Build a Computer

Make sure you have these parts

Case - This will be the container that will house & protect all the internal components of the computer. CPU - The CPU is essentially the brain of the computer it will execute all of the instructions located in memory.

Mother Board - The mother board is the large board on which most of your components will sit. The motherboard’s primary function is to allow all of the separate devices to communicate with each other along with the other input/output devices such as keyboard, mouse, and monitor. RAM - The RAM, sometimes called main memory is where all of the data for currently executing process is being stored. The CPU will only execute instructions on data located in the ram. Heat sink- As the CPU executes instructions it will generate heat. The heat sink’s job is to take this heat and disperse it outside of the PC case by utilizing large fans. Without the heat sink the CPU would overheat very quickly, causing irreparable damage. Hard Drive - This is where all of the data not currently in use. The Hard Drive has much more storage than the RAM, but it takes much longer to access the data. Acts as long-term storage. Power Supply - The power supply is what gives power to the separate parts of the computer. It controls how much power is given to each part respectively and prevents parts from be overloaded.

Mouse/Keyboard - Allows user to input to computer

Setup Work station

Clear off a table Have a mat down

Have tools

Small Philips head screwdriver Pliers (optional)

Step 1: Open Side Panel of the Case

On the back of the case there will be a blue latch. Pull down on the latch and at the same time try to open the case, the side should swing free.

After opening the side of the case a position the case so that the power button and CD drive face you.

Step 2: Lift CD Drive

The CD drive is an optional part for a PC and will not be focused on during this instructable. The CD drive is the large block in the front right. There should be a tab on the right side of the part press that tab in and lift the end of the drive up and towards you. It should swing on its hinge and clear up space to get a better view of the rest of the PC.

Step 3: Install Mother Board

a. In this instance we have already attached the mother board to the case and attached any optional wires that control things like secondary fans the CD drive. The point of this instructable is to teach new users the basics of computer assembly. We have attached the optional cables in attempt to cut back on any initial confusion.

b. The only wire that is mandatory to attach from the case to the mother board is the wire that runs from power button on the case to the mother board.

c. Feel underneath the CD drive right where the power button would be and try to find this wire.

d. Attach this wire to the set of pins along the black vertical strip in the front left corner of the motherboard indicated by the blue arrow below in the first picture. Make sure that the wire is lined up right before attempting to attach it. (The wire is missing a pin in one corner and the port is as well they need to be lined up).

Step 4: Attach Power Supply

a. The power supply typically has a designated housing unit from case to case. In this instance we have left the power supply in its metal case to save some time and hassle. Your only job will be to attach the three Power Supply wires. The only ones we need to attach right now are the power the motherboard and the CPU, these steps are detailed in b and c below and outline by the red arrows in the picture below.

b. The larger one, labeled P1 will attach along the bottom of the motherboard, there will be a large white plastic port to attach into, it will also have ATX_POWER etched next to it.

c. The second smaller one, labeled p2 will attach to the four-prong piece of plastic to the top right of the CPU, this one will be labeled ATX_12V.

d. The last of the wires coming from the power Supply will be the power to the hard drive but sense the hard drive is not installed yet we will have to wait.

Step 5: Install CPU

a. The CPU is an incredibly fragile piece of hardware and it is imperative that it is treated with care. Make sure that you do not touch any of the gold pins on the underside of the CPU only hold it by the edges. On the back of the CPU chip there should be a small triangle etched into one of the corners. Looking at the mother board there should be a small square that will hold the CPU. Gently place the CPU into the slot with the small triangle in the top left corner. The gold pins facing down and the greyish side facing up.

b. Close the latch the secures the CPU in place and clamp it down as shown in the picture below.

Step 6: Install Heat Sink

a. Attach the wire on the heat sink to the motherboard via by the port shown below. The wire should attach to a port of a matching color to the bottom right of the CPU. On the port to attach the wire there should be a vertical piece of plastic. Make sure that you align that with the grooves on the head of the wire.

b. Once the wire is attached, match the four prongs of the heatsink over the four holes surrounding the CPU. Lower the device in and slowly tighten the screws. Go around tightening the screws a little at a time and then jumping to the next one, don’t just screw one of the corners in all at once or the heat sink may sit uneven. The screws are just there to hold the device snuggly against the CPU, so they don’t need to be too tight.

Step 7: Install RAM

a. In our case we only have one stick, so the process is simple. We will place the RAM stick in the first of the two blue slots. Lower the two latches on either side of the port and gently lower the stick, gold pins down, into the slot ensuring that the grove on the stick matches the grove on the port.

b. Next raise the clamps on either side and then firmly push down on the top of the stick, you should hear it click into place.

Step 8: Install Hard Drive

a. The hard drive has 2 Ports for cables, one from the motherboard for data transfer, and the other from the power supply.

b. The power cable is five interconnected wires, 2 blacks, red, orange, and yellow. This cable originates from the power supply and will attach to the power port on the hard drive.

c. If you look in the bottom left corner of the mother board there should be four ports two red, a black, and an orange. The wire coming from the top red port will plug into the smaller of the two ports on the hard drive. The last wire coming from the power supply will plug into the larger of the two ports on the hard drive.

d. Now that the hard drive is wired you can go ahead and push the CD drive back down

e. The plastic case on the Hard drive should have hooks that will latch into the CD drive. Hook them in place and then lower the Hard drive so that the case can close.

f. Close the case and proceed to testing

Step 9: Testing

· Plug the VGA cable into the VGA slot in the back of the pc

· Have the VGA cable in the monitor

· Plug in the power cables for both pc and monitor

· Plug in keyboard into the pc

· Turn on both the pc and monitor

· If you hear more than two beeps then you have a problem

· Get into bios