In part one of this guide I talked about how to procure hardware for a new PC that met both your expectations and compatibility issues between different manufacturers.  In this part I’ll be showing you in pictures how to assemble this equipment into a full PC.

I’ll only be demonstrating the bare minimum equipment in this guide, in reality you will likely have other components and devices to attach such as graphics cards or multiple hard disks.  That being said, the principals shown here are pretty much universal so adding  these additional devices shouldn’t be a problem.

Before you begin, you should gather all the equipment into one place, un-box everything and make sure it’s clear in your mind where everything is going.  There is no right or wrong order in which to install components, but taking stock of “what goes where” will make it clearer in your mind and prevent you from having to backtrack when you realise you’ve forgotten something.  The most important thing when working  with PC hardware is to make sure you are properly earthed in order to avoid static electricity from damaging the components, the easiest way to do this is to buy a static strap, attach the elasticated band to your wrist and the other end to something like a copper water pipe or radiator.  This will channel all static electricity out of your body and stop you from frying your lovely new equipment.

Now I’ll take you through a build I completed this week, first of all lets take a look at the components.  This is a basic set of components, everything here is needed in order to make a PC (click to magnify).

Above we have a power supply, case, motherboard, processor, memory chip, hard disk and optical drive.  This is the bare minimum that is needed to make your PC.  You’ll also need some software, but we’ll get to that in part three.

The first thing to do is to remove all the panels from the case so that you just have a frame to work with, this will improve accessibility as you install various components, as well as letting more light into the case so that you can better see what you’re doing.  Ordinarily a standard tower (upright) case will have two removable side panels and a front panel, most of the time these are all removable either by removing screws of releasing latches that hold the panels in place.

In the example shown here I have removed both side panels and the front panel which will allow us to install all of our components with relative ease.  Towards the front of the case you can see the area where our optical drives and hard disk will be installed.

One thing to be careful of at this stage is that even some of the more expensive cases can have sharp edges on the inside, if you do come across a sharp edge the best thing you can do it put some electrical insulation tape over it to prevent you from cutting yourself while you work.

Once this case was bare I decided to install the optical drive and hard disk into the rails at the front.  Before I did this I checked to see if doing sowould prevent me from installing any of the other components, I would recommend doing this when you do your own install as it will save you time in the long run.  Due to the design of the case I was using, I had to make sure that the DVD drive would be flush with the front of the case, to do this I quickly re-attached the front panel, got the drive in position and then took the front panel off again.

Luckily, the mounting holes on most cases will line up well as the screw holes for all hard disks and optical dives is universal.  What this means is that once you’ve lined up your optical drive with the front of your case, you should find that the mounting holes on your optical drive line up with some of the mounting holes inside your case.  In the picture to the right you can see how the two mounting holes  on the DVD drive have lined up fairly well with the holes in the case.  There will also be two holes on the other side of the case for securing the drive on both side.

The next step is to install the hard disk into the case,this is done in a similar fashion to the optical drive, and again the hole spacings are universal so there shouldn’t be any surprises in installing your drive.  In most cases the drive sill simply slide into the rails and sit comfortably without having to be held in place.  If you’re having trouble installing your hard disk then take a step back and check to see that you’re installing it correctly:  Some more expensive cases come with more sophisticated mounting systems that use spring loaded latches to hold disks in place rather than using simple screws.

Unlike the optical drive, there is no need to measure the hard disk against the front panel of the case, as it will be hidden completely from view.

Once you’re happy that both drives are in the right place, you can screw them in.  The screws for doing this will either be supplied with the case or with the drives themselves (sometimes both!).  It’s important to make sure that the drives are both secure as neither will be too happy if they are left to wobble around inside the case.

it’s also important to remember to screw in both sides of the drive (hence why both sides of the case need to be removed).  Most optical drives will screw in using 8 screws in total (4 each side) and most hard disks will screw in using 4 screws in total (2 each side).

The two photos on the right show a correctly mounted optical drive and hard disk.

The next step is to install the computer’s power supply.  As in the picture to the right, most PC cases will have a sortof shelf for the power supply to sit on.  In the majority of cases this will be at the top of the tower, towards the back of the case, though it’s becoming increasingly popular for manufacturers to place the power supply at the bottom of the case instead.  In any case (no pun intended) it should be a simple procedure to install your power supply at this point.  If you’re power supply has a fan, make sure that this is pointed towards the inside of the case (not pressed against the roof of the case).

