Step by step instructions on building a computer!
CurrentBuild Sense PC
Current build 1
Once the computer has been designed, we have to put it together. We thought some of you may want
the fun, satisfaction 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
unlocking the six plastic tabs that hold the front panel to the case. You will find these six tabs (three
on each side) on the inside of the front of the case. Lay the front panel in front of the case leaving
the wires from the front panel still inside the case.
Remove the instruction manual and extra screws packet from inside 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.
Install Power Supply (PSU)
Stand the case. MAKE SURE VOLTAGE SWITCH ON PSU IS SET TO RIGHT VOLTAGE FOR YOUR COUNTRY!
Slide power supply unit from inside the case toward the case rear with power socket facing the rear &
fan facing down into the case. Fasten 4 long 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)
Slide hard drive into third from bottom 3.5 inch internal drive bay. Make sure 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 (opposite side of connectors) on each side of the hard drive 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 bay.
Install Memory Card Reader and DVD Drive (DVD)
Slide Card Reader into top external 3.25” drive bay, from the front of the case. Remove any plastic
wrap on Card Reader before this step. Slide in about halfway. Do not screw in yet.
Slide DVD into top external 5.25” drive bay, from the front of the case. Slide in about halfway. Do not
screw in yet.
Remove 3.25 inch drive bay cover from front panel. Remove 5.25 inch drive bay cover from front panel.
(We don't recommend using this 5.25 cover as an extra cover, we recommend just using the cover that
comes installed on the DVD drive).
Reconnect front panel to case by locking the front panel's six plastic tabs to case, with Card Reader
and DVD now sticking halfway out of front panel.
Now fully slide in Card Reader and DVD so their exterior is perfectly aligned with front panel. You will
see screw holes on Card Reader and DVD are now aligned with holes on drive bays inside the case.
To secure Card Reader screw in 2 screws, 1 on each side.
To secure DVD screw in 8 screws, 4 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.
Remove metal input output shield if one came with the case and install the one that came with the
motherboard. Remove by snapping along edges. To install new shield align 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 & 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, Insert CPU, 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 DDRII-1 and DDRII-2 (both yellow 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.
Connect power to CPU
Plug in 4 pin CPU power to CPU power slot on mobo. Make sure to use correct CPU power connector
by matching plastic shapes on connector to sockets on mobo.
Connect Case wires to mobo
Connect case wires: power/reset/power led/hdd led/speaker pins to front panel header on mobo.
Refer mobo manual.
Stick the tie holder, 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.
Connect Power to Hard Drive and DVD
Connect the power rail with the SATA connectors from PSU to HDD
Use the last SATA connector on the power rail for the HDD.
Connect a power rail from PSU to DVD by the following steps.
Connect a SATA power adapter, bought separately, to the first molex connector on a PSU rail to make
that connector SATA compatible. Use the power rail that's last connector is the floppy drive connector.
Connect SATA cables from mobo to Hard Drive and DVD
Connect SATA cable that came with mobo from mobo SATAII 0 header to HDD. Use straight SATA
connector on HDD side.
Connect SATA cable that came with mobo from mobo SATAII 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 USB header 1 on mobo
Connect Card Reader cable to mobo
Connect Card Reader cable to USB header 1 on mobo.
Tuck wires
All PSU rails run around mobo behind the main power connector to keep mobo uncluttered. Tuck extra
rails and connectors into external 5.25 and 3.25 inch drive bay empty spaces. Use ties as appropriate.
Place CurrentBuild Sense PC logo label on case
Place CurrentBuild Sense label sticker at bottom center of front panel under the input output panel.
Place computer on its back to get it straight. Center between 9th and 10th letter.
Plug in power supply cord
Plug PSU cord into PSU and wall outlet and start computer.
Test Connections
Test to see the following are running - all 3 fans (case, CPU, PSU), power button, reset button, speaker
beep, PLED light, HDD led light, Card Reader light.
Screw back case left and right panel
Screw back left panel with 2 thumb screws
Screw back right panel with 2 regular 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 Vista only - 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 Vista Home Premium 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, Optiarc DVD RW second.
