Assembling a Computer

If you have decided to take on the task of assembling a computer yourself, it would be better that we spend some time in taking some safety precautions. The safety precautions that I am going to list in this article are extremely important and all of them need to be taken seriously.

Safety Tips While Assembling a Computer

First of all, since the word is assembling,
so definitely, we will be working or dealing with desktop computers in this article. Secondly, our primary focus is the CPU and connecting the different components along with it. Therefore it's obvious that we will discuss about the safety precautions that we need to take while assembling the computer cabinet. A static shock which is not sufficient to be felt by humans is enough to destroy the components that you are using to assemble your computer. So, it is very important that all the components that you will be using to assemble your computer should be kept on anti static mats. If in case you do not have anti static mats, you can simply keep them in the packaging in which they came. There is also a concept of using wrist bands, while you are trying your hands at assembling a computer. The idea is simple, tie the wrist band on your wrist and one end of the band is connected to the anti static mat and the other end is connected to the computer chassis. The basic concept is to balance the charge on the computer chassis and the body. Do not stand on a carpet while you are taking up this task. Carpets increase the static charge in your body to a great deal.

Tips to Assemble a Computer

Here, we will not the discuss the process to do so, but rather, how should the components be selected. Try to get a motherboard in which the graphics and sound cards are already installed. Check out that the chassis you are taking is of sufficient size to fix in the computer motherboard. It should also have provisions for fixing in a CD/DVD ROM. Get a hard drive that is compatible with your motherboard. You can either try out SATA drives or IDE drives. Make sure that your computer and power supply will support that particular type of hard drive.

Assembling a Computer Step By Step

Now, that we are done with the safety tips that you need to follow while assembling a computer, we can jump into the process of assembling a computer from components. But, first of all, let us take a look at the components that we will require to assemble a computer.

Components Required to Assemble a Computer

• The first component that we would require is the computer chassis. This is where all the component will be integrated into a package.
• Next we will need the computer motherboard. This is where all the other components need to be connected.
• The computer processor or the CPU (Central Processing Unit) is what handles all the processing of the computer. It is the most important part of a computer.
• RAM or the primary memory of the computer is the next important part of the computer. Find out more information on what is computer RAM (Random Access Memory)
• The hard drive of a computer is where all the data is stored. Hence, this is the next component that you will require.
• A CD/DVD ROM is something that everyone needs. Hence, you should also ensure that you have one of them at least.
• You will also need a non magnetic screw driver to go along with the task of PC assembly.

Now that we know the components required to start off our task, let us straight away go to the actual process.

Step 1
You can carry out this step even after attaching you computer motherboard to the computer chassis. But it's better that you fix the computer processor into the motherboard beforehand. The process is simple. You can clearly identify the processor socket and as per the alignment of the notch on the computer processor fix it into the computer motherboard.

Step 2
Then you need to attach your computer motherboard to the chassis. Simply, align your computer motherboard to the chassis and fix it properly with the screws that have come along with your chassis. Use your non magnetic screw driver to do so. Secure the computer motherboard firmly with the computer chassis.

Step 3
Since, we are going with the flow, the next step would obviously be to fix the RAM of the computer to the motherboard. Identify the locations to put in the RAM sticks, hold them at an angle of 45º and simply push it into the motherboard until you hear a click sound. Once you hear the click sound, it means that the RAM has been installed. If you have got more that one RAM sticks then fix them in parallel slots.

Step 4
The next step is to connect the hard drive. First of all fix the computer hard drive to the computer chassis and then connect the power supply from the SMPS to the hard drive and also the cables from the motherboard to the same.

Step 5
Next, you need to fix in a CD/DVD ROM. The process is similar to that of fixing the hard drive. Fix it to the chassis using the screw driver and then connect the cables and the power supply to the CD/DVD ROM.

Find out more information on the process to build a computer from the following articles:

• How to Build a Computer from Scratch
• Building a Computer Checklist
• How to Build a Computer Step by Step

With the last step your task will be done. Now simply connect your the system to a computer monitor and computer keyboard and plug in the power supply and check out if everything is working properly. Then you just need to install an operating system into the computer and start working. Remember, that the manuals that come along with each of the components are very important and you may have to refer to them whenever you are in a fix. So, I hope these simple steps have helped you out in your endeavor of assembling a computer yourself.