Building On Up: The Tower
May 07 '01
The Bottom Line The system will be based on what you choose; the computer is not hard to build just hard to configure the software.
The Extensive Guide
This opinion will take you step by step through the BUILDING of a PC, and just the tower.I will be using a Duron Processor based system! You may to wish to add thing later, but in this opinion I will be concentrating on the mainly used components; Hard drive, graphics card, sound card, RAM, processors, fans, motherboard, CD-Rom, floppy drive, and all the case work and wiring to be done.
Please note You will not need any electrical knowledge, apart from !colour sight! you don't need to know much about electronics, though it would help.
To help along the endless process, I have put a contents list in, too.
1). Buy Me. Buy Me!
2). On the table
3). Let Construction Begin
4). BIOS Setup
5). Conclusion
1). Buy Me, Buy Me!
It may seem obvious but you need to first buy each component before even getting out your trusty screwdriver. There’s endless possibilities on your computer spec and I think an affordable system based on a single processor would help most, rather than going through all the possibilities, and then confusing all the beginners reading this. So this is the reason why I decided a helpful epinion would be easier if I based it on one, rather than 3 or more possibilities. It also makes it more thorough.
Motherboards Now you first need to find a motherboard, you don’t need to get the processor just yet. A motherboard will come in various sizes, there is AT and ATX. The old AT sizes fitted into an AT case, makes sense. The AT motherboards are less popular so I wouldn’t recommend you buy one, but if you do, you can still use them in ATX case, as long as the motherboard has the confirmation in its handbook. The motherboard you should look for is one which can take high speed processors. All motherboards which can take a Duron, can take an Athlon too. These two processors are both the same, the both fit in the same, SOCKET A - on the board.
The motherboard should be compatible with, PC133 DIMM RAM, and have two or more slots. You can use PC66 and PC100 speed DIMM ram but PC133 seems less expensive strangely. Along with those a good motherboard should have plenty of burgundy\brown power exits, these are for fans, they have three pins, and give power as long as read the speed of the fan, if compatible. These fan points should be around the edge of the board.
The IDE slots (2 or more) should be along the right hand edge, not the centre, and that goes for all cable connection; power cable, floppy socket etc.
Also on the board should be an array of PCI slots (four or more), and (if you want) an AGP slot – the AGP slot is useful for gamers, it allows fast graphics card to be installed for high end gaming, excellent with our Duron. I have yet to see a board without an AGP slot when it is compatible with Durons.
Processors It really depends on your limits, but you’d be better getting a fast-as-possible processor which doesn’t over go your budget, or motherboard spec. The Duron processor is a very, very popular processor, I have one myself, I can say that this processor is very reliable, and is excellent for affordable PCs. It costs are low, and the different in 50Hz speed can be less than £10/$14! As long as you can return it, any store would be a good choice to buy the Duron from.
RAM The RAM is like the processor; get it from anywhere. As long as the motherboard is compatible, go for PC133 DIMM. Buy a large sized one, too, like 128Mb.
Graphics card This depend on your budget, go for the best buy you can afford, read up on epinions for reviews and such. The card should go into your AGP slot (if you have one).
Sound Card Well this depends on your budget and aim too. You could buy a surround sound card or stereo card. If you don’t want sound, don’t’ buy one. I would, say that sound cars are better if they are brand names, the cheapest are often the cause of low gaming performance, the sound becomes crackly.
Modem Again depends if you want one. Buy a 56k V.90 if your using a dial up connection.
CD-ROM Go for high speed to make the installation a breeze. Try to get one which matches your case colour.
Floppy This drive is hardly used, by the cheapest!
Hard rive The essential part to a good PC, buy a fast drive, like a 7200rpm speed one. Large sizes come in handy. If possible buy two! By brand names, IBM and Fujitsu have both been my favourites.
Case The case should have a 300watt power supply, and plenty of screws. There should be more than two drive slots. And remember, the motherboard can come in various sizes, there are some boards which are too big to fit in a mini ATX case. Make sure they match before buying either. There should be a fan somewhere, either at the front or rear, two fans total.
Fans You need a big heat sink on the processor and fan, you can by separate fans for the case if you wish.
