Building
a
Computer
A H ow-to manual that e xplains the ins a nd o uts of a computer
Written By:
1
Table of C ontents:
Introduction………….………………………..……..…………………………...……...…..3
Tools/ P arts N eeded....…………………….……………..…………………….……...…..4
Installing the CPU a nd CPU F an/heatsink…...…….…….……...……….......…..5
Images f or s teps 2-3………………………………………………...……………………….6
Installing R AM Memory and M otherboard…..…….……..…………..………......7
Images for step4………………………………………………………………………...…….8
Images for step5……………………………………………………………………………….9
Installing Power Supply……..…………………………………………………………...10
Installing P ower Connectors..…………………….………………………………..11-14
Installing a Hard D rive………………………..…………………………………………..15
Installing C D Drive…………………………..………………………………….………….16
Installing G raphics Card………………………………………………………...……….17
Computer Cable Management
…………………………………...……………….18-20
Computer Cable Connectors……………………………………………………….21-24
Glossary………………………………………………………..…………………..………25-26
2
Hello! W elcome to K ayla and G ratia ‘ s
guide to b uilding a c omputer!
Building a c omputer can be an i ntimidating
task. Use t his guide t o h elp you. O nce you
get a ll o f t he parts together a nd begin
building, the p rocess is f airly simple. T he
most difficult and time-consuming part o f
building a P C is finding a nd choosing all o f
the tools a nd p arts you need. You c an't
even t hink about assembling the parts until
you b uy them. When you're d one building
your P C and power it u p s uccessfully, it i s
soooo w orth it.
3
Tools/parts n eeded:
4
Tools:
● Clear w orkspace
● Phillips head s crewdriver
● Pliers
● Anti- s tatic wrist strap
Parts:
● Case
● Power S upply
● CPU
● Motherboard
● RAM/memory
● Cooler/fans
● Hard drive or s olid s tate drive
● mouse/keyboard/monitor
Installing t he C PU a nd C PU F an/heatsink
Step 1 : C ASE
- Clear o ff w orkspace
- Remove t he side p anels
- Set a side c arefully they a re delicate
Step 2 : CPU
- Remove the p lastic c over t hat covers t he C PU on the m otherboard
- Push socket lever down and s lide to t he r ight ( s ee i mage next pg.)
- Lift u p the socket l ever and the l oad plate w ill pop up (see image n ext p g.). You c an
now r emove the CPU socket cover.
- Remove the CPU from its p lastic t ab a nd i nsert it i nto the m otherboard's CPU s ocket (
hold b y t he s ides and b e s ure not t o t ouch the g old pins a t t he b ottom) (view picture
next pg.)
- Gently align t he two CPU n otches with the t wo p rotruding s ocket k eys; gently s et t he
CPU onto t he s ocket.
- To confirm that t he C PU has b een c orrectly seated, lightly r est y our f inger on t op of
the CPU a nd g ently m ove i t a round. T he C PU should not b udge at all if i t h as been
correctly inserted into the socket.
- Now lower the l oad p late and s lide it u nder the s houlder screw. Once this is d one,
lower the socket l ever u nder i t touches t he m otherboard a nd slide it l eft t o l ock it i nto
place. (See i mage next p g.)
Step 3 : C PU F an/HeatSink
- making s ure that a ll four push p ins a re f acing t he c orrect direction ( grooves o n p ush
pins s hould be facing t he center of the CPU Fan) (image o n p g.6)
- align t he f our p ush pins o f the heat sink w ith the f our pin h oles o n the motherboard
- Once e verything is aligned, p lace y our thumbs on t he two diagonally opposite push
pins a nd p ress d own on both p ins at the same time u ntil y ou h ear a " click" s ound
- look at the b ottom o f t he m otherboard, if you h ave i nstalled the C PU cooler correctly,
the p ins s hould protrude f ully
- Plug the CPU fan p ower connector i nto t he 4-pin CPU f an h eader o n the
motherboard. On most motherboards, t his h eader will be l ocated n ear t he C PU
socket
5
Step2: Installing the C PU( pictures go in o rder from left to right)
Step 3 : Installing t he C PU and H eatsink (left t o right)
6
Installing R AM Memory a nd Motherboard
Step 4: R AM M emory
- Before touching a RAM m emory s tick, g round y ourself first by t ouching a m etal object
such as your c omputer c ase or put on y our anti-static wrist w raps
- grip i t by the sides w ith y our index f ingers and t humbs (see i mage p g.8). A void touching i ts
golden c ontacts a t a ll t imes.
