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**Lax** · 07-04-2005, 07:12 PM

Section 4 - Assembly

First things first, get the case out of the box and remove both side panels. This will allow you best access at the case and will make it easier for you to install things. The first thing you should do is mount the Hard Drive and floppy drive (if you're using one). Putting this in now will save you a lot of trouble when trying to put the motherboard in. Normally there will be a few slots in the case where the Hard Drive and other 3.5" drives will fit (3-5 of them depending on what case you bought). Slide the drive in as far as it will go and slowly pull it back out until the screw holes line up (same with the floppy but make sure it's flush with the front of the case). Get some M3 mounting screws (or whatever came with the case usually) and screw in both sides (2-3 screws per side).

First thing you're gonna want to do before installing your motherboard is figuring out where the risers need to go (if they aren't already in place). Different motherboards require risers in different spots. If you get a mini-ATX board then you may only need five risers. If you're using a server board you may need eight risers. Usually the case should come with a little ziplock baggie or the like that contains the risers ands screws and all the good stuff you need to mount the motherboard to the case.

After the motherboard has been mounted you're gonna want to stick all the components in. Don't worry about putting things in the wrong way because parts will only fit one way (except for IDE cables without a nubbin). Take that shiny new processor out of it's box and; on a flat surface with the case lying on its side, lift up the little locking lever (should be on the right side of the CPU socket if you're looking at the board with the PCI/misc slots towards the bottom) and carefully line up the CPU with pin 1 (should have a little triangle marker in the corner or something to identify it) towards the upper right of the socket. If it's lined up correctly the CPU will fall into place (don't drop it though) and you can then push the lever back into position. If you will be using some sort compound now would be the time to put it on. Before you do however you will need to remove the black pad or whatever other stuff is already on the heatsink. To do this take a plastic tool (card or something else that won't bend or scratch the metal) and scrape off the pad. Wipe off the rest with a xylene based cleaner, acetone, or isopropyl alcohol. Putting on the heatsink is fairly easy also, lay the heatsink on top of the CPU (Don't push it on the clips will do that for you) and very carefully push the clips into the correct mounting spot. After they've been "clipped in" push down on the 2 locking levers (they are in different spots for different heatsinks, just look around).

Next will come the memory (because I said so) so remove it from it's little case you got it in, or box, or whatever it came in (doesn't matter). Now, memory will only fit in one way (just like the CPU and everything else) so don't worry about breaking it, the only way that would happen is if you forced it in the wrong way (which is hard to do because of the little notch in it). DDR slots are usually lined up vertically but may also be aligned differently depending on the board. If it's vertical the shorter end of the chip (on one side of the notch) will be near the bottom, while the longer side (on the other side of the notch) will be on the top. If it's horizontal the shorter end will be to the left while the longer end is to the right. Open up the two clips on one of the DDR slots (they are small and reside at the two ends of the slot). Carefully line up the memory with the slot and push one end of it in until the little clip clips back into place (you will usually hear it AND see it). Next take the other end and push that in too. Repeat the process for however many sticks of RAM you bought for your motherboard.

Now we go onto the graphics card and any other miscellaneous cards you bought. On the left side of the case (if you didn't move it) there will be little covers held in my screws (if you bought a clip-less case). Remove the correct cover that is in line with the slot you intend to use. Again, don't worry about putting them in the wrong way, they will only fit into one type of slot because of the way the cards are designed. Take the card out of the anti-static bag or whatever it came in and gently push it into the slot (for the graphics card you may need to open a clip first or slide a slot cover over, replace to original position when done). Screw it into place and you're done. Repeat step with however many cards you have purchased or need to install. At this point there's not much more to do, install the optical drives you bought and the PSU and you're all done. To put in the optical drives you're going to need to remove the bay covers (just like you had to do with the floppy). The optical drives however slide in from the front of the case, not from the back (like the HDD and the floppy). Open the drive up and push it into whichever bay you want. It should stop itself when it is flush with the front of the case, if not then simply line it up where you want it and screw it in place (like the HDD). Repeat the steps for as many optical drives you bought.

