Build Your Own Pc

[mountaindew]

The Two-Fold Secret

 

Patience and Plugs. There you have it, the two P's of Geek power. Be Patient and always remember, only Plug in the plugs that match. That last bit is the real key, and all kidding aside, if you remember that one simple fact when assembling a computer even you can build the Holy Grail of computers. Actually it isn't all that surprising if you think about it. The folks who make computers for a living need inexpensive labor. There is no reason why a computer should be difficult to build as long as you make the bits easy to assemble correctly, and that is exactly what hardware manufacturers have done.

 

Let There Be Parts

 

We won't presume to tell you in this article what kind of computer to build. You know what you want to do and what your budget will allow, so take your time and work out the best compromise of those two fundamentally conflicting factors. Depending on where you are in the world, you may not be able to walk in to a local discount computer parts store and choose the bits you need right off the shelf. Too bad. While mail (or Net) ordering parts is convenient, it has the singular disadvantage of not being able to ask questions of the resident local computer-shop-Geek. These Geeks can often help you sort out problems with your choices in hardware before you make your purchase. However, for the purposes of this article we will assume you have the parts you need to build a working computer.

 

You will need a clean, quiet space about the size of your kitchen table with an electrical outlet nearby where you can work without interruption. The absolute minimum of tools you need are a non-magnetic Phillips screwdriver and perhaps a small pair of needle-nose pliers with insulated grips. If you plan on building computers from scratch repeatedly, doing this professionally, plan on repairing older computers, or are a tad clumsy, you might need a few more tools such as depicted here. Your hands must be clean and dry and you must remember the first commandment of working on electrical appliances: Thou Shalt Not Electrocute Thyself.

 

The second commandment is almost as important: Thou Shalt Ground Thyself On The Chassis Before Touching Computer Parts. As you know, static electricity will destroy expensive computer bits in the blink of an eye. Each time you reach out to touch a computer part you should first ground yourself by touching the computer chassis before doing so. This is why it is important to work with the computer plugged in and grounded. The real trick to satisfying both the First and Second Commandments Of Computing is to plug the computer into a surge protector with the power turned off. This maintains the ground but reduces or eliminates the chance of shocking yourself.

 

The third commandment is: Thou shalt not apply excessive force. Any time you insert a card or chip into a slot, be gentle. Push gently, rock the part back and forth a bit if necessary. If it just doesn't want to go in, it's probably either in the wrong slot or inserted the wrong way. Sometimes you have to push firmly, but using too much force can break things, so be careful.

 

Let The Party Begin

 

Start by taking inventory of your parts. Lay each part out on the table and look them over carefully. Make sure you have all manuals and printed material close by. If you have a second computer in the household with internet access you should locate the web sites of each of the manufacturers of the parts and bookmark them. PC911 has a great reference area if you need help finding some of these web sites. Basically, as a bare minimum, this is what you should have:

 

A case suitable for the system board you will be using. The case is comprised of several parts.

A steel chassis with a power supply in the inside back which should be rated at (at least) 250 Watts. The power supply will have a cooling fan. The power cord plugs into this power supply in the back of the cases.

A case cover, usually metal, sometimes comprised of several panels, which will allow you to close the case once your work is done. There will be several screws which secure the cover(s) in place. Make sure they fit properly and that you understand how it goes together. It should assemble only one way and you should not have to bend or force it in place. The screw holes should line up so that you have no difficulty seating the screws. There may be several different sizes of screws. determine which are the correct ones for this purpose and set them aside.

There should be a small bag of hardware with plastic parts, screws and some small (often brass) bolts which will act as supports for the system board. Review the contents of this bag of hardware.

You will need a second and third case fan (often not included with a new case). The fan in the power supply will usually blow air out of the cases. Common practice is to have a second fan in the front of the cases sucking fresh, cool air into the case, and a third fan in the back right behind the CPU to blow warm air out of the case. Opinions differ on this last point but one thing is certain, your computer generates heat and you must provide a means to get it out of the box. For more information on cooling, check out the PC911 cooling tutorial.

A system board, often called a "Mother board." Currently, the most common type of system board is an ATX Form Factor board, however, regardless of what you have, make sure that it will fit into the case and that the holes in the board line up with the screw holes in the base plate of the case.

