Presented by PC Mechanic (www.pcmech.com)
Written by David Risley
Build Your
Own PC
“Your step-By-Step Guide”
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Section I ...7
Introduction and Selection of Components ...7
Materials Required ... 10 Cases... 14 Motherboards ... 15 Processor ... 18 Power Supplies ... 19 Memory ... 21 Video Card ... 22 Removable Storage ... 23 Hard Drive... 23 Sound Card ... 24 CD-ROM/DVD ... 24
Keyboard & Mouse ... 24
Drive cables... 25 Audio Cable... 25 Screws... 25 System Disk... 25 Section II... 26 PC Assembly... 26
Step 2: Remove the Case Cover ... 27
STEP 3: Case Preparation... 29
STEP 4: Install the Power Supply ... 33
STEP 5: Install the CPU... 37
STEP 6 : Install Heat Sink/Fan ... 41
STEP 7 : Install Memory... 44
STEP 8 : Configure the Motherboard... 47
STEP 9 : Install the Motherboard... 50
STEP 10: Connect Motherboard To Case ... 54
STEP 11 : Install Floppy Drive... 57
STEP 12 : Configure the Hard Drive & CD-ROM... 59
STEP 13 : Install Drive... 61
STEP 14 : Install the CD-ROM(s)... 65
STEP 15 : Install The Video Card... 68
STEP 16 : Post-Assembly... 71
STEP 17 : Initial Boot-Up... 73
STEP 18 : Configure The BIOS... 77
STEP 19 : Test The System ... 87
STEP 21 : Install The CD-ROM Driver... 93
STEP 22: Install The Operating System ... 95
STEP 22A: Installing Windows 95 ... 96
STEP 22B: Installing Windows 98 ... 99
STEP 22C: Installing Windows 2000 ... 102
STEP 22D: Installing Windows XP... 104
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Section III... 109
Tweak Your Creation ... 109
Setting Up Multiple Displays... 110
Accelerate and Streamline Windows 2000/XP ... 114
Prep the Engines ... 114
Registry Editing... 115
Spyware... 116
Tweaking Software... 117
Space Saving Tweaks... 117
General Performance Tweaks... 119
Graphics Tweaks ... 124
Boot & Shutdown Speed Tweaks ... 125
Networking Tweaks ... 126
User Settings & Security ... 128
System Settings ... 131
General Windows Annoyances... 133
The Last Word ... 138
Backing Up Your PC... 139
Backup Principles... 139
Backup Options ... 142
Software Options... 150
Keep Your PC Like New... 152
Daily ... 152
Weekly... 153
Monthly... 155
Annually... 156
Your Guide to System Care... 157
Troubleshooting Guidelines... 164
Page 4 of 172 Build Your Own PC – A Step-By-Step Guide
by David Risley
Copyright © 2005 PC Media, Inc. Printing History:
1. First version written in 2001 and published online at www.pcmech.com/byopc/index.htm.
2. Updated version released as downloadable e-book in November 2003. Notice of Rights
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. Notice of Liability
The author and publisher have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information herein. However, the information contained in this book is sold without warranty, either expressed or implied. Neither the authors and PC Media, Inc. nor its dealers or distributors will be held liable for any damages to be caused either directly or indirectly by the instructions contained in this book, or by the software or hardware products described herein.
Trademark Notice
Rather than indicating every occurrence of a trademarked name as such, this book uses the names only in an editorial fashion and to the benefit of the trademark owner with no intention of infringement of the trademark.
Published by PC Media, Inc. P.O. Box 1417 Riverview, FL 33568 Web: www.pcmedianet.com www.pcmech.com E-Mail: [email protected] [email protected]
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About the Author
David Risley is the founder of PC Mechanic, located online at www.pcmech.com . He began the site as an experiment into website creation back in 1997. The idea for the site came about simply because he noticed a hole in the market. He knew from his own experience that, while there were many computer sites on the internet, they tended to concentrate either on reviews or on technical information that assumed a certain level of expertise in computer technology. To a great extent, this is still the scene online today. Other sites have joined in to offer "plain-English" computer how-to information, but the field is still largely made up of technical and review sites.
PC Mechanic has grown steadily since its creation. The site is visited by 20,000 people
daily, with thousands of subscribers to the online forums and email newsletters. It has been mentioned in many printed publications and PC magazines, and even mentioned on TV. The site draws in people from all walks of life who are interested in learning how to do things with their own PCs. PC Mechanic became well known for its tutorial on building a PC, the very tutorial which you are now reading in its latest version.
David Risley is also the Founder/CEO of PC Media, Inc. He has been working in the web services field for several years. He began with the launch of PC Mechanic and moved on from there into performing other development projects. He served a stint in the Web Services division of Citicorp, but quickly got tired of the corporate world (You should see the movie Office Space...it's a perfect rendition) and has been operating self-employed since. David is completely self-taught in this field, finding that IT schools over-burden talented guys with too much information that they'll never need or use. He has a
Bachelor of Science degree in Information Systems Management from the University of South Florida (Tampa, Florida). He is skilled in database development, PHP
development, Javascript, web design, and business management technology.
Today, David continues to operate PC Mechanic, although a significant portion of his time is now concentrated on web development, consulting and development. He has done significant development work on many high-traffic websites, and has developed his own content management system entitled Miraserver (www.miraserver.com). Developed from the ground up by David using PHP on a MySQL backend, Miraserver is a full-featured CMS application designed to operate any website and allow its editorial staff to manage their site's content online. PC Mechanic operates on Miraserver, and several other high profile hardware websites also operate on Miraserver software.
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Acknowledgements
David would like to make special acknowledgement to the following contributors to this book: ? Adam Deutschmann ? Joel Klippinger ? Tyler Thompson ? Dylan Kamm ? Roger McCarten ? Aaron Hall
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Section I
Introduction and Selection of Components
It is increasingly popular to build your own computer. In most cases, it saves money, and it guarantees you get what you want. It also assures you avoid proprietary designs many companies use to keep you coming to them for new parts. Best of all, having built the system yourself, you become very familiar with that system and with computers in general.
People from all walks of life today build their own PCs. Executives, engineers, students, housewives, they all do it today. But, at the same time, pre-built PCs have come down in price quite a bit. Today, one is left to wonder whether it is best to build a PC yourself or to simply buy one off the shelf. I'll address that here.
If you are a real PC enthusiast, this question may be a non-issue. The answer may be as obvious as the color of the sky. This is predictable, of course. When one builds their own PC, they are able to not only understand their PC better because they built it, but they are able to choose each component that goes into their PC. There is really
something to be said for choosing your own components, and I'll go into that further below. There is also a certain sense of satisfaction with having built a PC. One spends a few hours (or less for those more familiar with the process) to put the thing together. Then comes the moment of truth when one hits the power switch for the first time. If it works on the first try, its beer time!
