need to
spread a thin layer of the thermal grease that came with
the heat sink over the chip to ensure proper transfer of
heat (some heat sinks come with this grease already
applied).
Step 4. Install the CPU Heat Sink
• 2. Attach the clip that holds the heat sink in place keeping
in mind that it may require a fair amount of force. Again,
follow the instructions that came with the heat sink. They
will show you how to fit it correctly. If you are in doubt, you
can visit the manufacturer's website for more information.
• 3. Plug the CPU fan's power connector into the proper
connector on the motherboard.
Step 5. Install Memory (RAM Modules)
• In order to install the memory modules, insert them into
the proper sockets and push down firmly but evenly until
the clips on both sides of the socket pop into place. If your
motherboard supports dual channel memory, consult the
user manual to determine which pairs of RAM sockets you
should use. The motherboard and the CPU are the brain
and nerve center of your PC, so selecting these
components is the most important decision you'll make.
Step 6. Place the motherboard into the case
• 1. Some PC cases have a removable motherboard tray. If
yours does, remove the screws holding it in place and pull
it out of the case.
• 2. Note the pattern of the holes in your motherboard and
screw brass standoffs into the motherboard tray or into the
PC case in the correct locations (ALWAYS check the
manual and follow their instructions to the letter).
Step 6. Place the motherboard into the case
• 3. Check the layout of the sockets on the motherboard and
confirm that the ports on your motherboard's back panel
match the holes on the case's Input/Output (I/O) shield
that is installed in your case. If necessary, remove the old
I/O shield by tapping it firmly a few times with the butt-end
of a screwdriver, and then replace it with the shield that
came with the new motherboard.
Step 6. Place the motherboard into the case
• 4. Carefully position the motherboard on top of the brass
standoffs, line up all the holes, and use the screws that
accompanied the case to fasten down the motherboard. If
you are using a removable tray in your system, slide the
tray and motherboard back into the case and then secure
the tray.
Step 7. Connect the Power Supply
• Making the proper connections is crucial to successfully assembling
your PC system. Fortunately, manufacturers provide color-coded
power cables and unique connector shapes to make the job easy.
• 1. First, plug the large ATX power connector from your power supply
into the matching port on your motherboard.
• 2. Locate the smaller, square processor power connector (you cannot
miss it - it is the one sprouting the yellow and black wires) and attach
it to the motherboard.
• Note: your connector is usually located near the processor. As
always, refer to your motherboard's manual for the exact locations.
• 3. Use your motherboard user manual and find the description about
front-panel connectors.
Step 7. Connect the Power Supply
• NOTE: You are going to be doing work that requires
attention to detail and can be quite frustrating if you do
not go into it with the right attitude.
4. Attach each of the tiny leads from the power and reset
switches, the hard-disk activity lights, the PC speaker, and
any front-panel USB and FireWire ports to the
corresponding pin on your motherboard. The needle-nose
pliers are useful for manipulating small pieces.
Step 8. Install Graphics / Video Cards
• 1. Begin by removing the backplane cover from the AGP
or PCI Express X16 slot (the metal piece where the monitor
connector will emerge).
• 2. Install the graphics board in that slot, and then secure
the card with a screw.
Step 9. Install Internal Drives
• 1. Make any necessary changes to jumpers on the drives
before mounting them in the case. A two-drive system
(one or two SATA (Serial ATA- is a standard hardware
interface for connecting hard drives and CD/DVD drives to
a computer) hard drives, plus one parallel ATA (Advanced
Technology Attachment) optical drive, for example) is easy
to set up; the SATA drives are jumper less, and the optical
drive can be set as master on its own parallel ATA channel.
Many cases have removable drive rails or cages to house
drives.
Step 9. Install Internal Drives
• 2. Use the included screws to attach your drives to the rails or cage
and slide them into the case. For externally accessible drives such as
a DVD recorder, you can save time by installing one drive rail and
sliding the drive in for a test fitting to make sure that its front is flush
with the case.
• 3. When the drives are installed, connect power and data cables to
each one. Parallel ATA drives use wide, flat data cables that can be
installed only in the correct way. Floppy drives use a similar but
smaller cable; SATA drives use a thin, 1cm-wide data cable. SATA
drives use a new type of power connector that many power supplies
don't come with. Fortunately, many motherboards ship with adapters
for converting a standard four-pin power connector to a SATA power
connector.
Step 10. Install the Add- in Cards
For each add-in card, you must choose a free PCI slot.
• 1. Remove its backplane cover to allow access from the
rear of the case.
• 2. Carefully position the card above the slot, and press
down firmly to seat the Card.
• 3. Secure the card with a screw.
Step 10. Install the Add- in Cards
Many motherboards have additional sound connectors or
ports housed on small add-in boards. Some of these plug
into slots on the motherboard; others screw into the back of
the case in place of slot covers. Usually, the additional ports
are not essential to your PC's operation. For example, if you
install a sound card, you do not need connectors to the
motherboard's built-in sound chip. Check your
motherboard manual to determine what each of these
boards does.
Connecting Peripherals of a Personal
Computer
When attaching hardware and peripherals of the computer,
ensure that they are connected to the correct locations or ports.
For example, some mouse and keyboard cables use the same
type of PS/2 connector. So, you must know first the different
ports that can be found in the back panel of the computer.
Keep in mind:
1. When attaching cables, never force a connection.
2. Plug in the power cable after you have connected all other
Steps in Connecting Peripherals of a PC
Step 1. Attach the monitor cable to the video port.
Step 2.Secure the cable by tightening the screws on the
connector.
Step 3.Plug the keyboard cable into the PS/2 keyboard port.
Step 4.Plug the mouse cable into the PS/2 mouse port.
Step 5.Plug the USB cable into a USB port.
Step 6.Plug the network cable into the network port.
Step 7.Plug the power cable into the power supply.
Steps in Connecting Peripherals of a PC
After connecting all the cables into their proper places, the
picture in the next page should be the appearance of the
back panel of your PC.