Step by step instructions on assembling a computer
CurrentBuild
Sense PC
Installation Guide
Once the computer has been designed, we have to put it together. We thought some of you may want the fun and learning of assembling your computer by yourself. Others may have an interest in just knowing how your computer is assembled. Yes, in the sharing spirit of the wonderful Internet we give this information away!
Getting the computer case ready
Lay a soft cloth on a table big enough to accommodate both the case, the monitor and keyboard. Make sure that power supply can be reached. Remove case from packing box, making sure not to scratch case or destroy packing that will be recycled in shipping. Keep all packing materials back in the packing box. Place case on table. Unscrew the screws at the back of case and remove left and right side panels. Remove front panel by pulling under the bottom of the front panel.
Remove the instruction manual and extra screws packet from the case. Place the manual in a manila folder. Do the same for all paperwork that comes with all components. The contents of this folder will be sent with the computer to the customer at delivery. Keep the extra screws packet handy for use. When it comes to which screws to use where, because the different screw sizes look very much alike, use the size that fits best! If a screw keeps turning use the next thicker width. Some cases now put the different screw sizes in separate packets and label them, with the case manual telling you which size screws are for the hard drive, motherboard, DVD drive and so on. Very useful and it saves time!
Install power supply unit (PSU)
MAKE SURE VOLTAGE SWITCH ON PSU IS SET TO RIGHT VOLTAGE FOR YOUR COUNTRY! Stand the case. Slide power supply unit from inside the case toward the case rear with power socket facing the rear and the fan facing down into the case. Fasten 4 screws that came with case through rear of case into PSU to hold PSU in place. Tighten all screws in the assembly with fingertips force only on the screwdriver to avoid over tightening and potential damage.
Install hard disk drive (HDD)
Remove the plastic holders (if any) from both sides of the third from bottom 3.5 inch internal hard drive bay. You may prefer to use the plastic holders to secure your hard drive, a screwless design, but I feel screws give you a better hold. It also may depend on your needs, if you plan to remove and replace hard drives often then the screwless design may be more appropriate for you. Insert the hard drive into this slot making sure the connectors on the hard drive face the inside of the case and the label side faces up. Push in the hard drive so the first two screw holes on each side of the hard drive (on the opposite side from the connectors)line up with the holes on the drive bay of the case. This leaves room for a front case fan if you ever want to add one. Fasten 4 screws to secure the hard drive to the drive bay.
Install DVD drive, and memory card reader (optional)
Remove from the case the plastic holders (if any) from the external 3.5 inch drive bay (if installing a card reader), and also from the top external 5.25 inch drive bay for the DVD drive. Again, like the hard drive installation I prefer to use screws. Remove any steel grills from the entrance of these bays so you can slide the drives in. Slide the Card Reader into the external 3.5 inch drive bay, from the front of the case. Slide it in so it would be level with the front panel when the front panel is replaced. Fasten with two screws, one on each side.
Before installing the DVD drive put the front panel back on the case, after first removing from the front panel the 3.5 inch drive bay cover (if installing a card reader) and the top 5.25 inch drive bay cover for the DVD drive. Remove these drive bay covers from their clasps gently. Replace the front panel on the case by ensuring that all the connectors snap closed.
Slide DVD drive into top external 5.25 inch drive bay, from the front of the case. Slide in so it is level with the front panel. Fasten with four screws, two on each side.
Install motherboard (mobo)
DO NOT SCRATCH MOBO TO AVOID POTENTIAL DAMAGE TO ETCHINGS ON MOBO
Lay case on its side with open side facing up, back of case (input/outputs) closest to you. Drape all long wires including PSU wires outside case, making sure not to scratch case. Install the metal input output shield that came with the motherboard with the three vertical round holes on the shield to your right when facing the case. Install new shield by snapping along edges till small points take hold.
Screw 8 motherboard hexagon stud screws, that came with the case, into the case. Use the 8 holes that align to the holes on the mobo. These holes are marked U1 - U9 (except for U6) on the case for the micro ATX case size. Tighten with a mobo hexagon tool or similar tool. Test which size screw that came with the case to use into the hexagon studs before placing mobo on the studs. It's hard to get out the wrong sized screw if the mobo is in place. Place mobo on top of the studs. Fasten 8 of those screws through the mobo into the studs to fasten mobo. Use a Phillips head screwdriver that sticks to the screws so the screws do not fall on the mobo. Again, careful that the screwdriver or screws do not scratch mobo. Tighten screws with fingertip force only to avoid damage. Also, remember at some point in the future you may want another mobo and you don't want a nightmare unscrewing overly tightened screws.