But, besides the joy of it, is it worth it? Is it a practical use of your time? Will it really save you money? The answer to that question today has become a bit gray. A few years ago, the answer was obvious. Pre-built PCs were typically built from OEM, cheap components. The performance was average to simply awful. The choice was obvious: If you wanted a decent PC, you better build it. Today, the line has blurred. Where many off-the-shelf PCs today still use cheaper components in an effort to save money, there are more pre-built PCs today which do use quality hardware and whose performance ranks up there with the best of them.
Let us look at some of the key areas of interest in this: Component Selection
Most commercial PC buyers (except for the ones who build higher end models) do not make a big deal of which components they use. They will, of course, tell you the specs of the system, but often do not elaborate on the brands of the equipment they use. Most lower to average priced pre-built PCs use more or less generic hardware. It gets the job done, but what you get is what you get. Upgrading can be a problem for this reason. In contrast, building your own PC m eans you can handpick all components in your system. You can ensure you get good, name brand hardware which will have
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proper manufacturer support and driver support. Most importantly, you can ensure you get hardware that will perform. One aspect of pre-built is that compatibility issues are taken care of by the manufacturer, but there is a tradeoff made in that guarantee. Price
In general, you can get more bang for your buck building your own PC. In many cases, you will find equally priced and comparable PCs, where one is pre-built and one would be homebuilt. You can buy PCs cheaper than you can build them, but when you
consider the hardware choices within, the price is offset in favor of homebuilt. One thing to consider here is the value of your time. If you are a very busy person where time is money, then you most likely want to buy a pre-built PC. If you don't mind taking the time, though, you can do better doing it yourself.
Support
Available support is a key concern for do-it-yourselfers. When you build it yourself, there is nowhere to take the PC for service. You can't say "Here, make this work." On the other hand, pre-built machines typically do come with manufacturer support. But, support is anything but consistent. Some manufacturers have questionable records on support whereas some are quite good at it. Having support for your PC is no guarantee of having a problem-free user experience, and it is certainly no guarantee that they will take responsibility for your PC if it doesn't work. The good news for do-it-yourselfers is that the community of people who do this kind of thing themselves is increasing. There is a lot of data on the internet, and community sources for assistance. I'm compelled to mention our own forums where a community of thousands is available to help you out on your PC.
Warranty
On pre-built PCs, there is typically a warranty on the whole system, and in many
instances, you are offered an extended service plan at the time of purchase. Home built PCs do not have full system warranties, of course, but if you buy good name brand hardware, most of the components will themselves have warranties. So, really, either way, you can be covered here.
Software
Pre-built PCs often come with much software on it, most importantly the operating system itself. The actual price of the software is pretty good, because manufacturers get great deals on this software because they buy in bulk. On the flip side, though, these PCs sometimes come with too much software, meaning garbage that you do not want and just clutters the hard drive and bugs you to buy stuff. It can be quite
annoying. On homebuilt PCs, you might pay a little more for the software per unit, but you will get what you want and only what you want, plus you can set it up how you want.
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In general, I'm a big fan of the homebuilt PC. I've never used a PC I didn't build myself. I think its a huge money saver. In my case, I built it myself, and then as technology progressed, I incrementally upgraded the machine. This saves a lot of money in the long run, because with a pre-built commercial machine, once it goes out of date, you pretty much need to start anew with a new PC.
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Materials Required
This tutorial is intended to assist you in building a basic PC. There are obviously a plethora of possible PC configurations and hardware that you could put into your new PC if you choose. But, what we are trying to do here is help you put together a basic PC. For this reason, we are only requiring the basic components and tools to get you up and running.
Tools Required
? Screwdriver - A Phillips-head (cross-point) screwdriver is what is used in most PCs.
? Screw Extractor - If you have surgeon's fingers you may not need this. But, if you're human, it is likely you might drop a screw into your PC during this
procedure and be too big-thumbed to get it out. A screw extractor can help you grab those screws and get them out without messing with the hardware. You definitely do not want to run your PC with loose screws in there. It could cause a short circuit.
? Flashlight - Unless you are in a fantastic lighting situation, you will likely need a flashlight to get a look of the landscape in your PC while you're working.
? Tweezers - May be helpful for you in switching jumpers later in the tutorial. Hardware Required
? PC Case
? Floppy Disk Drive ? Hard Drive
? CD-ROM Drive ? Processor
? Processor Cooling Fan ? Motherboard
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? Power Supply ? Video Card
? Keyboard & Mouse
To build a basic PC, you will need at least a
motherboard, a memory module, a processor with cooling fan, a power supply, a hard drive, a floppy drive, a video card and a CD-ROM.
Most electrically sensitive hardware comes in a static bag which is designed to protect the electronics from static electricity shock. Leave your hardware in these bags until you are ready to install them.
Software Required ? System Disk
? Device Drivers (these usually come with the hardware above)
? Operating System (for the purposes of this tutorial, we will assume you are choosing Microsoft Windows as your operating system – PC Mechanic has lots of great information on Linux and other alternatives)
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Cables and Miscellaneous ? Drive cables
? Motherboard spacers (usually come with the motherboard, but are used to space the motherboard up off the mounting plate)
? Screws (usually a whole pile of screws will come with your PC's case, but if you are using a case you happened to have around, you will need to collect some screws)
? Power cords (for both your PC and your monitor. They usually come with the hardware when you buy it, of course)
? CPU Cooling Compound
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Selection of Components
Often this is the one step that takes the most time and consideration. Which parts do I buy? Which are best?
There are many good places to buy computer parts. You can go to a computer retail store in your area. Although they often provide good warranties, the trade off may be that you will pay a little more than you would in other places. Sometimes, a lot more. Also, due to the sheer volume of people they see every day, some of the "support specialists" don't always listen to your concerns and start jumping to conclusions on what you need or what the problem is. Some of them take pride that they can give you a technical answer in two seconds and make themselves look smart, even though what they just said is probably wrong. If you walk in and say your computer keeps crashing and he insists you need a new motherboard and CPU to fix it, start running.
Most towns have smaller stores that sell and repair computer equipment. These may may appear as an office suite in a strip mall. Regardless of location, such stores are often cheaper and can provide individual attention. The hardware they sell is often in retail packaging from the manufacturer. They may also sell OEM hardware, which usually comes wrapped in nothing but a static bag and is accompanied by a driver cd when applicable, but with little documentation. You will need to be the judge on this type of hardware. If you feel you need the documentation, you should not buy OEM hardware. Typically, optical drives, hard drives, various expansion cards, and under certain circumstances, the CPU can be safely purchased as OEM hardware. Only purchase the CPU as an OEM component if you will not be using the stock heat sink. Most of the other components should be purchased as retail products, including the motherboard and video card. RAM can be purchased at your own discretion. Typically, it’s safe to purchase OEM RAM from larger distributors, but with mom-and-pop
computer stores, it’s better to go with retail RAM.
