Tech-Hounds.com

Because gamers play games, not benchmarks




Building Your Own PC - Part 2

If you're reading this, then you probably want to know more about building your own PC. Contrary to what people say or hear, building your own PC is not as tough as it seems. But it's not easy either, you still have to be very careful while doing it. Basically, if you can put one of those Lego kits, you can build a PC. That's said, while this guide will show you how to build a PC, it's still not a substitute for a first hand experience. If you're quite new at this (or have no previous experience what so ever around electrical appliances and tools) I suggest observing someone else do it first, then cross reference what you have seen with this guide.

Important Things to Remember

Since we're dealing with electrical components, the very first thing you need to do is to make sure that the power cable to your PC's power supply is unplugged. Unplugging the power cable to your monitor is also a good idea. Check for other power connections as well (printers, scanners etc).Detach any other cables you find, but make sure you know where to put them back. Usually they're color coded, so you just have to match the colors between both connectors. There's also an icon sketched near the connectors on your PC that will told you what connectors belong to what. If all else fails, look up what these connectors do in your manual (either the motherboard's, graphics cards' or PC manual).

Make sure that you're working in an area that's well lit, dry and clean. Keep a container handy for those screws and other detachable parts. That way you won't accidentally threw and lost them. Make a mental note (or write it down) which screw belongs to which hole. It will make putting them back together an easier job. Gather the manuals and put them nearby so you could consult them if you're unsure about something. As for tools, in most cases you will only need two screwdrivers, a Phillips and ordinary one.

Be sure to ground yourself properly so you won't accidentally give off electrostatic discharge. These ESDs will kill your PC's components if you're not careful. Wear shoes or sandals if the floor is not covered with carpet. Remember not to touch the electrical parts of your PC's components. Pick them up by their side. Don't touch or press the cooling fans either, it might alter their alignment which may shorten their lifespan or worse, break off the blades.

The Processor

Open your CPU packaging and look inside for a manual. In most cases, the instructions on the manual are enough. Just follow the manual to the letter. Pick the processor up the by the sides and make sure there are no broken / bended pins on the processor. Don't touch the bottom, which the side with the pins / pads. Don't touch the bridges / resistors (if there's any) on the or top as well. You might accidentally bend or break them, and of course, this means that we can't use the processor anymore.

Now, look at the bottom and notice how the pins are arrange and what the orientation is. There is only one way - the correct way - a processor will fit into a processor socket. The notch / orientation markers will tell you what that way is. Next, look at the processor socket on the motherboard. You'll find that the socket's holes have the same arrangement as the pins and orientation. Needless to say, the two should fit nicely without you forcing down on the processor. Double check them again just to be sure you know how to put them together.

On one side of the socket you'll find a lever, either made of plastic or steel. Gently slide it outwards and then pull it upwards. This will open the socket's lock mechanism which means you'll be able to place the processor in.

Check the orientation again and gently insert the processor into the socket. The processor should fit without any pressure on your part. If it doesn't, don't push / press down on it. Pick it up again and make sure there are no broken / bended pins on the processor, then repeat the process.

After the processor is safely tucked inside the socket, very gently close the lever. You might have to press it slightly, until you hear a click from the socket's lock. Once the lock is closed, the processor is firmly attached to the socket. It won't move or detach itself until the lock is opened. Congratulations, you just installed your first processor.

The Heatsink

Open the heatsink's package and pick up the heatsink. Check the manual that came with it if there's any. Like before, don't touch the bottom and top (where the fan is) of the heatsink. Look at the bottom and see if there's a cover (usually plastic) in the center of the heatsink. This cover protects a thermal tape or paste that will optimize the heat transfer from the processor to the CPU. If there's no cover and / or thermal tape, you'll have to apply one.

Look again at the bottom of the heatsink. Some heatsinks can only be installed a certain way, while other can be installed both ways. If there's only one depressed area on the underside, you have to match the depressed area to the top of the processor's socket (the visible part - usually you'll see something written on it). If there's two depressed areas on the underside, that means the heatsink can be installed both ways - remember that a heatsink will have to fit its guard on the motherboard.

