How to Build a Computer
Introduction
Once again, I'm up to my old tricks. The time has passed, and I have written a
variety of guides covering the installation of a plethora of different kinds of
hardware and software. Well now you know, they were all designed to build up to
this monstrosity of a computer hardware guide. And when you see what I have in
store for you, you will understand why.
Overview
Oh boy, this is a big one. Are you ready to delve into the mind of the master
of all computer builders, and more importantly, are you afraid? You should
be...
- A listing of all the necessary parts, components, and tools that are
necessary
- Safety Precautions
- Feature Case: The Addtronics 6890A Full Tower Case
- Getting in and around your computer case
- Installing your M 12412n139m otherboard
- Installing your Processor and RAM
- Installing your Add-in cards
- Cable Cleanup
- Installing your Hard Drive, Floppy Drive, and CD-ROM drive
- Booting up for the first time
- Troubleshooting Boot-up Problems
- Configuring the BIOS
- Installing Windows
- Troubleshooting a failed installation
- Initial Windows Setup
- System Cooling
- Overclocking
Stuff
Here's a (somewhat) complete list of what you will need to build your computer.
You may need other specific things depending on your particular choices in
hardware (such as a slotkey).
Case - I personally recommend the Addtronics line of cases for your new
computer. The feature case for this article is the Addtronics 6890a case, which
is a full tower case with more than enough real estate for most users needs.
Other companies also make some good cases - I have worked with Enlight cases
previously and have been very satisfied with them. As for power-supplies, go
with the ones that come with the case as long as they are at least 250 watts
(300 is better), unless your specific computer (Athlon...) requires a more
expensive one.
Motherboard - This really depends on the type of system you are trying to
build, but both ABIT and ASUS make very good motherboards, and if you get a
board made by one of those companies, you are sure to be satisfied.
More Stuff...
Processor - I won't even bother trying to recommend a particular type of
processor, due to the fast moving nature of that sector of the computer
business. Both Intel and AMD make very solid processor solutions, so I would
recommend sticking with them.
RAM - PC133 Ram, definitely. Why? Because even if you are building a system
that only needs PC100 Ram, you will benefit from the extra stability and
quality of the PC133 Ram. Besides, at 100 Mhz, you can set regular CAS-3 PC133
Ram to CAS-2 and get a performance increase for about the same price as PC100
CAS-2 Ram goes for. RAMBUS is an absolute waste of money unless you are
building a system that absolutely requires it - and besides, RAMBUS ram is
incompatible with most of today's motherboards anyhow.
CD/DVD Drive - Right now I would probably recommend getting a DVD drive as
opposed to a CD-ROM drive, if only for the reason because software is (finally)
starting to move over to that format now. However, anything under a 6X drive is
really a waste of money. However, for a budget system, you can get a 40x CD-ROM
drive for as low as $25... and there isn't a game or application out yet that
isn't available on CD-ROM.
Floppy Drive - Get a used one. You can pick them up for under $5, and the
likelihood of you needing a super-fast floppy drive is akin to the likelihood
that you would need a faster LP turntable. It just doesn't happen. However, if
you are really obsessed with speed, Teac is one of the best brands, running at
about $17. Of course, used, they run about the same as the generic ones and
they haven't changed the design in ages... Only way they are going to get any
faster is if you grab an LS-120 - it runs floppies at 5x the speed of a
conventional floppy drive.
Hard Drive - IBM...IBM...IBM... they're fast, relatively cheap, and big. Get a
Deskstar - you won't regret it. And you can get them in any size/price range
under the sun, and are generally considered to be the best 7200-RPM drives on
the market. Now, rumor has it that there are actually some 8300-RPM drives on
the market that are being made by another company that are faster, but that
isn't confirmed nor do I have any other information on them.
Even More Stuff...
Video Card - Your best bet here would be to go with an Nvidia based card if
you're willing to spend a little extra money, or a 3dfx Voodoo3 card if you're
on a budget. All of them are good, and what you get really depends on how much
you are willing to spend.
Sound Card - You really have two top-of-the-line options here... the
Soundblaster Live! series of cards by Creative Labs and the Aureal Vortex 2
based cards. Both cards are very good and deliver excellent audio quality.
Modem - Depends. I generally recommend external modems because they are never
software-driven, but if you can find a good internal hardware modem you are
golden. Just a hint, if it's new, internal, and under $50... it's probably a
software modem. Diamond still produces some internal hardware modems, and 3Com
has just come out with a hardware 'gaming' modem.
