Ultimate Guild To Building a PC

1st Edition
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Introduction:
After being consistently frustrated by the lack of finding your ideal computer at a local Best
Buy, Electronic Fry’s, or Circuit City (RIP), you have finally come to the simple and common
conclusion of many computer enthusiasts: It’s time to build myself a computer. Basking in the glory
of your newly discovered calling in life, the limelight suddenly dissipates with the daunting realization
that you have no idea how to build a computer. Slamming the door and kicking your neighbor’s cat in
anger, you drive your 1998 Mustang around the neighborhood trying to blow off steam, without
resorting to any Grand Theft Auto- style hit-and runs. But fear no more, young Jedi. I was also in
your footsteps only a mere month ago (as of 4/7/09). Accomplishing this task is no simple chore at
all. It requires dedication, passion, and of course, listening to the printed words that your eyes will
soon fall upon as they pore through this awesome guide. If you are not up for the task or have too
much money to spend or your time is just too damn precious, please stop reading and never come
back.
If you are still reading, then your journey has now begun. I will be your Professor Oak to your
Ash Ketchum. I will be your Sam to your Frodo. I will be your Professor Dumbledore to your Harry
Potter. Alright, that’s enough.
Step one:
The hardest task of all! Where many have tried and died! RESEARCH. That’s right.
Understanding every aspect/component of your dream machine (DM) is absolutely important in
preventing a horror story about how your DM exploded the moment you pressed the power button
for the very first time. With me at your side, you will only have great stories to tell like about how
you can get more than 50 frames per second on Crysis. Anyways, due to the lack of dedication on
my part, I will only list the resources that YOU instead must look through in order to further cement
your understanding of building computers. Come on, stop complaining and keep reading.
1) Newegg.com – Simply the best website and source to purchase every component of your
DM. They have all the cheapest deals in the world, TONS of customer reviews, detailed
system parts, and of course the most important thing in the world, FREE SHIPPING. You
won’t be sorry.
2) Tigerdirect.com- Although newegg owns tigerdirect in all areas that I mentioned and more,
one key reason why you should still browse through its website is because of its
comprehensive and detailed reports on many of its products. Make sure you read through it.
3) Tomshardware.com- A great source for the most recently released computer components
on the market like the 4890 and the core i7.
4) Hardwaresecrets.com- Read their tutorials. Although I would advise that some of the
content would be only useful for those I call HARDCORE.
5) Build it. Fix it. Own it. By Paul McFefries- I mention this book because I bought it as a
guide for myself. Yes, yes, I know it is already obsolete, but hey at least it’s the closest book
you’ll currently find (as of 4/07/09) that fit the criteria of “recently obsolete” and helpful. It
lists all the key components that you’ll need to pursue, than have several sections containing
a guide to building such things as a “budget computer” or a “killer gaming pc” (don’t laugh).
Anyways, if the recession has already eaten holes through your pockets faster than a colony
of rabid moths, then try to purchase a used book or borrow a copy from the library.

6) Upgrading and Repairing PCs: 18th Edition By Scott Mueller- Not a necessity, but if you
consider yourself deserving of the title, HARDCORE, then go right ahead and purchase a
copy. The book itself is extremely comprehensive, not to mention, very dense. It’s over a
 thousand freaking pages! Most of the stuff will be of little use, but the book contains a how-
to-guide on building a custom pc.

7) Google.com- I like to call this revolutionary website, “God” because it will answer any of
your questions. HONESTLY.

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Step One, Part 2:

The following is a list of essentially every component that you’ll need. (Top items are most
important and, thus, the most energy, time, and $$$$ should be placed into these components)

• Motherboard (Mobo)- The brains of the computer. I think of it as the thalamus of your brain;
it controls and acts as a relay station to all the information that passes from component to
component.
A) Buy a motherboard that matches the cpu. Such as an intel mobo with an intel cpu.
B) Make sure your mobo’s socket type matches your cpu. Such as a socket LGA 1366
with a core i7 cpu or a socket LGA 775 with a core 2 duo, quad core, Celeron, Pentium
dual core, or core 2 extreme cpu. LGA 775 sockets are the most common socket size in
the market for Intel cpus. If you decide to go with an AMD sempron, athlon 64, athlon
64x2, or Athlon 64 FX processor, you will need a Socket AM2 motherboard. (Note: Some
Athlon 64 FX processors require a Socket F motherboard.
C) Make sure your mobo contains enough expansion slots, the correct memory slots
match your ram, and the form factor matches the case. For the first one mentioned,
if you want to run SLI or Crossfire (two video cards placed side by side to supposedly
increase performance by having the two split up the workload of rendering an image on
the computer) you must have a mobo with at least two PCI Express 2.0 X 16 slots. For
the second one mentioned, if your mobo supports ddr2 memory (most common one in the
market) only buy ram that is ddr2. Lastly, and the most important, a mobo’s form factor
is its specific size/shape. The most common one is the ATX form factor. If the mobo’s form
factor does not fit the case’s form factor then problems will arise.
D) To save some money and possibly avoid buying incompatible parts, look for mobo/
processor bundles.
• Central Processing Unit (CPU)/ Processor- The heart of the computer. It conducts all the
calculations that go on in your computer, so a strong and maybe expensive cpu is essential to
have a fast-running DM.
A) Make sure the cpu socket type matches the mobo’s socket type.
B) Most of the time, the cpu should come with its own heatsink/fan. If the one you’ve been
eyeing has one, don’t worry about it being “weak”. It’s usually quite reliable and efficient.
C) Cache is like short term memory for the cpu just as ram is short term memory for the
computer. The more the cpu has, the better performance you’ll get.
D) Buy at least a dual-core cpu. Single core cpus are HISTORY. Forget about it. Dual-cores
are now the standard with quad cores eventually taking over. Don’t worry about price
because you won’t be sorry with the performance you will get. For those who don’t know
what all this gibberish about dual core or quad core is about, you won’t be left out in the
dust. A dual core cpu simply means that the computer is capable of running two programs
efficiently by having two cores instead of one working separately on the two tasks. Quad-
core of course means that the computer can run four programs simultaneously.
E) Buy Intel. Why? Because I said so. Just kidding. Intel, in my opinion, as of 4/07/09 is the
king of CPUs in the entire universe. AMD, I admit, has made some impressive strides
since its inception. But which one of its cpus can compete with the Godzilla core i7? Nadie.
Nobody. AMD’s formula for success has been about selling extremely cheap products at
 the cost of lowered performance. So if your pockets are empty, join their side. I’ll just
stick with Intel.
• Power Supply Unit (PSU) – What? Are you surprised? I, myself, completely ignored all the
details expect wattage when looking for a psu, but how on earth can you have the best
components in the world but have nothing to power them to life? I have heard many horror
stories about power supplies dying after a short while so make sure you have a psu from a
well-known company and have more wattage than your computer actually needs.
A) Buy name brand. Here’s a list of reputable companies that you should buy from: Antec,
Coolermaster, Corsair (definitely), PC Power & Cooling, Thermaltake (definitely), and OCZ.
B) If the psu is modular(fewer cables), you should definitely consider buying it. Having a psu
that is modular is very convenient, especially if it’s your first time. Note: I, myself,
bought a psu that wasn’t modular. I never experienced using one that is modular, so I
have no clue how it is different. Make sure you research more into this.
C) Here are some general guidelines detailing wattage demands based on system type:
System
 Budget PC 350 W
 Business/Home Theater PC 450 W
 Mid-Range Gaming PC 500 W
 High-End Gaming PC 700 W
• Memory/Ram- The short term memory of your computer. The formula works out like this:
the more you have, the better your computer will be able to handle the work you give it.
A) If you have Vista, you should, in my opinion, have at least 4 GB of ram. No more, no less.
Onto more important and pressing matters is whether or not you are running a 64-bit or
32-bit system (That’s just a description of how the cpu handles information. So 64 bit
means it can handle more information than the 32 bit) For 32-bit operating systems, you
should buy at most 3 GB and no less than 1 GB. For 64-bit operating systems, you should
buy at most 6 gb, preferably 4 GB for most people.
B) Buy dual channel or tri-channel ram, assuming your mobo contains the correspondind
memory slots. Tri channel is the latest version in the market, and dual channel is the
current standard.
C) Buy brand name. VERY IMPORTANT. Buy from: Patriot, Corsair, Crucial Technology, G.Skill,
Kingston, OCZ.
D) Don’t exceed your mobo’s capacity. The max is often 8 GB, so in most cases this shouldn’t
be much of a problem.
• Case- If you’re gonna be looking at your DM every single day, shouldn’t it make you feel
good every time you look at it? Of course!
A) If you are browsing through newegg.com, which you should be doing, look for cases that
have free shipping. The heavier a product is, the more expensive shipping will be. It will
save you TONS of $$$ if the case you purchase comes with free shipping.
B) Buy your power supply separately. Why? Because very little information is given besides
the wattage and more often than not, the psus have a high tendency to falter.
C) How many fans will your case contain? Count ‘em. The more fans you have, the better
cooling the computer will receive and, thus, you’re components will not suddenly
spontaneously combust. However, there is a downside to all of this. More fans=louder
computer. Of course, if you consider yourself HARDCORE, you could consider utilizing
liquid-nitrogen and even oil to juice up the performance to ridiculous levels. Make your
decision wisely.
D) A very good convenience in some cases is the removable motherboard trays and tool-free
design. If it’s your first time building, you MUST seriously consider such a case.
• Hard Drive- This is a pretty basic component to buy. If you are going to store lots of pictures
and videos onto your DM, buy a hard drive with at least 500 GB. Typical users will probably
need just around 250-300 GB. Don’t worry about the cost. The cost per GB of memory has
gone to mere pennies these days and will continue to do so.
A) Cache memory. Even hard drives need short term memory! Basically, the more you have,
the better the performance you will see.
 B) Buy from Seagate, Western Digital, Fujitsu, or Hitachi.
• Optical Drive- This is where you place all your cds and dvds to run or either to burn. Blu-ray
drives are rather expensive (as of 4/07/09) but may become cheaper later on.
• Video Card- If you are planning to build a gaming pc, this component will probably be the
most important component you’ll buy. It wouldn’t matter if you have a core i7 cpu, but if your
video card is not decent or stellar, you will cry yourself to sleep every night for all the money
you wasted buying such an expensive cpu. On the otherhand, if you’re not planning to play
any games in the foreseeable future, then you should consider buying a mobo with integrated
graphics.
• Audio Card/Network Card- Not important because most mobo’s come with it.
• Peripherals- If you’re buying a new monitor, the specs that are the most important to
consider, are screen size (measured diagonally), screen resolution, and contrast ratio. Buy a
mouse, keyboard, and some speakers of course. For the operating system (OS), I suggest
going with Windows Vista. Oh, stop yelling will you. I haven’t experience any problems
whatsoever since switching to Vista one year ago (knock on wood) and many of the problems
that occurred early on with its initial release have been corrected.