You must have a manual for the system board. If you do not have the correct manual for your specific model system board, STOP. You cannot assemble the computer without this manual.

You should have a small bag with two or more ribbon type cables in it. These are:

An IDE ribbon cable.

A floppy drive ribbon cable.

There may be a CD or floppy disk with drivers (software which "drives" the hardware).

A CPU suitable for the system board you will be using. If you are unsure if the system board supports the particular CPU you have, read the manual. It will have a chart indicating which CPUs are supported and how the board should be set (jumpered) to accommodate your specific CPU. The CPU will require its own fan, usually sold separately.

One or more RAM sticks of the correct type for your system board. Again, refer to the manual for the system board for details.

A hard drive disk. Make sure you have enough space to grow. Generally you can expect about three to five years life from a hard drive so consider your possible computing needs well into the future.

A 3½" floppy disk drive.

A CD-ROM drive. Choose a 24x drive or better. Optionally, you could go with a good CD-R (CD recorder).

A video adapter card. There are several types available these days. Make sure that the card you have will plug into one of the plugs (slots) in the system board. You will notice perhaps several different slots in the system board, but the video adapter will only plug into one, or one type of slot.

A mouse with a suitable connector for your system board. Most common is a PS2 mouse which has a small round barrel jack. Refer to the manual for the location of the appropriate jack for the mouse.

A keyboard, also with a suitable connector for the system board. Try plugging the keyboard and mouse into the system board to make sure you have compatible components.

A monitor.

These are the basic minimum essentials you must have in order to build a computer. However, there are many more items you may wish to use:

 

A sound card. There is a huge assortment of cards available. If you decide to get a sound card you will also need shielded, computer speakers.

A modem. We must surf!

A Network Interface card (NIC) if you intend to set up a local area network (LAN). Also, for those of us lucky enough to have cable access to the internet this is a must.

Techno-junky geeks could add hardware until the box bursts. We leave it to you to lust after the gizmo of your choice.

Let the Assembly Begin: The Motherboard

 

 

Start by removing the cover(s) from your case. Set the case so that the base plate, the part onto which you will attach the system board, is flat on the table. If it's a tower type case, lay it on it's side, if it's a desktop type case just set it on its "feet." Speaking of feet, look over that bag of parts; most new cases require that you snap in the little plastic feet. Now is a good time to do that.

 

Before you go any further, take the system board and set it down into the case. Note that there are blanked off holes and slots in the back of the case which correspond with the various connectors that must plug into the system board itself, or the cards that will fit into it. If you have the room, be prepared to place the video adapter, sound card and whatever else you have as far apart as possible. Don't worry if you have to plug them in side by side but it sure makes it easier to work on the computer if you can get your fingers in between the cards. Remove the blanks for the holes you'll need once the computer is assembled. Some people prefer to remove all the blanks, so all the holes are open. This saves the trouble of doing so in the future if you decide to add new cards or parts and has the added benefit of allowing air to circulate in the case, improving cooling. Install the front and rear case fans if they didn't come pre-installed. Check that it will blow in the correct direction, which is usually indicated on the frame of the fan by a little printed arrow. For more information on cooling, check out our cooling tutorial.

 

Now you know how all the parts will fit into place. Look through the hardware that came with the case. You should have a packet of small stand-off/spacer screws. These are usually brass, will thread into the case base plate and will support the system board. Screw them in place in the case and then set the system board down on them. You should now be able to use some small screws to fasten the system board in place. The screws will thread into the tops of the brass stand-off screws. Hopefully you got also some washers made from a non-conductive material, such as plastic, to use with the screws to absolutely eliminate the possibility of the metal head of the screw touching anything on the board it is not supposed to touch. If there are any screw holes left unsupported by the stand-off screws, look for plastic snap-in support grommets. These will snap into the remaining holes in the system board from underneath and help to support it. It is important to make sure the system board is well supported up, away from the metal case or it could short out.

 

Once the system board is secure you can plug the long male connector from the power supply into the female plastic connector on the system board. Here is where you will see The Two-Fold Secret in action. The plug from the power supply will only plug in to one receptacle -- it will not fit any other connector. What's more, it will only fit one way. You can't plug it in backwards or upside down. Once plugged in your system board will have power to it so proceed with caution.