Keyboard - This is really up to personal taste - here's what you should look
for in a new keyboard:
- Comfort
- Full sized backspace key (size of two keys)
- PS/2 or USB - not AT
Editor's note: Cordless keyboards are very cool! Watch out at LAN parties
though.. :)
Mouse - Microsoft mice are my favorite - the Intellimouse series of mice is
excellent. Go for one of the USB models if you can. The other option we
recommend is the Logitech Mouseman series. These are very nice, too. Mousepad? Visit Ratpadz! These are excellent mousepads
for gamers and they last forever.
Monitor - Once again, this is something you are going to need to decide on for
yourself. I personally recommend getting a monitor that is 17" or greater
and maintains a frequency of at least 85 Hz at your chosen resolution
(1024x768, 1280x1024, or 1600x1200). For around $200 you should be able to find
a cheap 17", and for about $400 you should be able to find a decent
19" monitor.
Operating System - For right now I recommend Win98 (not second edition...).
Windows 2000 has all the trappings of a great OS if companies choose to support
it properly - so you may want to keep that in mind as well.
Other parts - extra IDE cables (you'll understand later), some kind of lock-tie
(twistie-ties work as well if you can't get lock-ties), and any fans you intend
on installing. You may also wish to go out and grab some extra case screws if
your case didn't come with enough of them.
Tools - There are a variety of different tools you may need while building your
system. Here are a few of the most common ones:
- Flat head screwdriver
- Magnetized Phillips head screwdriver
- Regular Philips head screwdriver
- Tweezers
Safety Precautions
There are a few things that you should be aware of when you are building your
computer so you don't hurt yourself or damage any of the components.
- Wash (and dry) your hands
- Make sure you ground yourself by touching an uncoated part of your computer's
chassis before touching any of the components
- Be careful of sharp edges within your case
- Only handle PCB's (your motherboard, video card, etc) from the edges whenever
possible. Touching the contacts can damage them
- Avoid using magnetic screwdrivers when installing your hard drive
(particularly if there is already some data on it) - it's a magnetic storage
medium, after all.
Feature Case - the Addtronics 6890a
I chose this case as the feature case for this article mainly because of its
versatility. Not only does it have all of the features that one would look for
in a good case, it also has some customizability to it - from power supplies to
fan number and locations. Some of the most impressive features of the case are
as follows:
- Removable HD tray
- Swinging side doors
- Air filters
- Security lock
- Drive rails
- Adjustable base
- FCC spec metal shielding
This really is a great case for building a system. If you want to hear more
about it, you can read my review of the case here.
Getting In and Around Your Computer
Getting into each different computer case is different. However, there are
generally two types of cases on the market today - front opening and rear
opening ones. Rear opening cases are by far the most common - they generally
consist of either one piece of sheet metal folded over the entire case (this is
a good sign of a cheap case) or two panels attached in back using thumbscrews.
The latter is a very popular design and is found on most OEM cases as well as
many other higher end cases (Enlight comes to mind). Front opening cases,
however, are my personal favorite (the Addtronics 6890a is one such case).
Front opening cases require you to remove the front panel before you can get at
the innards. To open these cases, you grab the bottom of the front panel (there
will be a handhold of some sort) and pull outwards. Don't be afraid of breaking
the case - they are designed for this kind of treatment. After this, depending
on the case, you may or may not have screws to loosen before the side panels
will open.
This picture was blatantly ripped off of the ABIT-USA website, and is a picture
of the BE6-2. Its got the lowdown on which part of the motherboard is which. I
will be referring to these parts throughout this guide, so take note of where
each one is, or at least be prepared to return here for some guidance.
Installing your
Motherboard
Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! (wicked evil grin) Some people say that the CPU is the
heart of the computer - and that may be so, but if it is, then the motherboard
is the spinal cord. A good, solid motherboard can mean the difference between
an average system and a power rig. And installing it properly can make or break
a system.
So what constitutes a proper install of a motherboard? Well, here's a rundown
on the basics:
- Don't skimp on screws. Big system builders may only use 3 or 4 of the board
connectors, but that's not an excuse for you not to take the time and use all
of them.
- Don't be in a hurry or rough with your board - I know from personal
experience, taking your time has its own rewards.
- When attaching your cables, processor, etc, don't be afraid to use a little
bit of pressure to get them in. But you still need to be careful not to warp
the board (this happens if you don't attach it properly or if you simply apply
too much pressure), because that can break the tiny connections within the PCB.
Now that I've gone through all of that hoopla, let's go over the whole
installation together. First, begin by removing the motherboard tray from your
case. If your case doesn't have a motherboard tray, simply lay your case on its
side. Then carefully insert the motherboard and attach it to the case properly.