-RAM memory are installed i nto the DIMM slots (RAM sockets) o n your motherboard. (see
image pg.8)
- H ow t o i nstall R AM memory: F lip o pen t he retaining c lips. Note t he p osition o f the n otches
to align your RAM memory correctly. H olding y our R AM memory ( as shown in the i mage
pg.8), apply e qual d ownward pressure o n b oth s ides a nd push it into t he D IMM slot. B oth
retaining clips will s nap i nto p lace once the RAM memory h as been fully inserted
Step 5 : Motherboard
- make s ure the I/O shield is inserted i n the c orrect d irection. ( s ee image p g.9)
- L ower your motherboard s lowly i nto the computer c ase s uch that
1. the m otherboard h oles align w ith t he s tandoffs on the case
2. the rear m otherboard p orts l ine u p w ith the I/O s hield
- Grab a s crewdriver a nd fasten your m otherboard to the computer case w ith t he
screws t hat come with your c omputer c ase (see image p g.9). F or a m otherboard to be
properly s ecured, it should be f astened w ith at l east f our screws.
- Locate t he f ront p anel h eader w hich is a c luster o f s mall u pright p ins o n y our
motherboard ( see i mage pg.9).
- The f ront U SB and audio c onnectors a re t he easiest t o c onnect: N ot o nly a re t hey are
larger in size, but you can o nly c onnect t hem in one d irection.
- The power L ED and hard drive L ED a re h arder: In o rder for the LEDs to l ight u p, you
will need t o plug i n a p ositive c onnector into a p ositive h eader pin a nd the same goes
for t heir n egative counterparts.
- While the p ositive a nd n egative p ins on m otherboard are a lways labelled ( see i mage
pg.9 ), i t's common to f ind front p anel c onnectors without a ny p ositive a nd negative
labeling. A s a g eneral g uideline, the c onnectors with white/black wires a re positive
and t he c onnector with c olored wires a re negative. In c ase t he L EDs d on't light u p,
simply swap t he p ositions o f t he c onnectors.
- Connect the c omputer case fans to y our motherboard. A ll you have to do is t ake the
case f an's connector (circled in y ellow in image pg.9 ) a nd p lug it i nto a 3 -pin o r
4-pin fan h eader o n y our m otherboard. This header is often l abelled a s
SYS_FAN o r P WR_FAN.
7
Step 4 : installing R AM M emory
8
Step 5: I nstalling the motherboard
9
Installing P ower supply
Step 6: Power supply
-L ook for the p ower s upply cut-out a t t he back of t he computer case - I t s hould be
located e ither a t the topmost o r the b ottommost o f the case
-Now place the p ower supply unit i nside the computer c ase with its fan facing down
(doesn't matter w hether it's m ounted at the t op or b ottom o f the case). S lide the P SU
towards t he back o f the case:
-There a re f our s crew h oles at the b ack of y our p ower supply ( the s ide with the 1-0
on-off s witch). Align t hem with t he four s crew h oles at t he b ack o f the computer c ase.
Using a s crewdriver, secure t he power supply u nit t o t he c ase with screws.
10
Installing t he Power Connectors
Computer power s upply c onnectors have a f oolproof design s uch t hat they can only be
connected in a single d irection ( so there's no w ay to m ess u p h ere). ;)
Step7:
1. (20 + 4 Pin) A TX P ower C onnector
Also known a s m ain power connector
Connects t o: ATX m otherboard power connectors (see i mage below)
2. (4 + 4 Pin) ATX 12V P ower C onnector
Also known a s C PU power c onnector, P 4 power connector 11
Connects t o: A TX 1 2V power connectors o n m otherboards (see image b elow)
3. SATA Power C onnector
Also k nown a s SATA p ower c able, Serial-ATA p ower c able
Connects to: power c onnectors o n SATA hard d rives a nd S ATA optical drives
4. ( 4 P in) Molex Connector
12
Connects t o: p ower c onnectors of I DE h ard d rives a nd I DE optical drives
Molex t o 3 Pin F an Adapter
Connects to: power connectors o f computer case fans
5. (6 P in) PCI E xpress C onnector
Also k nown a s P CI Express p ower cable, P CI-E connector, P CIe c onnector
13
Connects to: p ower c onnectors o f P CI Express g raphics cards ( see image below)
6. (4 Pin) Floppy D rive C onnector
Also k nown a s FDD c onnector
Connects to: power c onnectors of floppy d isk drives
14
Installing a H ard Drive
**The s teps for i nstalling a s olid s tate drive (SSD) are the same since they b oth h ave
the same SATA p ower a nd d ata connectors.
-A desktop hard disk drive b elongs inside a 3.5" d rive bay w ithin your c omputer case.
With its S ATA connectors f acing o utwards, s lide t he h ard drive into a n empty bay.