Not to stereotype certain businesses, but I have to tell you this so you'll be informed: the smaller mom-and-pop computer stores are sometimes a little more questionable as to their honesty, I've found. This is not always the case, but since they are a smaller business and don't have the large sale volumes of the larger retail stores, they are often under more pressure to make the sale just to stay solvent. Be aware of this when you walk in.
The bottom line here is to know your stuff. The PC sales industry is occupied by many who WILL take advantage of your lack of knowledge to make a sale.
Now, let's look at the hardware needed so that you can be better educated on what to look for.
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Cases
Make sure you buy a case which will fit into the space you intend to place it. This is where you decide between a desktop or a tower case. Allow room for expandability; spare drive bays, ample room to work inside. Is the case clean? All newer motherboards are using the ATX form factor, so if you have an old case lying around, chances are a new board won't fit in it. If you do a lot of upgrading, you should get a case that is designed with this in mind, such as easily removed motherboard mounting plates, drive racks, etc. Things like the turbo switch and keylock are ancient technology, so pay no mind to having them. Try to have the buttons such as power and reset recessed, so that if you keep the case under the desk you won't accidentally kick the thing and reset it. Also, check the sturdiness of the case. Some cheaper cases are actually quite flimsy inside. Pay attention to how the case comes apart. Depending on the design, the screwless type is very user friendly. It's easier to work with a case that does not come apart in many pieces.
If you will be running a high-end processor in the case, pay attention to the cooling aspects of the box. It’s nice when cases come with case fans included, but if they do not, you should make sure the case is designed to allow them. You should have an unobstructed air hole in the front of the case for a front-mounted case fan, with some method of air flow from the rear of the case as well. Many power supplies also aid in cooling by having bottom-mounted fans that suck air from the inside of the case and blow it out the back through the power unit.
As far as brands go, there are many good manufacturers out there. I use Enlight. They make very sturdy cases that are easy to work with. Many other brands can be just as good, including Antec. We've even seen some I-MAC looking cases that are semi-translucent. If you want a futuristic look, these may interest you. All aluminum cases are now started to catch on. If you don't mind spending a little more, you may want to take a look at the quality cases made by Lian-Li. If you’re into modified cases, you can get them pre-modified with windows and everything. Or, if you’re so inclined, you can grab a nice case and do your own mods to it. For some reason, though, I’ve never been keen on tearing huge holes into my PCs, but maybe it’s just me.
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Motherboards
Almost everyone knows that the motherboard is the most important component of your computer. At one point or another, every other component connects to the
motherboard. Keep in mind that your motherboard choice controls your future upgrade paths. Want to upgrade your RAM? You first have to check and see what type your motherboard will take, and how much it will support. Want that new video card? Your motherboard will need a PCI-Express slot. Get the point? If you choose the wrong motherboard in the beginning, you may find yourself having to buy a different one down the road to support some other upgrade. Today's motherboards are a lot more sophisticated than the one's in the 486 days. If you are used to these older systems, you will need to come up to speed on the latest boards. Where you once needed an IDE controller card, the connectors are now built right on the motherboard. USB was once an option - now it is integrated on every board. Some boards go all the way, offering built on SCSI controllers, 10/100 Ethernet support, onboard video and sound, etc. Buying a motherboard is a tradeoff - you need to know what you want and then pick that board which has the best combination of features for you. Bear in mind the old adage - sometimes it is better to buy what you will eventually end up with anyway. There are really three levels of motherboards. Of course this is a generalization, but it’s accurate enough.
? Bare-bone boards. These are the types of boards you usually get if you are not into PC hardware and don't want to deal with frustrations. You just want to build it and turn it on. These boards have built in sound and video, and sometimes other gizmos too, like a modem. They don't usually overclock well and don't have a wide range of CPU support. These boards are comparatively inexpensive. Many times, pre-built PCs come with these types of boards, and this is one of the reasons you should be following this tutorial. If you’re going to bother building your own PC, get a board that’s worth your time. This isn’t it.
? Secondly, we have the level of board most commonly used. These boards come with a single CPU slot, EIDE controller, etc. Most don't have built in video, although more of them have built-in sound. This is fine, as long as it is easily disabled. They support a wide range of processors, and with more voltage and multiplier settings, they are more overclocking friendly. Some of these boards offer RAID capability. With the proper amount of PCI slots, these boards are great.
? Thirdly, you have the beasts which most of us cannot afford. These are the dual processor boards, often with built on SCSI and a cartload of PCI slots. These are more for NT workstations than your desktop PC.
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Some things you want to bear in mind:
? Board Layout - A lot of people don't consider where everything is placed on the motherboard, but it is important. Is there a big capacitor right near the CPU slot, blocking where your CPU fan will go? Is there a bunch of crap that will block your full-length PCI card, or video card from fitting? Are the memory slots in a position where you’d need to remove the floppy drive to get at them? You need to know roughly what you will be plugging into this board and know if anything will get in the way. This also depends to a degree on the size of the case you are using. Trying to cram a larger board into a mini-tower is asking for trouble. ? Slots - If we had our way, we'd have a motherboard with 20 PCI slots so we
could run everything in the world. Unfortunately, this doesn't exist. So, you need to pay attention to how many PCI slots a motherboard has. For most of us the standard 4 or 5 PCI slots will be fine. When most of today's boards come with RAID, decent Sound and a NIC, the need for lots of PCI slots is less then it used to be, but be aware of your needs, as some boards could be short, with only 2 or 3. Be careful, you can easily fill all your slots. Make sure the board has either an AGP or PCI-Express slot plus any other slots you may need.
? Manuals - Believe me, you'll regret it if you don't think ahead and get a board with a good manual. If you purchase a no-name board, you'll probably get stuck with a manual that was written in Taiwanese or English you think a third grader would write. A lot of times, you'll find a pile of addendums added to the manual. They couldn't get it right the first time?! Make sure to look at the manual for your board and make sure you can understand it. Most well known brands have decent manuals. Asus, Abit, FIC, Tyan, Shuttle and a few others come with nice manuals. Another thing to keep in mind is that the better known manufacturers often have nice web sites, and you can get support info there, too. If you don’t know who the manufacturer is, or their website is utterly useless, think twice about using the board.
? Form Factor - ATX is the current motherboard factor standard. AT has become obsolete for all practical purposes, while at the same time, we are slowly seeing the new Intel-created BTX factor. This form factor orients the board on the left side of the case and includes a new layout for better cooling. In the coming years we may see this become the standard, but for now, ATX is here.
? Chipset - The chipset is the hub of your motherboard. You need to pay strong attention to what chipset a motherboard has before you purchase it. The chipset is fully responsible for what hardware your motherboard will support now and in the future. It controls everything. If your motherboard won't support SATA II, PCI-E or DDR2, etc. blame the chipset. There are many chipsets out there, and
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this tutorial is not the place to address them all. But, doing your research on this site and others, as well as observing the specs of the chipset itself before you buy it, will be beneficial. Currently the latest Intel chipset is the 945 and 955, while AMD is using either the VIA KT800 or the nForce4.
