A Very Basic Guide to Home Computer Assembly Table of Contents 1 Intro 2 What exactly do I want 4 3 Verify all the parts 5 4 Prep the work area 8 5 Hazards to consider 9 6 How and where to begin 9 7 Cabling 12 8 Pre Startup checks 15 9 Power up 15 10 Trouble shooting 16 2 1 Intro First let me say that this document is in no way intended to promote any manufacturer architecture form factor insert name here format processor type socket type slot type or any other hardware bit byte or nibble over any other For that reason this document will remain as general as possible while still presenting information that should be useful to the novice Hardware Systems Engineer As individual experience grows one finds that most of the Oops and got ya s are interchangeable in regards to machine type anyway As all PC s trace their roots to the IBM Model 5150 PC it never ceases to amaze me as to the resilience of legacy especially when it comes to errors A 301 error is still a keyboard error and anything starting with 17 is very bad news for a disk drive I did however receive a 401 error from a modern system board which was odd as Monochrome Video went out with Bell Bottom Jeans A sound card that had failed was using the register and the BIOS just gave a best guess At this point take a deep breath and say to your computer I ve got a screwdriver and I m not afraid to use it Let s begin 3 2 Exactly What Do You Want from this Computer Before you purchase any parts you must ask yourself one fundamental question How is this computer to be used Will it be a gamer a music workstation a fileserver the list goes on and on but the answer will have a profound effect on the design of the machine A gamer will need a graphics card which may be more powerful than the computer itself with memory to match where a fileserver may be controlled via a VT 100 serial link and have no video sub system at all A basic checklist can be very useful in assuring the final system is configured in a manner fitting the need and that all parts match one another Examples of questions which should be addressed What processor will it use e g AMD vs Intel What form factor will be used ATX mini ATX etc What Graphics card type will be used AGP PCI X etc How much memory do I need and of which type What family of disk storage will be used ATA SATA SCSI etc and will it be configured as a RAID What type of sound support will be required What removable storage devices will be used CD RW DVD USB Fire wire Compact Flash etc 4 And lastly what type of Human interface devices will be used Oddly this is a category that gets little attention but can greatly affect the overall usability of a computer 3 Verify the Parts Once a checklist of parts has been developed the parts need to be checked for functionality and compatibility Major subsystems will be covered individually in outline form for clarity a System Board Does it have the embedded features that you want Are there embedded features that are unnecessary or possibly problematic What processor type will be used and does the system board support the desired processor Does the manufacturer have a history of supporting boards in the field with CMOS updates and bug fixes What are the boards power requirements What type of Video subsystem does it support How many memory slots are available and what types of RAM are supported How many embedded disk controllers are included and of which family and type Are they RAID capable Does it include the required mounting hardware backplate and I O cables Will it fit the chassis you intend to use 5 b Chassis Does it support the form factor of the system board Does it have the front and rear panel I O and other features you desire Does it use standard power supplies or does it require a proprietary power supply Does it have the required number of drive bays and in the correct size Does it have adequate cooling for all installed components c Power Supply Is it rated at sufficient wattage to support the desired configuration Does it support the system board e g 20 pin ATX 24 pin ATX 4 pin 12v P4 6 pin 12v for Athlon SATA power Etc d Processor Does the processor pin grid match the pad on the system board Is the cooling system capable of handling the heat load Will the cooling complex fit the chassis e Memory Does the memory match the system board Are all memory boards of the same type Many system board manufacturers state that you can mix memory so long as all memory within a specific bank are matched This 6 practice should be avoided Memory timing issues can cause unstable operation and are usually very difficult to diagnose f Graphics AGP or PCI X make sure it matches the system board Can the power supply handle it many graphics cards require auxiliary power directly from the power supply Will cooling requirements be met A massive heat sink may block an adjacent slot but fans have always been a weak link Necessary Graphics I O ports DVI XGA S Video etc g Mass Storage Does disk match the installed controller IDE SATA etc Is the drive large enough for intended use Will the disks be part of a RAID h Sound Support Will the embedded sound device be sufficient Will this machine be used as a MIDI controller Are the required outputs available Multi channel stereo Optical Audio Digital audio etc i Removable Storage What type of removable storage do I need CDRW DVD Compact Flash SD cards Floppy disks etc 7 j System I O devices Does the system board have all the ports I require or will add on boards be required RS 232 serial ports Parallel printer ports Ethernet ports USB Fire Wire etc What type of keyboard and pointing device will I want PS 2 keyboard USB keyboard keyboard layout trackball vs mouse etc 4 Preparing the Work Area There are four main considerations when selecting a work area Static Control A static mat with grounding wire and wrist strap should be used whenever possible Should one not be available always be sure to have direct contact with the bare metal of the computer chassis prior to removing any part from it s static bag This will help ensure that all parties are at the same potential and no discharge will occur Weather can play a major role in static build up As an example on a cool dry day the static hazard will be considerably higher than on a warm humid day With this in mind if the relative humidity is below 25 you may wish to postpone the work altogether Waiting a day or …