Before installing the heatsink, remove the covering protecting the thermal tape. Don't forget to do this, if you do the heatsink will not be able to cool down the processor properly! If there's no thermal tape / paste, you must apply some (not much, just enough) to cover the entire processor (only the side that makes contact with the heatsink). A minuscule amount will do the job (something like the half the size of a pin head). Next, spread it evenly around the face until it's all covered in paste. Do it with something blunt and soft, like the tip of a plastic card - such as your credit / ATM card.

Noting the correct orientation, gently put the heatsink on top of the processor. It should sit nicely with the heatsink, making full contact with the processor. Make sure that it's not pressing / touching other components or placed sideways / slanted. Now, we will lock the heatsink in place. Consult the heatsink's manual (or the processor's manual) and see how to properly lock the heatsink. If you're dealing with socket A / 462 and socket 370 processors, you must fit the heatsink's clip to the notches / clip lock on the socket. Fit the ones on the socket's bottom first, then the ones on top. You might have to push hard (with a screwdriver), so be very careful when doing this. It helps if the heatsink's clip has a notch to put the screwdriver's head on. For socket 478 / 775 and socket 754 / 939 processors, you simply need to close the lock. Again, before doing so, make sure the heatsink is properly seated.

Some motherboards default to a certain FSB, which may not be the correct FSB for the processor. Generally, the motherboard will detect the correct FSB and configure itself automatically, but there are exceptions. Usually, these 'exceptional' motherboards use jumpers to configure the FSB. Open the motherboard's manual and look if there's info on such a jumper and where it is located. Match the FSB used by the motherboard to the FSB used by the processor.

The memory (RAM)

You'll find slots (called DIMM slots) for the memory (a piece or 'stick' of memory is usually called memory modules) next to your processor. These slots are arranged / configured in a special way. Check your motherboard's manual to find out what the slot configuration is. It's better to place the modules in order - place the first one on the first slot and the second one on the second slot and so on. Knowing this is more important if your motherboard (or processor) supports dual channel memory controllers. To take full advantage of dual channel memory controllers, you have to install a pair of memory (usually identical ones or the same specification) in slots of different channels. Only then will they work in dual channel mode. Remember that some vendors start their numbering scheme from 0 instead of 1. Check the manual to be sure.

A note on single sided memory and memory banks. If you're using single sided memory (only one side is used for the memory chips or alternating places), that particular memory uses only one bank. Usually there's a limit on how much banks a memory controller supports and sometimes they vary from one memory specification to another. For example, on some chipsets, the memory controller will only support 1 bank of PC3200 memory, and 2 banks of PC2700 memory. This means you can only use one single sided PC3200 memory. You have to downgrade (use a lower specification) if you want to use two banks of memory (for example 2 single sided or 1 double sided PC2700 memory). If you don't, this might cause problems and instabilities, which could lead to system crashes. Check the manual (again) to be sure.

Depending on where the slots are located, installing (and uninstalling) memory modules might be hindered by other components (such as the graphics card or power cables). That's why we're installing them first. Open the memory modules package and pick them up. Just like the processor, don't touch the electrical parts of the modules. This means you have to pick them up by the sides, the ones with the notch. These modules will only fit a certain way on their slots, so make sure you place them the right way. There's a notch in the slot that will fit perfectly with the notch on the module where the electrical connectors are, just align them and the two will fit just fine. You might have to press firmly on the module to close the slot's lock. Again, do this very carefully and try not to touch other electrical components.

The Graphics Card

If you have a motherboard with an integrated graphics card, all you have to do is plug in the monitor's cable to the graphics card connector. You can usually find it on the back of your CPU, colored in blue, next to the serial and printer port. If you choose to buy an add-on card, you have to install it on the motherboard first. Depending on your choice, your graphics card will use either an AGP or a PCI Express x16 interface. Of course, you need the same, corresponding interface on the motherboard as well.