? Hardware Support - This one is really a no-brainer, but bears mentioning anyway due to its obvious importance. Pay attention to the specs to make sure that the board will support the hardware you would like to use. If possible, allow room for expandability beyond what you will be using as this will ensure you can use the board for awhile. If there are embedded components such as sound or video, this is fine as long we you are able to disable it easily. Unless you like that all-in-one thing, you’ll find you want to eventually put something better in there and you don’t want it conflicting with the built-in components.
? Reviews - Finally, before purchasing any motherboard, find out what others think of it. You can rest assured that if there is any nagging annoyance with any motherboard you are thinking about buying that several people have noticed it and have posted all over the internet about it. Check out hardware review sites. I'm sure you all know where to go for those. Also check out our own
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Processor
Processors come in three basic levels:
? Low End - This group is mostly for people who need non-graphics intensive systems, usually simple office apps and internet use. Most standard business software will run just fine on these processors. The CPUs to look at here are the AMD Sempron and the Intel Celeron D. Both are low cost, and less powerful, but will be up-to-par for the abovementioned uses.
? Average - This group of processors encompasses the bulk of the chips being sold right now. These processors zip at business software, but, depending on the speed and other things, also zip reasonably well at image editing or gaming. These include the Pentium 4’s and the Athlon 64s. The speed of these chips ranges from the Athlon 3000+ and higher and the Pentium 4 2.8Ghz and higher. ? High End - This group is the usually for the crowd that's very competitive, on the
leading edge of profitability, needs a high end processor for CAD, video editing, extensive gaming, 3D rendering, or just has a lot of money to burn. If you're in this group, you should be looking Intel Pentium 4EE or Dual Core processors, or an AMD FX or Dual Core processor ranging upwards of 3 GHz. These processors are the top of the line. They have the most onboard memory, and they are the best at crunching numbers that are needed for CAD and other CPU intensive programs.
The CPU brand you need for a new system is a matter of personal choice, but make sure the specifications will suit your needs. Also, keep in mind that all processors need cooling. Retail-boxed processors come with a Heatsink & Fan (HSF) unit included or already attached. If you’re getting an OEM processor, make sure to get a good HSF. Make sure the fan is of the ball bearing variety and not one of those cheap sleeve bearing fans. Make sure it is rated for your processor, as some fans look fine when you look at them, but wouldn’t help a high speed processor do anything but boil itself to death. Also, and this is not usually an issue, it is nice when the fan gets it power from the CPU_FAN power 3-pin plug on the motherboard rather than take up a plug from your power supply. If you are dealing with older hardware here, you may have the heat sink separate from the fan. In this case, you’ll want to make sure the heat sink has a way of attaching to the processor, either by clips or with heat sink compound.
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Power Supplies
A proper PSU (Power Supply Unit) is one of the most important parts of your PC. Without clean, reliable, stable power, your system can be unstable, crash, not boot or even fry components. You may think electricity is electricity, how hard can it be? This is the wrong approach. Power supplies are not created equally and it is very important you use a good one. Stay away from generic units and remember that watts do not equal quality. I would use a quality 400w PSU before touching any generic 600w. Things to look for are:
? Brand Name. See the table below for a list of recommended power supplies. ? Wattage. Most systems need at least a 350w power supply. Gamers with
high-end systems and video cards will need upwards of 450w. Also, SLI users will need an SLI-certified power supply to be sure they have enough juice.
? Leads. You will need at least 6, 4-pin Molex power connectors, probably many more. If you are running low, you can buy Y-splitters, but be careful not to overload those lines.
? PCI-E compatibility. New units come ready for PCI-Express with special connectors for video cards.
? ATX Power. This is critical. All boards used to have a standard 20pin main power connection (ATX 1.x PSUs). Newer boards that need more power have 24pin power connections (ATX 2.x PSUs). Be sure your power supply matches your motherboard. Avoid using 20-24pin adapters, as they create line noise. If your board needs 24, get a PSU with 24.
Please make sure to get a good power supply. I can't stress this enough. You would never put a AA battery in your car, so don't use a sub-par PSU in your PC.
Page 20 of 172 Good Bad AMS Antec Astec AOpen Channel Well Cooler Master E-Power Enermax Enlight Fortron Source HEC Hi-Power HiperPower Jeantech Mad Dog NSpire OCZ PCMCIS
PC Power & Cooling PowerMan Seasonic SilenX Sparklepower Tagan Thermaltake TTGI/SuperFlower Ultra Verax Zalman Xclio Achieve Allied Aspire Codegen CoolMax Cyberzone DEER Dragon Eagle Tech EYE-T Greenline HIPRO JSP-tech KingStar Kingwin L&C Linkworld Okia Orion PowerMagic PowerUp Powmax Q-Tec Raidmax Rosewill Silverstone Skyhawk Startech Turbolink Vantec Win Top quality PSU's in blue - for high-end builds
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Memory
Memory is a big part of your machine, so get the good stuff. A lot of people get really confused when it comes to memory, and it’s really not necessary. Some memory manufacturers will help you find compatible memory for your motherboard on their websites. One such company is Crucial Technology. In most cases, standard non-parity, non-ECC memory will work just fine. Most boards today are using DDR or DDR2. In short, though, memory is not a huge issue and just buy what your motherboard
requires. And, with today’s prices, buy lots of it. Operating systems themselves require large amounts of memory. Windows XP’s bare minimum requirement is 128MB of RAM. So, give yourself ample breathing room and don’t try to save a few measly bucks by not getting enough memory. I recommend a bare minimum of 256MB, but shoot for
512MB. If you’re a gamer, graphic design artist, or video editor, shoot for 1GB or more. I always recommend buying memory from a reputable memory company. Memory is highly important to your machine, and low quality memory can cause instability and all sorts of issues. You will also see, when buying memory, choices of parity/non-parity and un-buffered/buffered, etc. In almost all cases, you can use unbuffered, non-parity memory. CAS Latency is a measure of latency of a memory chip, or basically how fast the memory chip responds to a request for information. CAS3 is standard, although memory capable of CAS2 may help your PC's performance, and is useful when overclocking.
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Video Card
There are just tons of video cards out there to choose from, all saying they're the best and sporting snazzy graphics on the boxes to grab your attention in the store. Let me give you some general pointers.
Where it used to be we all used 2 MB cards and thought you were a gaming nerd if using a 4 MB card, all graphics cards today have a lot more- usually 64 MB or higher. Get it. It won't cost that much. Likewise, PCI-Express is now the standard, so unless you're using a motherboard with an AGP slot, get a PCI-Express video card. As for power, consider what you'll be doing with the PC. If you're doing mostly business and internet and the occasional game, then you don't need a super-duper gaming card. A card with decent 3D and good 2D power is better for you. Most video cards on the market today are pretty decent at 3D and excel at 2D. 2D really does not require all that much out of a video card. Watch the reviews to get viewpoints on different manufacturers. Some cards come with TV-out channels, video-in, or even TV tuners. This is great stuff, and if you can afford it, go for it. I would say, in general, though, that do-everything cards usually sacrifice performance tweaks, so if you’re trying to build an all-around kick-ass system here that pumps pixels so hard you’ll drool, get a card that does that with authority and don’t worry about the TV. If you are serious about a TV tuner, you can either get one integrated with the video card, or as a
separate PCI card; the latter can usually be purchased for roughly a quarter of the cost of a standard TV. Make sure whatever you get is matched to your monitor. There is no sense in buying a cutting edge video card with killer refresh rates if you're using an old clunker monitor that just can't cut it.
