Building a computer is not all that difficult if you know what to do. Those who have done it before can build a computer in under an hour. However it takes significantly longer if it is your first time. The only thing you will need is a screw driver.

Step 1

First of all, make sure that you have all the parts you need. To build a fully functional computer, you will need the following:

  • CPU
  • Motherboard
  • Hard drive
  • Graphics Card
  • Sound card – if your motherboard doesn’t already include onboard sound
  • Power Supply
  • RAM
  • Read/Write Drive
  • Monitor
  • Mouse and Keyboard
  • Case

Once you have all the parts you need, find an empty space to build the computer. Make sure there is no water or food around.How to Build a Computer

Step 2

Take out the case and ground yourself. This removes the static electricity in your body that could possibly short circuit any part you touch. Ground yourself by laying the case on the floor and touching the metal chassis of the case.

Step 3

Take out your motherboard and CPU. Make sure that the pins are corresponding between the CPU socket on the motherboard and the CPU.

Slowly place the CPU onto the socket and push it in. It should go in fairly easily. Then attach the heat-sink and/or fan to the motherboard on top of the CPU. Remember to plug the fan into the motherboard for power – the plug should be right next to the CPU socket.

Step 4

Take out the RAM. Right below the CPU socket on your mother should be some RAM sockets. On either side of them is a white hinge. Push these hinges down so that the RAM can slip inside. Make sure the pins on the RAM are corresponding to the pins on the motherboard and slide the RAM in. You may have to use a little bit of force. Once you hear a click, the RAM is in properly.

Do the same for as much RAM as you have.

Step 5

Take out the screws that came with your case. The mid-sized ones that are usually the shortest are the screws you will need for this. In the case are several empty holes. Screw in these screws in the same order that the holes on the outside of your motherboard are placed. Once you are done, your mother board should fit right onto these ‘legs’.

Be sure the check that the component on the back of the motherboard are visible on the outside of the case and that nothing is blocking the ports.

Step 6

Take the long thin screws that came with the case and screw your motherboard onto the legs. Make sure that the motherboard is sturdy, but do not over tighten the screws.

Step 7

Take out your power supply and slide it into the space at the top.

Screw this into place. The motherboard should come with one wire that will be able to plug into the power supply. Take this out and plug it into the motherboard and power supply.

IMPORTANT: Do no plug the computer into a power socket!!!

Push the remaining wires to the side.

Step 8

Take out the metal slot cover in front of the AGP or PCI Express slot on your motherboard. You may have to use some force with this.

Take out your graphics card.

Press down on the hinge by the PCI Express/AGP slot. By the end of the graphics card there is a hook. Push that into place by the hinge and lower the graphics card into the slot. When it is fixed down properly, you should hear a click.

Step 9

Repeat step 7 if you have a sound card in one of the other PCI slots.

Step 10

Take out your hard drive. Slide it into one of the hard drive slots located towards the bottom of the front of your case. You should have a red wire that came with it. Plug this into the hard drive on one and ad into the purple slot on the motherboard for the other.

Take the cables coming out of the power supply and plug one of them into the hard drive. Use one that is the best fit length.

Step 11

Take out the read/write drive. Depending on what kind of case you have, you may eed to push one of the slots out of the front of the computer. Doing so will allow you to slide the R/W drive into place so that it is visible from the front.

Once you have slid it in, take out the long flat grey wire that come with the motherboard. Plug one end of it into the R/W drive and another onto the long plug by the RAM slots.

Take another cable from the power supply (may be the same one as your hard drive – power supply cables can have two or more power inputs that can run through 1 cable) and plug that into the hard drive.

Step 12

The remaining wires coming from the case and from the motherboard all need to be plugged in now. Refer to your manual if you need additional help.

The wires coming from the front of the case are the LED, Power Wires and Reset switch, and a couple others. All must be plugged into your motherboard. These should be located to the right of the motherboard towards the bottom. There are labels there that correspond to the labels on the wires. Plug these in.

The wires coming farther up in the case must be plugged in as well. The location of these wires differs and it would be best to consult the manual.

Step 13

Close the case, take out the monitor and plug everything in.

Turn on the computer. If you hear a beep, that means that the computer has detected the hard drive, this is a good thing. Install an operating system and you are done!

Tips

  • No food or water near where you are building
  • An open, empty and bright space is considered best
  • Do not force anything into a slot!
  • If you get stuck or something goes wrong, do not be afraid to ask for professional help

Setting up the Operating System and Software

This should be fairly easy with modern operating systems such as Windows and Ubuntu. For Windows simply insert the Windows install DVD into the DVD drive to boot from it and start the install process. You should be fine simply following the prompts on the screen, which will allow you to format your hard drive, install the OS, and at latter stages of the process enter or select some basic information such as your desired computer name, username, time zone, keyboard layout, and language.

You might need to install the drivers from DVDs that may have come with the components you put together to fully enable all hardware functions. This would enable such things as full graphics acceleration, proper sound support, and full networking capacity.

Finally, install any security software that you need.  You should have a Malware, Spyware and Anti-virus software. If you can add a internet Protection security bundle, that’ll ensure that no matter what you are doing on the computer, you are safe.Once you are done with this, add any other components peripherals you may need, like printers, scanners, gaming components, and so on. After that you should be ready to start using and enjoying your own brand new computer.

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How to Build a Computer

Today, it is easier than ever to build your own computer. Whether you are a computer programmer, technical engineer or a homemaker, building your computer from scratch can be accomplished in a reasonable amount of time and at affordable prices.