We Can Rebuild Him. We Have the Technology.

With all of the parts in tow, it’s time to assemble the components into something that looks vaguely like a computer.

If this is your first build, the parts you’ve gathered will look intimidating, to say the least. Plus, there’s the nagging fear that any step in the process could result in your entire computer combusting in hellfire.

It’s tough to know where to start, but through my own experience and mistakes, I mean to guide you through the path to computer independence!

What you’ll need:

1. Screwdriver (one of those magnetic, multi-head attachment ones will probably work best)
2. Clone Trooper Helmet
3. Blowtorch

Clone Trooper Helmet and Blowtorch Optional

The first step is to inspect your case. It should have a side panel with tool-less screws on the back that you can remove with your fingers. Once the panel is removed, become familiar with where everything goes inside the case.

Where all the magic happens

Check out where the drive bays are kept (usually at the front), find the indentation where your power supply will sit, and note the hole in the back where your motherboard plugs and power supply will poke out of your case. If your case has cable management compartments/holes, note their location for later — we’ll be plugging in all the wires once everything is installed.

Your case should also come packaged with a healthy supply of screws. The amount of screws you don’t end up using might be alarming, but many parts these days are tool-less with their installation, so take a deep breath — you’re going to do great!

I…Have…the POWER!!!

A Sentinel. A killing machine designed for one thing: search and destroy!

The next step is to remove your power supply and motherboard from their packaging. Remember: everything plugs into your motherboard, and your power supply plugs into everything. Logically, it’s good to get these out and ready for installation first.

Your power supply will screw right into the back of your case within the indentation on the bottom or top that you noted before. There should be a square-sized hole in the back where the power cord plug and power switch can stick out.

You’ll notice a LOT of cords coming out of your power supply. Each of these plugs into some part of your computer (you likely won’t use them all), and the plug sizes of each will be fairly different and match the plugs of your various parts exactly. We’ll plug everything in last. Easy peasy, Step Two complete!

And the RAM and the Processor with the Motherboard and GLAYVIN!

Your motherboard screws in along the long panel behind the one you removed to get into your case. Before we do that, we’re going to install the processor and RAM sticks into the motherboard. Your motherboard box will be a serviceable workbench for these steps.

The RAM channels on your motherboard lie side-by-side and are all the same size. There are tiny latches on both ends of each channel to hold the RAM in place.

Depending on your board, you’ll likely have either 2 or 4 channels. Simply open the latches and insert the RAM you’ve purchased into these channels until the latches click down over them. Congratulations, you’ve installed the RAM! See, this isn’t so bad…

RAM stands for ‘false sense of confidence’

Use your words, Intel!

The processor was trickier for me, because Intel did their damndest to make their instructions as baffling as possible – no words, lots of ambiguous drawings on what you shouldn’t do, and tons of exclamation marks on random diagrams that don’t seem to indicate anything. It also doesn’t help that this is the most fragile part of your computer and, in some builds, the most expensive.

There will be a tiny square slot for your processor near your RAM channels. It should have a cover over it that you’ll need to unlatch in order to lay the tiny processor inside. There will also be a little colored marker at one of the corners of this slot that will match with a corresponding marker on one of the corners of your processor.

Snug as a bug – g’night little guy.

Make sure these are aligned when you set the processor into the slot. After it’s in, lock the cover back into place on top of it. This shouldn’t take a lot of strength, so if it isn’t locking back into place easily, double-check that the processor is inserted properly.

Your processor should have come with a bulky contraption that looks like a fan with a cyborg coming out of it (if it doesn’t, you’ll need to buy one separately). This is its heat sink, and it sits directly on top of the processor to keep it cool.

There should be four holes around the processor slot — match the heat sink plugs with these, and screw them in — mine was tool-less. There will be a tiny plug on your motherboard near your heat sink/processor labeled “CPU.” Plug the cord coming out of your heat sink into this, and you’re good to go!

It’s not the best heat sink, but it’ll work for me.

Now you can take your entire motherboard and screw it into your case. The screw holes on the board itself should match with the screws on the back panel of your case. Make sure the plugs on the side panel of your motherboard are sticking out of the big hole in the back of your case. This is where your monitor, speakers, mouse, printer, etc. will all plug into your rig.