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Removable Storage
All PC’s have some form of removable storage, even if it’s only a floppy disk drive. In the case of a floppy, there’s really nothing much to know about them. Just buy one that looks alright and works. Beyond these drives, are the CD-R/CD-RW drives are the
standard nowadays and for good reason. If you want a drive where you can perform backups and share data with friends without really worrying about capacity issues, invest in a CD burner. They are pretty fast now, and nearly all companies offer drives with Smart-Burn technology that will virtually guarantee you never mess up a burning session by doing something else on the PC at the same time. Beyond CD burners there are now DVD burners. Not quite a standard yet, but they are great for backups and storage. USB Flash drives are also very popular, as they are fast and can hold up to 2GB of files. These are primarily used for temporary storage and for transferring files from one computer to another
Hard Drive
Make sure it is known for a fairly long life, and not prone to failure. It is usually best to always buy new. For price and compatibility, get a SATA hard drive. All new
motherboards can handle at least SATA, some with SATA II. Get a drive with a decent rotation speed, at least 7200rpm. 5400 RPM drives are slow. 7200 RPM is better, and higher RPM drives even better. The really fast drives, though, may require a hard drive cooler, so unless you are willing to mess with that, get a drive with a good balance of speed and temperature. If speed is your biggest concern, go for a 10,000 RPM drive. If you require something more powerful than that, go for the SCSI interface. Keep in mind that with SCSI you will have to purchase the additional hardware necessary for the SCSI bus.
Get the largest drive you can afford. You’ll be surprised how fast you can fill up a hard drive, depending on what you do with your PC. Large volume drives are dirt cheap now, so get yourself a biggie, minimum of 80GB. Also, pay attention to warranty. The last thing you want is a drive to fail in 6 months and you're stuck. Currently Seagate offers the best warranty , with 5 years even on OEM drives.
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Sound Card
An absolute necessity in today's PC world. There are tons of available cards out there, but I recommend the name brand again. I've tried some of the various cheaper clones and had my share of driver issues with them. Read the reviews, as there are a lot of sound cards out there with special features. Some cards pimp special sound algorithms that are supposed to enhance the sound. Some of these suck, but others really improve the sound. Some cards, like the upper-end Creative Labs cards, have extensions with all sorts of inputs and things that attach to the sound card and expand the capabilities. These are not usually important unless you’re into sound mixing or audio-video editing. Make sure the card has 5-channel support, because this really makes the PC sound great if you have enough speakers. Today’s onboard sound cards are pretty good, even with 5.1 support. Unless you are an audiophile, I recommend trying the onboard sound before investing in a card because it is adequate, even for gaming. If you decide later that your sound is lacking, it is an easy upgrade. With the card, you must get speakers. You can spend a lot on speakers, but I recommend at least a 2.1 system (2 satellites with a subwoofer). You'll appreciate the deeper base response and overall sound. Altec Lansing makes good stuff, as well as Klipsch and Logitech. Logitech makes great
speakers for all price ranges.. For true top of the line check out the Klipsch Pro-Media speakers or Boston Acoustics.
CD-ROM/DVD
These drives are very inexpensive now, get a fast one: 48X or faster. If you want more than a simple CD-ROM, get yourself a DVD-ROM. These drives are not much more than a regular CD-ROM and are backwards-compatible with CD-ROMS, so they serve all purposes. Then, with a good DVD software player like Power DVD or WinDVD you can watch movies or use DVD software on your PC. Dual optical drives are the best way to go, as they allow you to do on-the-fly copies. DVD Burners are the ultimate drives as they can read and write CDs and DVDs.
Keyboard & Mouse
Rather self-explanatory. Make sure the keyboard connector fits into the plug on the motherboard; otherwise you may need an adapter. All ATX boards use a PS/2
connector for the keyboard. Make sure the mouse works. And choose the right kind for your system: USB or PS/2. If you like, you can get ergonomic "Natural Keyboards", which are basically regular keyboards that are bent in the middle. It takes a while to get used to them, but they put less strain on the wrists. Optical is the standard now; decide if you need programmable buttons and wireless capabilities. . You can get simply get a wireless mouse, or go so far as to get a wireless keyboard & mouse kit
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Drive cables
Make sure you have all cables for connecting the hard drive, floppy drive, and CD-ROM to the I/O on the motherboard or I/O card. These cables usually are supplied with the motherboard or drive itself, but not always, and sometimes not in the quantity you need. Make sure they are long enough. Inspect for damage, such as ripped wires or something. Also, keep in mind that ATA100/133 drives must have an 80-wire IDE cable to take advantage of the higher bus speed. It's the same width as the normal 40wire cable, but each wire is thinner, so they cram more wires into the cable. If you’re paying special attention to cooling issues, you may choose to get rounded data cables. These are nice as they tidy up the inside of your case and allow cleaner air flow than would a case crammed with a bunch of wide, gray ribbon cables that often get in the way. With SATA drives, the cables are very thin, handy for both for organization and for airflow.
Audio Cable
Usually supplied with the CD-ROM, it connects your CD-ROM to your sound card directly. However, this is not necessary with an 80-line IDE cable.
Screws
Makes sure you have enough screws. Usually an ample amount is supplied with your case. Make sure the screws are the right size. There are different sizes used for connecting card than for connecting drives, and if you try using a large screw on the drive, you'll strip the threads on the screws or on the screwheads.
System Disk
This is only necessary on older Operating Systems. For Windows 2000 or earlier, make sure you have a system disk setup and ready to use. You can make one for whatever operating system you plan on using. If you have another machine already running, use it to make a system disk. Hopefully you are using Windows 98 or better, since it makes CD-ROM setup later in this tutorial much easier. If you are installing Windows XP, the CD itself is bootable, so there is no need for a system disk floppy.
That was a brief overview of the hardware scene for you and hopefully it serves as some advice for collecting parts to build your PC. There is no way I can cover all brands or make any solid recommendations as to manufacturer in this tutorial; so much of that research would need to be done separately. Now, we will move into some actual
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Section II
PC Assembly
Now that you have everything together, it is time to begin building your PC.
NOTE ON ELECTROSTATIC DISCHARGE!!
The components of your PC are sensitive to electrostatic discharge. What this is is a normal build up of static electrical charge in your body (this is normal and you cannot feel it) that is discharged into PC hardware when you touch it. The result can potentially be fried hardware that will require replacement. You will not be able to tell when this has occurred.