Align the h ard d rive's s crew holes with the bay holes, t hen secure your h ard drive
inside the bay with screws o r toolless fasteners.
-Connect one e nd o f the S ATA cable t o t he d rive, a nd the other end to a n a vailable
SATA port on y our motherboard
-Connect t he o ther S ATA power c able f rom t he p ower supply u nit to the h ard drive's
power c onnector.
15
Installing CD Drive
Step 8:
-Remove front 5 .25 bay c over
-most b ay c overs have t heir retaining c lips hidden o n the i nside, so y ou’ll h ave to take out
the front panel o f t he computer case first.
-Take your CD d rive and s lide i t into t he 5.25 b ay, t aking c are t o align t he C D drive's s crew
holes with t he b ay h oles .Using a screwdriver, s ecure the C D d rive t o t he bay with s crews or
toolless fasteners (that a re included w ith your computer case).
- Connect t he d rive t o your computer.You w ill find two L -shaped connectors a t t he b ack of a
SATA CD drive: A larger power c onnector (on the left) and a s maller data c onnector ( on the
right).
-Connect a S ATA power c able f rom the power s upply unit to t he C D drive's power
connector.
-Connect o ne e nd o f a SATA d ata c able t o the CD drive's data c onnector
-Plug the other e nd o f the S ATA data c able i nto a S ATA 2 connector o n your m otherboard.
SATA 2 c onnectors a re o ften l abelled a s SATA2 o r SATA_3G o n a m otherboard.
16
Installing a Graphics C ard
-Locate t he PCI Express x16 s lot on y our motherboard.In most cases, it's the l ongest e xpansion
slot and has a small c lip a t one end.
-remove t he metal b racket t hat i s n ext t o t he P CI Express x16 s lot
-Align the g olden contacts a t t he bottom of y our graphics card w ith t he PCI Express x 16 slot o n
your motherboard. Make s ure t he graphic c ard's metal bracket is facing the b ack of the
computer case.
- S crew t he graphics c ard's m etal bracket t o the back o f the c omputer case
-Mid to h igh end g raphics cards o ften r equire additional power f rom the p ower supply u nit.In
that c ase, you will need t o connect a PCI E xpress p ower c able from the p ower supply t o the
graphics c ard p ower c onnector.
17
Computer C able M anagement
Computer c able management i s n ecessary in b uilding a P C. Here are some k ey b enefits to
managing your cables correctly:
● There w ill b e b etter airflow within your c ase a fter tucking a nd organizing y our
cables. I mproved airflow will result i n b etter and safer t emperatures i n y our case,
lengthening y our h ardware’s l ife s pan.
● Jumbled cables a nd w ires trap d ust inside your c omputer. D ust c logs u p y our
heatsink and f an,causing to become l ess effective. T his could lead t o o verheating
(especially f or your CPU and g raphics card), w hich could eventually d amage y our
computer h ardware.
● AESTHETICS. I t s imply looks b etter
Go from t his:
To t his:
18
We recommend 10 c m and 1 5 c m ( 6 in) c ables ties, a s t hey a re most s uited for organizing the
cables and w ires i nside a c omputer case.
REMEMBER not t o overtighten c ables
-Work on p ower cables f irst, because t hey t ake up m ost s pace a nd make t he m ost m ess. Tie
up a ll e xtra c ables t hat a re not i n use.(1)
-Once y ou h ave tied u p y our power supply c ables, f ind a hiding p lace t o tuck them away
from sight. The extra space n ext to y our 3.5" drive b ays (outlined i n y ellow in i mage on p age
20) often w orks w ell t o d isguise t hem.(2)
-Next w ork o n t he computer c ase connectors. S ince these c ables t end t o be quite l ong,
it's a good idea to t ie them along several p oints.(3)
-To hold your computer c ables a nd wires i n p lace (and to prevent them from blocking
any fans i nside the case), y ou can j ust fasten t hem t o any o pen screw holes w ith cable
ties.(4)
(1)
19
(2)
(3)
(4)
20
Computer Cable C onnectors
There a re four types of computer c able c onnections t o a m onitor: V GA, D VI, H DMI
and D isplayPort.
