The 4 Steps to making your computer

Your first point in building a computer should be finding a case and all the components. It is very important when shopping for cases that you note the case’s air flow dynamics, how many and what size fans it can hold, the form factor of the motherboards it can take, and it’s drive bay configuration. For my case I used a simple ATX mid-tower.

Next you will need to find the motherboard (I used a XFX 610i), RAM to go on it (keep in mind DDR type), a power supply (between 400-600 will do), and CPU w/heat sink. With the addition of a hard drive, these components fulfill your basic needs for parting together your computer.

Now for the fun part:

Step 1: Install the Power Supply

First you need to get the power supply and fit it into place, most are located at the top corner of the case. Then find four screws and screw the power supply in on the back

of the case.

Step 2: Install the motherboard

To do this get your motherboard and some screws. First place the motherboard into the case and line it up with the screw holes. ATX and mini-ATX have different holes so be sure to line it up correctly. Then screw the board down and you’re done!

Step 3: Install the CPU

Here all you will need is your CPU, CPU heat-sink, and Thermal paste. To get started unhook the CPU holder then place your CPU into place making sure to line up the indents (shown in video). Then, apply thermal paste to the CPU and screw down the heat sink to the motherboard. It should be tight enough to not move but lose enough not to crush the CPU.

Step 4: Wiring and Completion

atx 2.2 power connector (Photo credit: osde8info)

To finish up your build project you will need some zip ties or wire and patience. First find your power, restart, and HDD light wires. Take those and connect them in the

appropriate spots, usually at the bottom left of the motherboard. On this XFX 610i board they were color coded and installation was a snap! After you complete that

find the motherboard power cable and the chip-set power cables. The main power cable for the board should be a 20-24 pin cable. Connect that to the top left of the board and the chip-set cable, 4 pin connection, will usually be to the left of the CPU region. After this you can connect the four pin power connectors to the hard drives and disc drives. Optional step following would be cleanup and wire tucking. You can use zip ties or wire to wrap the cable together and hide them around the drive bays for clean looks and better air flow.

To complete this build all you need is software. For the operating system you can get a free version Linux-based or pay to get Windows or Mac. Any questions? let me know below!

– Chris