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Step Two:
I feel that it is of the utmost importance for first time builders to
have several examples of what a custom built computer is comprised of.
Furthermore, it is also important to note that not all computer users
have the same preferences or need (and wallet size). Here now is a nice
selection of various different builds for users from all walks of life. (NOTE: All parts and their
respective prices are from newegg.com. All prices are subject to frequent changes and should be
checked for verification)
Section one: Builds for non-overclockers

There is a big difference in parts designed for overclocking and parts that well... aren't. There is
obviously a price difference, therefore, there is no point in spending extra money on overclocking
parts when you aren't an overclocker.

$500 home or budget gaming PC:

CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ Brisbane 2.7GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core
Processor
This processor is a dual core 65nm part that that provides superior performance to a similarly priced
Intel part straight out of the box. If you're not an overclocker and you're on a budget, AMD is the
way to go.

Motherboard: BIOSTAR TFORCE TA780G M2+ AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
This is AMD's newly released 780G chipset. It integrates the HD 3200 graphics chip which is the
second most powerful integrated graphics processor which is more than capable of Blu-Ray/HD
playback and will help out your CPU a lot during encoding. But that is not the best bit, the HD 3200
is already good enough to do some casual gaming, but it can also be paired using hybrid Crossfire
with a HD 3000 series graphics card for almost double the performance. And Sapphire's board is the
pick of the 780G's out there.

Memory: Kingston 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit
Desktop Memory
With DDR2 prices so low, there's not really any reason not to go for 2x2GB of RAM.

PSU: OCZ StealthXStream OCZ400SXS 400W ATX12V Active PFC Power Supply
The PSU is an extremely important part of any computer and should not be ignored or skimped on
even when you're on a budget. This power supply will provide sufficient power and there is enough
headroom left for upgrading, all at a great price.

Case: COOLER MASTER Elite 330 RC-330-KKN1-GP Black SECC ATX Mid Tower
This is a case I will often recommend as a cheap but cheerful chassis. It comes with a 120mm
exhaust fan but can also accommodate a 120mm intake fan for better airflow and cooling.

HDD: Here the choice is dependent on the user's requirements.

Here are some requirements:
-SATA 3.0GB/s interface. This is the new interface standard and is a lot faster than the older
PATA/IDE connection.
-Brand, I recommend Western Digital, Samsung, or Seagate hard drives.
-Cache, even with a low capacity hard drive, I would recommend at least an 8MB cache.
As for the space, that is entirely dependent on the user's requirements.
Here is just one small suggestion: Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500AAKS 250GB 7200 RPM
16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

Disk Drive: SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R

You can't really go wrong here but the Samsung drives are known to be reliable. SATA means nice,
neat cables.

TOTAL: $326.93(Before taxes, shipping)

Options:

As you can see, the original budget was $500 so there is room for the OS of your choice if one is
required. You may also have noticed that the title read "home or budget gaming PC. But I've only
recommend a motherboard with integrated graphics? Now this is where hybrid Crossfire comes in.
By adding a HD 3450 which will do Crossfire with the integrated HD 3200 chip, you can easily turn it
into a decent budget gaming platform.
Or even just go for a more powerful dedicated GPU, such as the HD 4670, the build will still stay
within budget.

$850 to $1000 gaming PC build:

This is the budget most people will be building around. Here we can play around a bit and build a
very good computer with this budget. This is a gaming PC and will therefore be built around the
GPU.

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 940 Deneb 3.0GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM2+ 125W
Quad-Core Black Edition Processor
A great turnaround for AMD, just when we thought Phenom was failing. Phenom II comes along and
proves us all wrong. Great value for a quad and makes duals seem worthless.
Motherboard:
Foxconn A7DA-S AM2+/AM2 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard
This is AMD's new "mainstream" chipset. Surprisingly, it often provides better performance than the
more expensive 790FX/SB600 boards. But the biggest advantage is the 8x + 8x PCI-E 2.0 CrossfireX
support, which will provide a great upgrade path in the future.

Memory: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit
Desktop Memory
4GB will bring a nice boost in responsiveness when running Vista, and during multitasking. No more
page file, yay! And with DDR2 being so cheap, why not?

PSU: OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ500MXSP 500W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire
Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
This build will include a decent GPU and this will require a power supply capable of powering it. OCZ
PSUs are manufactured by the FSP Group who are a very reputable brand. The PSU features
modular cabling and dual 12V rails.

HDD: Here it is entirely up to the user's storage requirements; there are a few things to look out for
though:
-SATA 3.0GB/s interface. This is the new interface standard and is a lot faster than the older
PATA/IDE connection.
-Brand, I recommend Western Digital, Samsung, or Seagate hard drives.
-Cache, even with a low capacity hard drive, I would recommend at least a 16MB cache for a build
like this.
As for the space, that is entirely dependent on the user's requirements.
Here is just one small suggestion: Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST3500320AS 500GB 7200 RPM
32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
A Raptor drive is not really an option with this budget and is really not worth the extra cost.

Disk drive: SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R

There is no need to change anything here and we can use the same drive as the low-cost build.

Case: COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower
The RC-690 has a really nice layout, with lots of ventilation and great features, I've heard many
good things about this case and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.

GPU: HIS Hightech H487FN512P Radeon HD 4870 512MB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP
Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card
ATI is back!! A great mid high end price to performance GPU that is THE card to buy at this budget.

TOTAL: $746.92 (Before taxes, shipping)

Options:

- For those who have $1000 to spend, there is the CrossfireX capable 790GX to exploit. $300 will
buy you a pair of HD 4850s which will be extremely useful at resolutions of 1920x1200 and above. If
you game at 1280x1024 or 1600x1200 the one HD 4850 or HD 4870 will be more than sufficient.

High-end $1250 - $1500 gaming/enthusiast PC:

With $1500 you can build a very nice PC that is capable of running demanding games at high
resolutions and max detail. I will also include some recommendations for video editing and encoding
as well.
CPU: Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-
Core Processor
The extra budget allows us to go up a step in the awesome Core i7 range. These Intels offer the best
performance to clock ratio out there. They are the fastest on the market, this one being the most
budget friendly but still brilliant 920.

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard
One of the cheapest but still a great X58 board from a respectable manufacturer. Even has Crossfire
support.