Open your graphics card's packaging and locate your graphics card. Pick it by the sides, don't touch the electrical parts and the AGP or PCI Express electrical connector. Now, locate the corresponding slot on the motherboard. AGP slots usually come with a retention clip, so you'll have to open it first. Just press it gently inward and the clip should move into the 'open' position. Slowly insert the graphics card's connector into the slot. When it has gone all the way inside, close the retention clip.

Your graphics card may need extra power connections. Check the manual and see if your graphics require such connections. If it does, you have to find a direct power connection from your power supply unit. It's best not to share this connection with other peripherals. Remember, the power connector on your graphics card and power supply will only fit one way, just match their shape and you should be fine. If it will not fit, check your orientation and see if there's an obstruction (a slightly bent or misaligned pin). Now, all you have to do is connect the monitor's cable to the connector on your graphics card. Done.

Power Supply Unit

Just like any electrical appliance, the PC (and its components) needs electricity. The function of the power supply unit is to supply electricity / power to the components, that's easy enough. This is what all those cables from your power supply is doing - supplying power to the components. Some cables supply power to storage devices such as hard drive(s), CD / DVD-ROMs, while others supply power to your motherboard.

Depending on what your processor and motherboard is, you need to connect one or two power connectors from your power supply to the motherboard. The ATX power cable should be easy to spot - it's the one with the biggest connector. There's a clip on the side of the connector that will fit into a lock on the motherboard's connector. It won't fit any other way, so don't try. Just insert the power supply's connector in the motherboard's connector until you hear the lock clicking. If you're using a Pentium 4 processor (or an Athlon with an NForce motherboard), you need to connect the ATX 12 volt connector. It's the square one with 4 wires on it. Like the ATX power cable, it also has a lock on the side. Locate the corresponding motherboard's connector and plug it in.

Dry Run : Seeing if Everything's OK

OK, everything is connected and ready to go. But before we do that, there's several things we need to do.
Now, it's time to connect your monitor's cable (if you haven't done so) and also your mouse and keyboard. If you're still using PS / 2 mouse and keyboard, you'll find the connectors on the back, on the farthest side (colored in green - the mouse and purple - the keyboard). If you're using USB peripherals, connect them to the appropriate USB ports (usually next to the PS / 2 connectors).

Then, connect the power cable to your PC's power supply and monitor and turn them on. If your power supply has a built in switch on the back, flip it into the 'on' position. Some motherboards feature a built-in LED (light emitting diode - a small indicator light) that will tell you whether or not the motherboard is receiving power from the power supply. If you have it, this LED will be on.

To turn the PC on, we have to use the motherboard's switch - the same thing as a power on / off switch for your PC. Look it up on your motherboard's manual and locate it. The diagram's usually located on the 'Front Panel' section of the manual. Basically, the switch is two open electrical contacts that needs to be connected, easily done with the point of a screwdriver. On some motherboards, these two contacts will be colored red.

If everything's in place, you should hear the fans whirring and spinning and your screen flashing the BIOS screen. If it's not, there is several things you could do. Remember to flip the switch on your power supply to the 'off' position (or disconnecting the power cable) before removing / installing components on the motherboard.
If all goes well, you should be seeing the BIOS boot up screen. Press 'Del' (or the key your BIOS tells you to press) to open the BIOS menu. Using arrow keys on your keyboard, select the 'Hardware Monitor' or 'PC Health Monitor' or something else like that (look it up on your motherboard's manual) and press the 'Enter' or 'Return' key on your keyboard. This will bring up the appropriate sub menu. Look for the option that shows the temperature of your processor (or CPU in some cases). Leave your PC on for several minutes and see whether or not this number changes drastically upwards. If it does, you may have forgotten something (or done it incorrectly) while installing the processor's heatsink. If it doesn't, we can move on.

