Building Your Own Computer

- Part Two

After purchasing all the components for your new computer, you are ready to put it all together.  Choose a dry, dust free work area that gets plenty of light.  To minimize static, you should not work in an area which has carpets.
 
You just need basic tools -- a Phillips screwdriver and an anti-static wrist strap.  Static electricity can destroy computer components so do everything necessary to minimize the build-up of static.  The wrist strap is a minimum -- you should also use an antistatic mat if there is one available.

Opening the Case

Computer cases come in many different designs and each manufacturer has their own method for securing the case.  Traditional designs use screws on the back of the case for holding the side plates in place.  Newer designs use screw-less attachment systems and the side plates simply slide into place.  Open the case and if possible take out the motherboard mounting plate.

The case should come with a supply of screws and attachments for mounting the motherboard and installing hard drives and other components.  There should be two sizes of screws -- the larger ones are for securing add-on cards and hard drives, and the smaller ones are for holding the motherboard in place.

The case may need some preparation work before actually installing any components in it.  Some do not have the feet attached - these are easily secured to the bottom of the case.  You may also need to remove metal plates that are covering the drive bays and the I/O (input/output) connections.

If the case did not come with a power supply, this is the first thing you can install.  It goes in the back of the case at the top, and there are usually little supports for guiding the installation orientation.  The power supply is secured with the larger case screws.

You may also wish to install a cooling fan for the case.  This is attached at the front of the case below the hard drive bays.

Motherboard Plate

Once the inside of the case has been prepared, you are ready to attach the motherboard to the motherboard plate.  The motherboard plate should be removed from the case before installing the motherboard.  If your case does not feature a removable plate, you must attach all the components on the motherboard before installing it in the case.

The first step is to put the standoffs in place.  These are the small supports that will raise the motherboard from the surface of the case.  The motherboard mounting plate should have a variety of standoff locations to accommodate the layout of various motherboards.

Using the motherboard as a guide, install the standoffs so that there is one under every mounting hole of the motherboard.  There should be several around the edges and two or three supporting the middle part of the motherboard.  Once the standoffs are in place, place the motherboard on the plate.

It's a good idea to use washers under the mounting screws.  Some motherboards have circular metal areas around the screw holes which prevent the screws from shorting the motherboard.  Even so, washers give a little bit of extra cushioning between the screw and the motherboard.

Insert the screws into the mounting holes and turn them a few times by hand.  Once they are all in place, tighten them gently with a screwdriver.  Be sure not to over-tighten the screws -- use just enough force to hold the motherboard securely in place.

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