 

Next you can plug the CPU in place. There are now several different types of CPU to system board sockets available. If you've shopped carefully and have the correct combination of board and CPU, and if you read the manual you will see that there is only one way to plug the CPU into the socket. Be patient and gentle. Look the CPU and socket over carefully before you assemble them.

 

The RAM should be installed next. It should only fit one way. If you look carefully at the bottom of each RAM stick, you'll notice that there is a notch in it that makes it fit into the socket on the board only one possible direction. Again, be gentle, don't force it.

 

Now you need to set the jumpers for the CPU and, if applicable, for the RAM. Look in the manual for the CPU setting charts. There will probably be (at least) four charts for four "banks", or sets of jumpers to control the CPU settings. Each of these must be correct in order for the computer to function properly. The jumper banks will likely be broken down as follows:

 

The CPU I/O voltage. This is a general setting for whole families of CPUs. There will probably be one setting for all older CPUs and one for newer ones. Whatever the arrangement, the manual should spell it out clearly.

The CPU/Bus speed. This is the multiplier for the CPU speed. You should have a chart in your manual with settings for X2.0, X3.0, X4.0, X4.5, etc. This setting works with the CPU clock speed (next item) to set the final CPU speed.

The CPU clock. This setting controls the speed (MHz) at which the CPU functions. For example, a 400MHz Pentium II CPU should be jumpered at 100MHz with the BUS speed multiplier set to X4.0. Thus 100MHz X 4.0 = 400MHz. Or, if you have a 300MHz AMD CPU, the setting would be 75MHz X 4.0 = 300MHz. This figure is a close approximation of the actual CPU speed. When you hear a computer referred to as a e.g. "450 Celeron", this is what someone is talking about.

The CPU core voltage. Every CPU has certain specific core voltage requirements. Many chips have this figure stamped directly onto the chip itself. If you can't find it there, look in the paperwork for the CPU. The manufacturers web page should also have this information available.

Some motherboards don't have jumpers, though. They have something called SoftMenu, which means you boot the PC when you have all the parts installed, and carefully look on that first black screen for a message that reads something like "Press DEL to enter Setup." Check the motherboard manual for details how to enter the Setup menu, or BIOS. Then look in the BIOS for an entry called SoftMenu or CPU Menu. Here's where you set the clock and bus speed. The advantage of this is that you don't need to fiddle with those pesky little jumpers that have the nasty habit of jumping out of your fingers (that's why they are called jumpers - I think) into the smallest crevice available.

 

Check the manual to see if your RAM requires any jumper settings. If so, just use the same methodical approach and you'll be fine.

 

Now it's time to plug in the ribbon cables.

 

Note: This article deals with IDE drives, since they are the most popular for the home user market. If you have SCSI devices in your setup, please check out our ultimate SCSI guide for details on how to easily install SCSI devices.

 

These cables connect the different drives (floppy drive, CD-ROM and hard drives) to the system board. Each ribbon is 12, 18 or 24 inches long, and will have two or three connectors. Note that the floppy drive ribbon cable will only plug into the floppy drive because of its different size. You can't plug it into the hard drive or CD-ROM. Also, you'll see that it will only plug into one connector on the system board. Most system boards label the connector "Floppy" or similar, so there is no mistaking where it goes. The floppy cable stands out a bit because it has a funny twist towards one end. Plug the connector at the end after the twist into your floppy drive, this is what makes it drive A:. If you plugged it into the middle connector before the twist, it would become drive B:. The connector on the other end of the cable, away from the twist, goes into the floppy controller connector on the motherboard. Additionally, each of the connectors for these cables will only fit into their respective sockets one way. This is accomplished with a locating pin placed on one side of the connector or with asymmetrically shaped connectors. It might be possible to jam one of these connectors into the wrong socket but it wouldn't be easy to do (if you could do it at all) and you would almost certainly damage the connector in doing so.