We have to check whether or not the processor is correctly identified by the motherboard. When you first power on, the BIOS should flash something like the name of your processor and what speed it is running. If the speed is wrong, most likely the motherboard uses the wrong FSB for your processor. You could either change this with a jumper or through the BIOS, depending on your motherboard. Choosing an FSB higher than what your processor is specified for means you're overclocking your processor. While this can be beneficial (more speed, more performance), for now we'll choose the default (your specified processor's) FSB.

Next, we have to check whether or not the memory is correctly identified and configured by the motherboard. For best performance, the memory should run at the same speed or higher than the processor's FSB. For example, if you're using a Pentium 4 with an FSB of 200 MHz (800 MHz effective) or an Athlon 64 with an FSB of 200 MHz (400 MHz effective), it would be best to use PC3200 memory modules running at 200 MHz. You could check at what speed your memory is operating through the BIOS. Some BIOS will show the memory clock either as a nominal value or relative to the processor's FSB (or host clock - HCLK). The other thing we can also check here is the memory timing used by the motherboard for your memory. In general, the tighter the timing, the better the performance. Tighter means that your memory uses less cycles (less latency) while operating. Beware, using a timing tighter than what your memory is specified for can cause system crashes since for all intent and purposes, you are overclocking your memory. The safest way to properly configure the timing and speed of your memory is to choose the SPD (Serial Presence Detect) option in the BIOS. So, choose this for now and your memory modules should be properly configured and identified.

Your motherboard comes with all sorts of peripherals integrated. Some of it you'll never use, such as the serial port (COM port), the printer port (LPT port) or the (internal) modem. It's best to disable these peripherals, so your motherboard's resources can be used for something else. You could disable these peripherals through the BIOS in the 'Integrated Peripherals' menu. You could also disable or enable other peripherals such as the floppy disk, USB, Ethernet / LAN controller and game / MIDI port. We'll leave them on for now, since you will want them on anyway.

BIOS: Advanced and Hidden Options

There are other options that would make your PC faster or at least boot up faster. But, these options will vary from motherboard to motherboard, so don't expect all of them to be available to you. They might even be named differently. Check your motherboard's manual to see what BIOS options are available (and their values). Some options will take affect immediately, some are just safeguards or additional configuration options. So, i recommend you to test these options one at a time and see whether or not they will work for you. If not, change them back to their default values (or the value you that still works for you). We'll discuss them per menu item.

Standard CMOS Features

Open up the Primary / Secondary IDE options. If you're using IDE devices (such as ATA hard drives and CD / DVD-ROMs), they will be configured here. Most of the options will be automatically configured for you, but sometimes there's an additional 'Use 32 bit addressing' or something like that. Set this to 'On' for modern drives (basically any hard drive above 4 GBs).

If you're not using a floppy drive, turn off the floppy drive options. This way, Windows will not detect them and would not search for them. But, if you're going to use RAID arrays (either IDE, SCSI or S-ATA) and planning to install Windows on these arrays, leave them to their default values. You'll probably need to install the drivers (when installing) with a floppy disk.

Advanced BIOS Features

You would want the 'Quick Boot' option to be enabled. This will save time when booting by bypassing redundant checks of your memory. For those of you who likes fancy graphics, you could turn on the 'Full Screen Logo' option, but i personally set them to off. That way, i could still see information about the processor and memory when booting up.

There are many options you could choose in 'Boot Sequence', remember to choose the device from which you will be booting from (usually this means the hard drive that stores your operating system). It's best to put the operating system hard drive first and then other devices, I usually set them in this order: hard drive, CD-ROM and floppy. For those using RAID controllers and arrays, choose the SCSI option. This will enable you to boot from the RAID array you specified. By default S-ATA devices and arrays is also included here.

Turn on the 'S.M.A.R.T' option. While this slightly affects your performance, this feature will enable you to monitor the health of your hard drives. Using a S.M.A.R.T aware software utility, you will be able to know when your drives starts to fail and make the necessary process of backing up your data. Better safe than sorry, right?