If installed correctly, the power supply should look something like this from the rear of the case.  you should be able to gain access to the power switch and the power lead connection without any trouble.  Your power supply will only fit into the case one way as the four mounting screws are not in a symmetric pattern.  If you can’t get all four screws in, make sure that you definitely have the power supply installed the correct way up.

Once you’re happy that the power supply is installed correctly and is secure, tuck the power cables out of the way as we don’t need to connect them to anything just yet.

The next step is to prepare the case to accept the motherboard, the first stage is to insert the rear connection plate into the case so that all the connections of the motherboard line up.  Your case may have an empty space (like the picture to the right) or it may have a dummy plate.  If it has a plate in place, gently press it inwards to release it from the case (or unscrew it if it’s screwed in).  Your new plate will fit into any case as the shape is universal (are you sensing a theme here?), it should just gently push into place.  The best way to do this is to insert the bottom edge first and then gently push in the sides and top edge until all four edges are secure  in place.  Try not to push too hard as you may bend the frame of the case.  If the plate doesn’t go in easily, remove it and try again, some cases need a bit of coercion due to manufacturing tolerances.

Before installing the motherboard it’s imperative that stand-offs are screwed into the case to prevent the board coming in contact with the steel case.  Sometimes these are pre-installed by the manufacturer, but other times they simply supply the standoffs and you have to fit them yourself.  As per most things, the spacings are all standard, so check which of the pillars are needed by your motherboard (check where the holes are on your board) and then screw standoffs into the corresponding holes in the casing.  It’s best to install the pillars into each hole that you need, but be careful not to insert one where it isn’t needed as this may interfere with your motherboard.

Once you’re happy that the rear connection plate and the standoffs have been properly installed, you can insert your motherboard into the case.  Now is the time where you should definitely be wearing some form of static protection as you will now be handling the bare circuit boards for the first time.  It’s also worth noting at this point that some processors need to be attached before the motherboard is screwed into the case.  In this example that is not the case, but in yours it may well be so check the installation manual for your processor before you take this step.

Once you’re happy that you can install the board, hold it by the edges and lower it into the case, the rear connections at the top left of the board should line up with the connection plate that you installed previously, and the holes in your motherboard should line up with the standoffs that you screwed into the case.  If this isn’t so then remove the board and make the necessary adjustments.  If it is so, then you can screw the motherboard in place using the screws supplied with your case.  Do this by inserting the screw into the threaded hole in the top of each of the standoffs.  Once all screws are installed, check that the board is not free to move around and that all the connections line up at the back.  if you have trouble installing any of the screws, slacken off the rest and try again, do NOT apply any pressure to the motherboard as you will damage it beyond repair.

Now it’s time to install the processor into the socket on the motherboard.  Most processor sockets feature a lever as per the picture on the right, when the lever is up you can safely install the processor into the socket.  The processor and motherboard will both have a mark on one corner which will signify which way round to install the processor.  To correctly install the processor; hold the processor at the edges, line up the marks and then lower the processor into the socket.  Once the processor is installed, lower the arm and lock it in place as shown in the second picture, the processor is now secured in your motherboard.

In order to keep the processor running correctly, it needs to be cooled.  Processors run very hot due to the resistance of the tiny conductors inside building up heat.  Because of this it’s essential to install a heatsink and fan (HSF) onto a processor.  Most processors will come with there own HSF, but manufacturers also make other HSF’s suitable for most processors to deal with differing space and cooling requirements.  For most home installations the supplied HSF (as per the picture on the right) will be perfectly fine.

Most HSF’s (including this one) are held in place by a metal retention clip which holds the HSF firmly against the top of the processor.  To install it, make sure that the clip is correctly orientated with the bracket on the motherboard and then lower the HSF into place.  Make sure that the latch on the retention clip is released (as per the left hand picture) and that both sides of the clips are joined with the mounting bracket.  Then, push the latch to it’s stop position (as per the right hand picture) to secure the HSF to the processor.  It’s worth noting that this example is for an AMD processor, whereas Intel tend to use a different system.  To make sure that you install your HSF correctly, always consult the installation instructions provided with your motherboard and processor.

The last step of installing the processor and HSF is to connect the fan to the motherboard so that it will spin when the computer is turned on.  The fan will blow cool air onto the metal heatsink which will then keep the processor cool (the principal is the same as a radiator in a car engine).  To connect the fan, consult your motherboards manual in order to locate the connecting pins on the board, and then connect the fan to these pins.  If you can’t find details of the fan connector in the manual, look for thee or four pins close together on your motherboard near to where the processor socket is, if there is writing next to it that says something along the lines of “CPU FAN” then this is the connector you want.