Power Supply and Motherboard – Check!

My Graphics Card Could Beat Up Your Graphics Card

This is a terrible shot, but I was kind of buzzed at the time.

If you’re a gamer, this is the anti-climatic part you’ve been waiting for! Your video card just clicks into whichever PCI slot holds it (x16, x3, x1, etc.). These slots are labeled on the motherboard and run horizontally. The video plugs on the side panel of your video card should be poking through the back of your case with the fans pointing downward when you’re finished.

If you have a second SLI/Crossfire-compatible video card and a larger SLI/Crossfire motherboard, you can plug in the second card right below the first to its respective PCI slot.

Your SLI/Crossfire-ready video card should come with a short SLI/Crossfire cable that lets you link both cards together. I’m really tired of typing “SLI/Crossfire,” so let’s move on.

What you’ll get caught up in…

It’s Not the Size of the Hard Drive

Pictured: One Hour of Critical Thinking

When touching your hard drive, handle with care. The bottom is particularly sensitive; the circuits exposed at the end are extremely vulnerable to static discharge, which will make your hard drive completely impotent. Don’t remove your hard drive from its packaging until you are firmly grounded.

The hardest part of this entire process was figuring out how to insert my hard drive into its bay. The instructions it came with failed to mention that my case comes with railings that screw into the side of it and let it fit into place (I am not a smart man).

Alternatively, your case may have individual trays at the front of your computer that can house your various hard drives, but this is less common these days. Your case should have a diagram explaining the proper method of hard drive insertion.

Optical Drive – Because I’m Tired of Coming up with Sub-Headers

Your optical drives/card reader bays sit comfortably atop your hard drive bays. It should be clearly sectioned off, with various LED/power button/USB cords coming out of it. Move these aside (we’ll be plugging them into the motherboard momentarily) and slide in your optical drive. You may need to punch out a panel at the front of your computer case to allow your optical drive to poke out.

I’m tired of coming up with captions, too…

Plug It In

Your parts are all installed, but now it looks like a homeless guy shacked up inside of your case for a week. It’s time to tidy it up with some cable management. Remember this simple rule: your power supply has to plug into everything in some way, and everything needs to plug into your motherboard.

Cable Management? Try to do better than this…

On your motherboard, everything should be labeled. GPU = Graphics Card, CPU = Processor Heat sink, PSU = Power Supply, SATA = Hard Drive/Optical Drive. There are also much smaller plugs for your case LEDs, USB Ports, and Audio Input cords coming from your optical drive bay. If you have any trouble finding the plugs, refer to your motherboard manual for the precise location.

On your Power Supply, make sure you have a cord going from it into everything: the motherboard, graphics card, optical drive(s), hard drive(s), and the case itself (for the fans/LEDs).

If you have a modular power supply, detach the extra cords you don’t need. Your case should come with some zip ties, at least, so use those to coil the excess cord inside of your case. If your case has separate compartments that you can use to run cables away from your main hardware area, you can use those for the bulk of your cable management. Play around with what looks nice/makes logical sense. The fewer cords hanging loose, the better.

Good Cable Management: Thanks Nothing_but_Reddit for your computer image!

Daisy, Daisy, Give Me Your Answer Do…

I should probably dust more.

Now your new computer is ready to hook up and turn on! Be sure to clean its new home beforehand – you don’t want dust mucking up the insides from the get-go. Plug in your keyboard, stereo, monitor, mouse, and whatever else to the system and let her rip.

Don’t panic if it doesn’t turn on the first time! Double-check all of your components to make sure they are connected to the power supply properly, double-check the power switch on the back of your power supply to make sure it’s turned on, double-check your processor and make sure it’s sitting the correct way in its slot, make sure all of your fans are working (power supply fan, graphics card fan(s), case fans, processor heat sink, etc.), and make sure it’s plugged into the wall…

Collect all of the leftover screws and parts you aren’t using, and put them in plastic bags in case you need them for later. Finally, cut out the barcodes for any of your parts that have mail-in rebates. (This should be noted on your receipt or on your order confirmation.)