 

The Thin Red Line

 

Nope, we're not talking about the sorry excuse for a movie with the same name, but about the most important clue on how to connect the ribbon cables correctly. Along one side of the ribbon cable (both floppy and hard drive) you'll notice a red stripe. This marks the side of Pin 1. On every hard drive and floppy drive and CD ROM drive you'll find a marking somewhere around, over, under, at, near the plug that shows you where Pin 1 is. Usually this marker is a tiny number 1 printed or an obvious arrow pointing. The same applies for the opposite connector on the motherboard. Line up the red line on the ribbon cable with the marker for Pin 1 and you're golden.

 

Each of the ribbon cables will have either two or three plugs; one at either end and a third plug (optional) closer to one end than the other. The end of the ribbon cable with the lone connector is the side that plugs into the system board. This holds true for both the floppy and HDD/CD-ROM ribbon cables.

 

The hard drive ribbon cable can plug into one of two connectors on the system board. Both connectors are for hard drive cables, but one of these is the Primary IDE connector and the other is the Secondary IDE connector. Each of these has a similar though specific function. Your system board will accommodate up to three separate individual hard drives along with one CD-ROM drive. All of these items plug into these IDE ribbon cables, however, there is a particular order in which these items are connected. For now though, let's finish assembling the system board in the case.

 

Now look for a series of thin colored wires with small plugs coming from the inside front face of the case. These are the wires for the power switch, speaker, reset button, HDD light and fan in the front of the case. The little plugs will be labeled clearly. You will also notice that the plugs are notched, shaped asymmetrically and there will be a marking to indicate which is the number one pin. Now look at the corners of the system board for a series of little prongs sticking up. You'll know you've found them when you see the labels on the system board itself for the POWER SWITCH, FAN, SPEAKER, HDD (for the hard drive activity light) and POWER LED. They're usually all close together, bunched up in one corner of the main board. Note that the corresponding number one pins are labeled with a small triangular arrow head. They've made it basically foolproof. What with labels, specially shaped plugs and number one pin markers it's a straightforward job of plugging all those items in.

 

You should consult your motherboard manual for some help with plugging these cables in. Any decent manual has a clear diagram explaining exactly which pins are for what and how to connect the cables to them. Also, keep in mind that you can't really do much wrong with these cables. After you are done assembling and turn the PC on, watch the lights on the front of the case and make sure the switches work. If they don't, simply turn it off, reverse the plugs for the item(s) that didn't work, and you should be in business.

Let There Be Drives: Installing The CD-ROM, Floppy And Hard Drives

 

 

Once the system board is in place and the floppy and IDE cable(s) and other wires are plugged into the system board you can install the various drives in the cases. Note where the cables will reach before you begin so you can plug everything in once you're finished. Here again, the arrangement is standardized. There are two different sized "bays" into which each of the various drives will fit. The smaller, 3½" bays are commonly used for your hard drive and floppy drive. The larger 5¼" bays will accept the CD-ROM and, when used with special brackets, will accommodate additional hard drives. Once you slide the drives into place you can easily see where the screw holes in the drive line up with slots in the case. All drives must be secured with four screws so that they cannot rattle about in the case. Once these are all in place you can begin to plug them in.

 

Note: The following paragraphs explain the basics of connecting IDE drives. If you feel you need (or want) to know more about installing IDE drives, please check out our IDE drive installation article.

 

There are several possible arrangements to configure your IDE drives, depending on how many devices you wish to connect:

 

One Hard Drive - One CD-ROM Drive

 

 

The Primary IDE cable will plug into the hard drive which will boot first.

This is the C: drive. This hard drive will plug into the very end connector of the ribbon cable. This "boot" hard drive will have its jumpers set as "Master." These jumper settings can be found printed directly on the hard drive case.

The Secondary IDE cable will plug into the CD-ROM.

This Secondary IDE device, since by itself, will be jumpered as "Master" as well. The reason for this setup is that an IDE controller cannot multi-task, meaning transferring data from or to two devices at the same time. Therefore, by putting each device on its own controller, it will improve data transfer e.g. when installing from the CD-ROM to the hard drive because data can be transferred from the CD-ROM and to the hard drive at the same time since they each have their own controller. If they were on the same controller, it could do only one thing at a time and would have to wait until one transfer is complete, then switch and do the other one. This setup is also good when you have a CD-R (CD burner) because this arrangement will help to ensure that the data from the hard drive to be burned onto CD is being fed continuously to the burner. If the data stream gets interrupted, it could cause a buffer underrun, meaning you just produced a coaster.

