You can construct your own fully equipped system for about
the same amount of money as an off-the-shelf configuration.
"Dollar for dollar you'll get more power and features
in a PC assembled by a big company than in one you build yourself." That's
the conventional wisdom. But new standards and improved component integration
that packs more functions into fewer parts now allow you to build a modern
system for the same cost as a similarly equipped retail PC.
Follow these steps to assemble an up-to-date machine whose
system components should total only about $800, plus something like $400 for a
flat-panel LCD, amplified speakers, and Windows XP (all other software is
either bundled with hardware or available for free). See our invoice
for the details.
To keep things simple, we bought all of our items except the
OpenOffice application suite (which is a free download) from a single supplier,
NewEgg.com. Limiting the
number of sources for your components may reduce your shipping costs and save
you time, and it's less aggravating to place and track a single order.
1. Get ready: To protect the components from damage,
keep them in their antistatic packaging until you're ready to put them in
place. Wear an antistatic wrist strap clipped to a bare metal spot on the
chassis, or touch the chassis frequently to equalize your charge relative to
it. Handle the motherboard, processor, memory modules, and other sensitive
parts by their edges only, and don't touch any socket or connector pins.
Finally, make sure the system is unplugged until you're ready to start it for
the first time.
2. Prepare the chassis: Take the cover off the
chassis and remove any instructions, assembly hardware, or loose cables inside
the case. If the chassis has a removable motherboard tray, take it out. Remove
the I/O shield from the connector area by pressing inward on the shield until
it pops into the case (see FIGURE 1). Locate the I/O shield that came with the
motherboard and snap it into the connector area in the chassis from the inside
out.
3. Add the motherboard: As you place the board into
the chassis, align the rear-facing connectors with the holes in the I/O shield.
If your case uses a motherboard tray, install the processor and memory onto the
motherboard first (see below), and then slide the board and tray securely into
the chassis.
With the tray removed from the case, set the motherboard
atop the mushroom-shaped standoffs at a slight angle from the front of the
board to the back, and then press down until the standoffs protrude through the
holes in the board. If your chassis uses conventional screws to hold the
motherboard, you may have to move or install brass standoffs to match the
pattern of holes in your motherboard. Once that's done, set the board down over
the standoffs until they line up with the holes, and install the screws to
tighten the board.
4. Place the processor: If you are using an Intel
processor, install it in the LGA (land grid array) socket on the motherboard
(see FIGURE 2). Conventional CPU designs put the pins on the
processor, but LGA has them in the socket instead. In either case, don't touch
the pins or contacts: They are very delicate and prone to physical and
electrostatic damage.
LGA775 sockets, such as the one on our motherboard, use a
lever to clamp a load plate over the top of the CPU. Disengage the lever from
the latch, raise the plate, and remove its plastic cover.
Remove the plastic cover from the processor to expose the
contacts on the bottom. Hold the processor by the edges and locate the pin-1
indicator and orientation notches on its sides. Line up the notches in the chip
with the orientation keys in the socket. Close the load plate over the top of
the processor, and clamp it down.
5. Keep it cool: To attach the heat sink to the
motherboard, align the four fasteners with the holes in the motherboard and
press each fastener down until it clicks (see FIGURE 3). AMD heat sinks have four clips that click into
place before you lock their levers. Make sure the fasteners are fully seated
and the heat sink's base is flush against the motherboard.
Connect the CPU fan to the proper head on the motherboard.
LGA775 processors use a new four-wire fan connector with an extra signal that
allows the motherboard to control the fan speed. Plug this connector from the
heat sink into the four-wire "CPU FAN" connector on the motherboard;
normally this connector is next to the processor socket.
6. Don't forget the memory: Our system uses two 512MB
modules for a total of 1GB of RAM. To operate in dual-channel mode on our
motherboard, we installed this pair of modules in the blue sockets.
To install DDR2 modules, open the locking tabs to the side
and then insert the module into the socket so that the notch aligns with the
tab. Press the module firmly straight into the socket until the tabs lock the
module into place.
7. Insert the add-in cards: Next, install your video
card and any other add-in boards by removing the slot cover, inserting the card
firmly in the appropriate slot, and securing it using either the screw from the
slot cover or the appropriate card retention mechanism in your case.
8. Park the drives: Pull the locking levers on each
side of one of the lower 3.5-inch bays forward (away from the chassis). Slide
the drive into the bay with the connectors facing back (see FIGURE 4). With the drive in place, press the locking
levers inward. Don't install the cables yet. With some cases, you use four
screws to secure the drive. Accessing these screws in the tight quarters of a
case is a major cause of scraped knuckles, which explains manufacturers' shift
to levers.
9. Add a DVD burner: Slide the locking lever of a
5.25-inch bay to the unlock position, place your DVD or other optical drive
into the bay, and, once it's fully seated, relock the lever. As with the hard
drive, don't connect the cables yet. Note that some cases hold the drive with
external locking clips.
10. Adjust your cables: On the front of the chassis
are a power switch, reset switch, power LED, and hard-drive LED. Find the cable
for each and plug it into the appropriate front-panel switch/LED connector on
the motherboard (see FIGURE 5). Look to your motherboard's manual or the legend
printed on the motherboard for guidance.
Next, locate the internal USB, FireWire, audio, and other
I/O connectors on the motherboard and attach their cables to the appropriate
ports. The assorted cables and connectors should be keyed to prevent improper
installation, but consult the diagrams in your motherboard's manual to be sure
that you have all of the cables and connectors matched.
Now connect the data cables to the disk drives. The
80-conductor ribbon cable attaches the parallel ATA port on your motherboard to
the DVD drive, and the thin Serial ATA cable links the first SATA port on your
motherboard to the hard drive (see FIGURE 6). SATA cables plug in only one way. If the ribbon
cables aren't keyed, note the odd-colored pin-1 wire, which matches up to the
small triangle or pin-1 indicator marked on the motherboard and drive
connectors. Once you have the cables attached, route them so they are out of
the way and do not interfere with airflow through the case.
11. Add the juice: Plug the large 24-pin main power
connector and the 4-pin 12V connector into the motherboard. The DVD drive uses
a single 4-pin peripheral power connector, while the hard drive uses either a
4-pin peripheral power connector or a 15-Pin SATA power connector. Route the
cables out of the way inside the case, and neatly bundle or tie off any
remaining unused power connectors to keep the airflow unobstructed (see FIGURE 7).
The chassis we used in our PC has a large, 120mm
rear-mounted fan for added cooling. Plug the three-wire connector from your fan
into the matching "REAR FAN" connector on the motherboard. Some case
fans also take a standard 4-pin peripheral power connector.
12. Link outside the box: Attach your display,
keyboard, mouse, and speakers to the appropriate color-coded connectors on the
back of the system.
13. Turn it on: Attach the power cord and press the
power button (don't forget to power up your display too). Insert the Windows XP
CD-ROM and allow the system to boot from it. Once you've applied the network
settings you received from your ISP, browse to OpenOffice.org to download
your free applications. If you have problems loading Windows or other software,
read Lincoln Spector's tips on troubleshooting
a Windows installation. When you are satisfied that everything works, close
the case by reattaching the chassis front and side panels.
