Building a PC : Step by Step Guide

***Zardon*** · Jun 10, 2009, 06:11 PM

Read The Guide Here
____________
Today, DriverHeaven will show you just how easy building a computer really is... a few simple steps and some time is all it takes and you will gain the satisfaction of building your own PC and learning a lifelong skill in the process.

**kris23** · Jun 10, 2009, 06:59 PM

its really great to finally see this guide up.... i truly hope that this guide will help those who wish to build a system of their own, succeed and be filled with the satisfaction of using their own machine.

thank you Allan for making this thing come out so great and to Nathan for taking the time to take some excellent pictures

clanman · Jun 10, 2009, 07:37 PM

wow great job guys, my kid brother is about to go to newegg and order a bunch of stuff to build his first pc. He has been too proud to ask me to help him so this will prove useful.

swimtech · Jun 10, 2009, 07:38 PM

Awesome.

One of the best pictoral guides I can remember seeing, with all the major details covered. Hopefully, this guide will do a lot to help many folks easily overcome any "intimidation factor" in order to build a system that can be a much better value than a pre-built system. Not only that, the whole process of choosing components, purchasing, and assembling can be a lot of fun, extremely satisfying, and a great learning experience!

What a difference those zip ties make!

Thanks for this y'all!

brutusmaximus · Jun 10, 2009, 07:39 PM

great job ! well impressed and most of these guides ive seen on sites suck or miss out certain parts of the build.

I think you covered it all for the newbie builder. So I hope people who read it post their experiences and if it helped them make their first creation.

Equally so I know this great community will help support those who try their best and maybe run into issues, thats what makes DH so great.

humonous · Jun 10, 2009, 07:40 PM

top job, that is a well rounded and very helpful piece of work. I am positive a lot of people will get something from it.

Mac Daddy · Jun 10, 2009, 08:09 PM

Great job on this Kris and cool on Nathans help as well .. outstanding !!

+ rep

**kris23** · Jun 10, 2009, 08:31 PM

thanks alot guys

Tyrsonswood · Jun 10, 2009, 08:52 PM

I agree, great job guys..... very clear and easy to read. Photos are excellent too!

Chaos · Jun 10, 2009, 08:56 PM

nice and easy to follow and reads well, good job

lepel · Jun 11, 2009, 01:36 AM

I'm reading through it now. It's really great and must be very useful to people who are unsure about building a PC. Truly a beautiful effort made by DH!

If I may make a suggestion about the page with "how to choose components": I would explain the different sizes in motherboards and cases: ATX, µATX etc. Because some someone might buy a mini size case, not knowing that his ATX motherboard doesn't fit inside.

EDIT: Finished it. It was really easy to read and very clear to understand with all the pictures. But I have a question about applying the thermal compound. When I built my first system last year I was wooried the most about this bit so I did a ton of research on the internet. Aren't you applying too much of it? Especially in the picture where the paste was spread out. Most guides advise a drop the size of a grain of rice. Also the layer should be so thin that it's almost translucent. If the thermal compound is conductive, applying too much might be dangerous I thought.

Lastly, can someone explain me the next passage.

Quote:

Optical drives and hard drives can be plugged into any of these ports, however if you own multiple hard drive disks and one already contains an OS installation, plug this into the first sata port AFTER the optical drive.

**kris23** · Jun 11, 2009, 02:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lepel

I'm reading through it now. It's really great and must be very useful to people who are unsure about building a PC. Truly a beautiful effort made by DH!

If I may make a suggestion about the page with "how to choose components": I would explain the different sizes in motherboards and cases: ATX, µATX etc. Because some someone might buy a mini size case, not knowing that his ATX motherboard doesn't fit inside.

EDIT: Finished it. It was really easy to read and very clear to understand with all the pictures. But I have a question about applying the thermal compound. When I built my first system last year I was wooried the most about this bit so I did a ton of research on the internet. Aren't you applying too much of it? Especially in the picture where the paste was spread out. Most guides advise a drop the size of a grain of rice. Also the layer should be so thin that it's almost translucent. If the thermal compound is conductive, applying too much might be dangerous I thought.