1. VGA C able
Also known as D-sub c able, a nalog v ideo cable
Connect o ne e nd to: computer monitor, television (PC i nput p ort) other to V GA p ort
on computer
2.DVI Cable 3 . HDMI C able
Connect one end t o: computer m onitor C onnect one e nd to: c omputer m onitor,
television
Connect other e nd t o: DVI port o n C onnect other e nd to: HDMI port on computer
computer
21
4. PS/2 C able
Connect one end to: PS/2 k eyboard, P S/2 mouse
Connect other e nd t o: P S/2 ports on computer
● Purple PS/2 port: keyboard
● Green PS/2 port: m ouse
5. Ethernet Cable
Connect one end to: r outer, n etwork switch
Connect o ther end t o: E thernet port on computer
6. Audio Cable
Connect one end to: c omputer speakers, h eadphones, microphone
Connect o ther end t o: audio p orts o n c omputer
● Green a udio port: computer s peakers o r headphones
● Pink audio port: microphone
22
7. USB Cable
For U SB computer cable c onnections, there are t wo p opular f ormats: USB 2 .0 a nd the newer
USB 3 .0
How to tell USB 2.0 a nd 3.0 cables a part: USB 3 .0 c ables h ave a blue t ip, a nd s ometimes y ou
can find a S S "Super S peed" label o n it.
USB was i ntended to b e t he one computer c able c onnection to r eplace them a ll.
F or this c omputer c able g uide, we h ave l isted its more c ommon uses b elow:
Connect o ne e nd to: U SB d evice
● Storage d evices: USB flash d rive, e xternal h ard drive, e xternal o ptical drive
● Input devices: USB keyboard (wired a nd wireless), USB m ouse (wired a nd
wireless), webcam, scanner, gamepad
● Output d evices: p rinter, a ll-in-one o ffice machine, U SB s peaker
● Wireless a dapters: network (Wifi) a dapter, bluetooth a dapter, 3 G a dapter
● Data (and c harging) cable f or mobile d evices s uch a s mobile phone, tablet, M P3
player
Connect o ther end to: U SB p orts on computer
The l ast a nd Final Step is:
8. The last and Final Step i s: Connecting t he Computer Power Cord
23
Connect one end to: AC p ower s ocket
Connect o ther end to: p ower supply u nit (see image below), c omputer monitor
Note: A lways turn off your power s upply u nit ( with t he 1-0 s witch a t the b ack) before
connecting a p ower cord t o it.
Congratulations y ou h ave built your
very o wn computer. You should b e
proud of yourself ! !!!!!!
24
Glossary
1. Case- a box t hat acts as a barrier a nd c ontains all of t he e lements
inside o f the computer such as like t he motherboard, hard drive,
optical d rive, f loppy disk drive
2. CD D rive- a d evice a computer u ses t o read d ata encoded digitally
on a c ompact d isc
3. Cooler f an- d esigned primarily to prevent your C PU f rom
overheating
4. CPU- t he c omponent of a computer that is r esponsible for
interpreting a nd e xecuting most commands from the c omputer's
other hardware a nd s oftware
5. DIMM- a t ype of memory module c ommonly u sed i n desktop PCs,
laptops, p rinters and o ther d evices; you p lace y our RAM m odules i n
these s lots
6. Driver Bay- a s ystem u nit space r eserved for t he installation of a ny
drive or other computer accessory
7. Floppy Drive- a hardware device that r eads data storage
information
8. FDD connector- (floppy d isk d rive c onnector) u ses a FDD ribbon
cable t o connect t o a 3 ½ " f loppy disk drive; this cable i s t he twist
between t he first and second set of c onnectors, w hich allocates the
drive at t he end o f the c able a s FDD A , and the d rive in the middle as
FDD B
9. Graphics C ard- a t ype of d isplay a dapter o r v ideo card i nstalled
within m ost c omputing devices to d isplay graphical data w ith h igh
clarity, color, d efinition and overall a ppearance
10.Hard Drive- a h igh-capacity, self-contained s torage device
containing a read-write mechanism plus one o r more hard d isks,
inside a s ealed u nit
11. Hardware- t h e collection of p hysical parts o f a computer s ystem
12. I/O shield- a m etal p late w ith c ut-outs for t he b ack c onnectors a nd
ports s hould come with all motherboards
25
13. Memory- any physical device c apable of storing information
temporarily or permanently
14. M otherboard- a s lotted b oard t hat c ontains all of the basic circuitry
of a c omputer and connects a ll parts of a computer t ogether
15. PCI E xpress- a s tandard t ype of connection for internal d evices i n a
computer
16. Power S upply- a n i nternal h ardware component that supplies
components i n a c omputer w ith power
17. Ribbon C able- a cable w ith m any c onducting wires running parallel
to each o ther o n t he s ame f lat plane. As a r esult the c able i s f lat a nd
wide resembling a r ibbon.
18. SATA- (serial advanced technology attachment) an interface f or
transferring d ata b etween a computer’ s c entral circuit b oard and
storage devices.
19. SSD- (solid s tate drive) a storage d evice containing nonvolatile flash
memory, used in p lace o f a hard disk b ecause of its much g reater
speed
20. USB- a n e xternal s erial b us interface s tandard f or c onnecting
peripheral devices t o a computer
26