TechSlip.net

Building your own computer comes down to a few factors and I am here to discuss these.

Price

Price is one of the most important mainly because you can set your own budget. Your budget of course will affect the quality of the computer. Saving money and getting what you want. What more could you ask for?

Customization

When you go to a store and buy a pre-built computer, you can’t choose what exactly you want. Which this may not be a big deal for general computer buyers but if you are specific and have requirements then custom building is great. You get to choose the exact parts that you want. This way you know what you are getting, where it comes from, and more information on the parts.

Types Of Custom Computers

When I say types I usually categorize them into standard usage, moderate usage, heavy usage. Standard would require the bare minimum specs, usually for a home user just surfing the internet and typing documents. Students usually fall into this category as well. Moderate would be a business type of computer needing more space, better programs using more speed, etc. Heavy would be media editing, gaming, etc. This requires lots of memory, bigger hard drivers, good video card, etc.

Coverage

When you buy a computer from a store it is usually a standard 1-2 years of “Limited” coverage. This is great but if something happens to a part, you will have to send it back, wait for them to fix it or send you a refurbished unit. Usually you are pushed back and forth with support lines and it isn’t too fun. If you do purchase a store computer I recommend getting an extended warranty so your covered.

When custom building a computer you will have warranties and coverage on each individual part. This may come in handy because you can deal with an individual part and usually have it fixed quicker. Or if you know a part needs to be replaced you can do it yourself.

Software

When you buy a computer in a store it usually has software built in so you don’t have to hassle with installing an Operating system and other software. When custom building you will have to purchase the software and operating system that you want. So spending some money on that will increase the cost and take a little more of your time. At least purchasing the operating system you will have the actual cd, instead of a restore CD.

Summary

Custom building is becoming a very popular thing to do. For beginners it may be scary and it was for all of us, believe me. Once you get the feel of having control and knowing each part it is a great thing. So if you want to save money and have what you want then you should definitely custom build a computer.

I have the step by step guides for each component on Tech Slip. Enjoy and good luck!

When building a computer you will need a list of items. Make sure you have all of this before trying to build it.

Tools

· Phillips head screwdriver
· Tweezers (maybe)

Good lighting

Hardware

· Computer Case

· Motherboard

· Hard Drive

· Memory (RAM)

· Processor

· Video Card (unless onboard)

· DVD/CD Drive

· Floppy Drive

· Power Supply

· Keyboard, Mouse, Monitor

Software

· Driver CDs (from each component)

· Operating System

Cables & Other

· IDE Cables (SATA Cable for newer components)

· Power cables

· Jumpers (come with drives)

· Screws & risers (come with motherboard)

· Cooling compound for CPU (if not included on heatsink)

First off your case will need to be setup properly to insert parts. Now when I purchase my cases they usually have the fans installed and power supply as well. I will take you through the steps as if they are not in it already.

Fans (Skip if they are installed in case)

Make sure your case is cleaned out with no debris. Install your case fans to the spot you want them in with the 4 screws provided. Make sure they are facing the right way to blow air out of the case.

Motherboard Risers

Motherboard risers keep the motherboard up away from the bare metal on the case, preventing short outs and other electrical problems. On your motherboard there are reinforced holes (usually in each corner and other spots too). Look at your case and you will see threads where the motherboard risers screw in. Place them according to your manual or to match up with the motherboard holes.

That’s it for case prep.

Make sure you are always grounding yourself to your case. Place one hand on the outside metal of the case and use the other to install parts or screw.
Now that your motherboard risers are setup in your case, place the motherboard on the risers. The holes should be aligned. Place the washers and screws into each hole. Tighten down all of them. DO NOT put a lot of pressure on the board itself because it may flex and break.
Double check and make sure it is secure and not touching any metal on the case beside the risers.

Move on to the next step

If your case is not already preinstalled with a power supply follow the steps below.
Take your power supply and slide it in the top back section of the case. You will see the big opening where it fits into and exposes 4 screw holes. Secure the power supply into place with the 4 screws provided. Make sure it is in place and move on to the next step.

Before installing your processor please note a few things. Older processors will be a little harder to install because the heatsink will require popping on a metal slide onto each side of it. This is usually a scary step because of the force required to put on the heatsink. So if it feels extremely hard to do or you don’t feel comfortable, please find someone who can do it. The newer processors have an easy to install heatsink which is just a plastic bracket that it pops right into without pain.

Thermal paste will be needed unless your heatsink has a strip already on the bottom of it. Make sure your processor’s pins are not bent before installing.
Find the processor slot (The square white one with all the small holes). Pull the release lever up. Set the processor in place making sure it is facing the correct direction. Your manual will show which way it should be facing. Most will have a small arrow in the corner of the processor, showing it should face towards the bottom corner of the release lever.

Push back down the release lever. Put thermal paste on the small chip in the center if the heatsink does not have thermal paste on it. Place the heatsink on the processor. If it is the new style it will just snap into place and be easy. The older style will have a metal bar in the middle of the heatsink. Place one end of the metal slide on the plastic tab on the processor slot. You will have to try to push the other side down to snap onto the opposite tab.
Plug the small power cable from the heatsink into the correct pins. Consult your manual for a layout.

Move on to step 5

Make sure you are grounded to the case in every step.
Find your memory slots on the motherboard. Push the release buttons down on each side. Insert the memory module into the slot and the release buttons should snap into place. The memory will only fit into the slot one way most of the time. Make sure the notches on the memory line up with the slot.

Make sure it is secure and move on to Step 6.

Video cards are usually found in 3 ways. AGP style, PCI, and PCI Express.
AGP will be a smaller brown slot found by the PCI slots. PCI slots are going to be the multiple white slots on the board, used for video cards, modems, sound cards, etc.
Push the video card down into the correct slot. Secure with the 1 screw included. Some video cards will require a power source. Plug in the power cable from your power supply to it if needed.

Continue to the next step.

Installing hard drives, dvd drives, floppy drives, and others are all basically the same. The optical drives such as CD and DVD will go at the top bigger slots (5 1/2″). The hard drives and floppy drives will go in the bottom slots which are smaller (3 1/2″)
Slide the drive into the slot. Make sure the side thread holes are lined up inside the case so you can fit the screws in that are included with the drives. Secure the drive with 2 screws on each side. Do this with your hard drive, optical drive, and floppy drive.

Continue to Step 8

Consult your motherboard manual for a layout of slots. Optical drives and hard drives can either be IDE or SATA cables.

Plug in the IDE or SATA cable into the drive (line up the notches to make sure it is in correctly).

Plug the other end into the motherboard slot (line up the notch here as well). Do this with all drives.

Plug in your power cable from the power supply into each drive. Make sure the power cables are in right and each drive has a power source.

Plug in the power for each fan and also the motherboard. The motherboard power will be the biggest connector from the power supply.

Configuring jumpers for hard drives will allow you to have a Master & a Slave drive. This will make one your main drive for your operating system and your other as a backup for files and such. Different brands have different jumper configurations. The jumper is a small plastic piece that covers 2 pins on the back of the drive. Using tweezers helps take these on and off. Be sure to look on the hard drive to see how the jumper should be set for each setting.

Plugging in your power cables, led cables, reset cables, etc from the front of the computer will probably be the most difficult part. The best way is to find the placement in your manual and match up the cables that way. Don’t get frustrated if the computer power button or reset doesn’t work right away. It may just be hooked up wrong. Double check your manual