Lastly, can someone explain me the next passage.

all great points to address, the only statement currently addressing this is the "does it support your motherboard" ill see about expanding on that.

the amount of thermal paste is alright or too much depending on how it is prepared. that excess is good as if you flatten the layer, having too much is better than too little since over half of it will usually adhere to whatever you are using to smooth it out.

the grain of rice example is almost exclusively for the simpler method of applying it to the center and just placing the heatsink on top of it and let it spread naturally.

the optimal amount of thermal paste is debatable and really depends on the paste's consistency as it is also very easy to add too little thermal paste. as no surface is completely flat, there may not be enough to make effective heat transfer possible. if its only slightly over the needed amount, if it isn't a lot, the pressure and heat will eventually force the paste out of the sides making it a non issue.

as for the SATA drives, the ports generally register as 0,1,2,3,4,5. with an optical drive in 0, the motherboard recognizes port 1 as the OS disk, even if the HDD doesnt have an OS disk on it, the drive after the optical is seen as the primary HDD and will attempt to boot from it weither or not an OS is actually installed.

hope that helps!

lepel · Jun 11, 2009, 02:54 AM

Thanks for clearing that up kris. If I remember I installed my OS HDD on SATA port 0, the secondary drive on 1 and my optical drive on 3. I think, I can't remember very well, but it works. ^^

**kris23** · Jun 11, 2009, 02:58 AM

yea, it should work fine in different orders depending on the board make....

my maximus formula can run the primary HDD to be 0 if i wanted, while some gigabyte boards require the above arrangement in order to even boot the OS properly. it all depends. dunno why but thats just how it is with some manufacturers

Alex · Jun 11, 2009, 03:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lepel

Aren't you applying too much of it? Especially in the picture where the paste was spread out. Most guides advise a drop the size of a grain of rice. Also the layer should be so thin that it's almost translucent.

I have been building pc's for decades and I gotta say that a lot of the guides on the net are WELL off on their little tips on how to apply paste. applying too little paste is actually more damaging that applying a little too much.

The pictures in this guide are about the same amount I would apply and its also worth mentioning that if you are using an aftermarket cooler with direct heatpipe technology that a little more should be applied to compensate for the additional grooves.

I appreciate the comment on the conductive pastes but unless you slap it down like you were laying bricks there is no way it will get onto the motherboard.

My advice would be to apply a nice even layer, not too much and not too little, much like the picture shows.

dawgXdenta · Jun 11, 2009, 03:46 AM

nice one Zardon taking care of your peeps on DH

Hexotic · Jun 11, 2009, 10:25 AM

Excellent guide.

I just wish this was around when I built my first machine. Looks and reads a hell of alot better than the instructions that came with the parts I bought.

anonemus · Jun 11, 2009, 10:38 AM

Excellent!

How I wish there's a "print" button on the articles. I usually print to PDF interesting reviews I find online, and read them offline at home...

Vikingod · Jun 11, 2009, 12:49 PM

Great work Kris.

procupine14 · Jun 11, 2009, 12:52 PM

Very good piece of guide you guys! I kinda wish that there was this good of a guide out there when I built my first one but hey that's ok I didn't damage anything and that PC was still going three years later when it was dismantled. My board as far as the SATA discussion goes allows you to just identify which drive is which so I've never had the problem with having to put them in a specific order.

NathanMarks · Jun 12, 2009, 08:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by procupine14

Very good piece of guide you guys! I kinda wish that there was this good of a guide out there when I built my first one but hey that's ok I didn't damage anything and that PC was still going three years later when it was dismantled. My board as far as the SATA discussion goes allows you to just identify which drive is which so I've never had the problem with having to put them in a specific order.