Set the floppy drive seek to 'off'. This will save time when booting up and is necessary if you do not have any floppy drives. And of course, always set 'Use CPU Internal Cache' to on, since setting this to off will slow your PC considerably. You could leave the other options to their default setting.

Advanced Chipset Features

There may be sub-menus here, but we will discuss them all in this paragraph. Usually these sub-menus manages memory and AGP configurations. For the memory sub-menu, choose 'SPD' for the memory timing and speed (frequency). Like we've said before, this is the safest option. Leave the other settings alone for now. For the AGP sub-menu, just choose 'Yes' or 'On' for options that offer 'Yes / No' or 'On / Off'. There is an exception though, for motherboards using the VIA chipset, its better to leave the 'AGP Fast Write' to 'Off'. It's safer and it really doesn't offer much performance setting this to 'On'. You could just choose 'Auto' for the AGP mode to let the motherboard detects the mode that's appropriate for your graphics card. In the root "Advanced Chipset' menu, you might find an option that says 'PCI Delay Transaction' - set this to 'On'.

Power Management Features

You should leave alone most of the options here. There are some you probably want to check out. Make sure the 'ACPI' or in some motherboards 'IPCA' is set to 'On', do the same with the option 'Advanced Power Management'. If you're like me and prefer to leave your PC on all the time, you probably wouldn't want your hard drive(s) to rest - or suspend - so make sure the 'Hard drive Suspend Time' is set to '0' or 'Never'. Those more concerned with power management will be happier with it set to '30 minutes' or more. Now, for safety reasons, if there's an option for 'CPU Critical Temperature', set this as low as you can - usually 50 or 60 degrees Celsius. When your processor hits that temperature, your PC will automatically shutdown itself. If your processor is hotter than that, you either might want to set this higher or more probably, check the fan / heatsink of your processor.

PnP / PCI configuration

There are generally three options you want to check out here. The first is the 'Plug and Play OS support' - make sure this is on. That way, your operating system can manage the resources of your motherboard. Set the 'PCI Latency Timer' as low as possible and make sure (if your using ATA hard drives and CD / DVD-ROMs) to set the 'PCI IDE Busmaster' to 'On'.

PC Health Status

In some cases, the 'CPU Critical Temperature' option will be shown here. So, apply the values you'd like for it. An option that can be beneficial but also a nuisance is the 'CPU Fan Detection'. It's a good idea really, if somehow your fan stops working, your PC will shutdown automatically. Set this to 'On' if you're using an ordinary fan / heatsink to cool your processor. If you're using a fan that can not be monitored / detected or draws power directly from the power supply, set this to 'Off.

After you've done all this, restart your PC (exiting the BIOS screen will automatically do it for you). Remember to save before you exit. If your PC still shows the BIOS screen after restarting, you've just successfully configured your motherboard. If it doesn't, then you will have to bypass or clear the CMOS to reset the options you've changed.

Since you've already sure that your PC is working fine, you could now put it inside the casing. Follow the instructions bundled with the motherboard or casing. Once you have finished installing the peripherals, cables and connectors, do another dry run just to make sure you have installed them correctly.

Installing Storage

OK, now we're finally ready for the next step and complete your PC. We've already installed and configured the main components of your new PC (the processor, memory, graphics card and motherboard). Of course, these parts don't really do anything at this point: we still need to install the operating system and applications. So, we need a component to store the operating system and applications (a hard drive), and another component as the installation source (usually a CD / DVD-ROM). We will install both of them - now turn off your PC and prepare the hard drive and CD / DVD-ROM.

Most motherboards nowadays offer built in IDE (ATA) controllers with two connectors, usually we called them as primary and secondary connectors (or channels). This means you could put up to 4 devices, 2 devices per connector. If you only have two IDE device (for example, one hard drive and one CD / DVD-ROM), it's best to separate them. Place the hard drive(s) on one cable (on the primary connector) and the CD / DVD-ROM on another (the secondary connector). This configuration offers the best performance and since most users only have one of each device, this is a no-brainer.