Some tips to avoid this are:
? Wear an anti-static wrist strap while working
? Before touching any of your electrical components, be sure to ground yourself on any metal surface. You can do this by placing both hands onto a metal file
cabinet, the metal chassis of your PC case, or anything else you may have nearby before picking up your hardware.
? Leave your hardware in its protective anti-static bag until you are ready to install it
? While working on any hardware (such as the motherboard), you can place it on top of the anti-static bag
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STEP 2: Remove the Case Cover
This is a very easy step. Basically, you are just taking the cover off your new case. If you have a standard case, you take a screwdriver and remove the four or six screws located around the edge on the back of your case. Hang on to these screws and put them in a place where they will not be scattered and can be easily found later in this procedure. Once they are removed, the entire case cover comes off in one piece. With this design, the front of the case (also known as the bezel) does not move. Only the top and sides come off as a single cover.
Some cases (such as the one being used in making this tutorial) use thumb screws rather than standard screws. It works the same way, obviously, except that you do not need to use a screwdriver to loosen and remove them. Simply twist them loose using your fingers.
Still other cases come apart differently. Some manufacturers have developed cases using a "screwless" design. These cases are designed such that you can remove the cover simply by un-latching the parts from the chassis. With this design, you usually take hold of the bottom of the front bezel of the case and give it a nice solid yank. The front then pulls off. It is my experience that this usually requires a few tries and some muscle. These cases are usually pretty durable so you really don't have to worry about hurting them. The sides
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then lift and slide off as does the top. Your case, in essence, comes apart in four pieces. Other cases come apart in a similar way, but after you take the front off, the top and sides come off together.
Opening the latch to remove the right side cover. Remember, not all cases use this type of design. Each case is a little different in how it comes apart. There are almost as many designs as there are companies that make them. You may find some where you don't even have to remove the front, and rather you just slide the sides off. With others, you can remove the whole motherboard mounting plate and card rack combo from the case by sliding it out the back. This is convenient for making quick changes to the system, although you still have to disconnect the various cables to get it out all the way.
Whatever case style you have, remember to look it all over before you attempt to gain entry. You don't want to force it and break anything - take your time.
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STEP 3: Case Preparation
At this point, you should have the new case in front of you with the cover removed. Before you can use it for a new system, you must prepare it for use. Go through the following checklist to make sure it is prepared. Not all of this may be necessary on your case, and if you’re using a case you already had, much or all it has likely been done already. Nonetheless, this is a useful guideline.
Now that the case is open, now is a good time to go through the screw supply provided with the case. These are usually held in a small plastic bag nestled inside the case. Inside this bag you should find:
? Chassis screws - this is the type used to tighten down cards, etc.
? Smaller screws - just like the chassis screws, just with a smaller diameter. It is used to fasten the motherboard in.
? Standoffs - these are screws that are used to hold the motherboard about 1/8" from the motherboard mounting plate. Their ends have a threaded opening in them that accept the smaller chassis screws. If you have an AT case, you may find small white standoffs. These serve the same function as the metal standoff, but are simply punched through the board and slid into slots on the case. They are rather clumsy to use compared to the metal standoffs, but they get the job done. Lastly, some cases use small metal clip-looking stand-offs. They are pinched together and slipped into small rectangular holes in the motherboard mounting plate and they snap in. These are, too, a bit awkward.
? Washers. These are typically small, loose washers, not the metal kind you’ve seen in your toolbox. T hese will be used to cushion your motherboard from the screws you will be using to hold it in. Some motherboards have metal plates around the holes to keep the screws from shorting the circuitry, and in this case, washers are not necessary and may not be included.
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Now, verify a few things have been done, if they need to be done.
1. Clean Case - If the case is new, this should be no big deal. But, if the case has been used before, it could probably stand a cleaning. Clean out the inside with a rag or compressed air. Make sure the fan in the power supply is free of furry dust. Also take a rag and wipe it off.
2. Inspect the Power Supply - Make sure it is tightly attached to the case, make sure it is free of dust, and make sure it is set to the proper voltage of your area- 110V for U.S. and 220V for outside countries.
3. Inspect Power Switch - Make sure the power switch is securely tightened and correctly connected to the power supply. In ATX cases, the power switch will have one loose wire coming off of it. This wire will then connect to the Power Switch connector on the motherboard.
4. Install Feet - These are little tabs inserted into holes at the bottom of the case. The case sits on these tabs when on your desk. If the case has been used before or it is a more expensive case, this may not need to be done.
5. Install Case Fan - Sometimes, you may want to install a separate fan that screws onto a rack next to the vent on the front of the case. This helps increase
circulation of air through the system. Many cases already have this installed, so you may not need to worry about it. Some like to put a little filter over the hole so as to prevent dust from being drawn in. An ideal and simple setup for proper airflow is to set the front, lower fan to pull air in, and have the higher, rear fan exhaust.
6. Free Up the Drive Bays - Brand new (cheaper) cases sometimes have the drive bays sealed with metal plates. It’s the most annoying thing. If you want to install any drives, and you probably do, you’ll need to remove these. Choose the drive bays you want to use (usually the ones at the top on tower cases) and remove the metal plates. These are attached by metal, so they take some cutting, prying and twisting to break them free. Be careful not to hurt the case or yourself. The plate will likely have sharp edges once removed. Better cases have these bays covered with plastic, replaceable plates which are a lot easier and make infinitely more sense.
7. Replace I/O Shield. The Input/Output shield is a piece of metal with various holes punched in it that allow for the motherboard connections, such as mouse and keyboard, USB and LAN to poke out the rear of your case. All cases will come with one but since all motherboards are laid out differently, you’ll need to install the one that came with your board. Remove the old one simply by pushing it from the rear of the case inward. It usually will pop out easily, if not use a
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head screwdriver to pry the edges so it comes loose. Push the new one in from the inside of the case and allow it to pop into place. Check to be sure it is secure.
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An I/O Shield Installed
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STEP 4: Install the Power Supply
Some cases come with power supply unit pre-installed for you. Likewise, if the case you are using has been used before, it may have a power supply already installed. In that case, you only need to make sure it is an adequate unit for the computer you intend to build. Also, if you are building an ATX machine, you must make sure that the power supply is an ATX power supply.
If the power supply is not already installed, you will need to install it now. Here's how: 1. Take the power supply unit and line it up for placement into the PC case. The fan
should blow toward the rear and the wires should face forward.
2. Insert the PSU into the case. Sometimes this takes a little maneuvering to get it into position.
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3. Once the unit is in place, check the back of the case and make sure the holes on the rear of the PSU line up with the screw holes on the case. If they do not, you may need to turn the power supply over.
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5. Make sure the voltage is set correctly. There is a little switch on the back that lets you switch between 120 or 220 volts. In the United States, its 120. If you are in a country overseas, its most likely 220. If you use 220, make sure the cord is rated for it. It should say on the side of the cord. Its easiest to just check this now while you're thinking about it.