Install Utilities, Update BIOS, Install latest Drivers and Install Programs
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 start installing in the order below.
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 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 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.
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 if installed it slows down the start up of Vista.
Install latest HD audio driver downloaded separately from motherboard website.
Connect RJ45 cable from your DSL or cable modem to the RJ45 jack in the computer back panel.
Install latest LAN driver downloaded separately from motherboard website.
LAN should now be working and the computer connected to the Internet. Test it by loading a web
page.
Install anti virus program from motherboard CD and update it from anti virus program's website, or
download and install free Microsoft Security Essentials, Microsoft's free anti virus and anti spyware
package.
Install CPUZ utility downloaded from CPUZ website and check CPU and memory performance.
Install latest keyboard driver for Microsoft Digital Media Keyboard downloaded separately from
Microsoft hardware website, if that is the keyboard being used.
Install latest mouse driver for Microsoft Wheel Mouse Optical downloaded separately from Microsoft
hardware website, if that is the mouse being used.
Activate Windows Vista Home Premium online from the Control Panel under 'System'.
From Control Panel under 'Appearance' change Windows color scheme to Windows Aero if the display
driver did not do it automatically on its installation.
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.
Download and install latest version of Adobe Reader, Flash Player and Java from respective websites.
Turn UAC back on again from Control Panel.
Even More Testing
Play movie clip to test
Play audio CD to test
Let system run for 12 hrs
Wipe down and clean case with moist cloth
Yeah, lets get rid of those fingerprints!
Pack
Pack case in plastic bag and encase corners with foam packing recycled from original packing.
Packing Slip
Sense PC CurrentBuild 1 - Packing Slip
Ship – Your computer is on its way!
CurrentBuild Sense PC
Current build 1
Once the computer has been designed, we have to put it together. We thought some of you may want
the fun, satisfaction 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
unlocking the six plastic tabs that hold the front panel to the case. You will find these six tabs (three
on each side) on the inside of the front of the case. Lay the front panel in front of the case leaving
the wires from the front panel still inside the case.
Remove the instruction manual and extra screws packet from inside 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.
Install Power Supply (PSU)
Stand the case. MAKE SURE VOLTAGE SWITCH ON PSU IS SET TO RIGHT VOLTAGE FOR YOUR COUNTRY!
Slide power supply unit from inside the case toward the case rear with power socket facing the rear &
fan facing down into the case. Fasten 4 long 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)
Slide hard drive into third from bottom 3.5 inch internal drive bay. Make sure 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 (opposite side of connectors) on each side of the hard drive 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 bay.
Install Memory Card Reader and DVD Drive (DVD)
Slide Card Reader into top external 3.25” drive bay, from the front of the case. Remove any plastic
wrap on Card Reader before this step. Slide in about halfway. Do not screw in yet.
Slide DVD into top external 5.25” drive bay, from the front of the case. Slide in about halfway. Do not
screw in yet.
Remove 3.25 inch drive bay cover from front panel. Remove 5.25 inch drive bay cover from front panel.
(We don't recommend using this 5.25 cover as an extra cover, we recommend just using the cover that
comes installed on the DVD drive).
Reconnect front panel to case by locking the front panel's six plastic tabs to case, with Card Reader
and DVD now sticking halfway out of front panel.
Now fully slide in Card Reader and DVD so their exterior is perfectly aligned with front panel. You will
see screw holes on Card Reader and DVD are now aligned with holes on drive bays inside the case.
To secure Card Reader screw in 2 screws, 1 on each side.
To secure DVD screw in 8 screws, 4 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.
Remove metal input output shield if one came with the case and install the one that came with the
motherboard. Remove by snapping along edges. To install new shield align 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 & 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, Insert CPU, 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 DDRII-1 and DDRII-2 (both yellow 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.
Connect power to CPU
Plug in 4 pin CPU power to CPU power slot on mobo. Make sure to use correct CPU power connector
by matching plastic shapes on connector to sockets on mobo.
Connect Case wires to mobo
Connect case wires: power/reset/power led/hdd led/speaker pins to front panel header on mobo.
Refer mobo manual.
Stick the tie holder, 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.