Install processor (CPU), CPU heat sink and CPU fan
Handle CPU with care. The pins that protrude from the CPU are as thin as wires and bend easily. Don't touch the pins! Lift CPU lever, align gold triangle on cpu with triangle on cpu socket, place cpu in socket, drop and lock CPU lever.
Remove the plastic covering the thermal grease on heat sink. Place heat sink and CPU fan on CPU making sure CPU fan wire is on the side with easy access to CPU fan header on mobo. Make sure thermal paste material on heat sink is not wiped off by placing on another surface. Click side latches and lock by turning lever. Connect CPU fan to CPU fan header on mobo.
Install memory
Insert memory sticks in DDR3-1 and DDR3-2 (both blue sockets)for dual channel. Make sure notches on DIMM slots lock memory into place.
Clear CMOS
Clear CMOS memory by placing a jumper cap on the CMOS jumper, or use a metal object that touches both the pins on the jumper for a few seconds. Refer mobo manual for mobo diagram to find all jumpers, headers and other connectors locations on mobo.
Connect power to mobo
Plug in 20 + 4 pin main power to main power slot on mobo. Plug in 4 pin first. The pins shapes match the pin sockets and can only be inserted one way.
Connect power to CPU
Plug in 2x4 pin CPU power to CPU power slot on mobo. Make sure to use correct CPU power connector by matching pin shapes on connectors to pin sockets on mobo.
Connect case wires to mobo
Connect case wires: power switch/reset switch/power led/hdd led/speaker pins (if case has a case speaker) to front panel header on mobo. Refer mobo manual for pin orientation. A small triangle on the side of a pin means positive.
Stick the tie holder (if one provided with the case), a one inch square piece of plastic with a sticker backing, to the case bottom close to the front panel header. This tie holder comes with the case. Now you can tie these case wires together to the tie holder with a plastic tie also provided with the case. This will reduce mobo clutter.
Connect case rear exhaust fan to mobo
Connect case rear exhaust fan to SYS_FAN header on mobo. Remove the molex adapter (if any) it is not required.
Connect power to HDD and DVD
Connect a power rail with SATA connectors from PSU to HDD. Use the middle SATA connector on the power rail for the HDD. Connect the other power rail with the SATA connectors from PSU to DVD. Use the middle SATA connector on the power rail for the DVD. The middle connectors seems to leave less wire clutter.
Connect SATA cables from mobo to HDD and DVD
Connect SATA cable that came with mobo from mobo SATA2_0 header to HDD. Use straight SATA connector on HDD side. Connect SATA cable that came with mobo from mobo SATA2_1 header to DVD. Use L shaped SATA connector on DVD side.
Connect case front panel HD audio to mobo
Connect case front panel HD audio cable from case to front panel audio header on mobo.
Connect case front panel USB to mobo
Connect case front panel USB cable from case to USB1 header on mobo
Connect memory card reader USB cable to mobo
Connect Card Reader USB cable to USB2 header on mobo.
Tuck wires
All PSU rails run around the mobo behind the main power connector to keep mobo uncluttered. Tuck extra rails and connectors into external 5.25 and 3.5 inch drive bay empty spaces. Use ties as appropriate.
Place CurrentBuild Sense PC logo label on case
Place CurrentBuild Sense label sticker at top center of front panel.
Plug in power supply cord
Plug PSU cord into PSU and wall outlet and start computer. Use usual precautions when handling electricity!
Test connections
Test to see the following are running - all 3 fans (case, CPU, PSU), power button, reset button, speaker beep (if case has a speaker), PLED light, HDD led light, DVD led light.
Screw back case left and right panel
Screw back left panel with thumb screws.
More testing
To test CPU/memory/mobo/hard drive/DVD/PSU/case/keyboard/mouse/audio - connect the monitor, keyboard, mouse and speakers to the computer and install the operating system.