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2). On The Table
[ !—NOTE--! Don’t touch anything which has memory, the Ram especially. Any static shock can damage the RAM, so earth your self on the copper pipes near the radiator. ]
You’ll need a Philips head screwdriver for this.
Once you have bought each part, you may now, choose a 3 hour free day, and organize each part on the table. The parts will be organised in importance piles. The CD-ROM, and floppy can go in last. The RAM and processor can be in later too. But what you must first do is set up the case.
First open the case, and take out all the stuff in polythene bags out, and manual (if included). Lie the case on its side, with the penal which the board is held to is closest to the table.
Next you must insert the little peaks which hold the board off the case. These can vary; some are metal (very painful) spring clips that need a heavy finger push to get in, while some are screws that are a joy to use. You may also have some plastic feet, which pop into the holes on the board to help separate the case even further. Before you insert any clips onto the case, get a pencil, and place the board down onto the platform (check your earthed), and poke the pencil through the hole to mark out where you can place each clip, as they are hard to get back out. Remove the board and push the clips in (or screw them in). Next you can put any of the plastic feet on the remaining holes on the board. If it’s a tight case, the processor may be hard to get in if the socket is near by the power supply or case, so it’s a good idea to put the processor and its fan and heat sink onto the board now. Along with the RAM. You may find the IDE cables in the boards box, these can also be attached, along with the floppy cable, to the board now. If you have to set jumpers for the processor, you will be better off setting them now. Unless it’s a BIOS controlled system. This is in the board manual.
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3). Let Construction Begin
Now that the cables are all attached to the board, you can insert the board onto the platform inside the case. Once if is down, get a few screws, (of the right size) and lock down the board in the right place. Be very careful not to slip, even one scratch across some electronics can ruin a board for good. Once you have locked the board down, and its sturdy and rock solid to the case, you can begin the rest of the process. Next you can connect the power connection, it is huge 10 wired plug which snaps onto the board. Try to keep it untangled with other wires.
Now the really complex bit arrives. You’ll need a friend, mother father, anyone, get him/her to read out or point out which of the pins the plugs go onto. What I am talking about is the jungle of wires at the front of the case. These are connected to the lower right of the board, and are; the reset switch, power button, speaker, HDD light, and power light. These all need connecting and help is useful when you do this. The plugs should be labelled.
Now you can install the graphics and sound card (unless you got onboard already for either or both). These will be better left apart. I feel that the heat generated by a graphics card along with the possible electrical interference, sometimes affects the performance of other near by cards. So try to keep them a slot or two away. Install your modem if you have one too and any other form of card as well. Connect all the fan(s) to the board too, aswell as the processors fan!
Next bring out the Hard drive, this will be installed on the bottom rail in the lower containment chamber, here it is in its own space away from a floppy drive and such. Now you can connect the hard drive to the power supply and the IDE cable. The ideal is a hard drive on the primary channel and the CD-Rom on secondary, so do that. The hard drive may be set incorrectly, so set or check it in MASTER mode, which makes it the master out of two on the channel it is on. The CD-ROM can be installed too now, that will be master if it is on its own channel, read motherboard manual about channels.
The floppy drive may be installed, it should go in through the front like the CD-Rom, but if it doesn’t put it in before the hard drive, as it makes it easier with out the power cables in the way. Once each drive is in check the connections and power supplies.
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4). BIOS Setup
I can’t give you much helpful information here, its better to read the motherboard manual carefully. Though if your using a bios which changes the speed of the processor, set it up. A multiplyer value should be set along with a BUS speed. E.G. a 750 Duron uses 7.5 as its multiplyer and 100as its bus speed, equalling 750Mhz. The RAM may also need to be set, so set it now too. READ THE MANUAL, it has more information.
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5). Conclusion
I have been building PCs for over a year. I have had no problems with hardware, only the software. The software will be the hardest part of your project. You may need to reinstall the operating system twice or more, so try it for a few weeks, so you know if it works. You can use all your old monitors mice, keyboards, software all over again. But the new hard disk will need setting up. Read my advice on how to set up a hard drive;
http://www.epinions.com/cmd-review-218-4F1C41C9-3A50C4EE-prod6
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Epinions.com ID:
MichaelHatton
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Location: Darlington, England
Reviews written: 192
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Retired
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