The reason I find you have to have your SATA HDDs in a specific order is because if you've got one with an OS installation on and it isn't set as the first priority HDD you may have to change the ordering in the BIOS, something i've experienced myself. Novice users may not feel so comfortable in there.

procupine14 · Jun 12, 2009, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NathanMarks

The reason I find you have to have your SATA HDDs in a specific order is because if you've got one with an OS installation on and it isn't set as the first priority HDD you may have to change the ordering in the BIOS, something i've experienced myself. Novice users may not feel so comfortable in there.

That's true....makes sense to me. Sorry its been awhile since I was a novice....I forget how intimidating a BIOS screen used to be

Stop It · Jun 13, 2009, 07:38 AM

Very nice guide there Kris, certainly a good, well thought out and methodical guide.

I have literally just rebuilt my PC myself, after buying a new iCute 0508ULA case. It might have a dull name but its not a dull case, it also marks the first time I actually paid attention to wire management, something that usually goes out of the window.

cozumel · Jun 18, 2009, 06:53 AM

Great guide kris and nathan.

Just one thing I have found depending on the case that some people new to building may need to be aware of.

When preparing the motherboard it may not always be possible to fit the cooler prior to installing into the case if the cpu cooler is large. I've had it before (more than once) when I was not able to slide the motherboard into place due to the sheer size of the cooler and it had to be removed. Once the motherboard was in place wihin the case then I was able to reinstall the cooler again!! I suppose it's just a case of looking at the case & components first, to see what fits where and how, so that you can save time and not to do it the dumb way like me lol!

NathanMarks · Jun 18, 2009, 07:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cozumel

Great guide kris and nathan.

Just one thing I have found depending on the case that some people new to building may need to be aware of.

When preparing the motherboard it may not always be possible to fit the cooler prior to installing into the case if the cpu cooler is large. I've had it before (more than once) when I was not able to slide the motherboard into place due to the sheer size of the cooler and it had to be removed. Once the motherboard was in place wihin the case then I was able to reinstall the cooler again!! I suppose it's just a case of looking at the case & components first, to see what fits where and how, so that you can save time and not to do it the dumb way like me lol!

Hey Cozumel,

You raise a good point however I see that issue isolated to a very few instances.

Firstly, in every build I have ever done I have never had a problem installing the motherboard straight into the case with a large cooler attached, in fact, most large coolers require backplates so installation to the motherboard is often preferred before case installation. In fact I have had more trouble attempting to install coolers INSIDE the case, especially those with a top mounted PSU.

However, I can see how some removable motherboard trays may have issues with large coolers. Cases such as the NZXT Khaos won't accomodate a large cooler while using the fold out tray mechanism so you must install the motherboard straight into the case. Same goes for some slide-in trays, sometimes the frame of the chassis can block entry for large coolers. Once again traditional installation must be performed in that case.

I haven't seen a case myself that can fit the motherboard entry but not the cooler as on the horizontal plane the motherboard takes up a much larger area.

Can I ask what case you are using and the cooler you are having problems with?

cozumel · Jun 18, 2009, 07:16 AM

It's not with my current case. Anbd yes, it was due to a sliding motherboard tray. The last problem was with a Thermalright SI-120 on 478 board that wouldn't slide into a Lian Li PC60-Plus chassis.

No problems at all with my Cosmos and my current build!!!

Edit: So, the conclusion I guess, is to be aware of the potential increased installation difficulty if you intend to buy a case with a sliding motherboard tray and a large CPU cooler

**kris23** · Jun 18, 2009, 01:04 PM

yea youre right coz, but since those are very isolated cases, depending on the case and cooler as well as its retention mechanism.

if the motherboard tray doesnt have enough clearance to slide in a board with a large cooler, id lock in the motherboard tray and install the motherboard and cooler directly. if that doesnt work then a person has serious problems

Odinarius · Jun 25, 2009, 08:28 PM

Great guide guys, I`ll bookmark it if some of my friends need it in the future. So I don`t have to come over and do it for them (though I rather enjoy assembling new computers

). Love how the pictures turned out great.

If it`s not done already, an idea for the future would be to write the guide about SILENCING the computer. I`ve just spent a lot of money and effort on killing any sounds in my case, and I imagine noise is a problem for many people, yet it`s quite simple!