The next item to install is the memory.  Your motherboard may have one memory slot, or several, but the principal is exactly the same.  Hold the memory chip between your fingers (while still wearing an anti-static band) and lower it into the slot with the latches open.  Once the chip is located in the slot, apply even, firm pressure across the top of the chip and it will click into the socket and the latches should close around the chip to hold it in place.  For detailed instructions on installing memory, check out our guide here.

The next part is one of the few aspects of constructing a PC which isn’t perfectly standardized.  You hopefully noticed when you removed the panels from your case that the buttons, lights and USB ports are connected to cables that have gone unmentioned up until now.  These cables need to be connected to your motherboard so that the buttons can turn the computer on and so that the lights and USB ports function properly.

The first picture to the right shows how to connect the power button and light connectors to the motherboard.  On each motherboard there will be a group of pins sticking up from the board which you connect these cables to, however, the order in which the pins are laid out is not standardized across all manfacturers.  For this reason it is absolutely essential that you consult your motherboard manual about connecting these cables to the pins on the motherboard.  Failure to connect these cables properly will mean that your computer will not turn on and the lights will not work properly.  If you manage to connect these cables up correctly but you find that the lights are not working, turn the connector around and connect it to the same two pins.

For most cases the other two cables – the audio cable and USB cable – are a bit easier to install.  The audio cable is usually one block connector, which will only connect to one set of pins on the motherboard due to a “dummy” pin which prevents it being connected to the wrong set of connectors on the motherboard.  The USB cable may be split into two sets of four pins, but will similarly only connect to pins designed for USB cables on the motherboard.  Confirm where both of these sets of pins are with your motherboard manual and then connect them up.  Most of the time these connectors will only connect one way round, so take your time and make sure you don’t bend any of the pins by trying to force something on to them that doesn’t belong there.

Now it’s time to connect the data cables for the optical drive and hard disk to the motherboard so that they can communicate with the rest of the computer.  Depending on the components you have, this will either be using the old style PATA cables (wide thin connector), or the newer style SATA connector (smaller connector).  For ease of understanding i’ve shown both type of connector to the right.  To connect the devices, connect one end of a cable to the motherboard and the other end to the optical drive or hard disk.  In both cases the connector will only attach one way round.  For SATA devices this is indicated by a notch at one end of the connector, and for PATA devices this is done by a locator pin in the middle of the top of the connector.

Now that the devices are connected to the motherboard, it’s time to start connecting the power supply so that everything will have power when the computer is turned on.  The first two pictures to the right show the two power connectors that are connected directly to the motherboard.  The first is a four (or sometimes eight) pin connector, and the other is a twenty four pin connector.  Both are keyed to only fit one way round, and both connectors should click in place without too much trouble.  Try and keep your power cables as tidy as possible (use plastic ties if necessary), these will reduce clutter and improve airflow in your case.

With the motherboard connected for power, it’s then time to power the drives in the computer.  Older PATA drives use a four pin connector called a Molex, which can be seen in the right hand picture.  The newer SATA devices use a seperate connector which resembles the SATA data cable (only slightly longer).  Both will only connect to the devices one way around.  As with the other power cables, try to keep clutter to a minimum, utilise any cable management system in the case and tie up any loose bundles.  DO NOT under any circumstances cut any spare power cables, moving them out of harms way is sufficient.

The last step before reassembly is to connect any case fans that have been supplied with your case.  These can be connected to either the motherboard or to the power supply directly.  it’s important not to underestimate the importance of good airflow within a PC.  Traditionally, the goal is to draw cold air through the front of the case and expel hot air out of the back of the case.  Be sure to install your fans the correct way around so that air is pushed in the appropriate direction.  Most fans will have an arrow on the side of them indicating the direction of airflow when they are turned on.

With the fans installed, it’s time to replace the panels on the case and conclude the installation of hardware.  Take a last look at all the connections that have been made and make sure there are no cables loose anywhere and that all fans are connected.  Then re-attach the panels of your case and secure them with the appropriate screws or latches.  The hardware side of building the computer is now finished, it should resemble the two pictures to the right.

In part three I’ll be taking you through the procurement and installation of an operating system and other applications, as well as giving an insight into the best way to manage your computer once it’s up and running.  The above is a lot to take in, and every scenario is different, what has been explained is mostly applicable across the board but there will be situations where what you have in front of you will differ from what is shown here.  In these instances it’s absolutely essential that you consult the user manuals of the equipment that you have and use this guide as a reference only.  In the meantime, I’m always happy to answer questions regarding specific cases so please leave a comment or Email me: admin@techmadeeasy.co.uk

Part Three of this guide can be viewed here.