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STEP 5: Install the CPU
The next step is to install the processor onto the motherboard. Now, at this point, the motherboard should just be sitting on your work space, preferably inside of the static protection bag in which it came. Over the next few steps, we will be installing some hardware onto the motherboard before it is installed into the case. The reason is that, in most cases, it is a LOT easier to do this with the motherboard out the case than with the motherboard in the case. The chief reason being room to maneuver your big hands.
Installing the CPU is a pretty straight-forward process. The real risk is to the CPU. Doing this step too fast or
carelessly can result in damage to the processor. Therefore, don't get nervous. It is an easy step, but do it with care.
There are several common interfaces for CPU's today: Intel currently uses Socket T (775) and AMD uses Socket 939. The older generation of boards uses Socket 478 for Intel and Socket 754 or Socket A (462) for AMD. The numbers correspond to the number of pins on the CPU. But, they all boil down to two basic types: The Zero Insertion Force (ZIF) socket and the slot. Most processors in use today use a socket to connect to the motherboard, and the type of socket in use is typically the ZIF socket. The ZIF socket opens and closes using a small lever. When the lever is down, the CPU is locked into place. When in the upright position, the processor is loose and can either be installed or removed.
All modern systems make use of the zero-insertion force (ZIF) socket. Therefore, this procedure is relevant with that setup. To install a processor using this type of interface, follow this procedure:
1. Check the pins. Turn the chip over and inspect the pins. Are they bent? They should all stick straight up. If many of them are bent, then it is best to request a replacement processor. If only a couple are bent and the bend is not that much, then you may be able to use a screwdriver to gently bend the pins back into place. Do so VERY carefully.
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2. Open ZIF Socket. This is done by grabbing the lever on one side of the socket and opening it. Pull the lever from the closed, level position, to the open, vertical position. You may need to pull the lever out a bit before it will open. Do this slowly and don't force it. You don't want to break the socket. On the way up, you may experience a little more force. This is normal. The top part of the ZIF socket will slide over a bit.
3. Orient The Chip. This involves locating Pin 1 on both the chip and the socket. This is easy to do. The chip is always marked at Pin 1. The mark may be a little dot on one corner, a slightly notched corner, or a mark at one of the pins under the chip. On the socket, there is usually a notch on one corner, or a big "1". These corners will be matched up for correct installation.
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4. Insert Processor. Bearing in mind the orientation determined in Step 3, insert the chip into the socket. With a ZIF socket, the chip should install very easily. It should almost fall into the socket with all pins lining up. That's why they call it the Zero Insertion Force socket. If not, the socket is probably not open all the way. If you do not have a ZIF socket (God forbid!), you need to exercise
extreme care. Lay the chip on the socket. Make sure all pins line up. Then, slowly push the chip into the socket. Use your thumb and push on one side of the chip until it starts to go in. Then proceed to another side and repeat. Do this around the chip several times until it is completely installed.
5. When done, there should be basically no gap between the bottom of the processor and the socket.
6. Close ZIF Socket. Just close the lever. You will probably feel some resistance. This is normal and it should close anyway. If you really need to lean on it, though, check to be sure the chip is installed correctly. When down, make sure the lever snaps into place.
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7. Some retail processors come with the heat sink and fan already attached to the CPU, in which case you will need to attach the CPU fan to the socket at the same time as you close the ZIF socket. After you lock the CPU into place, take the retention clips on either side of the CPU fan (which should line up automatically for you if you inserted the processor correctly in step 4 above) and push them down until each side clips over the tabs on either side of the socket. Sometimes it takes using a screwdriver as leverage to be able to get the retention clips out and over the tabs, but if you do this be very careful not to slip and jab your motherboard with the screwdriver.
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STEP 6 : Install Heat Sink/Fan
Today's processors are running quite hot. Advancements are being made to make them run cooler at higher speeds, but the importance of a high quality heat sink and fan cannot be overstated. PCs that are not properly cooled can be quite unstable, or at its worse, it may not even boot properly.
It used to be that you could attach a heat sink and fan to your processor directly and not worry about it. Today, though, processors run too hot to do this and expect a reliable PC. One must use heat sink compound to seal the gap between the heat sink and the top of the processor.
Some heat sinks have a rubber heat pad on the bottom of them. In these cases, you don't really need to use heat sink compound because the rubber pad will create the seal. It should be kept in mind, though, that if you are using a heat sink which has been used before and had a heat pad, that heat pad is now likely melted in the spot where the previous processor contacted it. In these cases, you cannot use the heat pad again as it will be ineffective. Instead, you need to clean the old rubber pad off of the heat sink using a non-abrasive cleaning compound. Many people use isopropyl alcohol and a broken old credit card to scrape the rubber off without damaging the heat sink. When the pad is removed, you can use the heat sink again using heat sink compound.
1. Attach the fan to the heat sink. This step is almost always already done for you, but if not, you must do it yourself. This is done using the four screws that came with the CPU fan.
2. Clean the top of the processor. Using a lint-free cloth and isopropyl alcohol (or some other non-abrasive cleaning solution), ensure that the surface of the processor is clean and free of dust and finger oil. Do the same to the bottom of the heat sink. Pay attention to the note above on heat pads if your heat sink had or has a rubber heat pad.
3. If you are using a cooling shim, place it onto the top of the processor now. Not all processors require shims. In fact, no processors require shims; they are completely optional. But, some people like to use them because they help to increase the surface area of the top of the ship and spread the weight around evenly. See, some processors (such as the Athlon XP) actually have the core sticking up slightly from the rest of the processor. So, when the heat sink is placed on top, all of its weight comes down on the core. If the fan is a real tight fit for the motherboard, it could really create a weight load on the processor core, and some people have actually crushed their CPU core by accident. A shim is simply
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a thin piece of metal, especially designed for a particular processor, which fits over the processor and evens out the height and helps to alleviate the crushed core problem. When installing a shim, be extra sure you are aligning it correctly. They often have holes in them exactly placed so that the cache
bridges on top of the processor can poke through. If the shim is not properly aligned, you could short out these bridges and actually burn out your processor if you run
your PC that way. Additionally, a mis-aligned shim could cause the heat sink to not actually have full content with the CPU core, leading to overheating.
4. Apply the Heat Sink Compound. Assuming you are not using a heat pad on your heat sink, apply a very thin layer of heat sink compound to the top of the processor core. If, as is the case with Pentium IV processors, the top of the processor is totally flat, then apply the compound to the entire top surface of the processor. Many heat sinks come with heat sink compound in a small little package, usually just enough for a one-time install. You can pick up better quality compound online. Arctic Silver is a very popular choice. Be careful not to get compound on any
motherboard electronics. Apply only a very small portion to the processor. Only a very thin layer is required. The compound must be spread out evenly across the top of the chip, forming that very thin layer. When spreading the heat sink compound, do not use your finger. Use the edge of a credit card, or you can use a rubber glove or even just a plastic bag over your hand. Do not apply any heat sink compound if you plan to use a heat pad.