Connect Power to Hard Drive and DVD
Connect the power rail with the SATA connectors from PSU to HDD
Use the last SATA connector on the power rail for the HDD.
Connect a power rail from PSU to DVD by the following steps.
Connect a SATA power adapter, bought separately, to the first molex connector on a PSU rail to make
that connector SATA compatible. Use the power rail that's last connector is the floppy drive connector.
Connect SATA cables from mobo to Hard Drive and DVD
Connect SATA cable that came with mobo from mobo SATAII 0 header to HDD. Use straight SATA
connector on HDD side.
Connect SATA cable that came with mobo from mobo SATAII 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 USB header 1 on mobo
Connect Card Reader cable to mobo
Connect Card Reader cable to USB header 1 on mobo.
Tuck wires
All PSU rails run around mobo behind the main power connector to keep mobo uncluttered. Tuck extra
rails and connectors into external 5.25 and 3.25 inch drive bay empty spaces. Use ties as appropriate.
Place CurrentBuild Sense PC logo label on case
Place CurrentBuild Sense label sticker at bottom center of front panel under the input output panel.
Place computer on its back to get it straight. Center between 9th and 10th letter.
Plug in power supply cord
Plug PSU cord into PSU and wall outlet and start computer.
Test Connections
Test to see the following are running - all 3 fans (case, CPU, PSU), power button, reset button, speaker
beep, PLED light, HDD led light, Card Reader light.
Screw back case left and right panel
Screw back left panel with 2 thumb screws
Screw back right panel with 2 regular 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 Vista only - 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 Vista Home Premium 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, Optiarc DVD RW second.
Install Utilities, Update BIOS, Install latest Drivers and Install Programs
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 start installing in the order below.
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 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 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.
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 if installed it slows down the start up of Vista.
Install latest HD audio driver downloaded separately from motherboard website.
Connect RJ45 cable from your DSL or cable modem to the RJ45 jack in the computer back panel.
Install latest LAN driver downloaded separately from motherboard website.
LAN should now be working and the computer connected to the Internet. Test it by loading a web
page.
Install anti virus program from motherboard CD and update it from anti virus program's website, or
download and install free Microsoft Security Essentials, Microsoft's free anti virus and anti spyware
package.
Install CPUZ utility downloaded from CPUZ website and check CPU and memory performance.
Install latest keyboard driver for Microsoft Digital Media Keyboard downloaded separately from
Microsoft hardware website, if that is the keyboard being used.
Install latest mouse driver for Microsoft Wheel Mouse Optical downloaded separately from Microsoft
hardware website, if that is the mouse being used.
Activate Windows Vista Home Premium online from the Control Panel under 'System'.
From Control Panel under 'Appearance' change Windows color scheme to Windows Aero if the display
driver did not do it automatically on its installation.
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.
Download and install latest version of Adobe Reader, Flash Player and Java from respective websites.
Turn UAC back on again from Control Panel.
Even More Testing
Play movie clip to test
Play audio CD to test
Let system run for 12 hrs
Wipe down and clean case with moist cloth
Yeah, lets get rid of those fingerprints!
Pack
Pack case in plastic bag and encase corners with foam packing recycled from original packing.
Packing Slip
Sense PC CurrentBuild 1 - Packing Slip
- Packaged Items
- Sense PC CurrentBuild 1 with Windows Vista Home Premium Installed
- Microsoft Keyboard with palm rest extension
- Microsoft Mouse
- Large Plastic Envelope
- Extra IDE & FDD cable
- Extra screws
- Extra 3.5” drive bay case cover
- Extra 5.25” drive bay case cover
- Extra Card Reader covers (2)
- Power supply cord
- Extra keyboard USB to PS/2 adapter
- Extra mouse USB to PS/2 adapter
- Small Plastic Envelope
- Motherboard driver CD
- Microsoft Keyboard & Mouse driver CD
- Motherboard documentation
- Processor documentation
- Case documentation
- Keyboard documentation
- Card Reader documentation
- Microsoft CD Case
- Windows Vista Home Premium CD
- Windows Vista Home Premium documentation
- Individual component packing from manufacturers
- This packing sheet
Ship – Your computer is on its way!
