I wrote this guide based on how we build PCs at work, which is much different then what most of us do. IT makes building it a lot easier if somthing is wrong.
Steps to a Successful Build
Many people often times take entire PCs and build them and put them in the case, hoping to god for the best. The bare compents of a PC are
1. Motherboard
2. CPU
3. Ram
4. Some sort of display wheatear this be on board or off doesn't matter.
5. Power (of course)
Please note I did not say case, a case is not required. Tools you will need.
1. All your parts
2. Magnetic Screw driver
3. Small screw driver flat point, very small
4. Tweezers or something that's small enough to remove jumpers
5. Time
Ok toss the idea of putting in everything in the case, because way this can be a problem and could make your build that much more difficult. You don't need to plug in the Power SW to get the PC to work. This is what you do for the first step.
First off place the motherboard on top of the motherboard case have the anti-static wrap that came with it under the motherboard insert the CPU, and install the heat skin/fan as well. Plug in the power supply unit now take the small screw driver to the power sw and touch one pin then the other. PC should boot up, if not the fault lies in the motherboard, CPU, or power supply. A successful boot up will be if the CPU fan turns successfully in that case then that much is working.
(If you are unaware of what your power sw is refer to your mother book manual)
Turn off the pc of course then proceed to the next portion of the build, install one ram in the first ram slot as well as the graphics card if its required. Repeat the steps for turning on the PC as mentioned above. If the PC boots up go into BIOS and check if everything is registering as it should. After this install additional ram. Read your motherboard on how to install more ram sticks some motherboards do in fact vary. Boot up again. If it works then your ram is ok.
Great job! At this point you have successfully put the bare compents of a PC together now proceed to the next step
Turn off and ensure that all spacers in the proper position. Failure to do so could result in the very best as the PC not booting up. In the worst the system frying one or more parts. Plug in the Power SW, and Reset, do not attach any extra drives or cards to the motherboard. Boot up the PC if you get a successful boot shut it off and proceed to the next step.
Plug in the main hard drive you want to use, and plug in the main CD/DVD drive you want to use to install your operating system. I will assume your using some sort of windows operating system so I won't go into much detail here besides install the operating system. Portion it, tweak it as you please.
Now at this stage, you will begin installing the extras such as CD/DVD drivers extra hard drives, case fans, and extra cards. I suggest you do only 2 or so at a time. This way if something does go wrong you can ensure that you know 90% of the time it will be those parts which you plugged in which can make troubleshooting a breeze! After the build is successful and all drivers are installed your PC build it done! Good job!
Final step is to plug in all of the wires from your case such as USB and front panel audio.
Parts of the PC
Core Parts
Mobo: This is the back bone of the computer, it is the most important part, tied with CPU.
CPU: This is like your engine this is what is going make your machine tick! Very important (NEVER EVER BOOT UP A PC WITHOUT FIRST PROPERLY INSTALLING THE HEATSKIN AND FAN FIRST!)
Ram: This can be considered the inventory of a store, it is there for quick access when needed, and is needed to make a successful boot up.
Graphics Card/ Display Device: So you can see what your doing. Those can run very cheap by the way especially if your going low end on your build.
Power supply: This can be considered your gas tank, which is what supplies your parts with enough power to work.
Those are the core parts.
Extras
Hard drives: This is similar to the ram in the only aspect that it is meant to contain data but it holds MUCH MORE DATA however it is much slower then ram.
CD Drives: This is what you use to install software most of the time.
Floppy: Very basic disk that contains a small amount of data 1.44 MB on average most PCs built today don't even come with one, if your building a brand new higher end or mid range PC do not worry about floppy however with older PCs you may need one.
Extras can include but not limited to
1. Sound cards
2. Raid Cards
3. Fan control cards
4. Modems
5. Many more!
Basically when building a PC you want to always be able to isolate the problem if there is a problem. It can be a real pain when you got a PC with 7 or 8 parts any of which could be the culprit in stopping the PC from working. Even something as a RAID card or a Modem card in your PCI slot can stop the PC from booting up. So in building a PC take it by small steps ensuring that on each part of the way those parts work. Granted in the first steps before you have a display something could be wrong, but you would only know if you saw it on the display.
Remember take your time, I've seen PCs where the guy installed the ram backwards and it wasn't in even though it seemed it was in. Take your time and the golden rules of building a PC are.
1. Chances are if it doesn't fit the first time, it's not meant too go in that way or not go in at all.
2. Heat skin, fan on the CPU at all times, unless of course you want a small oven.
3. NEVER EVER SAY NEVER! I've worked on builds where I said that can't be it, yet after days of working on it turns it that was it.
4. Always ensure that you have some sort of insulation against static. If you noticed I didn't mention anti-static wraps. If you have a wood or non carpet floor there is no need, as well as if you wear shoes when working on a PC. However I do suggest occasionally touching something metal.
5. When ask for help online include all specs you can name, if you can't name your specs ask how to find out.
Software I suggest
Windows XP
Avast
Zone alarm
Search and Destroy
Ad-ware
Those are software that I install on almost if not all of my builds. If it's a customer build I exclude zone alarm unless specially asked. If the customer wants a burner I install Nero.
Shopping for parts
DO YOUR RESEARCH so many times in the PC shop which I worked at as a intern we got people that ordered parts off the internet and just bought the wrong parts we've had Intel Mobos with AMD CPUs and things like that.
Not only does doing your research increase your likely hood of a extremely successful and enjoyable build it can give you the most bang for your buck.
First establish what you're going do with his particular PC. Then establish your budget.
Order from a respected dealer, eBay is not a respected dealer. I have seen so many people get screwed over on PC parts buying off of eBay. Only times I buy parts off of eBay is when a friend online that I have known for a while and have grown to trust wants to sell me a part.
