Building Your Own Computer – Part Two
After purchasing all the components for your new computer, you are
ready to put it all together. Choose a dry, dust free work area
that gets plenty of light. To minimize static, you should not
work in an area which has carpets.
You just need basic
tools -- a Phillips screwdriver and an anti-static wrist strap.
Static electricity can destroy computer components so do everything
necessary to minimize the build-up of static. The wrist strap is
a minimum -- you should also use an antistatic mat if there is one
available.
Opening the Case
Computer cases come in many different designs and each manufacturer
has their own method for securing the case. Traditional designs
use screws on the back of the case for holding the side plates in
place. Newer designs use screw-less attachment systems and the
side plates simply slide into place. Open the case and if
possible take out the motherboard mounting plate.
The case should come with a supply of screws and attachments for
mounting the motherboard and installing hard drives and other
components. There should be two sizes of screws -- the larger
ones are for securing add-on cards and hard drives, and the smaller
ones are for holding the motherboard in place.
The case may need some preparation work before actually installing
any components in it. Some do not have the feet attached - these
are easily secured to the bottom of the case. You may also need
to remove metal plates that are covering the drive bays and the I/O
(input/output) connections.
If the case did not come with a power supply, this is the first
thing you can install. It goes in the back of the case at the
top, and there are usually little supports for guiding the installation
orientation. The power supply is secured with the larger case
screws.
You may also wish to install a cooling fan for the case. This
is attached at the front of the case below the hard drive bays.
Motherboard Plate
Once the inside of the case has been prepared, you are ready to
attach the motherboard to the motherboard plate. The motherboard
plate should be removed from the case before installing the
motherboard. If your case does not feature a removable plate, you
must attach all the components on the motherboard before installing it
in the case.
The first step is to put the standoffs in place. These are the
small supports that will raise the motherboard from the surface of the
case. The motherboard mounting plate should have a variety of
standoff locations to accommodate the layout of various motherboards.
Using the motherboard as a guide, install the standoffs so that
there is one under every mounting hole of the motherboard. There
should be several around the edges and two or three supporting the
middle part of the motherboard. Once the standoffs are in place,
place the motherboard on the plate.
It's a good idea to use washers under the mounting screws.
Some motherboards have circular metal areas around the screw holes
which prevent the screws from shorting the motherboard. Even so,
washers give a little bit of extra cushioning between the screw and the
motherboard.
Insert the screws into the mounting holes and turn them a few times
by hand. Once they are all in place, tighten them gently with a
screwdriver. Be sure not to over-tighten the screws -- use just
enough force to hold the motherboard securely in place.