If you have two ATA hard drives (or a ATA DVD-ROM and a CD-RW), you have to configure the two in a master / slave configuration. What did you say? Before you go jumping to conclusions, the term master and slave here only means that one device's priority is higher than the other one. For example, if you have a DVD-ROM and a CD-RW, you should set the DVD-ROM as the master device and set the CD-RW as the slave. The logic here is that you will likely use the DVD-ROM more often than the CD-RW and the DVD-ROM is usually faster than your CD-RW. The same thing applies to having two hard drives: set the hard drive that contains your operating system (your boot up drive) as the master and the other drive as slave. You could find the jumpers that will configure your hard drive and CD / DVD-ROM as master or slave on the back, near the IDE connector of your device.

Connecting your ATA hard drives and CD / DVD-ROMs to the motherboard is easy. If you look closely at the IDE cables, you'll notice that one side is marked with a red line. This means that side of the cable should fit the connector near the power connector. Also, there's usually a notch on the cable connector that will only fit one way on the motherboard's and device's connector. Pay attention to these markings and you'll install them in no time. Remember to push the cable into the connector evenly, so you won't bend the pins inside the device's connectors.

Newer hard drives comes with a different connector called Serial ATA (S-ATA). Unlike regular ATA devices, only one device can be connected per one S-ATA connector. Some motherboards offer two connectors, while newer ones may offer up to four or more. Like before, it's best to put your hard drive(s) in order: put the first hard drive in the first S-ATA connector, the next one on the second and so forth. S-ATA cable connectors are different from regular IDE cables. They're smaller and just like its IDE counterpart, will only fit one way. Depending on your motherboard, you may have to prepare a driver disk if you want to install the operating system on your S-ATA hard drive. No driver is necessary if you're planning to install the operating system on your ATA hard drive.

Some motherboards (or more precisely, some storage controllers) may offer a feature called RAID (Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disk). This feature requires at least two hard drive, so you won't be able to use it if you only have one hard drive connected to the controller. We won't go to details here, but basically you will need to configure your drives as array first and then prepare the driver disk if you want to use a RAID array to store your operating system.

Remember to connect the power cables to your hard drive and CD / DVD-ROMs. Again, these power cables and connector will only fit one way so check what they are before you connect them. Some S-ATA hard drive may require a special S-ATA power connector, usually you could find them on the power supply or you could use a converter that's bundled with your motherboard. If both are available, only use one of them and not both.

Next, connect your floppy drive. It's basically just like installing the cables for your hard drive and CD / DVD-ROM. The only difference will be size of the cables and the connectors, but their markings and orientation are the same.

After connecting the data and power cables, it's time to power up your PC again. Your motherboard usually automatically detects any storage devices you've connected. For ATA devices, you could check it through the BIOS 'Standard CMOS Features' menu. For S-ATA devices, it will show either here or on your controller's own BIOS menu. This will usually be shown after your BIOS boot up screen. Speaking of BIOS, there are several things you need to do.


What we have to do now is configure the boot up sequence. Since we're going to install an operating system into an empty hard drive, we will have to use another device (like your CD / DVD-ROM) to boot (and install the operating system). For the sake of brevity, we'll assume that you will be using Windows XP for your PC's operating system. Thankfully, your Windows XP installation CD also doubles as a boot up CD. You could use this CD to boot your PC and start the installation process. We only need to configure the first boot drive to be your CD / DVD-ROM drive and the second boot drive to be your hard drive. When your PC boots up, the BIOS will find your Windows XP CD - just follow the instructions and we're on our way to installing Windows. Now, remember - we may have to prepare a driver disk if we're going to use a S-ATA device or a RAID array to store the operating system. Make sure you have connected the floppy drive (both data and power cables) and configured it properly in the BIOS.

Go to top
Disclaimer and Privacy policy.