See? I told you it would eventually look like this.

That concludes the building portion which took approximately 5 hours (give me a break, it was my first build and I was drunk). In my next post, I’ll talk about installing your operating system, your hardware drivers, and any other programs of importance that you’ll want to consider for your new baby.

Layman’s Guide for Building Your Own Computer – Part 4: Putting It All Together

If you have been following part one and part two of my building your own computer series, you know I already purchased the CPU, motherboard, RAM, hard drive and video card for a total of $704.96.

That leaves $195.04 left over to buy the optical drive, power supply and case to stick to my original $900 budget.

Power Supply

Pay special attention to this part of your computer. If the power supply shorts out, it could potentially fry everything attached to it. Don’t be the sobbing owner of a $800+ hunk of smoking metal. Consider the following for your power supply:

1. Wattage – A lower performance machine needs fewer watts and a higher performance machine requires more watts. You can calculate the wattage you’ll need here based on your other parts. Just to be safe, I would add a 50-100W buffer to that number. Meatier power supplies will run hotter and suggest higher performance hardware that also runs hotter, so if you want extra fans/cooling for your case, look into what your case will support.
2. Noise – Outside of the case itself, the power supply also tends to contribute a lot of noise. Read user reviews to get some insight on each model.
3. Efficiency – There is a percentage value for each power supply that shows its efficiency. A power supply with “80 plus certified” 600W PSU will actually be using around 720W of power from your wall (or running at 80%ish efficiency). Higher efficiency units will run cooler and save you money on your electric bill.
4. Cables – Some power supplies are listed as “modular” which means the cables can be detached from the unit. This is ideal for cable management, basically so unused cables aren’t hanging around inside your case. Certainly not required, but helpful.

This is one part of your computer that you don’t want to skimp on. Shell out an extra $10-$20 for a better model – call it insurance for the rest of your hardware. Some cases come with built-in power supplies, but are usually low quality. Some solid brands include Corsair, Hiper, and Seasonic.

Optical Drive 

There’s honestly not much to talk about here. Most CD/DVD optical drives burn discs at the same speeds these days. Blu-ray disc drive write speeds DO vary significantly, so pay attention to those – higher is better. If you want to make copies of Blu-rays or CDs/DVDs, you’ll need a second optical drive.

Brands aren’t a huge issue here, but some popular choices are Sony, LG, and Samsung.

Computer Case

I’ve saved the most fun part for last. The case is what everyone actually sees when they check out your sexy, new hardware. When they do, you want to be able to whisper “Pizzazz!” in their ear while doing jazz-hands.

Thankfully, case sizes usually correlate to motherboard sizes. For instance, a Mini ITX motherboard needs a Mini ITX Tower, a Micro ATX motherboard goes with a Micro ATX tower and a full ATX motherboard goes with a full tower. For larger cases, you can use smaller motherboards (Ex. a full ATX case can use both Mini ITX and Micro ATX motherboards).

Beyond case size, there are a few other characteristics to look into.

1. Airflow – Cases usually come with a number of fans for cooling down your beast. The best-designed cases generally have a large fan directly above the area where the video card and processor sit in addition to a smaller fan on the rear near the power supply. Cases also have a varying amount of holes and openings where air can escape allowing for additional fan placements.
2. Cable Management – There’s going to be a plethora of cables running through your case when all is said and done. Loose cables disrupt airflow and generally make the inside of your computer look like a night out with Andy Dick. Some cases have useful secondary compartments that allow you to run cables away from your main hardware area. Others simply come with zip ties and leave you to figure it out. User reviews should go into more detail.
3. Drive Bays – Drive bays sit at the front of your case and hold your hard drives (Internal 3.5″) and optical drives (External 5.25″). Card readers (SD, MicroSD, etc.) can also take up this space. Your motherboard choice reflects how many SATA drives you’ll be using, and your case should as well. It’s always good to have an extra drive bay for each size in case you want to add more hard drives or optical drives in the future.
4. Ports – Like your motherboard, the case generally comes with a few USB and headphone/microphone ports. If you need more USB/USB 3.0 ports, look for that feature within the case specifications.