Install operating system (OS)
Enter BIOS by tapping the delete key immediately on starting the computer. Under Integrated Peripherals, set Onchip SATA Type to 'AHCI' and Onchip SATA Port 4/5 Type to 'As SATA Type' (these two settings are for Windows 7 and Vista - for Windows XP set Onchip SATA Type to 'Native IDE' and Onchip SATA Port 4/5 Type automatically defaults to 'IDE'). Under Advanced BIOS Features make First Boot Device 'Optiarc DVD RW', and Second Boot Device 'Hard Disk'. Make other changes to BIOS as desired. Look through each menu and change as desired. Save settings and exit BIOS.
Install Windows 7 with original CD from the DVD drive. Place Vista Certificate of Authentication sticker on case rear. Remove CD from DVD drive. Enter BIOS and change the boot order back to 'Hard Disk' first and 'Optiarc DVD RW' second.
Create a drivers folder
Create a new folder called CurrentBuild on the hard drive. Under CurrentBuild create a separate sub folder for each driver and utility to be installed. Copy the latest separately downloaded or otherwise provided driver or utility installation file to its respective sub folder. Double click on each installation file in each sub folder to extract files and start installing in the order below.
Update BIOS
To update the BIOS you have to first turn off User Account Control (UAC) in Vista from the Control Panel (this step is not needed with Win 7 or Windows XP ). Install latest motherboard BIOS update utility downloaded from motherboard website. Use the BIOS update utility to update to the latest BIOS file downloaded separately from motherboard website. The new BIOS will reset all changes in the BIOS back to default settings, so make changes again in the BIOS as desired, particularly for a Win 7 and Vista installation under Integrated Peripherals set the Onchip SATA Type to 'AHCI' and Onchip SATA Port 4/5 Type to 'As SATA Type'. Note for Windows XP these two settings should be set to 'Native IDE' and 'IDE' respectively. Also don't forget boot order back to 'Hard Disk' first and 'Optiarc DVD RW' second.
Install drivers
Install latest motherboard chipset drivers downloaded separately from motherboard website. Do a custom install and do not install the driver for AMD AHCI compatible SATA controller. That driver is not needed, and slows down Windows start up.
Install VGA Driver downloaded separately from the motherboard website. Do a custom install so you remove any marketing/promotional software if not wanted.
Install latest HD audio driver downloaded separately from motherboard website.
Install latest LAN driver downloaded separately from motherboard website. Connect RJ45 cable from your DSL or cable modem to the RJ45 jack in the computer back panel. LAN should now be working and the computer connected to the Internet.
Install antivirus software and utilities
Install antivirus program from motherboard CD and update it from antivirus program's website, or download and install free Microsoft Security Essentials, Microsoft's free antivirus and anti spyware package.
Install CPUZ utility downloaded from CPUZ website and check CPU and memory performance.
Windows updates
Activate Windows 7 online from the Control Panel under 'System'.
From Control Panel click 'Appearance and Personalization', then click 'Personalization" and change the Windows color scheme to Windows Aero. Also, adjust screen resolution and refresh rate as desired from display driver controls.
Use Windows Update to download and install all security fixes and software patches for the OS.
Install monitor driver for your monitor if Windows update does not install it for you, and also keyboard and mouse drivers if needed for certain keyboards and mice.
Install software programs
Download and install latest version of Firefox, Adobe Reader, Adobe Flash Player and Java from respective websites. Turn UAC back on again from Control Panel for Vista.
Even more testing
Play audio CD to test. Insert memory card into memory card reader to test. Insert flash drive or other USB device into USB port(s) to test. Let system run for 12 hrs. Wipe down and clean case with moist cloth.
Pack
Place case in plastic bag and encase corners with foam packing recycled from original packing. Then place in original box and seal.
Packing Slip
CurrentBuild
Sense PC
With Windows 7 Installed
Large plastic envelope
- Power supply cord
- Extra IDE cable
- Extra screws
- Extra 3.5 drive bay case cover
- Extra 5.25 drive bay case cover
- Drive bays plastic holders (4)
- Extra case fan connector to molex adapter
Small plastic envelope
- Motherboard driver CD
- Motherboard documentation
- Processor documentation
- Case documentation
Microsoft Windows 7 CD case
- Windows 7 CD
- Windows 7 documentation
Component packaging from manufacturers
This packing sheet
Ship
Your computer is on its way!
Leave a Comment
Thanks for writing such an easy-to-understand aitrlce on this topic.
You're welcome Eddi