Memory: OCZ 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Triple Channel Kit
Desktop Memory
DDR3 is required for an i7 platform, and it's actually come down to a decent price. This 6GB kit (the
i7s have a triple channel memory controller) is great value with excellent timings.

HDD: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F1 HD103UJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
The Samsung F1 range are some of the fastest 7200RPM drives available and the $1500 budget
allows for a huge 1TB of space. Of course, if you don't need all that space you can go for something
a little cheaper.

Case: Like I said before, this is really a personal preference. I'd like to make a few suggestions
though:
- Antec Twelve Hundred Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case
I was never a fan of the Antec 900, but this is definitely an improvement, much better cable
management, dust filters, thorough external design and it doesn't look half bad either. It's my pick
of the bunch.
- GIGABYTE GZ-FA2CA-AJB Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case
Aluminum and a full tower, perfect for this build! I personally own this case and it has great
ventilation and fantastic features.
- Antec P182 Gun Metal Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
If you want silence, the Antec P182 is the right choice.

Disk drive: SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R

No need to change anything here, SATA of course so nice, neat, thin cables.

PSU: OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ600MXSP 600W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire
Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
Like I said earlier, OCZ PSUs are manufactured by the FSP Group, who are a reliable and respected
brand. I choose the 600W unit for this build because of the added strains of i7 and the GTX 285.

GPU: EVGA 01G-P3-1281-AR GeForce GTX 285 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP
Ready SLI Supported Video Card
I had to squeeze Nvidia in here somewhere, and this seems like a good spot for the new 55nm GTX
285. It actually does a pretty good job and slots in between the GTX 280 and the HD 4870 X2. Nice
to have a single GPU.

TOTAL: (with suggested HDD and Antec 1200) $1244.92 (Before taxes, shipping)

Options:

- And if you are one of those people who can't stand waiting a few more seconds at a loading
screen, then the fastest consumer level HDD may be for you. The WD VelociRaptor is a 10K drive
with a 300GB capacity and a price tag to match:
Western Digital VelociRaptor WD3000GLFS 300GB 10000 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard
Drive
- If you have some cash to spare, you might want to try Crossfire HD 4870s. I think they call it

the HD 4870 X2 It will be a bit of an upgrade from the GTX 285.

Section two: Builds for overclockers:

Low cost $500 overclocker's PC:

This build will be based around overclocking grade parts that provide brilliant performance for the
money when overclocked:

CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 5400+ Brisbane 2.8GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core
black edition Processor
For $69, you can have what every overclocker dreams of, an unlocked multiplier. One simple change
and you can have this CPU running at 3.0GHz to 3.2GHz. Of course, there are many more options
that the more experienced overclocker can fiddle with to extract even more performance. At 3.2Ghz,
this processor is roughly as fast as the much more expensive Core 2 Duo E8200.

CPU cooler: XIGMATEK HDT-S963 92mm Rifle CPU Cooler

Of course, to achieve a decent OC, you'll need an aftermarket cooler. But on a budget like this, a
TRUE is out of the question. Xigmatek offer some brillaint coolers at great prices.

Motherboard: ASUS M3A78-EM AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
Although this is a uATX board, I would still recommend it over the AMD 770 chipset, mostly due to
the integrated HD 3200 that can Crossfire with the HD 3650. It will still do the 5400+ justice
overclocking wise.

Memory: OCZ Gold 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit
Desktop Memory
OCZ are a decent memory manufacturer, and you can expect some reasonable overclocking
performances from these modules. And 4GB of DDR2 is so cheap, so you might as well.

PSU: OCZ OCZ500MXSP 500W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Certified Modular
Active PFC Power Supply
Remember, it's quality over quantity here, and this OCZ will power this system with ease and won't
lock down your overclocking.

Case: COOLER MASTER Elite 330 RC-330-KKN1-GP Black SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
I'm a big fan of this cheap and cheerful case. In fact, my system was sitting in one not too long ago!
The perforated front panel and dual 120mm fans provide good airflow to keep those overclocked
parts nice and cool.

HDD:
As we don't have $150 to spend on a Raptor here, again, here's just a small suggestion: Western
Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500AAKS 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

Disk drive: SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R

Boooring... let's get to the graphics card!!

GPU: SAPPHIRE 100255DDR4 Radeon HD 4670 512MB 128-bit GDDR4 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP
Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card
The HD 4670 is a 55nm part which means that it's very overclockable. Complete with an improved
cooler, you should be able to squeeze lots more performance out of this card than what the stock
speeds allow for.

TOTAL: $451.91 (Before taxes, shipping)

Options:
- BIOSTAR TFORCE TA790GX A2+ AM2+/AM2 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard
Pay $25 more for a 790GX and you can have Crossfire support. A nice bonus if you would like to add
another ATI card later.

And to seperate this build from the next $1000 one, you can boost your gaming performance a fair
bit with a SAPPHIRE 100245L Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP
Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card
This card is the new king of the mid range performance market, with frame rates higher than the
9800GTX, for less than $200, the 8800GT is truely dethroned.

$1000 overclocker's build:

Spending this much on a new PC with overclocking grade parts can bring big performance increases
when you OC. Enough to keep up with much more expensive rigs.

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 940 Deneb 3.0GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM2+ 125W
Quad-Core Black Edition Processor
A great turnaround for AMD, just when we thought Phenom was failing. Phenom II comes along and
proves us all wrong. Great value for a quad and makes duals seem worthless. A fantastic
overclocking range as well, which is why it's going in this build. And "Black Edition" means unlocked
multiplier.

Motherboard: BIOSTAR TFORCE TA790GX A2+ AM2+/AM2 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD
Motherboard
The 790GX is an excellent chipset which coupled with SB750, gives the Phenoms a big OC'ing boost.
This board from Biostar is amazing value as well.

Memory: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit
Desktop Memory
A higher budget allows us to double the amount of memory and this can bring a nice performance
increase especially in Vista. I picked a 1066 kit to give that extra headroom that you need to reach
4GHz+ with the E3110 and it's 9x multiplier.

PSU: OCZ Fatal1ty OCZ550FTY 550W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Modular Active
PFC Power Supply
As I said earlier. This PSU has plenty of power to run an overclocked system and is made by a quality
manufacturer. 80%+ efficiency too and compliance with ATX 2.2 standards. Modular cabling too.

HDD: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F1 HD753LJ 750GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
The hard disk is actually the biggest bottleneck when performing general desktop tasks. The 32MB
cache on this 1TB drive should eradicate this. The Samsung F1 is the fastest 7200RPM drive
available to the consumer.

CPU cooler: XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler

Definitely gives the Thermalright ULTRA 120 Extreme a run for it's money, and costs quite a bit less
as well. One of the best air coolers available and it needs to be as the 9950 gets HOT.

Case: COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
This is just a suggestion from me, it's up to the buyer's personal preference. The RC-690 is a great
case for under $100. It has great cooling capabilities and lots of great features.

Disk drive: SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R

It's just a solid reliable DVD drive. Does the job... quietly.

GPU: POWERCOLOR AX4870 512MD5 Radeon HD 4870 512MB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16
HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card
The HD 4870 is a great card for the money, and this is a great price for one from a good brand.
RV770 has taken it's market by storm and Nvidia have been forced into some serious price cuts to
stay relevant. Pick up one and you will not be dissapointed, especially for under $200.

TOTAL: $885
After rebates: $855

Options:
- Antec P182 Gun Metal Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
This is a good case with very good sound proofing features, so if you like a bit of piece and quiet,
this should do the trick. The P182 makes cable management a lot easier than the P180.
- If you want to save some money, and you are mostly using this system for gaming, it wouldn't be
too much of a blow to go down to the Phenon II 920.
- If you've got more to spend on the other hand, the newly released 55nm GTX 285 is a great card
will be an upgrade from a HD 4870.

$1500 overclocker's build:

The perfect budget DM that I'd love to have if I had this much to spend.

CPU: Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-
Core Processor
OK, for this $1500 build, I think I will finally recommend a quad. The Phenom 9850 is one of the new
B3 steppings and it has turned K10 around. The Q6600 is dethroned and this is the new king of the
hill, and the overclocker's will lick their lips at the thought of the "Black Edition" suffix, which means
an unlocked multiplier. Many have been reporting 1GHz+ overclocks on this beast.

CPU cooler: Unfortunately, there aren't many LGA 1366 HSFs available at the moment. However,
Thermalright have released an LGA 1366 mounting kit for their ULTRA 120 Extreme, king of air
coolers. This is what I recommend for this setup.

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard
A cheaper X58 board but still has excellent power circuitry and BIOS design to help you get the most
out of the excellent i7 CPU.