If it`s done as well as this (I have no doubt it will

), lot of people would appreciate it!

Boundzy · Jul 2, 2009, 10:56 PM

Excellent guide . . . not that I expected anything less.

When building my first system, I was more intimidated by the software than the hardware. Specifically, I was overwhelmed by all of the various drivers and unsure of in what order should I install them. Fortunately, I had the nice folks at DH to help me!

Jun 10, 2009, 06:11 PM	#1
*Zardon* enchanted Join Date: May 2002 Location: Driverheaven Posts: 32,255 Rep Power: 3150	Building a PC : Step by Step Guide Read The Guide Here ____________ Today, DriverHeaven will show you just how easy building a computer really is... a few simple steps and some time is all it takes and you will gain the satisfaction of building your own PC and learning a lifelong skill in the process. Attached Images

Jun 10, 2009, 06:59 PM	#2
kris23 Going Insane..... Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 5,312 Rep Power: 64 System Specs	Re: Building a PC : Step by Step Guide its really great to finally see this guide up.... i truly hope that this guide will help those who wish to build a system of their own, succeed and be filled with the satisfaction of using their own machine. thank you Allan for making this thing come out so great and to Nathan for taking the time to take some excellent pictures __________________ Driverheaven Super-Moderator Building a new computer system and not sure where to start? Click Here! last updated (9/4/09) New i5 systems with more to come! Building a PC: Step by Step Guide Written by Kristopher Pedemonte and Nathan Marks-Forder Edited by Allan Campbell Questions or Comments? feel free to post them in the forums!

Jun 10, 2009, 07:37 PM	#3
clanman DriverHeaven Lover Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 137 Rep Power: 18	Re: Building a PC : Step by Step Guide wow great job guys, my kid brother is about to go to newegg and order a bunch of stuff to build his first pc. He has been too proud to ask me to help him so this will prove useful.

Jun 10, 2009, 07:38 PM	#4
swimtech At Your Service... Join Date: May 2002 Location: North Carolina Posts: 3,989 Rep Power: 100 System Specs	Re: Building a PC : Step by Step Guide Awesome. One of the best pictoral guides I can remember seeing, with all the major details covered. Hopefully, this guide will do a lot to help many folks easily overcome any "intimidation factor" in order to build a system that can be a much better value than a pre-built system. Not only that, the whole process of choosing components, purchasing, and assembling can be a lot of fun, extremely satisfying, and a great learning experience! What a difference those zip ties make! Thanks for this y'all! __________________ It's not so much getting your way that matters or not - what matters is how you go about getting it.

Jun 10, 2009, 07:39 PM	#5
brutusmaximus DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 525 Rep Power: 60	Re: Building a PC : Step by Step Guide great job ! well impressed and most of these guides ive seen on sites suck or miss out certain parts of the build. I think you covered it all for the newbie builder. So I hope people who read it post their experiences and if it helped them make their first creation. Equally so I know this great community will help support those who try their best and maybe run into issues, thats what makes DH so great. __________________

Jun 10, 2009, 07:40 PM	#6
humonous DriverHeaven Lover Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 152 Rep Power: 29	Re: Building a PC : Step by Step Guide top job, that is a well rounded and very helpful piece of work. I am positive a lot of people will get something from it.

Jun 10, 2009, 08:09 PM	#7
Mac Daddy DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 7,950 Rep Power: 64 System Specs	Re: Building a PC : Step by Step Guide Great job on this Kris and cool on Nathans help as well .. outstanding !! + rep __________________ "My mom said the only reason men are alive is for lawn care and vehicle maintenance." - Tim Allen

Jun 10, 2009, 08:31 PM	#8
kris23 Going Insane..... Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 5,312 Rep Power: 64 System Specs	Re: Building a PC : Step by Step Guide thanks alot guys __________________ Driverheaven Super-Moderator Building a new computer system and not sure where to start? Click Here! last updated (9/4/09) New i5 systems with more to come! Building a PC: Step by Step Guide Written by Kristopher Pedemonte and Nathan Marks-Forder Edited by Allan Campbell Questions or Comments? feel free to post them in the forums!