5. Attach The Heat Sink. Place the heat sink/fan combo squarely on top of the processor, pressing down lightly. Do not do any twisting as you install the heat sink. Press down firmly, but straight down so as to preserve the heat sink compound layer you just applied.
6. Secure the heat sink. Most newer heat sinks use a set of clips on each side to fasten itself down. These clips attach to a pair of tabs on each side of the socket. It will probably take a little bit of force to bend the clip down over the tab. Other heat sinks wrap around the processor, then just sit on top, the compound being the only real attachment. Pentium IV motherboards have a heat sink retention bracket around the processor socket. When you install the P4 heat sink, you will
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fasten each of the four retention clips into the retention bracket and then close the clip levers on top of the heat sink to fasten the heat sink down onto the Pentium IV processor.
7. Double-Check. No compound should have oozed out from the sides. If it did then you applied too much and need to remove the HSF, clean both the heatsink and CPU and start over.
8. Attach fan to power source. Unless your CPU fan is powered via a standard power supply plug, it is probably powered by a wire attached to a 3-pin power lead on the motherboard itself. You can attach this now. The CPU_FAN power lead is located near the CPU interface somewhere. The lead will have two small pins on each side, and these pins surround the power plug and the pins are inserted into the holes in the plug. It should be pretty easy and obvious.
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STEP 7 : Install Memory
You should now install your memory modules. For the purposes of this step, we are assuming that you have already chosen the appropriate memory for your PC in Step 1. So, we will jump right into installing the memory.
It is important that you consult the manual for your motherboard to see about any particular sequences in which memory should be installed on your board. Some boards require particular sequences of memory installation, usually depending on the memory capacity, type, etc. Other boards have no required sequence at all, and you can choose any slot you wish to install your memory. Most new boards support Dual Channel RAM. This is a technology that allows a performance increase when using 2 or 4 matched sticks of RAM. Consult your motherboard manual on which slots to use for dual-channel. It is not always slots 1 & 2.
The installation of module modules is basically the same regardless of type, even though each module type looks a little different.
1. Ground yourself by touching an unpainted metal object. This will discharge any built up static electricity in your body.
2. Pick up the memory module by its edges.
3. Decide which slots you are going to use and orient the memory module over it. The module slot will have a small plastic bridge which will be off-center in the socket. This matches up with a notch in the pin array of the memory module itself and ensures that you insert the module in the proper alignment.
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A view of the memory module. Notice the notch.
4. Insert the memory module. With DIMMs (SDRAM or DDR RAM), they go straight in. Make sure the notches in the RAM line up with the little bumps in the slot.
Push the memory module down until the clips snap into place.
5. Lock the module in place. With DIMMs and RIMMs, all you have to do is continue to press the memory module down until the ejector clips on either side of the memory slot automatically get pushed into the closed position. Sometimes, you
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may need to help the ejector clips close, but the idea here is that those clips need to close so as to lock the module into place. If they do not close, it is because the module is not inserted all the way into the slot.
One of our memory modules, fully installed
6. Repeat this procedure for any other memory modules you are going to install. 7. If you are using DIMMs (and most are), then you are done. If you are using
RIMM modules, then you need to fill each remaining RIMM slot with a continuity module. A continuity module does not contain any actual memory, but its
purpose is to simply act as a pass-through circuit so as to provide for a continuous channel for the memory signal. The installation of a C-RIMM is exactly like that of a normal RIMM module.
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STEP 8 : Configure the Motherboard
At this point, your have your processor, heat sink and fan and your memory installed onto your motherboard. In most cases you are now ready to install your motherboard into the case. In some cases, however, it is necessary to do a little configuration on your motherboard beforehand. It is easier to do this with the motherboard sitting outside of the case.
The settings that may need to be configured are: ? CPU Speed
? Bus Speed
? CPU Voltage Setting
Most motherboards in use today make use of the CMOS settings to configure these options. In this case, you can skip this step because you will need to wait until your new PC is powered up in order to configure these options. If, though, you are using an older motherboard in which these settings are controlled via the use of jumpers, then we need to tackle this here.
Configuring a Board Which Uses Jumpers
You need to have the manual for your board available. If you do not have the manual, log on to the manufacturer's web site and see if you can find this info there. You can also try their tech support via phone. In some cases, too, some of the jumper settings are printed onto the surface of the motherboard. If you don't have any of this info, you are just out of luck. Unfortunately, you must have some form of documentation
available simply because motherboards have so many settings to adjust. If you’re dealing with an older board, you may need to spend some time trying to identify the manufacturer so that you can see if they do support it. You can many times use the BIOS ID numbers to identify the board online.
Motherboard manuals come in two main formats. Some are friendly for hardware buffs by listing a separate jumper or DIP switch for CPU core voltage, I/O voltage, multiplier, and system bus speed. They then tell you the settings for each of these. This format is better because of the increased control. Other manuals list the settings next to a list of commonly used CPU's, showing the common settings for each. While this format is easier for the end user for easy setup, it is tougher if you like increased control of the settings, for overclocking for example. The best manuals do both: list the jumper settings individually as well as provide a list of processors and the jumper settings for each.
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A jumper block on the motherboard A single jumper
When playing with the board, be careful with it. Avoid placing the board on the static bag it came in, as this can cause an electro-static shock to build up, which may very well fry the motherboard. Always place the board on a flat surface, wooden desks work best, not carpet or anything like that. And always ground yourself before handling the board. When handling the board, handle it by the edges only when at all possible. Now, here is the basic procedure for motherboard configuration:
1. Read the Manual. Always. Read the listings for settings and locate all jumpers on the motherboard itself and what settings they control.
2. Set the voltage settings. Most older chips use one single voltage. The newer chips we use today use a split voltage. Most of these motherboards provide jumpers for the core voltage and I/O voltage. Set them to match your intended CPU. If you are using an older chip with one voltage, just set both voltages to be the same. Your best bet to choose the correct voltage is to see what is printed on the CPU itself. Most CPUs will have “core voltage” printed somewhere on it. That is your voltage. Some jumpered boards are designed to detect the voltage automatically and then use the correct voltage. In this case, you will not have to worry about it.
3. Set the processor speed. This is not usually done with a single jumper. It is, instead, done by setting the system bus speed and a multiplier. The multiplier is the number which when multiplied by the system bus speed gives the processor speed. There is a separate jumper for each of these settings. Configure these to match the intended CPU. If you know what you're doing and would like to
overclock the chip a tad, set these jumpers a little differently. Generally, though, I would recommend actually getting the system working before trying to
overclock it. If your manual lists settings by CPU, just do what it says. You can sometimes infer from the manual which switches control voltage, multiplier, etc. Generally, if your board is jumper-controlled, you will need to consult the manual for the proper jumper arrangement, use the motherboard layout in the manual to find the jumper on the board itself, and use either your finger or tweezers to
