What are the steps of assembling a computer system?

Answer 1

Over the years, it has become more and more simple to work on, and even build your own computer. If you are building your first computer, you will first want to research which parts actually work together. Not all computer parts are the same by any stretch of the imagination. Assuming that you have your parts ready to go (including a case, power supply, motherboard, processor, memory, hard drive(s), optical drive(s), keyboard, mouse, monitor, cables, and any expansion cards) the first thing to remember is that _Static Electricity Can Kill A Computer_.

Therefore, grounding yourself with a wrist strap is the first step. For safety, do *not* plug in the power supply while you are using a wrist strap; since a short can travel from the power supply through YOU to get to a ground.

Before starting assembly, look at the manual for the motherboard. There may be brackets that need to be mounted *before* mounting the motherboard for the CPU cooler. You will save yourself having to take everything apart by reading the manual and making sure nothing has to be mounted to the motherboard before installation.

Since many cases will support multiple types and sizes of motherboards, the first thing you would need to do is to figure out where the standoffs go. The standoffs hold the motherboard away from the case. When you put the motherboard in the orientation it needs to be inside of the case, you should see holes in the motherboard lining up with holes in the case to mount the standoffs.

Once the motherboard has been mounted, the CPU (if it is not already on the motherboard) can go on. CPU's mount with a ZIF (Zero Insertion Force) socket. The key phrase here is ZERO INSERTION FORCE. That means that the CPU should go easily into the holes. If you need to exert any force at all, then something is wrong (for example, a bent pin, or the ZIF socket isn't released). Never force a CPU in or out of the socket!

Next you will want to apply thermal paste to the CPU and install the heat sink. A common mistake that people make is thinking that "more is better" with thermal paste. This is very far from the truth. Thermal paste will act as an insulator instead of a conductor if it is too thick. Apply a small amount of thermal paste to the top of the CPU (about the size of 3 grains of rice) and spread it evenly across the CPU (just the raised part!). Then, place the heat sink on top of the CPU and "wiggle" it slightly to make sure the paste is evenly distributed. Clip the heat sink into the holder following the instructions.

Using the motherboard manual, locate the headers (rows of pins sticking up) to which get attached the power button, reset button, any USB devices in the case, hard drive light, power light, etc. Watch for the polarization. While it isn't important on, say, the reset button if you plug the connector on backwards, things like the power light and HDD light may not work if they are hooked up backwards. Later, when you power on the computer, you should see those lights working; if not, chances are you have the plugs on the header on backwards.

Next up, install the RAM as instructed in the manual. Always make sure that your RAM is "matched" as far as capacity and speed for the best performance and most stability.

The power supply supplies power to the motherboard, drives, and sometimes even to peripheral cards (like video cards) on higher-end models that use more power than is safe for the motherboard to supplly. Attach the power supply leads to the motherboard as outlined in the manual. Be aware; many motherboards have an extra power connector that will also need to be attached.

Next, drives and expansion cards get installed. Drives should be mounted in the available, correctly-sized bays. In other words, if you have a 3 1/2" drive bay for a hard drive, use it, as opposed to adapting a 5 1/4" bay down to hold the drive. It is preferable that hard drives get mounted flat; with the circuit board side down, as opposed to "on their noses" with the power and data connections facing up. (This is "old school"; newer drives with a proper park mechanism don't have the problems that older ones did; but it's still a good habit to keep drives oriented properly).

All drives will need a power cable and a data cable. On IDE devices, the data cable is a 40- or 80-conductor flat cable. On SATA drives, they are a small, keyed cable about 1/2" wide and about 1/8" thick. Floppy cables (if used) are a 34-conductor ribbon cable.

Once the drives are installed, install any other peripheral cards (TV Tuner card, Video Card, etc.) and insure that they are in the proper slot, seated firmly and completely, and that the retaining screw on the back of the case is installed.

Cover any "open slots" with covers provided with your case where there are not cards present, to help with air flow and reduce dust.

Finally, you should be ready to "smoke test" the unit. Technicians call it the "Smoke Test" because you turn it on, and see if any of the magical blue smoke that makes electronics work escapes. You should hear a single beep, meaning the computer has passed its POST (Power-On Self Test) and you should see the computer starting to boot. You should be able to put an OS CD/DVD into the drive, press "Reset", and start the installation of the operating system.

I think I've covered everything... if not, feel free to make this article better. :)