When it comes to popular brands, Antec and Coolermaster cases are generally highly-regarded and extremely well-made. Corsair, Fractal Design, and NZXT also make great cases.

The Shopping List is Complete!

After rebates and before taxes/shipping, my total came to $820 and some change. Shipping was just a flat $4 charge for everything except the case (case shipping was an additional $10). All in all, I saved about $100 vs. the cheapest custom configurator I could find online (Cyber Power Inc.) at the time. Technically, I could’ve saved more with some more shopping around, but time and Bioshock Infinite was of the essence. In the long run, I’ll end up saving even more with the ability to swap parts in and out.

IMPORTANT: The operating system is not covered in this section. Keep in mind this portion of your computer will cost about $80-$100 for the basic version. If you already have an operating system from your old computer that you want to keep (Windows 7 or 8 would probably be best) then you can just carry that over to your new computer. We’ll get more into that after we build the computer.

Now it’s time for the scary part – putting it all together!

Continue to Part 4 – Putting It All Together

Layman’s Guide for Building Your Own Computer – Part 3: Optical Drive, Power Supply and Case

In part 1, I’ve already purchased the CPU and motherboard for a total of $329.98.

That leaves $570.02 left over to buy the RAM, hard drive, video card, optical drive, power supply and case to stick to my original $900 budget.

Screw computer-markups! Let’s continue onward!

RAM

The function of RAM really isn’t rocket science. Basically, RAM allows your computer to run more efficiently when multiple programs are open simultaneously. 4GB is standard for a normal machine while 8GB works for a gaming or application-heavy work rig (8+GB if you’re crazy and just want to watch the world burn).

RAM comes in sticks that fit into your motherboard’s channels. If you have 2 channels, you can have up to 2 sticks of RAM, 4 channels equals up to 4 sticks of RAM, etc. You should also keep the RAM memory sizes consistent across all channels. For example, if you have two channels and want 4GB of RAM, purchase two 2GB sticks. The  motherboard specifications will include supported RAM speeds (example: 1333/1600/1800).

Currently, most RAM is DDR3 generation. It’s fairly cheap, thus no real need to downgrade. As far as brands are concerned, there’s no significant difference. However, a few popular brands include Kingston, Corsair, Crucial, and PNY.

Hard Drive

The hard drive stores every piece of information that you load onto your computer. As with RAM, it’s best not to over-complicate this. Consider the amount of information you want to store; 500GB – 1TB will suit most needs.

If you store a lot of movies/music/files (and other, more questionable entertainment…) on your system, increase the size of the storage space. Since storage memory is relatively cheap, you can go larger than you really need to be safe.

Most hard drives run at a 7200RPM speed at a SATA 3.0Gb/s. If your motherboard supports 6.0Gb/s, feel free to upgrade. The faster the drive, the faster your computer will boot, open files, and launch programs.

There’s also the option of purchasing an SSD (Solid State Drive). These operate much faster than a regular hard drive, but are also significantly more expensive. Personally, the huge price increase doesn’t make it worth it in my build. Some people recommend getting a smaller SSD (64-128GB) to house your operating system so that your computer boots faster. Personally, I’ll pocket the $100 and wait the additional 15-30 seconds on each boot.

Excellent brands include Western Digital, Seagate, Hitachi, and Samsung. Most hard drives have mixed reviews, but I suspect most negative feedback is related to user-error. Solid SSD brands include Corsair and Crucial.

Video Card

Video cards allow you to run advanced computer games and also help with high-intensity graphics, animation and video editing work.

If you’re a gamer, this is the part of the process that will make you hot and bothered. It’s usually the most complicated step, simply because there are a ton of video cards out there. In addition, different games tend to perform better on different brands of cards and video card specs just confuse the hell out of me.

The two key players in the video card chip manufacturing war are NVIDIA and ATI (now known as AMD). The company that makes better chips basically changes with the seasons.

