Hi all, I have knowlegde when it comes to hardware as long as it's in the case and running. When it comes to building a PC I have no idea at all. Anyway I've had a look at some PC building guides and was thinking about trying to build something myself but need some advice. First off should I buy a system that's already in one piece and then take it apart or should I opt for buying the bits individually and building it from scatch? I assume all the wires & any screws needed would come with the hardware (I am planning to buy new for both ideas not OEM) and all I'd need is a Phillips-head screwdriver? I'm not stupid (although from my clear lack of engineering knowledge here I'd forgive you for thinking so) and pick most things up rather fast but still this idea seems a challenge to me. Any advice would be a great help. Thanks GX PS.What sort of difficulty am I looking at here?
Get some antistatic gloves since it´s your first build. Computer hardware dislikes static electricity. And some training in applying thermal paste wouldn´t be bad either
Wouldn't an anti-static band be easier? And I can use thermal paste. Can you give me a difficulty rating on building the system? Thanks
It's hard to put a label on how hard it is to build one since I have no idea of your capabilities. A good place ot start is to open up a computer and be able to know what components are what (video card, CPU, power supply ,etc) and to know what they do. Mabye even take it apart and put it back together. Second, read ALOT. Find out what kind of computer you want to build. Once you have a general idea, get a budget. How much do you want to spend. As always, good luck and we're here to help but don't forget to use this. Oh and yes, a phillips screwdriver wil handle most anything you will need to do.
Building a system is deliberately made 'easy' by virtue of everything having unique shaped sockets, plugs, connectors etc, so you know that if you give it a careful but firm push and it wont go in, you're doing it wrong. If it goes in no trouble, you've done it right and it will work (unless the hardware is faulty). It also makes it fairly obvious where things go [and then easier to do it in future]. Also most components dimensions and screw hole positions and so on are standardised within the ATX (case, power supply and motherboard dimensioning) spec - so things like PCI expansion cards (e.g. sound/wifi) will always fit into a PCI slot, always line up with the slot on the back of the case, always use the same type of screw and so on. If you find yourself thinking "I'm going to have to bend that out of the way" then STOP and come and ask, as you should not need to do that! It would be hard to find PC hardware that wont fit into your system, assuming you don't start buying from server equipment suppliers or something You will have to check that you have the connector space for things like expansion cards though - that is, suppose you need a sound card, make sure you have a vacant PCI (or PCI-e if it uses that) slot before you buy it You really can't go wrong on the mechanical assembly unless you start forcing things. Installing CPU heatsinks and RAM sticks are about the most difficult things to install as you sometimes need to put your weight on it to get it to 'go' - push the retaining pegs through the board in the case of the CPU heatsink, and make the RAM stick seat and the clips shut in the case of RAM. Well, I do, but I'm a skinny bugger. Other than that, it's just a bit of a jigsaw puzzle. Difficulty: 7/10 the first time you do it, 4/10 thereafter once you know what potential delays to look for (e.g. if it'll be awkward to put the HDD in once the motherboard is in, do that first).
I can identify anything from a CPU to a stick of RAM up to Northbridge & Southbridge. I'm primarily aiming for an Intel based system but don't want to spent a lot incase I mess it up. Paid over a thousand for my current system so I'm not confident on taking that apart hence this idea. I could post a rough idea of the parts I intend to buy but then it hit me that it might be easier to buy a premade system and take that to bits. Would you think this to be easier? I assume all parts come with instructions & I've gone through a lot of guides but I have a feeling it's far more complicated than it looks. Forgot about the search function..sorry
That's basically all I wanted to know. Just one more thing though: Buying the parts brand new means that all the screws & heatsinks & fans will be with it? Thanks for the help though as you pretty much just summed it up.
It all depends on the manufacturer bundle and OEM vs Retail; but here's the general rule: - case will include all screws, standoffs, etc to mount all the hardware - Motherboard will generally have the cables to connect the disk drives (NB and SB sinks invariably factory installed) - Retail CPUs will include a heatsink, OEM will not - Graphics card often has adapters for different monitor interfaces (i.e. DVI to VGA) - Hard Drives will likely not have accessories - Optical drives may include a cable to interface to the motherboard - Power supply has all cabling to power the motherboard, drives, and Graphics cards (if they need it)
Thanks for the help. My final question = buy the parts separately or buy a system to mess about with?
The one thing I don't like about buying a system is that the BIOS is locked down so no overclocking options. Assembly is quite easy anyways.
Ok... What about software installing? Are you familliar with a scratch install or are you more comfortable with a Dell recovery CD?
Buy then all seperately. Here is something that you can use to determine your PSU wattage. For comfort, i'd multiply it by 1.3 and have everything at MAX load. This is a very nice calculator and is very accurate! http://www.extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp
Fresh install is just as easy if not easier than a dell recovery cd....if you successfully install all hardware and connect all wires properly simply put your windows cd in and follow directions
When you buy the separate parts, you'll have proper manuals (or at least bits of paper for simpler things like drives and cases) describing how to fit the motherboard, etc, and where all the wires go. You won't get that information with a ready-assembled system.
Scratch install? My main concern was that with a premade system they lock the BIOS which would mean a new motherboard if I'm correct
Fitting I think should go alright it's just jumper issues and setting stuff. For example: setting the PSU, MoBo jumpers etc. I've heard the motherboard jumpers are a real nightmare
In pre-pentium systems - yes! The only one you should need (or have on a new board,) is the bios reset jumper. (-just had a printer dip-switch flashback.)
More recent issue motherboards have jumperless configuration, that is in the BIOS. Frankly, if I can manage building my own rigs (I'm a girl), you can too. There are lots of good guides on the web that take you step by step of the way if you're wary. Just follow the directions and check your connections twice. Don't make the mistake on too much thermal grease for on the cpu heatsink/fan. There are tutorials around for that as well. Once you build your own system, you'll likely never go back to buying one premade. Good luck!
