Thread: Guide - Build your own PC, save money!

Guide - Build your own PC, save money!

This is a guide on how to build your own PC from scratch, which will give you better value for your money.
Building your own PC is not very hard to do, but might seem frightening if you never have done it before. Follow this guide and you should be fine!


Note: THE MANUAL IS YOUR FRIEND


First off, some explanation of words/abbreviations.
MB = Motherboard / Mainboard. All components will be connected to the motherboard, it's the motherboards task to run all the components.
CPU = Processor. Processor is the work horse of your PC, it's the component that will be doing most of the work. Central processing unit - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia for more info.
GPU = Graphic Processor Unit / Graphics Card. The graphic card renders all the graphics that is to be displayed on your monitor. Basicly, the more powerfull your GPU is, the better graphics you can view.
HDD = Harddrive. Harddrive is the data container for your PC, all your data will be saved on one of the harddrives.
RAM = Memory. Short explanation: The more memory you have, the more tasks you can run at the same time.
PSU = Power Supply Unit. This is the unit that powers all the different components in your PC.




Remember: Building a PC is pretty much plug and play. Don't be scared.

The Build.

First of all, get ALL your components before you start building.
Unpack all of the components, and lay them out. This gives you a better overview of the situation.


REMEMBER TO BE CAREFUL WITH STATIC ELECTRICITY!! GROUND YOURSELF!
Ground yourself with a bracelet if you have that. If you don't you can also ground yourself by holding one hand at the chassis.


The PC I will be building contains:
CPU = AMD 965.
MB = ASUS M4A87TD/USB3.
Tower = Cooler Master Centurion.
HDD = WD 500GB Black.
DVD burner = Sony.
GPU = AMD 5770.
PSU = Corsair CX 600W.
RAM = 8GB Corsair 1333Mhz.


Start with the CPU

When you're installing the CPU, you have to lift up the little pin on the MB. The little pin locks the CPU in place, so if you don't open it, you won't get your CPU in.
The CPU should go easily into the socket, there's an arrow in the corner of the CPU that will match an arrow on the MB. Do not use force to get it in place, you will just break it.



Time to lock it in place. Push the pin down, you should feel a little resistance on it. This will lock your CPU in place.



Next the CPU fan.
Most of the CPU's for sale today, come boxed, so the fan is included.
If you're not installing a custom fan, the cooling paste is already applied under the cooling block.



To install it, just make it fit the slot. Should be a very simple job.



And then you lock it with the locker. Usually a plastic handle that turns to the other side.



And connect the CPU fan to the motherboard for power. Usually the pins for the CPU Fan is marked CPU_FAN on the MB, and is located near the CPU slot.



Next up is RAM.


Make sure it is the right way. If you try to put it in the slot the wrong way, and use force, it will most likely break.
If you look at your RAM and the slot you should be able to see which way it should be placed.
Push it in place untill the white handles clicks onto the RAM chip.


Time to work with the tower, put away the MB for a bit.
The gold colored spacers comes with the PC case.



In the earlier days this was way more tricky. There was no standards for it and all the MB had different layouts.
But today this is easy. Check your manual if you're unsure.
They are usually marked with letters, and the different standards have different letter combinations.
ATX (Which is the standard MB size) should have spacers in: A,B,C,D,F,J,K,L




When you're finished with the spacers, it's time to mount the MB.





Look closely at the Motherboard shown here. You will notice a collection of coloured 'blocks' along the top right edge. These are the connectors for the Keyboard, Mouse, USB etc. The Motherboard should always be fitted such that these are accessible to the rear of the case.
Don't forget the port fittings, the MB should come with a special port fit that should be applied to the back of the PC Case. Remove the one that is already there, and install the one that followed the MB.


Then you start to screw in the screws at the MB. I usually do a bit here and a bit there. Make sure it's good and tight, but you will not need a powerdrill!


Graphics Card.



Today most of the graphics cards are PCI Express, so you should find your PCI Express slot (manual, remember?) and mount it in one of those.
Usually the PC case will have a blocker that needs to be removed. Remove it, slide the card in the slot and fasten it with screws.
This graphics card has 2 screws that needs to be fastened.




Harddisk drive.


This can be different in your PC case, but today they are mostly screwless, attached with plastic clips.
Just add the plastic clips to the harddrive..



.. And slide it in.


PSU


Usually on top or on the bottom of the PC case.
Put it nicely in place, and fasten the 4 screws on the back of the PC case.



And when the PSU is mounted, start putting in the powercables.
There's no picture of this, cause it can be different from MB to MB, but a general rule to follow is to read the manual. It will say which powerslots are needed. Find the corresponding slot on the PSU and just mount it in the MB.


You will also need to have power to your HARDDRIVE and DVDROM (BLU-RAY?).
Also remember to connect the SATA cables from your HARDDRIVE and DVDROM to the motherboard.




The PC was not made for overclocker of the year, or the most clean PC case, it was made to be functional.
I did not originally make this guide, it was made in norwegian and I rewrote it to english.


Source: Guide: Hvordan bygge en PC. - Norsk Freakforum (Norwegian)

I used to build my own PCs back in the 90's, but I stopped due to the complications and time needed to do it initially and then maintain it. I'd just rather be USING my machines than building them.

Ofcourse I will disagree on that!

On a regular prebuilt PC from a brand (Like HP, Dell etc), there's so much bloatware that keeps messing up.
So if I have a prebuilt PC, I will usually spend just as much time removing all the bloatware properly, and then reinstalling the proper driver software.

But I guess it's everyones choice. I like to get maximum value for my money, then the choice is easy. And seeing how I work with IT (educated as an IT-technician), it's very easy for me, and hardly no job at all to set up a computer.
I'm just trying to inform people that building your own PC isn't exactly rocket science, and it's mostly plug and play.

Yea I'm sure I probably wasn't very good at building PCs when I did it - sure, I can plug in the various pieces and get it all working, but there were probably things I didn't do as well as I should have. I'm sure if I did it now, it would probably be easier and yield a much better resulting machine.

But these days I'm not really into PCs anymore - just my Mac since it can run a virtual PC in native mode beautifully. It's kind of a dream machine honestly.

(now let's not spark a Mac vs PC debate PLEASE!) LOL

There isn't any difference in maintenance between a purchased machine and a built box. I would tend to think that if anything, the homebuilt would be more maintenance free because you get to choose the motherboard and PSU. Both of these components seem to be cut short when you buy from a manufacturer.

I prefer to build my own because I can choose components that will likely overclock well, and get much more bang for my buck.

If you have any thoughts about building your own PC, do it.

The advantages are:
1. Price - it is a lot cheaper
2. Maintenance - If you built it you will know exactly how to maintain it, clean it, replace or upgrade components when required
3. Performance - with a bit of research you can ensure all your components work well together, and there are no bottlenecks

I will leave you with a tip. Do not try and save pennies on the thermal paste, go for something like Arctic Silver 5, especially if you plan to OC your CPU.