Jun 10, 2009, 08:56 PM	#10
Chaos Number Nine Join Date: May 2002 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 5,176 Rep Power: 94 System Specs	Re: Building a PC : Step by Step Guide nice and easy to follow and reads well, good job __________________

Jun 11, 2009, 02:54 AM	#13
lepel DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Belgium Posts: 453 Rep Power: 18 System Specs	Re: Building a PC : Step by Step Guide Thanks for clearing that up kris. If I remember I installed my OS HDD on SATA port 0, the secondary drive on 1 and my optical drive on 3. I think, I can't remember very well, but it works. ^^

Jun 11, 2009, 02:58 AM	#14
kris23 Going Insane..... Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 5,312 Rep Power: 64 System Specs	Re: Building a PC : Step by Step Guide yea, it should work fine in different orders depending on the board make.... my maximus formula can run the primary HDD to be 0 if i wanted, while some gigabyte boards require the above arrangement in order to even boot the OS properly. it all depends. dunno why but thats just how it is with some manufacturers __________________ Driverheaven Super-Moderator Building a new computer system and not sure where to start? Click Here! last updated (9/4/09) New i5 systems with more to come! Building a PC: Step by Step Guide Written by Kristopher Pedemonte and Nathan Marks-Forder Edited by Allan Campbell Questions or Comments? feel free to post them in the forums!

Jun 11, 2009, 03:46 AM	#16
dawgXdenta DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Gabz Posts: 1,367 Rep Power: 58 System Specs	Re: Building a PC : Step by Step Guide nice one Zardon taking care of your peeps on DH __________________ "I just want to make sure that this sensation really is hunger before i go and eat... " Emma Obita You Tube

Jun 11, 2009, 10:25 AM	#17
Hexotic DriverHeaven Lover Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Uxbridge, ON. Posts: 226 Rep Power: 8 System Specs	Re: Building a PC : Step by Step Guide Excellent guide. I just wish this was around when I built my first machine. Looks and reads a hell of alot better than the instructions that came with the parts I bought. __________________ Good Enough, Is never Good Enough!

Jun 11, 2009, 10:38 AM	#18
anonemus DriverHeaven Lover Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Philippines Posts: 220 Rep Power: 14 System Specs	Re: Building a PC : Step by Step Guide Excellent! How I wish there's a "print" button on the articles. I usually print to PDF interesting reviews I find online, and read them offline at home... __________________ write a book. plant a tree. raise a child. build a rig.

Jun 11, 2009, 12:49 PM	#19
Vikingod Int'l Fish Liaison Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: By the light of lamp I sit and type... Posts: 16,149 Rep Power: 85 System Specs	Re: Building a PC : Step by Step Guide Great work Kris. __________________ *How You Can Help DriverHeaven By Using Digg*

Jun 11, 2009, 12:52 PM	#20
procupine14 Why is it Beeping!?!?! Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: USA, Missouri Posts: 1,207 Rep Power: 27 System Specs	Re: Building a PC : Step by Step Guide Very good piece of guide you guys! I kinda wish that there was this good of a guide out there when I built my first one but hey that's ok I didn't damage anything and that PC was still going three years later when it was dismantled. My board as far as the SATA discussion goes allows you to just identify which drive is which so I've never had the problem with having to put them in a specific order. __________________ Laptop: HP dv6000 - Vista Ultimate (32-bit) - AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-60(2.0GHz) - NVIDIA GeForce Go 7200 256MB - 4GB Kingston DDR2 667 - 160GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive HTPC: Vista Ultimate 64-bit - AMD Athlon 5200+ x2 - 4GB OCZ DDR2 800 - 250GB Seagate Barracuda - Samsung EcoGreen 1TB - Hauppauge single tuner HD - ASUS Radeon HD4550 512MB - ECS RS485M-M mobo - Creative X-fi soundcard Other PC: Vista Ultimate 64-bit - AMD Athlon 4200+ X2 - 4GB Crucial Ballistix DDR2 800 - 250GB Seagate Barracuda - XFX 8600GT XXX - DFI Infinity NF570 SLI-M2/G