Two Hard Drives - One CD-ROM Drive

 

The Primary IDE cable will plug into the hard drive which will boot first.

This is the C: drive. This hard drive will plug into the very end connector of the ribbon cable. This "boot" hard drive will have its jumpers set as "Master." These jumper settings can be found printed directly on the hard drive case.

The Secondary IDE cable will plug into the second hard drive, and CD-ROM drive.

In this scenario, you 'll plug the cable into the second hard drive, which should be jumpered to "Master", and the CD-ROM drive, jumpered as "Slave." You can benefit from this setup after installing Windows by putting the Windows swap file onto this second hard drive, which will result in a small performance gain. For more information about the Windows swap file, check out our article on Managing the Swap File.

Four IDE Devices

 

Since each IDE channel can hold only two IDE devices and most motherboards come with two IDE controllers, this is the maximum amount of IDE devices you can have in a regular setup.

With four IDE devices, the only choice you have is what device to connect to what channel. Follow the guidelines given above about putting the CD-ROM (or CD-R or DVD-ROM) on the secondary controller, and, if applicable, a second hard drive on the secondary IDE controller. Important: Some hard drives have different jumper settings, depending whether there is a second device present on the same channel or not. E.g. one IDE drive by itself on the Primary IDE channel would be jumpered as "Master only" or "Master without Slave present." But if there is a second device on the same channel, you might need to jumper it as "Master with Slave present." Consult the drive's manufacturer's web site for the necessary settings if they are not clearly printed on a sticker or marked otherwise on the drive.

Note: Some newer motherboards offer now more than two IDE controllers, e.g. two additional DMA66 controllers, which lets you add more than 4 IDE devices. Or, if you're using SCSI in your system, then you obviously don't have to worry about above mentioned restrictions either.

 

Let There Be Power

 

Of course you need power to run this whole machinery - no juice, no fun. Look at that bundle of cables and connectors from the power supply. It has different shaped plugs.

The biggest one, a massive 20-pin connector, supplies power to the motherboard. Consult the motherboard manual on how to connect this one, but it should be pretty obvious as there is only one socket that can accomodate this plug, and it is shaped so that it can only fit one way.

 

The medium sized connectors are for your hard drives and CD drives. They also fit only one way and the socket for this plug is very obvious on the back of those devices.

 

The smallest connector, of which there might be only one or two, are for floppy drives.

 

Let There Be Light

 

 

All that remains now is to install your video adapter card and any other cards you intend to use. The trick to these is to wiggle and rock them gently and firmly into place. Line up the metal tab with the slot in the back of the case and just start the card into the socket. Make sure you have everything lined up. Look it over carefully. Then, once you are comfortable that the card is ready to be seated you can begin applying pressure while you wiggle the card from side to side and rock it back and forth. Seat the card down into its connector completely and screw in the locating screw that attaches it to the back of the case, just above the slot. Repeat this process with each of the cards you intend to install.

 

Let There Be Caution

 

 

You've come this far. At this point you will probably be excited about what you've accomplished and anxious to get that puppy fired up. Not so fast there, chum. Stop and double-check yourself. Look very carefully at everything you've done. Is each connector and card fully seated and plugged in correctly? Visually inspect your handiwork. Take the opportunity to feel good about what you've accomplished so far. Once you feel confident that all is well you can begin to set it up for its first boot.

 

By now you're so familiar with all the parts and their purpose that you need little guidance. Leave the covers off of the case for now; you may need to go back in to check some of your work or make adjustments if you didn't get one of the jumper settings right the first time. Plug the monitor into the video adapter and then the keyboard, mouse, and other peripherals into the correct ports. Of course, you'll need a bootable floppy disk for your favorite operating system. Plug it into the A: drive and hit the power switch. At this point, don't forget to go into the BIOS setup and make any necessary adjustments, if applicable.

 

You've just built your own computer from scratch. Now that wasn't so difficult, was it? Now all you need to do is install the operating system. For some help with that, check out our article on Clean-installing Windows