Almost done, time to set the masters and the slaves. Normally the HDD is on its own channel while the opticals are on another. On the back of all the drives there will be a jumper block. Since all drives differ there is no set spot that a jumper needs to go. However, you can tell by reading the block. There will be three settings usually, MA (master), SL (slave), and CS (cable select). Set the HDD as master and plug the IDE cable (usually comes with the motherboard or the HDD) into channel 0 on the motherboard and then into the back of the HDD, it will only fit in one way. Do the same for the optical drives (setting master and slave doesn't really matter in this situation so long as both aren't master and/or slave). Plug the IDE cable into channel 1 on the motherboard and then plug one connector into one drive and the other connector into the other. Floppy drives and SATA drives don't need master and slaves because they are the only ones on their channels. All you need to do in this case is plug the floppy cable into the board and into the floppy (it's the smaller cable). If you're using a SATA drive the cable will be ever smaller (descriptions shown in the HDD 101) and can only fit in one way, plug it in and you're good to go.

Final step, putting in the PSU. This is fairly straight forward and is not that hard. At the top (or bottom) of the case depending on what you bought there will be a big hole, that's where the PSU mounts. Push it into the hole so that the power switch (if it has one) and the power plug face the outside of the case and that the vent faces towards the motherboard. Usually it will be held in place by 2-4 screws that screw in from the outside of the case in the back, screw them in (normal case screws will work with the PSU). Now that the PSU is in place you can plug it all in. On the inside of the case on the motherboard there are 1-2 connectors, these are the main power connectors for the board. They will be either 20-pin or 24-pin depending on what board you bought and what chip you're using (P4's use a special 4-pin connector that looks like a square, you will also need to plug this in). Plug them in; they only fit one way, and push until they click into place. Do the same for the HDD, optical drives, and floppy drive (these connectors are 4-pin and are look like a rectangle) these also only go in one way. Push them all the way in, there will be no click so you will feel it hit the end of the slot. If you're using a SATA drive you will need a special converter (not always) to plug the power into the drive. This usually comes with the drive or maybe the PSU (depending on what you bought). Most graphics cards also need a power connector, 6-pin for PCIe cards and 4-pin for AGP, plug it in the same way you did with the HDD and the opticals.

Plug in any fans that may be in the case (either 3-pin or 4-pin) and you're done with building your own computer.