Jun 13, 2009, 07:38 AM	#23
Stop It DHs' Resident Kitty Lover Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Biggleswade, UK Posts: 1,268 Rep Power: 50 System Specs	Re: Building a PC : Step by Step Guide Very nice guide there Kris, certainly a good, well thought out and methodical guide. I have literally just rebuilt my PC myself, after buying a new iCute 0508ULA case. It might have a dull name but its not a dull case, it also marks the first time I actually paid attention to wire management, something that usually goes out of the window. __________________ Sig Courtesy of Mousey

Jun 18, 2009, 06:53 AM	#24
cozumel I'm dangerous but cute... Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Under the waves... Posts: 3,619 Rep Power: 42 System Specs	Re: Building a PC : Step by Step Guide Great guide kris and nathan. Just one thing I have found depending on the case that some people new to building may need to be aware of. When preparing the motherboard it may not always be possible to fit the cooler prior to installing into the case if the cpu cooler is large. I've had it before (more than once) when I was not able to slide the motherboard into place due to the sheer size of the cooler and it had to be removed. Once the motherboard was in place wihin the case then I was able to reinstall the cooler again!! I suppose it's just a case of looking at the case & components first, to see what fits where and how, so that you can save time and not to do it the dumb way like me lol! __________________ Don't worry about money - Be a beach bum! Scuba Rocks

Jun 18, 2009, 07:16 AM	#26
cozumel I'm dangerous but cute... Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Under the waves... Posts: 3,619 Rep Power: 42 System Specs	Re: Building a PC : Step by Step Guide It's not with my current case. Anbd yes, it was due to a sliding motherboard tray. The last problem was with a Thermalright SI-120 on 478 board that wouldn't slide into a Lian Li PC60-Plus chassis. No problems at all with my Cosmos and my current build!!! Edit: So, the conclusion I guess, is to be aware of the potential increased installation difficulty if you intend to buy a case with a sliding motherboard tray and a large CPU cooler __________________ Don't worry about money - Be a beach bum! Scuba Rocks

Jun 18, 2009, 01:04 PM	#27
kris23 Going Insane..... Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 5,312 Rep Power: 64 System Specs	Re: Building a PC : Step by Step Guide yea youre right coz, but since those are very isolated cases, depending on the case and cooler as well as its retention mechanism. if the motherboard tray doesnt have enough clearance to slide in a board with a large cooler, id lock in the motherboard tray and install the motherboard and cooler directly. if that doesnt work then a person has serious problems __________________ Driverheaven Super-Moderator Building a new computer system and not sure where to start? Click Here! last updated (9/4/09) New i5 systems with more to come! Building a PC: Step by Step Guide Written by Kristopher Pedemonte and Nathan Marks-Forder Edited by Allan Campbell Questions or Comments? feel free to post them in the forums!

Jun 25, 2009, 08:28 PM	#28
Odinarius DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Zagreb, Croatia Posts: 31 Rep Power: 5 System Specs	Re: Building a PC : Step by Step Guide Great guide guys, I`ll bookmark it if some of my friends need it in the future. So I don`t have to come over and do it for them (though I rather enjoy assembling new computers). Love how the pictures turned out great. If it`s not done already, an idea for the future would be to write the guide about SILENCING the computer. I`ve just spent a lot of money and effort on killing any sounds in my case, and I imagine noise is a problem for many people, yet it`s quite simple! If it`s done as well as this (I have no doubt it will), lot of people would appreciate it!

Jul 2, 2009, 10:56 PM	#29
Boundzy DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Shreveport, LA Posts: 31 Rep Power: 44	Re: Building a PC : Step by Step Guide Excellent guide . . . not that I expected anything less. When building my first system, I was more intimidated by the software than the hardware. Specifically, I was overwhelmed by all of the various drivers and unsure of in what order should I install them. Fortunately, I had the nice folks at DH to help me!

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