Memory: OCZ 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Triple Channel Kit
Desktop Memory
i7s do require DDR3, but no need to go spending hundreds on DDR3 2000, the memory controller
supports up to 1333. Nice timings on this kit.

PSU: XIGMATEK MC NRP-MC651 650W ATX12V Ver.2.2 / EPS12V Ver. 2.92 SLI Ready CrossFire
Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
We'll have to move up a bit from the 600W OCZ in the non overclockers build if we bring
overclocking into play. The Xigmateks are manufactured by CWT, who also take care of the Corsair
VX and Thermaltake Toughpower lines, so they're very well respected.
HDD: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F1 HD103UJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
Who needs Raptors? An overclocking build is all about raw performance, and all Raptors do is shave
a couple of seconds off loading times. I will put one in the options later though. The Samsung F1
series are the fastest 7200RPM drives on the market.

Disk drive: SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R

It's reliable... and it's not beige.

Case: Antec Twelve Hundred Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case
This is just a suggestion as the choice of case is based on personal preference. But I'm sure that
nobody will be disspointed with this case. Full tower with lots of room for Crossfire or SLi and great
airflow.

GPU: EVGA 01G-P3-1281-AR GeForce GTX 285 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP
Ready SLI Supported Video Card
Great place for a card with some decent overclocking potential with the introduction of the 55nm
GT200 in the shape of the GTX 285. Consistently performing card.

TOTAL: $1255.92 (Before taxes, shipping)

Options:
- If you don't play loads of games, but you do quite a bit of encoding and loading large files etc,
then a Raptor would be beneficial:
Western Digital VelociRaptor WD3000GLFS 300GB 10000 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard
Drive
- If you have some cash to spare, you might want to try Crossfire HD 4870s. I think they call it the
HD 4870 X2 It will be a bit of an upgrade from the GTX 285.

(Visit loneplacebo.wordpress.com for more!)

Step Two, Part 2:

Now that you’ve seen a wide variety of successfully built computers, I will show you a
detailed report of my DM, or codename TDM. Before you bask your eyes upon this sacred
information, I will provide you with some observations and other notes that I came across on my
first build.
1) The final price after rebates was $979.30. I pray to the gods every night before I sleep that
the rebates will arrive, and so should you.
2) On newegg.com, there is an unmentioned “electronic waste recycling fee.” I was charged
$16.00. I’m unsure how this is calculated, but just keep this in mind.
3) If you create an account with Newegg and subscribe to their newsletters/weekly deals, this
would be a great way to save $$$. In fact, they sent me a 10% off my next purchase coupon
($40 maximum) right before I was going to purchase the hardware.
4) The mouse sucks ass. The left button often gets “stuck” while I play games, which pisses me
off and start cussing at my next-door neighbor who can only hear me.
5) The monitor as of 4/07/09 is $109.99 with the latest deal. F%@K!!! In addition, it doesn’t
seem to be able to tilt back, forcing me to watch the screen looking somewhat downward.
6) Installing the mobo’s standoffs are a major pain.
7) The case is HUGE and very SEXY.
8) I’m thankful that I decided to go with 500 GB instead of 250 GB.
9) I can play Grand Theft Auto 4 with decent framerates. Hallelujah! (Knock on wood)
10)Since I wanted to play games on the computer, I needed a decent video card. Lesson
learned: Buy one that is at the “cusp” of being the best video card in the market. Why?
Because in one year, that thing begin to be obsolete! Unfortunately, that is the sad state of
 buying video cards. Since nothing has enough power to smoothly run Crysis, more and more
video cards will continue to come out, making your computer look like a little shrimp.

Behold! You may now continue reading, as soon as you stop drooling.

1. Motherboard:

ASUS P5Q SE PLUS LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
8-phase power optimize O.C. capability of mainstream PC
($81.99 after $15.00 Mail-In Rebate)
Supported CPU
CPU Socket Type LGA 775
CPU Type Quad-core / Core 2 Extreme / Core 2 Duo / Pentium
FSB 1333/1066MHz
Chipsets
North Bridge Intel P45
South Bridge Intel ICH10
Memory
Number of Memory Slots 4×240pin
Memory Standard DDR2 1200(O.C)/1066
Maximum Memory Supported 16GB
 Channel Supported Dual Channel
Expansion Slots
PCI Express 2.0 x16 1
PCI Express x1 2
PCI Slots 3
Storage Devices
PATA 1 x ATA100 2 Dev. Max
SATA 3Gb/s 6
Onboard Video
Onboard Video Chipset None
Onboard Audio
Audio Chipset VIA VT1708s
Audio Channels 8 Channels
Onboard LAN
Max LAN Speed 10/100/1000Mbps
Rear Panel Ports
PS/2 2
USB 6 x USB 2.0
S/PDIF Out 1 x Optical
Audio Ports 6 Ports
Onboard USB
Onboard USB 3 x USB connectors support 6 additional USB ports
Physical Spec
Form Factor ATX
Dimensions 12.0" x 7.8"
Power Pin 24 Pin

Note: Not SLI capable.

2. CPU:

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor -
Retail

1x Winner of Customer Choice Award - Processors - Desktops

$164.99
Free Shipping
CPU Socket Type
CPU Socket Type LGA 775
Tech Spec
Core Wolfdale
Multi-Core Dual-Core
Name Core 2 Duo E8400
 Operating Frequency 3.0GHz
FSB 1333MHz
L2 Cache 6MB
Manufacturing Tech 45 nm
64 bit Support Yes
Hyper-Threading Support No
Virtualization Technology Support Yes
Multimedia Instruction MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSE4, EM64T
Voltage 0.85V – 1.3625V
Thermal Power 65W
Cooling Device Heatsink and Fan included
Manufacturer Warranty
Parts 3 years limited
Labor 3 years limited

3. Memory:

Patriot Viper 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit
Desktop Memory – Retail
($49.99 after $25.00 Mail-In Rebate ) ***3/31
Free Shipping*
Tech Spec
Capacity 4GB (2 x 2GB)
Speed DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500)
Cas Latency 5
Timing 5-5-5-15
Voltage 2.1V
Heat Spreader Yes
Equipped Patriot Viper Heat Shields with integrated ACC (Aluminum Copper Composite)
technology
Features
RoHS Compliant
EPP Ready
Recommend Use High Performance or Gaming Memory
Manufacturer Warranty
Parts Lifetime limited
Labor Lifetime limited

4. Video Card:

SAPPHIRE 100259L Radeon HD 4870 512MB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready
CrossFire Supported Video Card – Retail
 ($149.99 after $15.00 Mail-In
Rebate ) ***3/9
Free Shipping*
Interface
Interface PCI Express 2.0 x16
Chipset
Chipset Manufacturer ATI
GPU Radeon HD 4870
Core clock 750MHz
Stream Processors 800 Stream Processing Units
Memory
Memory Clock 900MHz(3.6GBPS)
Memory Size 512MB
Memory Interface 256-bit
Memory Type GDDR5
3D API
DirectX DirectX 10.1
OpenGL OpenGL 2.1
Ports
HDMI 1 via Adapter
DVI 2
TV-Out HDTV / S-Video Out
General
Tuner None
RAMDAC 400 MHz
Max Resolution 2560 x 1600
CrossFire Supported Yes
Cooler With Fan
PCI Express based PC is required with one X16 lane graphics slot available on the
motherboard
500 Watt or greater power supply with two 75W 6-pin PCI Express power connectors
recommended (600 Watt and four 6-pin connectors for ATI CrossFireX technology in dual
mode)
System Requirements Certified power supplies are recommended. Refer to http://ati.amd.com/certifiedPSUfor a list
of Certified products
1GB of system memory
Installation software requires CD-ROM drive
DVD playback requires DVD drive
Blu-ray / HD DVD playback requires Blu-ray / HD DVD drive
Power Connector 2 x 6 Pin
Dual-Link DVI Supported Yes
Windows Vista Certified for Windows Vista
HDCP Ready Yes
Packaging
Package Contents 100259L
Driver Disk
User's Manual
HDTV Cable
Power Cable
 DVI to VGA/D-sub Adapter
DVI to HDMI Adapter
CrossFire Bridge
S-Video to Composite Adapter
Manufacturer Warranty
Parts 2 years limited
Labor 2 years limited