Steps to a Successful Build
Many people often times take entire PCs and build them and put them in the case, hoping to god for the best. The bare compents of a PC are
1. Motherboard
2. CPU
3. Ram
4. Some sort of display wheatear this be on board or off doesn't matter.
5. Power (of course)
Please note I did not say case, a case is not required. Tools you will need.
1. All your parts
2. Magnetic Screw driver
3. Small screw driver flat point, very small
4. Tweezers or something that's small enough to remove jumpers
5. Time
Ok toss the idea of putting in everything in the case, because way this can be a problem and could make your build that much more difficult. You don't need to plug in the Power SW to get the PC to work. This is what you do for the first step.
First off place the motherboard on top of the motherboard case have the anti-static wrap that came with it under the motherboard insert the CPU, and install the heat skin/fan as well. Plug in the power supply unit now take the small screw driver to the power sw and touch one pin then the other. PC should boot up, if not the fault lies in the motherboard, CPU, or power supply. A successful boot up will be if the CPU fan turns successfully in that case then that much is working.
(If you are unaware of what your power sw is refer to your mother book manual)
Turn off the pc of course then proceed to the next portion of the build, install one ram in the first ram slot as well as the graphics card if its required. Repeat the steps for turning on the PC as mentioned above. If the PC boots up go into BIOS and check if everything is registering as it should. After this install additional ram. Read your motherboard on how to install more ram sticks some motherboards do in fact vary. Boot up again. If it works then your ram is ok.
Great job! At this point you have successfully put the bare compents of a PC together now proceed to the next step
Turn off and ensure that all spacers in the proper position. Failure to do so could result in the very best as the PC not booting up. In the worst the system frying one or more parts. Plug in the Power SW, and Reset, do not attach any extra drives or cards to the motherboard. Boot up the PC if you get a successful boot shut it off and proceed to the next step.
Plug in the main hard drive you want to use, and plug in the main CD/DVD drive you want to use to install your operating system. I will assume your using some sort of windows operating system so I won't go into much detail here besides install the operating system. Portion it, tweak it as you please.
Now at this stage, you will begin installing the extras such as CD/DVD drivers extra hard drives, case fans, and extra cards. I suggest you do only 2 or so at a time. This way if something does go wrong you can ensure that you know 90% of the time it will be those parts which you plugged in which can make troubleshooting a breeze! After the build is successful and all drivers are installed your PC build it done! Good job!
Final step is to plug in all of the wires from your case such as USB and front panel audio.
Parts of the PC
Core Parts
Mobo: This is the back bone of the computer, it is the most important part, tied with CPU.
CPU: This is like your engine this is what is going make your machine tick! Very important (NEVER EVER BOOT UP A PC WITHOUT FIRST PROPERLY INSTALLING THE HEATSKIN AND FAN FIRST!)
Ram: This can be considered the inventory of a store, it is there for quick access when needed, and is needed to make a successful boot up.
Graphics Card/ Display Device: So you can see what your doing. Those can run very cheap by the way especially if your going low end on your build.
Power supply: This can be considered your gas tank, which is what supplies your parts with enough power to work.
Those are the core parts.
Extras
Hard drives: This is similar to the ram in the only aspect that it is meant to contain data but it holds MUCH MORE DATA however it is much slower then ram.
CD Drives: This is what you use to install software most of the time.
Floppy: Very basic disk that contains a small amount of data 1.44 MB on average most PCs built today don't even come with one, if your building a brand new higher end or mid range PC do not worry about floppy however with older PCs you may need one.
Extras can include but not limited to
1. Sound cards
2. Raid Cards
3. Fan control cards
4. Modems
5. Many more!
Basically when building a PC you want to always be able to isolate the problem if there is a problem. It can be a real pain when you got a PC with 7 or 8 parts any of which could be the culprit in stopping the PC from working. Even something as a RAID card or a Modem card in your PCI slot can stop the PC from booting up. So in building a PC take it by small steps ensuring that on each part of the way those parts work. Granted in the first steps before you have a display something could be wrong, but you would only know if you saw it on the display.
Remember take your time, I've seen PCs where the guy installed the ram backwards and it wasn't in even though it seemed it was in. Take your time and the golden rules of building a PC are.
1. Chances are if it doesn't fit the first time, it's not meant too go in that way or not go in at all.
2. Heat skin, fan on the CPU at all times, unless of course you want a small oven.
3. NEVER EVER SAY NEVER! I've worked on builds where I said that can't be it, yet after days of working on it turns it that was it.
4. Always ensure that you have some sort of insulation against static. If you noticed I didn't mention anti-static wraps. If you have a wood or non carpet floor there is no need, as well as if you wear shoes when working on a PC. However I do suggest occasionally touching something metal.
5. When ask for help online include all specs you can name, if you can't name your specs ask how to find out.
Software I suggest
Windows XP
Avast
Zone alarm
Search and Destroy
Ad-ware
Those are software that I install on almost if not all of my builds. If it's a customer build I exclude zone alarm unless specially asked. If the customer wants a burner I install Nero.
Shopping for parts
DO YOUR RESEARCH so many times in the PC shop which I worked at as a intern we got people that ordered parts off the internet and just bought the wrong parts we've had Intel Mobos with AMD CPUs and things like that.
Not only does doing your research increase your likely hood of a extremely successful and enjoyable build it can give you the most bang for your buck.
First establish what you're going do with his particular PC. Then establish your budget.
Order from a respected dealer, eBay is not a respected dealer. I have seen so many people get screwed over on PC parts buying off of eBay. Only times I buy parts off of eBay is when a friend online that I have known for a while and have grown to trust wants to sell me a part.