My recommendation is to determine what you want to do with your computer, set a price range and read reviews on a few different cards within that range. For a rough reference:

•  Cards $100 or under – A good card in this price range will be great for HD video editing/graphics work and light gaming (probably can’t handle many new games efficiently).
• $100 – $200 – Cards in this range can generally handle all of the latest games, though likely not on the maximum graphics and resolution settings for the most hardware-intensive software.
• $200 – $350 – If you’re a hardcore gamer, this is probably the best range for you. You’ll be able to play all of the latest games, smooth as silk, on max settings for the near future.
• $350+ – This is the range that sets your phasers to Death Star. If you want your computer to chew up and spit out any game that’s thrown at it for a few years to come, go with one of these powerhouses. For more power, you can buy two SLI video cards and run two in one system. However, your motherboard must support this option. Check the specifications.

The newest, best video cards can get up to the $1,000 price range. Most people will be fine with a $200 limit. Keep in mind that the more powerful you go, the more power you’ll need to run these beasts. In addition, the temperature in your computer will be raised significantly and you will need to invest in cooling.

If you want even more power and have an SLI/Crossfire-compatible motherboard, you can run two video cards simultaneously. For a brief reference:

SLI = NVidia graphics cards ONLY. You must use the same model card in an SLI configuration, but your cards can be at different clock speeds.

Crossfire = ATI/AMD graphics cards ONLY. You can use any two ATI/AMD in a Crossfire configuration, but you get the best performance when both cards are the same model.

As far as card manufacturers are concerned, EVGA and XFX reputably have the best warranties and customer support, though XFX cards also reportedly have some cooling issues. MSI, Sapphire and GIGABYTE are also decent options.

If you’ve made it this far, you’re in for the long haul. So far I’ve spent $704.96 (after rebates are considered) and have $195.04 left over. 

Continue to Part 3 – Power Supply, Optical Drive, and Case

Layman’s Guide for Building Your Own Computer – Part 2: RAM, Hard Drive and Video Card

A very special shout-out to /r buildapc on Reddit for all of their help and input on this guide. If you’re seriously considering building your own computer, send your questions their way. Really knowledgeable people.

Why Build a Computer When You Can Just Buy One?

When we talk about computers, there’s a wide range of consumers who permeate the marketplace. There are the “Enthusiasts,” who drop $2,000+ on a rig, because their computer from last year can’t  warp space and time.

There’s the “savvy computer friend” who ends up picking out parts and building computers for everyone, because he can gouge them $100 for an hour of work. There’s the 50-year old mother who has 5 different toolbars on her IE 6.0 and doesn’t understand how Adult Friend Finder took over her “Google Program.”

Then there’s me—the technologically inept business operations manager who can’t play Bioshock Infinite on his 5-year old Windows XP machine and has accidentally set said computer on fire in a  blind rage.

(l) Me pondering building a PC, (r) Grumpy Cat

When I communicated my intention to purchase an already-built computer to my deal and tech-savvy coworkers, I discovered two things:

1. I’m a filthy, evil blasphemer who should be flogged for such vile words.
2. There is still time for me to turn from my sinful ways towards a state of enlightenment. Please don’t hurt me…

I knew what I had to do, and I was confident I could live up to the challenge. How hard could it be to build a computer from scratch? All I have to do is put in some RAM and flip a switch, and presto! Right? RIGHT?!?

The Benefits of Building Your Own Computer

This is what it will look like, I promise!

To be fair, I have discovered there are numerous benefits to building your own computer:

• Full control over what goes into the rig and how it is constructed. Do you want a quiet, efficient machine or something that can launch a nuclear missile? Do you want it to be a workmanlike cog in your home office or a channel through which your energy drink consumption transfers into gaming frags at faster-than-light speeds?
• In many cases, you save yourself a good chunk of money depending on the deals you’re able to find on parts. Fry’s and Newegg are good places to start.
• The knowledge you gain is invaluable and will save you even more money in the long run. Instead of diagnosing your computer issues as “It’s Broken,” you’ll have a better understanding of what is causing your computer to slow down and how to address the specific problem areas at a lesser cost.

The downside is time. If this is your first go at a homemade computer, you’ll need to do some research on the various parts, brands, configurations, etc. Then there’s the whole “building it” thing… I’d recommend taking a few shots beforehand. (Consult your country’s legal drinking age before proceeding with this step. The CheckOut does not officially condone drinking, but it sure does make things better.)