5. Power Supply:

OCZ StealthXStream OCZ600SXS 600W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready Active PFC Power Supply
($49.99 after $20.00 Mail-In
Rebate ) ***3/23
Free Shipping*
Spec
Type ATX12V / EPS12V
Maximum Power 600W
Fans Internal 120mm fan
PFC Active
Main Connector 20+4Pin
+12V Rails 4
PCI-E Connectors 2 x 6Pin
SLI Ready
Modular No
80% @ 115V (Typical load)
Efficiency
83% @ 230V (Typical load)
Over Voltage Protection Yes
Input Voltage 100 - 240 V
Input Frequency Range 50/60 Hz
Input Current 10 - 5A
+3.3V@36A,+5V@30A,+12V1@18A,+12V2@18A,+12V3@18A,
Output
+12V4@18A,-12V@0.5A,+5VSB@3.0A
MTBF >100,000 Hours
Approvals CB, CE, CSA, UL, FCC
Features
1 x Main connector (20+4Pin)
1 x 12V(4/8Pin)
6 x peripheral
Connectors
3 x SATA
2 x Floppy
2 x PCI-E

6. Hard Drive:
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500418AS 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard
Drive – OEM
$59.99
Free Shipping*
Model
Brand Seagate
Series Barracuda 7200.12
Model ST3500418AS
Performance
Interface SATA 3.0Gb/s
Capacity 500GB
RPM 7200 RPM
Cache 16MB
Average Latency 4.16ms
Physical Spec
Form Factor 3.5"
Features
Features Reliable, proven perpendicular magnetic recording technology
Manufacturer Warranty
Parts 3 years limited
Labor 3 years limited

7. Case:

RAIDMAX SMILODON ATX-612WB Black 1.0mm SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Foldout MB
Computer Case – Retail
$79.99
Free Shipping*

Expansion

External 5.25" Drive Bays 4

External 3.5" Drive Bays 2

Internal 3.5" Drive Bays 4

Expansion Slots 7

Front Ports

Front Ports 2 x USB2.0, 2 x Audio

Cooling System

1 x 80mm Side Blue LED Fan

80mm Fans
1 x 80mm Side Cooling Fan

1 x 120mm Front Intake Fan

120mm Fans
1 x 120mm Rear Exhaust Fan

Physical Spec

Dimensions 20.5" x 8" x 17.8" (DxWxH)

Features

One-Click Foldout Motherboard Tray - Removable

Click-Lock Tool-Less Installation Design - 7 Slots
Removable Hard Drive Rack
Built-In Accessory Box
Blue LED Front Panel Lights
Large See Through Side Panel Window
Features Roomy Interior Space
High Efficient In-Take Air Flow Design
1 x 80mm Side Blue LED Fan
1 x 80mm Side Cooling Fan
1 x 120mm Front Intake Fan
1 x 120mm Rear Exhaust Fan
3 x PCIe/AGP/PCI Stabilizers

Manufacturer Warranty

Parts 1 year limited

Labor 1 year limited

8. Monitor

Acer X193W+BD Black 19" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 2000:1 (ACM) - Retail
High resolution 19” monitor
$129.99
Free Shipping*
Display
Screen Size 19"
Widescreen Yes
Recommended Resolution 1680 x 1050
Viewing Angle 170°(H) / 160°(V)
Pixel Pitch 0.243mm
Display Colors 16.7 Million
 Brightness 300 cd/m2
Contrast Ratio 2000:1 (ACM)
Response Time 5ms
Display Type WSXGA+
Connectivity
Input Video Compatibility Analog RGB, Digital
Connectors D-Sub, DVI
D-Sub 1
DVI 1
HDMI No
Power
Power Supply 100V-240V
Power Consumption ON: 36W
Convenience
Stand Adjustments Tilt
Built in TV Tuner No
Built in Speakers No
HDCP Support Yes
Features VESA Wall Mounting: 100 x 100mm
Windows Vista Certified for Windows Vista
Packaging
X193W+BD LCD Monitor
User Manual
VGA Cable
Package Contents
DVI Cable
Power Cable
Support Disk
Dimensions
Dimensions (W×H×D) 20" x 17" x 5"
Weight 9.7 lbs.
Manufacturer Warranty
Parts 3 years limited
Labor 3 years limited

9. Optical Drive:

LG Black 22X (CAV) DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X (CAV) DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X
DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 22X DVD±R
DVD Burner - OEM

2x Winner of Customer Choice Award - CD / DVD Burners

$22.99
 Free Shipping*
Performance
DVD-ROM Access Time 140ms
CD-ROM Access Time 120ms
Cache 2MB
WRITE Speed
DVD+R 22X (CAV)
DVD+RW 8X
DVD-R 22X (CAV)
DVD-RW 6X
CD-R 48X
CD-RW 32X
DVD+R DL 16X
DVD-R DL 12X
DVD-RAM 12X
READ Speed
DVD-ROM 16X
CD-ROM 48X
Physical Spec
Form Factor 5.25"
Panel Color Black
Configuration
Load Type Tray
Interface SATA
10.Speakers:

Logitech S120 2.3 Watts (RMS) 2.0 Speaker System – OEM $11.99
General SPEC
Configuration 2.0
Total Power 2.3 Watts (RMS)
Satellite RMS Power /ea 1.15 Watt
Frequency Response 50Hz - 20kHz
11.Keyboard:

LITE-ON SK-1688U/B Black 104 Normal Keys USB Wired Standard Keyboard – Retail
$6.99

12. Mouse
Rosewill RM-1600L Black 5 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB 1600 dpi Laser 1600 dpi Mouse – Retail
$9.99
Free Shipping*

Spec

Interface USB

Hand Orientation Right

Tracking Method Laser

Buttons 5

Scrolling Capability 1 x Wheel

Color Black

Maximum dpi 1600 dpi

OS / System Requirement

Operating System Supported Windows 98SE / ME/ 2000/ XP/ Vista/ XP Media Center Edition 2004

Features

Sensor sensitivity switching to 1,600 and 800 dpi laser technology ultra-precise laser tracking
on most polished surfaces.
Ultra precision and smooth control.
ST Micro Laser Sensor
9600 fps Image Processing
Features 1.3m Cable Length
Unique shape for comfortable operation
Page Forward/Backward function for fast control of Internet web pages.
Plug-n-Play and Hot Pluggable.
Certifications: FCC, CE, RoHS
Dimension: 4.72" (L) x 2.95" (W) x 1.73" (H)

Lucky 13. Operating System:

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders – OEM
$99.99
Free Shipping*
 (Visit loneplacebo.wordpress.com for more!)

Step 3:
Truth be told, assembling a pc into your DM, is a very simple 1-2-3 task. Seasoned veterans
may only need less than an hour to complete a single build. Greenhorns like me, would take days
trying to figure out which end of the ram stick goes into the memory slot. Don’t fret, unless you
have GAD.

Assembly:

Basic tools
Before you begin building or refitting a computer, you will need some basic tools:

1. 2 phillips-head (cross-shaped) screwdriver

2. Needlenose pliers

3. Anti-static Wrist Strap (in my opinion, people over exaggerate its importance. I didn’t use
one)

4. A large level working space

Optional, but useful tools
Some other tools and equipment can come in handy as well, such as:
 1. Grounding Mat or anti-static carpet

2. Spring action parts grabber.

3. Electrical tape

4. Flashlight

5. A second, working computer to swap parts, look for tips, ask for help online, download
drivers and patches, etc. – very useful

6. A can of compressed air – useful when working with older parts that have collected dust. A
better alternative but also more costly, is a vacuum cleaner designed for cleaning electronics.

If you do not have access to an anti-static mat or wrist-band, working on a table rubber or leather-
soled shoes can help prevent static charges obtained from walking around, although if you move
your hands upon the ground, say picking up a dropped screw, your static charge WILL stay with you
until you touch something metal. Therefore, after doing anything that might have potentially caused
you to pick up a static charge, ground yourself on an unpainted surface of the computer case before
touching anything electronic. Static charge should always be kept on mind while installing in the
components as it may severely damage the delicate parts of the computer.

Preparation
Proper preparation is the key to a successful build. Before you begin, make sure you have all the
tools you will need, a secure and clear, well-lit workspace. Gather all the components you’ll be using
and unpack them one at a time, verifying that everything that is supposed to be there is actually
present. At this point you should leave the parts themselves in their protective anti-static bags, and
assemble all the accompanying manuals. Now I know you want to get started, but trust me, read
the manuals, check the diagrams, make sure you understand where each part goes and how it
attaches. If there is anything you don’t understand, now is the time to do a little extra internet
research or call the manufacturer with your questions.

Find a dry, well-ventilated place to do your work. You should have plenty of light to see your
components with, and if possible, you should choose an area without carpet on the floor, as carpet
tends to generate a lot of static, and this can be ameliorated by choosing a nonconductive floor
surface. An unfurnished basement is a good work location.

