Building Your Own Computer

- Part Four

If you are installing the motherboard on a removable plate, the only thing left to do to prepare the motherboard for the case is install the memory.  Press down on the tabs on either side of the memory module slots and insert the RAM.  Memory modules are notched so it is impossible to put them in the wrong way.  When they are in place, gently lift the tabs to secure the module in place. 

The motherboard plate can now be installed in the case.  The plate may either swing or slide into place according to the design of the case.

If you are working on a case without a removable plate, the motherboard must be installed in the case first, after which the CPU and memory can be installed as explained above.

Cables

With the motherboard in place, attach the main power cable from the power supply unit to the motherboard.  This is a rectangular connection that is slotted to prevent improper connection.

Next, attach all the small wires to the LED, the power switch, the reset switch and the internal speaker.  These wires are clearly labelled and are attached to the motherboard with small plugs which have two or four wires.

Now attach the drive cables to the motherboard.  Drive cables are flat ribbon cables that usually have three connectors attached to them.  One connector is attached to the motherboard and the other two are attached to the hard drives or optical drives.  The floppy drive cables are thinner than the cables for the hard drives or the optical drives and also have a twist in them.

Floppy drive cables are standard for any type of motherboard, but there are two different types of cables for hard drives depending on whether your motherboard has ATA or SATA controllers.  The traditional ATA (or EIDE) cables can connect two drives and are limited to 18 inches in length.  SATA cables, on the other hand, have just one connector and can be as long as 40 inches.

Both ATA and SATA connectors are keyed so it's impossible to connect them the wrong way.  Attach the required cables to the motherboard before installing the drives.

Floppy Drives

You are now ready to install the hard drive, the floppy drive, and the CD and/or DVD drive.  Start with the floppy drive as it is the smallest and least accessible in the case.  Find an appropriate floppy disk bay and remove the face plate.  The case should have a 3.5" bay specifically for floppy drives, but if it doesn't, you'll have to install it in a 5.25" bay using an adapter front panel.

Insert the drive from the front of the case and secure it using two screws on either side.  Make sure the front of the drive is flush with the front of the case.

Once the floppy drive is secured, attach the twisted ribbon cable.  If you have one floppy drive, use the connector after the twist.  If you are installing a second floppy drive, drive B is attached before the twist.  Make sure that pin 1 is connected to cable 1 (marked in red).

Next up is installing the hard drives and the optical drives.

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