The board should be parallel from the side of the case and about a millimeter
of space should between it and the side of the case or tray. Also make sure
that your ISA/PCI/AGP slots are properly aligned with the slots on the case.
You may have to move or add some of the tray risers (the little plastic or
metal things that pop out of the tray) so that there are ones everywhere that
there is a screw hole on the motherboard and nowhere else (this is very
important). You should put a screw in each of the screw holes in the
motherboard.
Installing your Processor and RAM
While the tray is still outside the chassis, you will want to install the
processor and RAM. Depending on the type of processor, installation may be
slightly different. Slot based processors are simply inserted into the slot on
the motherboard (firmly) and then locked in place using the plastic guides.
Socket based chips (your stereotypical processors from the golden age that are
making a comeback) are slightly more complicated. All the chips now use the ZIF
standard (Zero Insertion Force), so you don't bend any of the pins. To install
first release the socket lock using the gray lever next to the socket, then
align the pins with the holes on the socket and insert. You shouldn't have to
push at all, just guide. Once the chip is in place (if it doesn't go in, you
don't have the chip aligned properly... you can only install it one way),
re-lock the socket by replacing the lever to its original position.
If you are using a slotkey, you have an even more complicated procedure.
However, to put it simply, first attach the processor to the slotkey, and then
insert the slotkey into the slot on the motherboard. Depending on the model,
you may or may not be able to lock the slotkey in place.
Now you are going to need to install the fan/heatsink. On the socket based
processors take the heatsink and find the white pad on the bottom. Line that up
with the processor. Then attach the metal "strap" to the bottom of
the socket (the thin part of the strap) and push down on the other portion of
the strap until it clicks under the other side of the socket. Then plug the fan
into the built-in fan power port on the motherboard (it should have three
pins). To install the heatsink/fan on a slot based processor, you should be
able to simply slide it into the processor guide with the processor. Then plug
the fan into the fan power port. Note: if you are installing a non-standard CPU
cooler, you may need to do other specific operations to properly install the
cooler.
Now, installing the RAM is relatively simple. This is because there has been
one slot standard for RAM, and that is pretty much the only one being used
anymore. To install a SIMM/DIMM (SDRAM), all you need to do is push out the two
locks on the side of the slot, align the off-center slot with the notch in the
RAM, and slide it in. Once you have fit the RAM into its slot, push down on one
side until the lock snaps up, and then do the other. Make sure the RAM is
firmly in place, and then move on.
Installing your Add-in Cards
Depending on how your motherboard tray was designed, you may or may not have to
reinstall your motherboard tray to install add-in cards.
To install an add-in card, make sure that the slot you are installing it into
has had its cover removed. Then firmly insert the card into the slot and push
down until the "goldfinger" on the card is fully inserted into the
slot. Then attach the front plate to the case using a screw so that the card
doesn't move around. Remember that PCI slots 1&3 and 2&4 share IRQs,
and that slot 5 shares an IRQ with the USB controller, so if your system's BIOS
doesn't support manually determining IRQs for PCI slots (most Athlon boards and
some cheaper PII boards), you won't want to have your cards sharing IRQs.
For more in-depth information on installing add-in cards, you can check out my how to guide on the
subject. It goes into this topic in much greater detail than I have here.
Cable Cleanup
No matter what kind of case you have, you will have to install your motherboard
tray eventually. However, before you do that, you may want to do some cable
binding. This consists of more tightly binding your power cables so that they
don't go all over the place and are easier to work with. You can do that with
the lock-ties I recommended earlier. Just snip off the loose ends once the
cables are bound. You won't be able to do this with the twisty ties, but for
the next part you will be able to use either.
Count out the number of power connectors you are going to need for your drives
and fan, and separate them out from the rest. Then bind the rest of the cables
together and attach them to an out of the way part of the case (above the power
supply if you can). Remember you DO need the ATX power cable available. ;)
After you've finished up binding the cables, plug the ATX power cable into the
motherboard. It's simple enough, you can only put it in one way, and it should
click into place.
Cable Cleanup Cont.
Okay, okay, okay, I am holding out on you - there is one other way to optimize
your cables at this point. It's called IDE cable stacking. I saw this at
another web site, but I can't remember which one - so if it's your idea, drop
me a line and let me know, and I'll try to give you credit. =) Anyhow, you take
a flat razor blade (or even your fingernails if they're long enough) and slice
between every 5th ribbon on a standard IDE cable (I believe it's every 10th on
an ATA/66 cable, but I've never tried it - for that you may need a sharper
blade, such as an Exacto knife). Make sure you only cut the plastic. Then you
take the strips, fold them on top of each other, and bind them with a lock-tie.