Safety precautions
1. Static electricity is the biggest danger to the expensive parts you are about assemble, even a
tiny shock, much too small for you to feel, can damage or ruin the delicate electronic traces,
many times smaller than a human hair, that make up your CPU, RAM and other chips. It’s
important to use your anti-static wrist strap. Once you have the power supply installed in the
case, clip the end of the wrist strap to the outside of the power supply. (Never plug your
computer in while you are connected to it by a wrist strap.) This will ensure that you, the
 case and the power supply are all connected to a common ground, in other words there will
be no inequality of charge that will allow a spark to jump from you to the case. It’s also
helpful to have an antistatic mat to set the case and other components on.

2. Nobody but you is at fault if you shock your components with static electricity. Make sure
that you take the precautions in the previous paragraph to ground yourself from static
electricity. (Note: if you really must work on a computer and haven’t got proper anti-static
equipment, it is usually OK if you make sure that you don’t move about much; are not
wearing any static-prone clothing; handle components by the edges; and regularly (once a
minute or so), touch a grounded object.). The case metal of your PC’s power supply will
usually be a suitable grounded object. As noted above, touch it every few minutes while you
are working on your PC if you haven’t got a wrist strap.

3. Turn off your computer and switch off your Power Supply at the wall before installing or
removing any components – if power is flowing to components as they are installed or
removed, they can be seriously damaged. In order to have a computer earthed, you need it
plugged in at the wall but turned off at the power supply and at the wall.

4. Never cut the grounding pin off your power cord. This “safety ground” stands between you
and potentially lethal voltages inside the power supply.

5. Be wary of sharp edges! Many lower-end PC cases have sharp, unfinished edges. This is
especially so on interior surfaces, and where the case has been cut or punched-out. Use care
and take your time to avoid cutting your hands.If your case has this problem, a little time
with some sandpaper before you begin construction can spare you a lot of pain.

6. Dismantling discrete electronic components such as your Power Supply or Monitor is

dangerous. They contain high voltage capacitors, which can cause a severe electric shock if
you touch them. These hold a charge even when the unit is not plugged in and are capable of
delivering a fatal shock.
Construction
Start by putting your case down on your work surface, with the case door facing up, and open the
case.

Motherboard
Find the motherboard standoffs that should have come with the case. They are screws, usually
brass, with large hexagonal heads that are tapped so you can fasten screws into the top.

Remove the I/O Shield from the back of the case where the ports on the back of the motherboard
will fit, and put in the I/O Shield that came with your motherboard. There may be small metal tabs
on the inside of this face plate, if so you may have to adjust them to accommodate the ports on the
back of the motherboard.
Some case styles make it difficult to install the motherboard or the CPU with the power supply
installed. If the power supply is in your way, take it out and set it aside (we’ll put it back in later).

Now locate the screw holes on your motherboard and find the corresponding holes on the
motherboard plate (or tray) in the case. Put a standoff in each of these holes on the tray and
position the motherboard so that you can see the holes in the top of the standoffs through the screw
holes in the motherboard.

Now is the time to make sure the ports on the motherboard are mating with the backplate you just
installed, and make any necessary adjustments. The small metal tabs are intended to make contact
with the metal parts of the connections on the back of the motherboard and ground them, but you
may have to bend these tabs a bit to get the ports all properly mounted, this is where those
needlenose pliers may come in handy.

If you have trouble lining up the screw holes, double check that you have the standoffs in the proper
holes on the tray. With lower quality cases there are sometimes alignment problems and you may
have to forgo one or two screws. If this is the case, make sure you remove the corresponding
standoffs.

Now fasten a screw through each of the motherboard screw holes into the standoffs underneath.
These screws should be snug but not tight, there is no reason to torque down on them, hand tight is
fine, otherwise you can damage the motherboard.

There, the motherboard is in, now it’s time to plug the other components.
CPU

Installing the CPU, and the CPU’s heatsink and fan, are by far the most difficult steps you’ll have to
complete during your build. Here, more than anywhere else, it will pay to read the instructions
carefully, look at the parts, study the diagrams that came with your CPU and/or third party cooling
solution, and make sure you thoroughly understand what you are going to do before you try to do it.
During the process, if anything does not seem to fit or make sense, put the parts down and look
things over carefully before you proceed. Some operations, especially installing the heatsink/fan
combination, can require pretty firm pressure, so don’t be afraid to push a little harder if you’re sure
everything is set up correctly.

The details of the installation process differ in slight but important ways for each manufacturer’s
processors, and even within a manufacturers product line. Therefore, for these details, you should
rely on the instructions that are provided with the CPU.

The two things that go wrong the most often and most expensively (minimum of a killed CPU,
sometimes more) in building one’s own computer are both related to the CPU and its cooler:

1. Switching the computer on “just to see if it works” before adding any CPU cooling unit.
Without cooling, CPUs heat up at extreme rates (a CPU heats up anywhere between ten
 times and a thousand times as fast as a cooking area on your stove!) By the time you see
the first display on the screen, your CPU will already be severely overheating and might be
damaged beyond repair.

2. Mounting the CPU cooler improperly. Read the instructions that came with your CPU and
cooler very carefully and ensure you are using all components in the correct order and
correct place.

If you buy a third party cooling solution for your CPU make sure you get one that is compatible with
the CPU you have. Most brands come with multiple mounting brackets that will suit many different
chipsets, but it’s best to check for compatibility just in case.

If using thermal paste, apply it only to the CPU die (the square piece of silicon in the middle of the
CPU) and do so sparingly – most modern CPUs take no more than a grain of rice sized dab of
thermal paste. Some people do like to wipe some onto the heatsink’s surface and then wipe it
smoothly off so that bits of it may get into tiny holes for better heat transfer.See Arctic Silver
Instructions for more info on how to apply and remove thermal paste/grease. (It was written to be
specifically for Arctic Silver paste, but the same techniques can be applied to other brands of
thermal paste.)

If using a thermal pad supplied with your cooler, make sure you remove any protective tape from the
die just before installing and do not get it dirty – and do not combine thermal pads with thermal
paste, it’s either one or the other. Then, check that you install the cooler in the right orientation and
that you set it flat on the CPU die without exerting undue pressure on any edges or corners – the
latter can make small pieces of the die break off, killing the CPU.

One option you may consider, before installing the heatsink, is to “lap” the heatsink, which means to
smooth out the bottom surface. To do this, you will need a very flat surface; a piece of thick window
glass will work. Fasten your sandpaper on the flat surface, invert the heatsink on the sandpaper and
sand in small circles, applying minimum pressure. Check frequently and when you see a uniform
pattern of scratches, switch to finer grained sandpaper (the numbers go up as the sandpaper is finer,
so something such as 220 is coarse while 2000 will be very fine.) Remember that you are not trying
to remove any material, just polish out surface irregularities. If you get it right, you should have a
surface which feels completely smooth to the touch (but don’t touch it, the oil in your fingers can
cause corrosion of the fresh surface) with a mirror finish. Some companies producing heatsinks lap
the surface themselves, so if the surface already looks like a perfect mirror, leave it alone. A lapped
heatsink is more effective as it will have better surface contact with the chip.

Tighten the cooler using only the specified holding devices – if you did everything right, they will fit.
If they don’t fit, check your setup – most likely something is wrong. After mounting the cooler,
connect any power cables for the fan that is attached onto the cooler.
As an aside to the instructions above, it has been my personal experience that fitting the CPU and
heat sink is best done on a supportive surface (a telephone directory on a table in my case) prior to
installation, to avoid excessive flexing of the motherboard.

If you’ve got the CPU and its cooler installed, and the motherboard in the case, you’re over the
hump, there just a few more easy pieces to go before that momentous first power-up.

MEMORY SLOTS

Next, you will need to install your RAM (random access memory). Find the RAM slots on your
motherboard; they will look something like the picture above. To install the RAM modules, first push
on the levers (white plastic in the picture) on either side of the DIMM socket, so that they move to
the sides. Do not force them, they should move fairly easily.

Put the RAM module in the socket. Line up the notch in the center of the module with the small
bump in the center of the RAM socket, making sure to insert it the right way. Push down on the
module until both levers move up into the notches on the sides of the module. There should be a
small “snap” when the module is fully seated. Although this does require a fair bit of force, don’t
over do it or you may break the RAM module.

Take a good look at your seated RAM, if one side seems to be higher than the other, odds are it’s
improperly seated – take it out and try again. As you handle the RAM, try not to touch the copper
stripes you can see along the bottom edge, as doing so is the best way to damage the part.

Start adding RAM at the slot labeled “Bank 0” or “DIMM 1”. If you don’t have a stick in “Bank 0” or
“DIMM 1” the system will think there is no RAM and won’t boot.

On newer motherboards with 4 slots, you’ll see alternating colours. For example, slot 1 is blue, slot 2
is black, slot 3 is blue, slot 4 is black.

