I have changed motherboards before and have taken apart and
put back
together a few computers but have never built one from
scratch. I can not
imagine it being a difficult thing to do.
Use a grounding strap attached to your wrist or frequently
ground yourself
to a grounded wire, pipe or whatever. If you leave ALL of
the power cables
disconnected during the process, you can plug the power cord
in to a
grounded outlet and into the computer and then use any bare
metal to ground
yourself. Once you connect power to the motherboard, you
apply a little bit
of juice to the MB even if the computer is turned off, so be
careful once
power is applied.
First, select the features you want on your motherboard...
get the right MB
for the CPU you want to install. CPU SOCKETs come in a
variety of sizes and
compatibility. Check them carefully. The easy way to do
this is to buy a
package deal that includes MB and CPU.
Most MBs come with a lot of stuff built in... audio, video,
drive
controllers etc. Look at those closely to be sure they meet
your needs. If
they don't, look to be sure they can be disabled (manually
or automatically)
so you can install upgrades. Make sure the MB has enough
expansion slots of
the right type to install the upgrade cards.
Select a tower and power supply. They can come together or
separately. Get
the largest power supply consistent with your budget. With
all sorts of USB
and Firewire products getting plugged in you need all the
power you can get.
I would suggest 450 watts at a minimum. Also, select some
form of extra
cooling. Either fans or water cooled or whatever. Make
sure the size and
shape of the MB will fit in the case. MBs generally have
standard form
factors but it has been so long since I bought one I don't
know what the
current ones are.
Then select a hard drive, SATA is faster if your controller
supports it. I
would get a small one (60 to 100GB) for installing the OS.
I would also get
a single optical drive that can read CD and DVD ROMs. I
would use plug in
external devices for all additional storage, a 3.5"
floppy drive and disc
burners that I needed.
Put the motherboard in the case first and attach the power
cables to it.
Then, the order you install the other components is not
important, so do
that based on the size, shape of the case and the location
of the various
brackets to hold the devices. Install the expansion cards,
if any last. If
the various cables are long enough and easily moved to get
them out of the
way, plug them in as you install the devices. Otherwise
wait until you
finish to plug every thing in. Don't forget the small
cables that connect
the audio from your optical drives to the MB or audio card
and the cables
that connect the front mounted ports and indicator lights to
the appropriate
connectors on the motherboard or expansion card.
Touch everything at least twice to check for loose hardware
and cables.
Pick the case up and tilt and turn it to listen for loose or
lost screws.
Close the case (if necessary), plug in a keyboard, mouse and
monitor then
plug in the computer. Turn it on and check for smoke or
sparks. Boot to
Setup and make sure everything is recognized. You may need
to tell it the
harddrive type, boot order and other things (such as boot
with NUM LOCK
turned on). If you get lost or worried, exit without
saving, turn off the
computer and post a cry for help.
Insert your OS disc in the optical drive and restart the
computer. Install
the OS and you are done. Congratulations.
Did I forget anything?
Don
----- Original Message -----
From: <HandsomeBlck aol.com>
To: <pctechtalkfreelists.org>
Sent: Sunday, December 31, 2006 10:38 AM
Subject: -=PCTechTalk=- Re: " Dell, or Compaq ? "
> lafalot,
> I've often pondered building my own machine. But I
really have no idea
> where to even start researching the project - what
tower size, component
> compatibility, needed extra hardware (screws, brackets,
cables), in which
> order to
> install each component, etc. I've been so fortunate to
never had to do a
> restore, or reformat.
>
> HB
>
--
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