That should improve airflow through the case dramatically. You can do this with
the floppy cable too. But remember, particularly with the ATA/66 cables, there
is a reason why the cables are in a ribbon configuration - so if you find your
system is bring plagued by data errors, one of the causes could be the stacked
cables.
Now that your case is re-assembled and contains your motherboard, processor,
RAM, and your add-in cards, it's time to plug in the case. You should have
about half a dozen little cables down in the lower right hand portion of your
case. These control the lights and buttons on your case, and each one should be
labeled with a little sticker (it'll say stuff like reset, power, etc.). Pull
out your motherboard manual and find out where to attach each one. Plug them in
facing the same direction (face in, or out) and if some or most aren't working,
reverse the way they're facing and they should work. Your motherboard manual should
cover the specifics. Once you've plugged them all in, bind the excess cable up
and out of the way.
Installing your Hard Drive,
Installing your IDE and Floppy drives is the next operation you will need to
take part in. There are two different ways to install these drives, and which
one you use will depend on your case. If you are using an old or inexpensive
case, you may have to fasten the drives directly to the case using screws.
However, if you are using a case such as the 6890A, you will be able to use
standard drive rails to attach the drives. Simply screw the rails to the drive
(make sure you leave enough headroom for the external drives so you don't have
to reach into the case to insert a disk) and slide the rails into the case.
Depending on the rails you have, you may or may not have to fasten the rails
using screws.
Now it's time to plug them in. Start off with the power cables. Idealy, each
drive should have its own line straight to the power supply, but that isn't
realistic for most people. If you do have to share, here's the best way to go -
let the CD-ROM and Floppy drive share the same power cord and let the hard
drive have its own cable. Oh, and make sure you leave one of the cables for any
fans you need to plug into the power supply - they create a large amount of
electrical noise and shouldn't be daisy-chained onto your drives. If you have
two hard drives, you can use the same source cable for those, as they don't
create any electrical interference that could disrupt operation.
Next, you need to plug in your floppy and IDE cables. The floppy drive needs to
be plugged into the end of its cable, and you should follow the same plan with
your IDE cables, particularly if you intend on installing a secondary slave
later on - the slave drive creates interference if it is plugged on the end of
the cable because it is always "fighting" for bandwidth. Now that
those cables are plugged in, connect your analog I/O cable to your CD-ROM drive
and sound card. If you would like more information on installing IDE drives,
check out our Hard
Drive installation guide and our Optical Drive installation
guide.
Booting Up for the First Time
Before closing up your case, do the following:
- Make sure you've plugged in all your fans
- Check all of your cable connections
- Push down on your add-in cards and RAM modules to make sure they are seated
properly
Now you're ready for prime time. Close up your case, plug in your monitor,
keyboard, and mouse (you can get the other stuff later), attach the power
cable, and power up. If all goes well, you should hear a beep and the BIOS
loading screen should pop up. You need to enter your BIOS setup screen (on most
computers, you do this by hitting the
Troubleshooting Common Bootup Problems
What do you do if you can't get your computer to POST (power-on-self-test), or
it doesn't detect your hard drives, you should check the following things
before calling the respective company's tech support lines:
- Listen for the beep code when you hit the power button. You can use this to
determine which part of the computer is causing the problem. If your computer
didn't come with the listing of the beep codes for its particular BIOS, you
should be able to download them from the net. If you aren't getting a beep, either
the speaker isn't plugged in correctly to the motherboard or you've got a dead
board that will need to be replaced.
- If you can determine from the beep code what is causing the problem (be it
the CPU, the RAM, or whatever) go back into the computer and make sure the
connection for that piece is solid. You may need to reset the part using more
force than you did originally. RAM slots on extremely cheap or generic
motherboards are notorious for needing a lot of force to make a connection.
- If your hard drives aren't being detected properly, make sure that the
jumpers are set properly and that the IDE cables are fit snugly into their
ports. Also, if you aren't hearing the drive spin up when you hit the power
button, check and see if the power cable is properly connected to the drive.
- If the light on your floppy drive won't turn off within a few seconds of boot
up, you've got the floppy cable upside down (don't worry, it happens to
everyone sometimes). Just go back and flip it over, and it'll work fine.
Configuring the BIOS
If you're here, you should already be inside your BIOS and have made sure
everything is working properly. Here are a couple of settings you will want to
play around with before installing Windows:
- Unless you are in Japan, turn off Mode 3 Floppy drive support
- Turn on Quickboot/quickpost/etc.
- Disable Boot up floppy seek
For more in-depth coverage of the BIOS, check out our article on the subject here.