If you were to put 1 gigabyte of RAM in your PC, it’s best to use dual channel 512MBx2 sticks. Put
the first 512MB stick in slot 1, and put the 2nd stick in slot 3 (the two slots that are blue) – leaving
slot 2 empty. This will give you better performance, vs. putting 1GB in slot 1, or two 512MB sticks in
slot 1 and 2.

Power supply
Installing your power supply is pretty straightforward, if it came with your case it was preinstalled
and if you took it out earlier to get the motherboard in, now is the time to put it back. Otherwise a
few moments of screwdriver work will get the job done. Generally there will be a bracket on the top
of the case where the power supply is mounted and a few screws used to fix it in place. Some cases
place the PS differently, see the documentation that came with yours.
Some power supplies come with modular cables, so you can plug in only those you’ll be using, now
is a good time to figure out what you’ll need and plug them in. Other power supplies have all the
cables hardwired in, you’ll want to separate out the ones you’ll need and neatly coil the remainder
somewhere out of the way.

If your power supply has a switch to select 115v or 220v make sure it is set properly, this is
important. Many newer power supplies can automatically select and don’t have such a switch.

Once you get the power supply installed you should plug the main power, a 20 or 24 pin plug, into
the motherboard. There may also be an additional four or eight pin power lead on the motherboard
that needs to be plugged in, this is usually located near the processor socket. Make sure you check
the motherboard documentation carefully for the location of the power sockets.

Video card
If your motherboard has a built-in video adapter you want to use, skip this section.

If you have an AGP video card: Install the video card into the AGP socket. This is always the top
expansion slot near the back of the computer. AGP slots are often brown, but can also be strange
colours such as fluorescent green. Check the motherboard for levers (or similar devices) that are
part of the AGP slot to help hold the card in place. These must be retracted before insertion of the
card. Check the motherboard’s manual for information on how to use these devices (if your
motherboard has one.) Push the card into the socket (AGP slots are often pretty tight, don’t be
afraid to push it until it’s well inserted), then screw it in at the top of the metal bracket. If it has a
power connector, connect it to a 4-pin molex connector. If it has a pass through, do not connect it to
a hard drive.

If you have a PCI Express video card, install it the same way as an AGP video card, however the slot
where it goes looks a little different having an extra spot on the slot as opposed to the 2 slot parts
on an AGP slot. PCI Express slots used for video cards are commonly 16x as opposed to AGP 8x.

When your card is properly installed the line formed by the top of the card will be exactly parallel to
the motherboard, if one side seems to be higher than the other, chances are that it’s not fully
inserted, press a little harder on the high side or pull it out and try again.

Installing drive jumpers

If you are using SATA drives there is no need to adjust jumpers – you can skip this section.

Before you install IDE/ATA (PATA) drives, you will need to set the drives jumpers. Each IDE/ATA
channel can handle two drives, a master and a slave. Consult your drive’s instructions on how to set
the jumpers. The jumper configurations are usually either printed on the back, or on the top of the
drive. Drives can be configured in 2 ways: Drive Select or Cable Select.

 “Cable select”: Use this if you have 80-pin cables. Cable select automatically assigns
slave/master based on the plug on the IDE cable the drive is plugged into. Put the jumper on CS.
 “Drive select”: If you are using a 40 pin cable, you must use “drive select”. Master/slave status is
determined by the jumper. In this mode, configure the drive on the end connector the master,
and drive connected to the middle connector the slave. If the IDE channel has only one drive,
check your motherboard documentation for the appropriate setting, which is usually master.

Note that Drive Select will always work, while Cable Select will only work if you have the proper
cable.

Installing drives
Next install the hard drive and optical drives.

How a drive is physically installed will depend on the case.

When using an IDE cable, plug the two connectors that are closer together into the 2 drives, and the
third to the controller or motherboard. The connector furthest from the board should be attached to
the drive set as Master. Make sure the drive that you will install your OS on is the primary master.
This is the master drive on the Primary IDE bus which is usually the IDE 40 pin port on the
motherboard labeled “Primary” or “IDE 1”..

Note: IDE connectors are keyed, so it should be impossible to insert them backwards. However, it
doesn’t require very much force to do this and it can destroy your motherboard . Look carefully at
the drive and the cable connection before you try to connect them. You should see a “missing” pin
on the drive, and a corresponding blocked socket on the connector. If you break a pin on the drive,
you will probably have a worthless drive.

Note: most parallel IDE cables have a colored stripe down one side. That coloured stripe signifies
“pin 1” – and usually will line up next to the molex power connection on your drive. Use this rule of
thumb if your connectors aren’t keyed.

Next, plug a 4 pin molex power connector into each hard drive and optical drive. If you are installing
the power connector to a SATA drive, some drives have the option of using either the SATA power
connector (a flat about 1” wide connector) or the standard molex connector; use one or the
other, not both. Connecting both can break your hard drive. For better data transfer, you can
purchase heat-protected high-end data cables at your nearest electronics store.

If you install a floppy disk drive, the cable is very similar to the IDE cable, but with fewer wires, and
a strange little twist in the middle. Floppy drives do not have master/slave configurations. The floppy
disk connector is not usually keyed, making it all too easy to plug it in the wrong way! One wire in
the IDE cable will be colored differently: this is pin 1. There is usually some indication on the floppy
drive as to which side this is. The power plug for a floppy is 4 pins in a line, but rather smaller than
the standard hard drive power connector. Plug the end of the cable with the twist into the floppy
drive (“drive A:”). Plug the other end of the floppy ribbon cable into the motherboard. If you install a
second floppy drives, plug the middle connector into “drive B:”. The twist between drive A: (on the
end) and drive B (in the middle) helps the computer distinguish between them.[1]

Other connections
In order to turn the computer on, you’ll need to connect the power button and while you’re at it, you
might as well do the reset buttons and front panel lights as well. There will be a set of pins, usually
near the front of the motherboard to which you will attach the cables that should have been supplied
with the motherboard. (Sometimes there are cables already connected to the case, use them if they
are there). These will plug into the front of the case. The plugs in the front of the case will be
labeled. The pins on the motherboard may be labeled as well, but they can be difficult to read
because the print is very small. The documentation that came with your case and motherboard
should tell where these connectors are. The front panel LEDs are polarized: usually the positive wire
is white.

In addition, you can connect any case-specific ports if they are supported by the motherboard. Many
cases have front mounted USB, firewire and/or sound ports.

Prepare for power up

Some people will put power to a system several times during assembly and for experienced builders
this may serve some purpose. For first timers though, it’s best to assemble a minimal complete
system before powering up. Minimal because that way there are comparatively few potential sources
of trouble, complete so that you can test everything at once and because the fewer times you have
to put power to an open machine, the better..

If you’ve been working along with us you should now have such a minimal system put together.
Briefly this includes a case with a motherboard in it, a processor (and its cooling unit) and some RAM
plugged into the motherboard, hard and floppy drives installed, and some kind of video available. If
your motherboard has built-in video, you might want to use that for this first try, even if you are
going to install a video card later.

For this test, you’ll want to have the computer open, so that you can see all of the fans, and you’ll
need to connect a monitor and a keyboard and a mouse (OK, you don’t really need the mouse . . .)

Monitors will either have a VGA or a newer DVI plug (see picture, as they are a lot less apparent
than PS/2 / USB comparision). Most monitors use VGA connectors, and so most graphics cards have
VGA output. If you have one type of plug and the graphics card has another, you can easily buy an
adapter. Some cards even come with one.

There are two standard connectors for mice and keyboards; PS/2 connectors and the more modern
USB connectors. Plug the mouse and keyboard in the appropriate slot.
Note: If you intend to install an operating system from a boot CD or floppy, or modify bios settings
you will need to use either a PS/2 keyboard, a USB to PS/2 converter, or a motherboard that
supports USB devices. Otherwise your keyboard will not work until the operating system has loaded
USB drivers.

Once you have this all set up, it’s time to double check, then triple check that you have made all the
necessary connections and that you haven’t left any foreign objects (where’s that screwdriver?) in
the case.

Power up
The moment of truth now approaches, time to take a deep breath, exhale slowly, then take a
moment to check one more time that everything is as it should be. Make sure you’ve removed your
wrist strap, turn on the monitor, then press the power button, and observe the inside of the open
machine. (Do not touch any part of the inside of the machine while it is powered up – you will NOT
die but your computer may break.) The first thing to look for is that the CPU cooler fan spins up, if it
does not, cut the power immediately. This fan should start up right away; something is wrong if it
doesn’t and your CPU is in danger of overheating so stop now and troubleshoot.

