PREFACE:
Building your own computer from component level can be fun and rewarding. It does require a certain amount of technical background in electrical and mechanical dexterity. For information about the functionality of PC components, read this page.
DISCLAIMER:
The information provided here is not guaranteed to be free from error nor complete. This information does not and is not intended to provide instructions sufficient for anyone. Any damages incurred to anyone or anything by the use of this information is not the liability nor responsibility of the author or anyone associated with the presentation of this material.
EXAMPLE:
Below is an example of building your own computer. For a larger view of the pictures, simply click on them. Prepare enough room and a table to work on the building of your new computer. You will need a #1 and #2 Philips (cross) screwdriver, a 3/32" nutdriver or pliers. Actually, I built this computer with a super Leatherman tool.
There are a lot of stores that you can purchase your computer components from. Some of the best prices are found on the web at places like www.pricewatch.com. However, I choose to buy my components from local vendors www.northalabamacomputers.com. Buying locally typically ensures quick replacement of defective parts and provides face to face technical support. However you acquire your components, you will end up with a stack of boxes.
Unpack the boxes and make final notes on additional components you may have forgotten and go get them! Trust me, you will forget something.
Remove the case from it's box and remove the sides. Inside you will find a power cord and screws and accessories. I harp on this on my case components page so I'll harp on it some more. The most important component you will buy is the case. Don't short change yourself on the case. This case is a ten bay super tower server case. It has plenty of room for expansion, extra fans and air flow reducing the damaging effects of excessive heat. The older versions of this case did not have the foam filter at the bottom. Behind the foam filter is a very large fan, even larger than the older model. This is a very good improvement. See this page for more details on the older version of this case.
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Now is the time to look at the motherboard and take note of the mounting hole locations. CAUTION: When handling delicate and sensitive electronic devices please use proper anti-static precautions such as wrist grounding straps. Never touch the components, handle them by their edges. When working with components as you install them in the case, be sure to ground yourself to the case fist and maintain that ground. This will ensure that you, the case, and the components are at the same potential. This motherboard came with the memory already installed. If it is already installed, it is OK to leave it. If not, wait until after the CPU and motherboard power connector is installed before installing your memory. NOTE: Absolutely do not attach the case power cord until you are completely done.
After noting the location of the mounting holes on the MB, locate the corresponding holes in the case MB mounting plane and screw in the brass stand-offs. Tighten them with the nutdriver or pliers. Be carefull not to strip them out, they are only brass after all.
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Next we will install the motherboard connector cover plate in the back of the case. If you need to remove any knockouts to match your motherboard, do it now. Installing the cover plate is a tight fit on purpose, it should snap into place with enough pressure. There may also be a screw required to secure it in place. This picture was taken after the motherboard had been installed. It shows the grounding tabs around the USB connectors bent over. I had to remove the motherboard and do it again.
Slide the motherboard in place and align the holes in the motherboard with the stand-offs. The stand-offs keep the under side of the motherboard from shorting out on the case motherboard mounting plane. The matching mounting holes in the motherboard are soldered around the edges on top and bottom. The connectors will protrude slightly through the cover plate. Be careful of the small metal grounding tabs. While holding it in place, secure one screw. Then finish with the rest of the screws.
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Now connect the motherboard power cable from the case power supply and other case connectors. "Other" case connectors include the power switch, reset switch IDE LED, speaker, and power LED. Unfortunately, the LED connectors are not keyed so they can be reversed. If the polarities of the cables are reversed, the LED will not light. On well designed motherboards, reversing LED polarities will not damage the motherboard. Consult your motherboard manual for the correct polarities. On this case, all of the LED wires have one white wire. That indicates the white wire is ground or "-". The motherboard power cable is keyed so it will go in one way. Don't forget to set motherboard jumpers if needed.
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At this point we can install the CPU. This CPU is an Intel Flip Chip (FC) Plastic Grid Array (PGA) that mounts in a Zero Insertion Force (ZIF) socket on the motherboard. The socket has a lever on the side that raises to install the CPU and then lowers and locks into place to secure the CPU. The CPU will go in one way so don't worry, the pins are keyed on purpose. IF you have any doubts, consult the manual that comes with the CPU.
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Take a look at the CPU heatsink and mounting device that comes with the CPU. The heatsink must go on in exactly the right way. The small plastic square on one end of the heat sink will mate with the blue button in the middle of the CPU. This small plastic square is actually heat sink compound that ensures good thermal conductivity with the heatsink. When the heatsink is installed, it will cover the entire CPU and socket. That is why the small plastic square is offset to one end. After setting the heatsink in place, snap the heatsink mounting device in place. Be careful not to put too much pressure on the heat sink. After the heatsink mounting device is in place, flip it's lever down. It will take some force. Then snap the heatsink fan onto the heatsink and plug it into the CPU fan connector on the motherboard.