Installing Windows
To install Windows, first you will need to boot the system into DOS. To do
this, take your boot disk, insert it in your floppy drive, and reboot the
computer. This should work unless you disabled the floppy drive on your
computer in the BIOS - if you did that, go back and re-enable it.
If you got a retail full version of Windows 98, it should have come with a boot
disk. If, for some reason, you lost it or something, any boot disk with a
working CD driver on it should work (like the standard Win98 Emergency Startup
Disk). This means you should have access to your floppy drive and your CD-ROM
drive after boot. Most likely, however, your hard drive isn't formatted yet, so
we'll have to deal with that next.
Before you format your hard disk, you need to partition it. And unless you own
a copy of partition magic or another such program, you are stuck with old,
archaic Fdisk. At the A: prompt, type in Fdisk to go into the program. Create a
primary partition (your C drive) using fdisk and then restart the computer. Afterwards,
you will once again need to reboot. Once you have rebooted the computer, type format
C: /s (the /s makes the drive bootable) at the A: prompt and go do
something else for about half an hour while it formats. When it is done, we
recommend copying the Windows "cab" files (located in the \Win98
directory on the CD) onto the hard drive. This will make the installation
faster.
So now that your disk is partitioned and formatted, reboot your computer once
more. If you haven't copied the Windows cab files on the CD over to the hard
drive, you'll need the boot disk and the Windows CD in their respective drives.
You have to run setup.exe. You do this by going to your CD drive (typically
d:\) and then typing in setup, or if you copied over the cab files, go into the
folder you created on your hard drive (\win98?) and type setup. Go through the
Windows installation program as normal. If you want more information on this
subject, check out the Installing /
Reinstalling Win9x guide and the Dual Boot guide.
Troubleshooting a Failed Installation
What should you do if you can't finish the installation because the program
keeps crashing? Just like Windows, huh? Well, believe it or not, they did do a
decent job on the installer - but it does stress your computer's components.
This means that if you've got a bad or improperly installed part, things aren't
going to work. Here are a few things to check before you go running back to the
store with your computer in hand screaming, "You sold me a bad part!"
- Make sure the CAS rating in the BIOS is the right one for the ram. Most of
the time, you will want it set to 3, unless you specifically bought CAS-2 ram.
- Make sure all of your components are plugged in firmly (push down on them)
- Check all of your cables again
- If you are using a slotkey in your system, make sure it is inserted properly
- sometimes, particularly with the older models, it doesn't always make full
connection with the motherboard.
Windows Setup
Once Windows is installed and you boot up into it for the first time, it is
going to request that you feed it a bunch of drivers and the like, so make sure
you have them on hand. After that's done and you are at your desktop, first
check your My Computer folder and make sure that all of your drives and
partitions show up. Then go into the Control Panel and use the System applet's
Device Manager to make sure your sound card, video card, etc. are installed
properly. If some of the parts are only being shown using generic drivers, you
will need to change them - which you can do right from within the applet.
If there are any conflicts within your computer, they will be marked with a
yellow exclamation mark or a red X. You may have some IRQ or memory access
conflicts. You should be able to fix them from within the Device Manager - but
if you can't, go back through and move one of the offending cards to another
slot on the motherboard and see if that helps solve the conflict.
If certain parts aren't showing up at all, first go to the Add New Hardware
applet and have the computer search for new components - if it doesn't find the
part(s) that are missing, turn the computer off and try resetting the pieces of
hardware that are causing problems.
System Cooling
Adequate cooling of your computer is important whether or not you plan on
overclocking your system. You should at the very least have some kind of
exhaust fan on your computer other than your processor and power supply fans.
Beyond that, the extent you go to is up to you - but if you want to overclock,
make sure you have some serious cooling - otherwise you could damage your
processor.
Overclocking
If you are considering overclocking your computer, make sure you read up about
it in my Overclocking How to guide (Part 1; Part 2). Let me caution
you, however, run your computer at its normal speed for the first couple of
days after building it to make sure it is completely stable. If it already
isn't stable (meaning there is a problem with some piece of hardware) you could
just exacerbate the problem, and you would have ruined any warranty you had on
the parts as well. If you are really concerned about it, you might consider
doing some kind of burn in on your system. Burning in the system is similar to
the testing process done on overclocked processors - set a system intensive
game into demo loop mode (Unreal works well) and leave it sitting for a
while... if it doesn't crash, you're cool.
Conclusion
Whew... well, there you have it, the mother of the grandmother of the aunt of
the daughter of the mother of all computer-building guides. Hope you liked it -
and as always, feel free to e-mail me with your questions and comments.
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