With a $900 budget and a heart filled with dread, it’s time to take the first step towards computer-building Jedi Knighthood: buying all of the parts.

Processor (CPU)

The processor you choose will determine the kind of motherboard you’re able to use, and the motherboard determines what kind of computer you’ll be building, so this is where we’ll start. It has two important specifications: number of cores and clock speed.

The former allows it to multitask, and the latter allows it to do so quicker. If you’re constantly running multiple, smaller applications at one time, the core number will be very important to you. If you want to run fewer, more complicated tasks quickly (like video games) then you may pay a little more attention to clock speed.

Generally, clock speed should only be used as comparison within families of processors. For example, an Intel Core i5 3.4GHz will outperform an Intel Core i5 3.1GHz, all things being equal. That might not necessarily be the case if you compare it to an Intel Core i7 3.1GHz or similar AMD processor. At the time of this article’s publication, a low-powered machine will be fine with 1 core, a mid-range machine will want 2 or 4, and a high-powered behemoth will need 4+ cores.  Once you choose a brand and desired price range, be sure to read some reviews on a few processors before making a decision.

Keep in mind, if you purchase your processor from the original manufacturer (OEM), you may have to purchase a heat sink/cooler separately – usually $20 or so. This will sit on top of your processor and ensure it doesn’t overheat.

The two processor gods are AMD and Intel. Intel processors tend to have better overall performance while AMD processors tend to be more affordable (i.e. not as cool).

Motherboard

The motherboard is the component of your PC through which every individual working part communicates with every other working part.

Because the motherboard is so stupor-inducingly spec-heavy, most “How-To” guides spend pages discussing how to pick one out. I spit in their general direction. Here are the fundamental questions you need to ask (the motherboard should say if it has these things):

• Which processor am I using? Intel processors use LGA 1155 and LGA 2011 motherboard sockets; AMD processors use AM3/FM1/FM2 motherboard sockets. Generally, these are labelled as “AM3+”.
• How many RAM channels do I need? If you can, get a motherboard with 4 RAM channels. It makes upgrading later easier. 2 RAM channels are okay—you’ll just be forced to buy higher-capacity RAM sticks when you upgrade. Make sure they’re DDR3-compatible. DDR2 is worse.
• What do I do for graphics? If you play games or do high-intensity graphics/video editing work, get a motherboard with a PCI Express x1/x3/x16 slot. Your video card will say which slot it needs. If you’re not a gamer or don’t care, find a motherboard that has integrated graphics support.
• What size motherboard do I get? Sizes are Mini ITX, Micro ATX, and full ATX. The motherboard size determines your case size (though smaller motherboards can be used in larger cases without issue) and number of features you can include. Mini ITX is good for school, work, and low-end gaming. Micro ATX is good for building mid-range gaming computers. Full ATX boards can support the most add-ons and are good for powerhouse gaming rigs or computers you want to upgrade with a lot of additional features (Bluetooth, extra USB slots, dual-video cards, etc.).
• How many USB ports do I want? If you have a lot of things to plug in (webcams, camera charger, iPod sync cables, etc.) get a motherboard with more USB support. If you use USB 3.0 products, get one with USB 3.0 support.
• How many SATA ports do I need? Your hard drives (i.e. 3.5″ internal storage drives) and optical drives (i.e. external 5.25″ DVD or Blu-ray drives) plug into the SATA ports. Unless you require more than 2TB of storage, two hard drive SATA ports will be more than enough. You’ll need at least one SATA port for your optical drive, but if you want to copy DVDs/Blu-Rays, make sure your motherboard comes with an extra SATA port for a second optical drive.
• Do I need SLI/Crossfire support? This only applies if you want to use two video cards in an ultimate gaming computer of ultimate destiny. If you’re reading this guide, you probably don’t need it.

You’ll be good with an ASUS, Gigabyte, recent Biostar and MSI brand motherboard.

Continue to Part 2 – RAM, Hard Drive, and Video Card

Layman’s Guide for Building Your Own Computer – Part 1: Intro, Processor, and Motherboard