07-04-2005, 07:12 PM	#6 (permalink)
Lax Moderator Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Snow country Age: 21 Posts: 2,204	Section 4 - Assembly First things first, get the case out of the box and remove both side panels. This will allow you best access at the case and will make it easier for you to install things. The first thing you should do is mount the Hard Drive and floppy drive (if you're using one). Putting this in now will save you a lot of trouble when trying to put the motherboard in. Normally there will be a few slots in the case where the Hard Drive and other 3.5" drives will fit (3-5 of them depending on what case you bought). Slide the drive in as far as it will go and slowly pull it back out until the screw holes line up (same with the floppy but make sure it's flush with the front of the case). Get some M3 mounting screws (or whatever came with the case usually) and screw in both sides (2-3 screws per side). First thing you're gonna want to do before installing your motherboard is figuring out where the risers need to go (if they aren't already in place). Different motherboards require risers in different spots. If you get a mini-ATX board then you may only need five risers. If you're using a server board you may need eight risers. Usually the case should come with a little ziplock baggie or the like that contains the risers ands screws and all the good stuff you need to mount the motherboard to the case. After the motherboard has been mounted you're gonna want to stick all the components in. Don't worry about putting things in the wrong way because parts will only fit one way (except for IDE cables without a nubbin). Take that shiny new processor out of it's box and; on a flat surface with the case lying on its side, lift up the little locking lever (should be on the right side of the CPU socket if you're looking at the board with the PCI/misc slots towards the bottom) and carefully line up the CPU with pin 1 (should have a little triangle marker in the corner or something to identify it) towards the upper right of the socket. If it's lined up correctly the CPU will fall into place (don't drop it though) and you can then push the lever back into position. If you will be using some sort compound now would be the time to put it on. Before you do however you will need to remove the black pad or whatever other stuff is already on the heatsink. To do this take a plastic tool (card or something else that won't bend or scratch the metal) and scrape off the pad. Wipe off the rest with a xylene based cleaner, acetone, or isopropyl alcohol. Putting on the heatsink is fairly easy also, lay the heatsink on top of the CPU (Don't push it on the clips will do that for you) and very carefully push the clips into the correct mounting spot. After they've been "clipped in" push down on the 2 locking levers (they are in different spots for different heatsinks, just look around). Next will come the memory (because I said so) so remove it from it's little case you got it in, or box, or whatever it came in (doesn't matter). Now, memory will only fit in one way (just like the CPU and everything else) so don't worry about breaking it, the only way that would happen is if you forced it in the wrong way (which is hard to do because of the little notch in it). DDR slots are usually lined up vertically but may also be aligned differently depending on the board. If it's vertical the shorter end of the chip (on one side of the notch) will be near the bottom, while the longer side (on the other side of the notch) will be on the top. If it's horizontal the shorter end will be to the left while the longer end is to the right. Open up the two clips on one of the DDR slots (they are small and reside at the two ends of the slot). Carefully line up the memory with the slot and push one end of it in until the little clip clips back into place (you will usually hear it AND see it). Next take the other end and push that in too. Repeat the process for however many sticks of RAM you bought for your motherboard. Now we go onto the graphics card and any other miscellaneous cards you bought. On the left side of the case (if you didn't move it) there will be little covers held in my screws (if you bought a clip-less case). Remove the correct cover that is in line with the slot you intend to use. Again, don't worry about putting them in the wrong way, they will only fit into one type of slot because of the way the cards are designed. Take the card out of the anti-static bag or whatever it came in and gently push it into the slot (for the graphics card you may need to open a clip first or slide a slot cover over, replace to original position when done). Screw it into place and you're done. Repeat step with however many cards you have purchased or need to install. At this point there's not much more to do, install the optical drives you bought and the PSU and you're all done. To put in the optical drives you're going to need to remove the bay covers (just like you had to do with the floppy). The optical drives however slide in from the front of the case, not from the back (like the HDD and the floppy). Open the drive up and push it into whichever bay you want. It should stop itself when it is flush with the front of the case, if not then simply line it up where you want it and screw it in place (like the HDD). Repeat the steps for as many optical drives you bought. Almost done, time to set the masters and the slaves. Normally the HDD is on its own channel while the opticals are on another. On the back of all the drives there will be a jumper block. Since all drives differ there is no set spot that a jumper needs to go. However, you can tell by reading the block. There will be three settings usually, MA (master), SL (slave), and CS (cable select). Set the HDD as master and plug the IDE cable (usually comes with the motherboard or the HDD) into channel 0 on the motherboard and then into the back of the HDD, it will only fit in one way. Do the same for the optical drives (setting master and slave doesn't really matter in this situation so long as both aren't master and/or slave). Plug the IDE cable into channel 1 on the motherboard and then plug one connector into one drive and the other connector into the other. Floppy drives and SATA drives don't need master and slaves because they are the only ones on their channels. All you need to do in this case is plug the floppy cable into the board and into the floppy (it's the smaller cable). If you're using a SATA drive the cable will be ever smaller (descriptions shown in the HDD 101) and can only fit in one way, plug it in and you're good to go. Final step, putting in the PSU. This is fairly straight forward and is not that hard. At the top (or bottom) of the case depending on what you bought there will be a big hole, that's where the PSU mounts. Push it into the hole so that the power switch (if it has one) and the power plug face the outside of the case and that the vent faces towards the motherboard. Usually it will be held in place by 2-4 screws that screw in from the outside of the case in the back, screw them in (normal case screws will work with the PSU). Now that the PSU is in place you can plug it all in. On the inside of the case on the motherboard there are 1-2 connectors, these are the main power connectors for the board. They will be either 20-pin or 24-pin depending on what board you bought and what chip you're using (P4's use a special 4-pin connector that looks like a square, you will also need to plug this in). Plug them in; they only fit one way, and push until they click into place. Do the same for the HDD, optical drives, and floppy drive (these connectors are 4-pin and are look like a rectangle) these also only go in one way. Push them all the way in, there will be no click so you will feel it hit the end of the slot. If you're using a SATA drive you will need a special converter (not always) to plug the power into the drive. This usually comes with the drive or maybe the PSU (depending on what you bought). Most graphics cards also need a power connector, 6-pin for PCIe cards and 4-pin for AGP, plug it in the same way you did with the HDD and the opticals. Plug in any fans that may be in the case (either 3-pin or 4-pin) and you're done with building your own computer. __________________ He who controls the present controls the past. He who controls the past, controls the future. Last edited by Lax; 09-06-2005 at 07:20 PM.