NOTE: If you have a Gigabyte brand motherboard, the CPU fan may twitch and stop turning. Wait
10-15 seconds and it should start. If it doesn’t there is a problem and you should immediately cut
power as stated above. Other fans such as case fans should turn on and spin.

If the CPU fan spins up, check that all the other fans that should be spinning – case fans and fans on
the power supply and video card (if installed) are also spinning. Some of these fans may not spin up
until a temperature threshold is passed, check your documentation if anything is not spinning.

If the fans spin, you can turn your attention to the monitor, what you are hoping to see is the
motherboard’s splashscreen, usually featuring the manufacturer’s logo. If you see this, take a
moment to bask in the glow, you’ve built a computer!

If this happy event does not occur, if smoke appears, or if the computer doesn’t do anything, unplug
the power cord immediately and check the steps above to make sure you haven’t missed anything.
Give special attention to the cables and power connections. If the computer does appear to come on,
but, you hear beeps, listen carefully to the beeps, turn the computer off, and refer to your
motherboard’s manual for the meaning of the beeps. Some boards have an optional diagnostic
device, usually a collection of LEDs, which when properly plugged in will inform you of the nature of
the problem. Instructions for installing this as well as the meaning of its display should be in the
manual for the motherboard. If the computer turns on but the only thing that comes on is your
power supply, turn it off. This probably means something is shorted, and leaving it on could damage
the parts.
If all is well it’s time to turn the computer off, and close it up. Then you may want to turn it on again
and set certain options in the Computer’s BIOS (usually by pressing ‘F1’ or ‘Del’ a few seconds after
boot.) These options will be explained in the motherboard manual. In general, the default options
are OK, but you may wish to set the computer’s hardware clock to the correct time and date. The
BIOS is also where you determine the default boot order of the system, typically Floppy, then CD-
ROM, then Hard Disc.

Choosing and installing the software

Now that you’ve got a functioning computer, you’ll need to install some software if you’re going to do
anything with it. An operating system or two must come first, then hardware drivers (so that the
operating system can address your hardware) followed by security software and utilities. And that’s
as far as we’re going to go with you, but you’ll also want to install some application software –
games, word processors, databases, programming languages – whatever floats your boat... That’s
pretty much the point of this whole computer business after all, though I hope you’ve found the
journey of building it yourself has been worthwhile in its own way.

In this section we’ll consider what software you’ll want to install and how you might go about doing
so.

BIOS updates
The first thing you want to do after you have a working PC is to update the BIOS flash. Download the
flash update on another computer and put it on a USB flash drive (or a floppy drive) and boot the
computer with it. (If you don’t have another computer, then put off this step until after you install
the operating system and get this computer connected to the network.)

Operating system(s)
After you have flashed the BIOS (if you have), you should then start installing an operating system
(OS). You can select from several available on the internet or from your local computer store. The
first option, and the one taken by most people, is to install Microsoft Windows, of which the current
version is Windows Vista. Another option is to install a GNU/Linux distribution (a Free
Software operating system). There are many other operating systems to choose from as well,
including other free operating systems, such as BSD. Note that you also have the option of installing
more than one operating system in what is called a multiboot setup.

If you are going to install both, install Windows XP first. This is because Windows overwrites the
software that GNU/Linux requires to start up, even if something’s already there. If you install
Windows before all of your other systems, you will be able to easily boot into all of them.
Choosing between Microsoft Windows, GNU/Linux, or one of the other operating systems is largely
dependent on what software you need to run. Simply put, can you accomplish your day to day tasks
with the software that will run under the operating system in question? Microsoft Windows is better
in terms of software availability, hardware compatibility and support, but GNU/Linux wins in terms of
stability, ability to run on older equipment, and cost. Both systems have a range of software, but
determine your needs before installing either operating system.

Note that, having installed Windows, you can always install GNU/Linux later and, conversely, if you
install GNU/Linux first, there is no throwaway cost to regret if it turns out later that you need
Windows.

Installing Windows
The installation of Windows is relatively easy. Push the power button on the front of the PC, put the
CD-ROM or DVD-ROM in your optical drive, and follow the on-screen instructions (you may have to
restart with the CD in place). If you are doing a Windows-only install, just allocate all of the hard
drive to XP. Again, for a Windows only install, the NTFS file system is faster and more efficient.

Some people find that it’s useful to create separate partitions for the operating system and data.
This means that if something goes wrong with the operating system, the partition can be formatted
and the operating system can be reinstalled possibly without losing data.

If you are installing Windows on a RAID drive, or a SATA drive in some cases, you are going to have
to provide drivers to the Windows installer so that it can access the hard drive on the raid controller.
To do this during the Windows install wait for “Press F6 to install any third party SCSI or RAID
drivers.” To appear at the bottom of the screen and duly hit F6. Then you will see a screen that says
“Setup could not determine the type of one or more mass storage devices installed in your system,
or you have chosen to manually specify an adapter.” At this screen you are going to want to hit ‘S’ to
“Specify Additional Device,” another screen will pop up asking you to insert the floppy disk
containing the drivers, followed by a screen asking you to choose the appropriate driver out of the
set contained

Drivers
Now that your computer is relatively secure, you will need to install software to control your various
hardware components. This type of software is known as a driver.

Although, most of your hardware will come with a CD containing the necessary driver, consider
downloading the driver straight from the company’s Internet site. This will ensure you have the
latest edition of the software. Knowing where to download the driver is also good in case you lose
the CD that came with the device.

If you do not have a fast internet connection (broadband), the company usually provides an option
to receive the driver cd in the mail, in which case you’ll want to use the CD you have now and
update the driver later. Even if something seems to be working fine, downloading new drivers may
help increase computer efficiency, though there is always a risk that a brand new version may break
something. Downloading drivers for your motherboard’s chipset can often help if you are having a
problem. Finally, many monitors will not go above a certain refresh rate without the proper driver,
which may be of great concerns to gamers.

If you are using Microsoft Windows, you can generally find drivers for your selected hardware on the
manufacturer’s website. Most GNU/Linux systems already have all of the drivers installed, with the
exception of proprietary modem and graphics drivers. If you can’t find the driver you need, a
simple Google search will often yield the best results.

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Frequently Asked Questions

1. Should I upgrade to Vista?

The release of Windows Vista was generally not warmly welcomed for numerous reasons. My
biggest annoyance is the number of authorization prompts I received every time I simply
want to install a new game or update.

But in light of this, I realized that it kind of acted like a mother guarding her newborn baby.
The baby tries to get out of its crib, and the mother comes rushing in fright to prevent the
worst. I admit it does wear down on you, but it lowers the probability of randomly acquiring a
virus while using the computer. If the year is 2010 when you are reading these words, then
the new Windows 7 operating system has probably been released by now. I would say that it
would be alright to wait until it comes out before beginning your build. In fact, I read
somewhere that you can actually downgrade Windows 7 to Vista or XP.
2. What is the difference between 64-bit and 32-bit?
The terms 32-bit and 64-bit refer to the way a computer’s processor handles information. The
64-bit version of Windows handles large amounts of random access memory (RAM) more
effectively than a 32-bit system. The main differences between the 32-bit versions of
Windows Vista and the 64-bit versions of Windows Vista relate to memory accessibility,
memory management, and enhanced security features. One of the greatest advantages of
using a 64-bit version of Windows Vista is the ability to access physical memory (RAM) that is
above the 4-gigabyte (GB) range. This physical memory is not addressable by 32-bit versions
of Windows Vista. Depending on the version of Windows Vista that is installed, a 64-bit
version of Windows Vista supports from 1 GB of RAM to more than 128 GB of RAM. The ability
to address more physical memory lets Windows Vista minimize the time that is required to
swap processes in and out of physical memory. Therefore, Windows Vista can manage
processes more efficiently. This memory management feature helps improve the overall
performance of Windows Vista.
3. Can my game run on my new computer?
There are four different ways to do this. First, you can compare the system requirements of
the game to the computer’s components. This information is usually found on the purchased
product’s case/box. NOTE: You should completely ignore the minimum requirements because
even if it is possible to run the game at such disappointing specifications, you will likely at
best run the game at low frame rates at low quality. Just look at the recommended specs.
Secondly, if you have a Windows Vista operating system, you can look at your computer’s
Windows Experience Index score. 5.9 is the highest possible score. Below 3.0, you won’t be
able to play many games above medium quality. Thirdly, you can visit the website:
canyourunit.com and it will do a test for you. Lastly, and probably the best way to know if
your recently purchased copy of Crysis will be playable on your $650 computer, is to visit
gaming/computer forums. Many users list their computer specs and the overall experience of
playing a certain game. Try out gamespot.com.
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