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Before installing your drives, picture how you want the drives aligned in the case and take note of the required cable lengths and spacing for heat flow. You want to ensure that every drive has adequate space above and below it. You can accomplish this by interspacing small drives (Floppy, ZIP) and bay coolers with large drives (CD-ROMs).
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The Hard Drive is mounted in a special heat sink called the Drive Cooler. First mount the hard drive to the cooler bottom mounting plate then screw the mounting plate into the cooler. The hard drive mounts such that the connectors are facing the rear of the cooler. It also a good idea to set the drive jumpers (Master/Slave) before installing them. Remember that each IDE port/cable can only accommodate 2 devices, one master and one slave. Alternate every other drive installed with master and slave settings to ensure the IDE cable will fit.
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This cases power switch is mounted in a 5.25" to 3.5" bay adapter. This bay adapter is for the floppy drive. In this case the floppy is a LS120 drive. The LS120 is an IDE device so don't forget to set the jumper.
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To install your drives into the case, slide them in and secure them with screws. Most drives come with screws. If not the case comes with a bag of screws. There are fine thread and course thread screws, be careful not to use the wrong ones. Also, on CD-ROMs, try to use short screws if available. Typically if the drive requires special screws, it will come with them.
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The use of bay coolers is highly recommended. Bay coolers induct air into the front of the case and should be positioned around drives that generate a lot of heat such as CD ROMs and Writers. And don't forget they usually have filters on them that require regular cleaning. Filtered air intake is a must. The dirt and dust will build up on the components and act as a thermal insulator and reduce their cooling. When components get hot, their lives can become shortened or worse yet they can become damaged. The filters help cut down on the amount of dirt and dust that builds up inside the computer. Once a year you should remove your computer and gently blow out the dust. Most computer stores sell cans of compressed air for this purpose.
When connecting a Live Drive to a Sound Blaster Live sound card, take note of the black dot on the ribbon cable and read the installation instructions. The black dot signifies which device that end of the cable connects to, whether the drive or the card.
Now it is time to install your adapter cards into the motherboard slots. This motherboard came with an additional set of USB ports mounted onto a slot strip. The slot strip attaches to the motherboard via a small ribbon cable. Secure slot strips and adapters with screws.
The PC only has a limited number of Interrupt Requests (IRQs). Every AGP or PCI slot on a motherboard is assigned an IRQ that is shared with other slots or motherboard devices such as USB controllers. Some adapters do not share IRQ's well. Note that you may have to swap adapters later if conflicts arise. In this case, we will install the Ethernet NIC first and then the Sound Card next to it.
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When inserting cards into slots, align the card edge with the connector and then seat the card into the motherboard slot connector. PCI, AGP, and other connectors are keyed and spaced so that you cannot put the wrong type of card in the wrong slot. Here is the AGP video card.
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After your drives and adapters are installed, it is time to connect the cables. Most usually, the red stripe on the IDE cable is towards the power connector on the drive. Some ribbon cables are keyed so they only go on one way, some are not. Read the installation instructions that come with your motherboard, drives and adapters. In all cases, the red stripe connects to pin 1 of the device. Sometimes, you can see a "1" marked on the device. Note: UDMA100 devices are sometimes supported on only the primary IDE port on the motherboard. Also, both devices on an UDMA100 cable must be UDMA100. If not, the controller will down select to the lowest common bus speed. Don't forget to plug in the power cables, 3.5" drives take a smaller connector than 5.25" drives. Power connectors are keyed so they only go in one way.
The motherboard came with cables and slot adapters. You may need to purchase longer IDE ribbon cables or extra cables to connect all of your devices.
CDROM drives have audio cables that connect to the sound card. DVD drives use SPDIF (2 wire) while the older analog CDROMS use a flat connector.
Next is the installation of case fans. Your case may already come with a fan or two installed. This case has four total fans, 2 were already installed. The two small rear fans near the adapter cards are installed with special very course thread screws for plastic. Be sure to check the fans that came pre-installed. The front fan was installed but the keeper screw was not. Remember to connect up the fans to the power supply. I typically choose one power connector lead coming from the power supply and daisy-chain all other fans together. Note that the fans have rotation and flow direction indicators usually molded into the fan housing. Mount the fans so that front fans draw air into the case from the front and rear fans pull air out of the case and blow air out the back of the case.
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The lower fans help pull air across the adapter cards keeping them cool and running at top performance.
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The lower fan right above the adapter card slots may not install correctly due to interference with the adapter cards. To overcome this problem, snip off/file the two ears causing the interference. Only the four ears next to the case wall are used for the mounting screws.
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Now install blanks in the slots that do not have adapter cards.
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Now sit back and enjoy your final product, a custom built by you PC.
