Putting it all together.

While you can save a lot of money building a PC yourself, it’s important to take care in assembling it. Without following a certain precautions, you can wind up costing yourself in broken parts. In this document, I hope to be able to bring confidence to new system builders, and give some tips that might help those relatively new to PC building. Though it may seem daunting at first, assembling your own computer brings a sense of pride to using it, and knowledge of exactly what’s inside. I’m going to assume that you’ve got your components picked out and purchased, and proceed directly to assembly.

These instructions are primarily for assembling a PC based on an ATX case, motherboard, and power supply. Older AT components assemble in a similar fashion. I will attempt to update this article when I am able to deal with some equipment based on the cutting-edge BTX specification. I strongly recommend that you read the entire article before beginning, and that you have some degree of PC hardware repair or upgrade experience before trying to build your own PC.

Preparation

The two biggest dangers in assembling a PC are static and debris. To protect from the former, you want to build your computer on a workbench over a hard floor. Walking on carpet can give you a static charge, which can damage components. You should also keep parts in their anti-static bags or containers until you’re ready to use them. The other concern, debris, means simply that you want to keep your workspace and parts clean. Small bits of metal or packing material can cause problems, so take care not to introduce them to the assembly environment.

Now that we’re done with the safety stuff, let?s get into the fun part. There is one major feature of your case that can affect the assembly process: a slide out motherboard tray. If you have one, make use of it, it makes assembly much easier to be able to do it outside the case. If your tray doesn’t slide out, no worries; while the space is a bit cramped, you can still get the job done. In terms of tools for assembly, you should just need an average size Phillips screwdriver.

Step 1: Motherboard Insertion

Everything that you put in your system in some way connects to the motherboard. Thus, we insert it first. Motherboards attach to the case via a set of mounting holes on the board. Some of these holes should line up with brass standoffs on the motherboard tray. Key areas to have support under are the expansion slots and memory slots. If there are standoffs with no corresponding hole, remove them (they screw out) to prevent contact issues with the motherboard. If you’re lacking standoffs in key areas, they can be added by drilling and tapping a hole in the tray (though this is difficult, and should usually be unnecessary). An alternative to this is the small plastic feet that ship with some motherboards and cases, which can be inserted into the mounting holes to provide support. At least a few holes need to be screwed in to provide secure mounting and some ground lines for the motherboard.

If your motherboard has an odd port layout, it may require a special I/O shield. This is the bit of metal that the ports poke through to the outside world. The motherboard should come with the shield if necessary (if it didn’t, and your ports don’t match the case, read on to special circumstances). Replacing the shield is a simple matter of popping the old one out and pressing the new one into place.

The motherboard should be slid into the case port-edge first. If you move it in at an angle, and line up the ports with the shield, you can then easily lower the motherboard down onto the standoffs. You may need to shift it a bit side to side to line up the holes. Once you’re in, screw in the motherboard screws (usually short brass or steel screws with hexagonal Phillips heads) hand tight (There isn’t a part of this project you should use a driver on; they can cause damage to the delicate threads involved). When the motherboard is in to your satisfaction, we can move on to the next step.