Section 7 - Step by Step
This section is meant as a rough idea of exactly how to put together a computer piece by piece. To start you're going to want to leave anywhere from 3 hours to 6 hours for construction time just in case you run into anything un-expected or any major porblems with the parts (wrong part, damaged part, etc.). For this build I will be using an older SocketA Duron chip with an ECS K7S5A motherboard.
All photo's are clickable via the highlighted orange links, this is to save load times for anyone still on a slower non-broadband connection.
To start with find a large table or area you will be able to spread stuff out on if need be and preferebly wood or some other non-conducting material. Remove all the parts from their respective cases and place them on the table or wherever you're working. Survey the parts to make sure your received all the items you were supposed to receive in the packaging. Remove all the uneeded parts (such as extra converters and cables) from the table to 1. Save space and 2. To keep yourself from getting confused over what is what (if you are a new time builder). The main parts you should have left are the Case, motherboard (plus back panel plate), CPU, Heatsink and fan, RAM, Hard Drive(s), CD-ROM drive(s), PSU, Graphics card, Floppy (if you are using one), and IDE/SATA cables. Once this has been done it's time to start assembling the parts and getting everything into the case.
To start out with you're going to want to put the CPU into the motherboard first. To do this you will need to remove the protective cover (on some motherboards) an
lift the lever to allow the CPU to be dropped into place. Once that is done you can take the CPU (very carefully) and
place it into the mount with pin 1 in whichever corner it is supposed to be in (upper right in the case of this motherboard). Once the chip is in you can put the
lever back down (it will feel tight when you push it down but that is ok). Next apply any thermal compound you might have. Place a very small dot of compound (enough to cover the core when smoothed out), in this case it is a very small amount because we are using an older Duron chip.
Smooth the compound out (doing a better job than me) with a credit card or other flat plastic object (just as a business card). Next you will want to lay the heatsink on top of the chip. In this case it is an older heatsink and uses 2 clips on either side of the chip to hold it in place. With newer heatsinks they use either 4 push clips on all 4 corners or in some cases are screwed into place on the motherboard. Clip the
farside of the heatsink into place first then position it on the chip. Using a screwdriver or other small flat object push the
opposite clip down
onto the holder. It will be very tight when you push it down, that is ok. Finally, plug the CPU fan power connector into the motherboard. It is usually the connector closest to the CPU and will be labeled as
CPUFAN or the like. On this board it is a 3 pin connector, on most new boards it will be a 4 pin.
Next you will want to insert the memory. This is done very simply by opening the clips on either side,
positioning the RAM module in place (there will be a notch in the ram that lines up with a notch in the mount), and pushing down so that it
clips into the mount. This will also feel tight and that's ok, just push with constant pressure on one side at a time until it clips in then move onto the next side. Repeat as necessary for however many modules you have.
Now that the RAM and CPU are in you are
done with the board for now so put it to the side. Take the case out of the box and
remove both panels from it to access the inside. This case hapens to have a removable
motherboard tray which will be benificial to us to put the motherboard in later. If you have a motherboard tray remove it and put it to the side with the motherboard. Next you'll want to take your CD-ROM drive(s), Hard Drive(s), and Floppy (if you have one) and mount them into the case. To do this you simply find a spot you want to put them (usually CD-ROM's are up top and Hard Drives and floppy's are down low) and
screw them into place with the provided screws (or if you have a screwless case attach the mounting clips and slide them into place). Repeat the process for however many CD-ROM drives or Hard Drives you have.
Next you're going to want to mount the motherboard to the motherboard try (or inside the case, depending). Line up the motherboard and find the spots where you need to use risers (usually 8 or 9) and screw the risers into the tray or into the case if you need them. Most cases now need risers because of the wide range of motherboard choices and styles. This tray happens to need only one (a plastic riser) at the upper right corner of the motherboard. Once the risers are screwed in lay the motherboard on top of them and
screw it into the risers to mount it. Put the rear panel plate into place in the case (you may have to pop out the old one) and make sure it clicks into place or screws into place depending on what type you have. Once that is done you can slide the tray back into he case and screw it back into place. The holes in the rear plate should
line up almost perfectly with the motherboard.
Now that you have the
motherboard and drives in place you can insert the graphics card. In this case we are using an older AGP graphics card (Nvidia Vanta/LT). To insert it all you need to do is remove the plate that covers one of the rear slots, line it up with the port you are using (either AGP or PCIe) and
push it into place (in this case the AGP port has a locking mechanism which needed to be slid to the right before inserting it). Once it is in place simply screw it in at the top or if you're using a screwless case close the mounting clip (after you have installed all other PCI or extra cards first). Repeat the process for however many extra cards you have.
Now it's time to connect all the cables to the motherboard. Find the front panel connectors and connect them to the labeled front
panel connector header on the motherboard. Do the same with any
front panel USB connectors you have. With this board they were seperate cables for each part of the front panel USB ports. On newer boards they are usually a block connector and only fit one way. Also connect any
IDE cables you have for the CD-ROM drives, Hard Drives, and floppy. Once all the cables are
connected you can install the PSU.
Take the PSU and carefully slide it into the mounting spot. The
screw holes will only line up one way so there's no way you can put it in backwards. If it has many different screw holes the easiest thing to do is look where the vent/fan on the bottom of the PSU is pointing. When you install it the vent should be pointing into the case if it's mounted on a side vertically or towards the bottom of the case if it's mounted at the top horizontally. Screw the PSU into the case with the four screws you received with it (sometimes they send more, sometimes they send none). If for some reason you received no screws with the PSU any four case screws will work. After the PSU has been screwed in you can start plugging things in. First plug the 20pin (or 24pin) power connector into the motherboard and the
4pin ATX12 connector (if you need one). After you've plugged in the cables to the motherboard proceed to plug in the power cables to the
Hard Drives,
CD-ROM drives,
floppy drives, and graphics card if it needs one. After everything is
plugged in you can button up the side panel, plug in the monitor and power cable, turn on the PSU (if it has a switch) and turn on the computer to see your handy work.