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Description:
Building your own
computer can be a very fun process and will usually result in a computer
faster than most you can buy in stores if you do it properly. It
can also be very frustrating when you have problems that seem to make no
sense. However, the sense of accomplishment after fixing them can
really boost your ego!
What To
Consider:
Your own knowledge
is one of the most important things to consider. The first time I
built a computer I didn't have any problems, but it took me awhile to
figure out how the power connected to the motherboard and that you have
to pull the lever back on the socket to insert the CPU. While I
can't go over all these little bits, I will go over the basics of
assembling a computer.
Difficulty
Level:
I won't say it's
easy, but it's definitely a lot easier than most would think. All
it really involves is putting cards in slots and connecting a few cables
to the proper connectors. There isn't any real wiring or anything
required.
Recommendations:
- Start
with the basics. Only connect your motherboard, CPU, video
card, hard drive, and memory in the case. Wait to add other
components like sound cards, CD-ROM drives, and modems until later.
You can actually start up without the hard drive connected, but it
won't do much. Before purchasing items, make sure that they
will all work together okay and are compatible with the system you
are building.
- I'll
go over the basic procedures, but there may be more required than
this. I'm trying to keep it simple.
- First,
open your case, there will be a plate that the motherboard will go
on. Use screws or the plastic anchors to connect the
motherboard solidly to the plate. Insert the plate back into
the case (if it was a removable one). For CPUs, if you are
using a Pentium II, you need to make sure the CPU bracket is in
place on the motherboard before putting the motherboard on the
plate. After the motherboard is in the case, slide the CPU
into the slot or if you have a socket CPU, lift the lever on the
socket all the way up and place the CPU into the socket. Then
push the lever back down. Put the CPU heatsink/fan on top of
the CPU (if it doesn't already have one), preferably using thermal
paste to create a good seal, and connect a power supply connector to
the heatsink/fan.
- Before
you go on, make sure you have the jumpers set correctly for the
CPU's voltage, bus speed, and multiplier. Also, make your
power supply connections on the motherboard. For an AT case,
make sure that P9 is above P8 (P9 closer to the back of the case or
the top of the case). Most motherboards are now ATX and only
have one power connector to worry about. You can also connect
the wires to the jumpers on the motherboard for the power LED, hard
drive LED, speaker, keylock, etc., but they aren't that important
and you may want to wait until you have everything else working
okay.
- Now
secure the hard drive into a bay in the case. Connect a
powersupply connector to the hard drive and connect the hard drive
to its cable and the other end to your IDE controller on the
motherboard or your SCSI controller.
- Secure
the floppy drive in a bay in the case and connect a power supply
connector to it. Then connect the data cable to the floppy
drive and connect the other end to the motherboard's floppy
connector.
- Put
your memory into the proper DIMM, RIMM, or SIMM slot(s). Push
down until they snap into place. If they are fully seated, the
clasps at the ends should fit over your memory.
- Place
your video card into any PCI slot or the AGP slot if it is an AGP
video card (most current ones are). Connect your monitor to
the back of the video card.
- If
it's an AT motherboard, connect the COM ports, serial ports, and
parallel port connectors to the motherboard and secure the other
ends in the case's slots. Connect your printer, mouse, etc. to
these, and connect the keyboard to the keyboard connector.
- You've
got the basics done, now try starting up your computer. Now
would be a good time to fdisk and format your hard drive (both
programs should be on the disk that came with your hard drive).
- You
can now add your CD-ROM drive which you will probably need to have
to access to your Windows 95 or 98 installation CD. Once this
is in, boot with a DOS or Windows 95 (or 98) startup disk, copy the
system files to the hard drive (sys c:). Then install the
drivers for your CD-ROM drive to your hard drive. Once you've
done this, restart and you should have access to your CD-ROM drive.
Now you can go ahead and install your operating system. Or,
you could wait and install your sound card, modem, etc. before
installing the operating system.
- Insert
the modem, sound card, network card, and/or whatever other hardware
you may have into the other PCI or ISA slots. Add any other
hard drives, removable drives, scanners, speakers, etc. after your
operating system is functioning correctly.
* Email me
if you have any questions...
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