Hyperion
23-09-2007, 09:42
Here are a few steps for building the PC.
Step 1: make sure you have all the components and cables needed for the PC before you start putting it together.
So start by laying the motherboard out and opening up the case and planning what needs to go where.
Plan a dry run of putting the motherboard into the case so you see how everything lines up. Then when happy continue
Step 2: Often the power supply for a case goes in before the motherboard. Check that if the motherboard goes in first that it will not block placing the power supply in. If it does place power supply in first. Otherwise skip to putting motherboard in.
Step 3: Motherboard. Install the chip (which should just drop in place with no pins with the conroes) Make sure it lines up with the correct geometry, it only goes in one way. Get the heatsink, make sure you have a good thermal paste apply a thin smooth layer to the heatsink block. Recommend arctic silver for this job. Use a credit cardto ensure a uniform and smooth layer. Put the heatsink onto the chip and secure in place. Warning some heatsinks like mine (the titan amanda) secure from the reverse of the board. This is a bitch and may require you to line the heatsink up and stick a backplate down before you can install it.
Suggest you line up the heatsink minus thermal paste. Line up backplace, get backplate stuck in place, and then put the thermal paste on and screw the heatsink down. Some people recommend you dont stick the backplate down though. However you then end up securing the heatsink onto an upside down motherboard.
Be careful here, dont move the heatsink around too much otherwise youll cause the thermal paste to have voids and thats bad for heat. Do not overtighten the heatsink if it is screw on... You will bend the motherboard.
Next place the memory on the motherboard.... Although again caveat here is on the dry run check if the heatsink covers the memory slots. If it does these need to be installed first. (Titan fucking Amanda again) Memory should be installed as per the guide instructions. Keep to the same coloured slots instead of mixing them up if you have two memory chips and you have 4 spare slots.
Step 4: Place the motherboard into the case. Mak3e sure that there are no bare pillars touching the motherboard. Remove or cover these if pillars do not line up with holes. This shouldnt be an issue these days.
Then go round and plug in the case wires into the relevant slots. Refer to manual also here. Fit the PSU, attach the relevant cables to the board. Check it looks ok and then its test time.
Step 5: plug in and test. Fans should all come on and the motherboard should beep a few times. If it doesnt have any fan action you have shorted something, go back and check everything remove the power cable after the test.
Step 6: Fit the graphics card, i an 8800 is a fiddly fucker, and connect all the right cables.
Step 7: Test again. Check you can get a monitor to come on. Again take all the power cables out after testing. Possibly check the bios settings whilst your here.
Step 8: Fit the hard drives, should be no more than slot into case and slot in the Sata cable and sata power cable. NOTE: Plan where the hard drives and the DVD drives are going plan the airflow of the case. Do not block the airflow from the front with a wall of hard drives.
Step 9: test again. You can install at this point or fit any extra hardware if you have any. eg: soundcard, tv cards, Ageia physx cards.
Installing windows.
I recommend you do get XP Home if you plan on installing Vista... XP home OEM is quite cheap and wont break the budget you have spent so far. You will thank me for it.
Install XP first make sure you put it on the primary boot drive, and on installing partition the drive into 2 parts.
Download the updates for XP and your away.
Next install Vista on the second partition and it automatically places a simple and effective boot manager on your pc. Boot to Vista download updates.
Install firefox and your away.
Time up to a whole day, especially with all the updates you will install.
Step 1: make sure you have all the components and cables needed for the PC before you start putting it together.
So start by laying the motherboard out and opening up the case and planning what needs to go where.
Plan a dry run of putting the motherboard into the case so you see how everything lines up. Then when happy continue
Step 2: Often the power supply for a case goes in before the motherboard. Check that if the motherboard goes in first that it will not block placing the power supply in. If it does place power supply in first. Otherwise skip to putting motherboard in.
Step 3: Motherboard. Install the chip (which should just drop in place with no pins with the conroes) Make sure it lines up with the correct geometry, it only goes in one way. Get the heatsink, make sure you have a good thermal paste apply a thin smooth layer to the heatsink block. Recommend arctic silver for this job. Use a credit cardto ensure a uniform and smooth layer. Put the heatsink onto the chip and secure in place. Warning some heatsinks like mine (the titan amanda) secure from the reverse of the board. This is a bitch and may require you to line the heatsink up and stick a backplate down before you can install it.
Suggest you line up the heatsink minus thermal paste. Line up backplace, get backplate stuck in place, and then put the thermal paste on and screw the heatsink down. Some people recommend you dont stick the backplate down though. However you then end up securing the heatsink onto an upside down motherboard.
Be careful here, dont move the heatsink around too much otherwise youll cause the thermal paste to have voids and thats bad for heat. Do not overtighten the heatsink if it is screw on... You will bend the motherboard.
Next place the memory on the motherboard.... Although again caveat here is on the dry run check if the heatsink covers the memory slots. If it does these need to be installed first. (Titan fucking Amanda again) Memory should be installed as per the guide instructions. Keep to the same coloured slots instead of mixing them up if you have two memory chips and you have 4 spare slots.
Step 4: Place the motherboard into the case. Mak3e sure that there are no bare pillars touching the motherboard. Remove or cover these if pillars do not line up with holes. This shouldnt be an issue these days.
Then go round and plug in the case wires into the relevant slots. Refer to manual also here. Fit the PSU, attach the relevant cables to the board. Check it looks ok and then its test time.
Step 5: plug in and test. Fans should all come on and the motherboard should beep a few times. If it doesnt have any fan action you have shorted something, go back and check everything remove the power cable after the test.
Step 6: Fit the graphics card, i an 8800 is a fiddly fucker, and connect all the right cables.
Step 7: Test again. Check you can get a monitor to come on. Again take all the power cables out after testing. Possibly check the bios settings whilst your here.
Step 8: Fit the hard drives, should be no more than slot into case and slot in the Sata cable and sata power cable. NOTE: Plan where the hard drives and the DVD drives are going plan the airflow of the case. Do not block the airflow from the front with a wall of hard drives.
Step 9: test again. You can install at this point or fit any extra hardware if you have any. eg: soundcard, tv cards, Ageia physx cards.
Installing windows.
I recommend you do get XP Home if you plan on installing Vista... XP home OEM is quite cheap and wont break the budget you have spent so far. You will thank me for it.
Install XP first make sure you put it on the primary boot drive, and on installing partition the drive into 2 parts.
Download the updates for XP and your away.
Next install Vista on the second partition and it automatically places a simple and effective boot manager on your pc. Boot to Vista download updates.
Install firefox and your away.
Time up to a whole day, especially with all the updates you will install.