Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - Willravel Chronicles His First Computer Build

Willravel · 08-02-2010, 08:22 PM

Background:
For those unaware, I'm a lifetime Mac user. All I've ever done was plug in the power, keyboard, mouse and monitor and just go. I'm like the Eloy from Time Machine: blissful, innocent, and a bit ignorant. So I got Star Craft 2 in the mail last week and quickly realized my Mac mini didn't have the video processing power necessary to run the game. I looked around for some deals on newer Mac minis and iMacs, but Apple hardware tends to keep its value a bit too well. I'd have to spend at least $600 on an Apple that could only run Star Craft 2 on its lowest settings. Frack that.

For a few years I've had the thought of having a separate Windows machine around for needs beyond the basic, and this was the perfect excuse to dive in and build a custom gaming rig. Thanks to Lasereth's legendary video card recommendation thread, I knew that powerful video cards could be had at bargain basement prices right now.

I posted a thread on Reddit and got immediate responses from experienced builders about what deals were out there. Within 24 hours, I had purchased all the hardware I needed off Newegg:

Case, mobo(motherboard), CPU/GPU (central processing unit/graphics processing unit)combo deal, optical drive (DVD burner), and a now-expired deal on a HDD (hard drive) and PSU (power supply unit)

It arrived this afternoon. I'm not ashamed to say I jumped up and down clapping my hands.

The first thing I did was open everything up and take a careful inventory. Newegg has never been anything but perfect, but you can't be too careful. Once I was sure everything I needed was here, I got my tools: a 3/16 x 3 phillips screwdriver (not magnetized), needle nosed pliers, flashlight, and a pair of anti-static gloves. It's probably overkill to use such gloves, but it removes any doubt, which in and of itself makes them feel like a good investment.

I opened up the case and located the area for the PSU, which in my case (hehe) is in the back on top. Most cases, by my understanding, have a similar location, though some have it on the back bottom. You can find it by looking for the pattern of screw holes in the case and a hole in the shape of the vent on the back of the PSU. I screwed the PSU in place and that was that. What I should have done at this point was look through the build and figure out exactly how many power wires I'd need and plug them in, but it didn't occur to me until later. As you build, space becomes less and less common until eventually you can be working in very cramped quarters.

Next, I put in the mobo. I put the plate in place on the back panel, which showed me where to line up the USB, serial, audio and ethernet connectors on the back. When I slid the mobo in place, though, I realized they weren't perfectly lining up. The solution was pegs or standoffs. The case came with screws that are meant to be screwed into the case first and then you screw the mobo into the standoffs with additional screws. This is in order to ground the mobo.

The CPU came next. You have to peel back a sticker that's in place over where the CPU is located and then carefully line up the CPU to the slot. There are arrows to show you which way is up, but in case that's not obvious enough there are patterns in the CPU that can also be matched. When the CPU was in place, I pulled back on a little silver lever, which prepares the processor to be locked in place. When you push the lever back down again, it's locked. The CPU came with a fan, which was fairly simple to install, but be careful; there's some sticky stuff on the bottom of the fan that connects to the CPU. It's meant to conduct temperature, I believe. The fan locks in place with a lever.

After that, I popped out a piece of plastic that is in the place of the optical drive on the front of the case and slid the optical drive into place. It was a bit cramped already because of the PSU, but I got it in there and four screws had it well in place.

The HDD was next, which went into a slot toward the front of the case below the optical drive. Like the optical drive, you slide it into place and then anchor it with 4 screws.

Finally, it was time to put in the GPU. I located a PCI slot that gave the GPU a little room to breathe. You have to pop out little metal pieces so that your connectors can pop out the back of the case. When you've got the GPU plugged in and sticking out the back, you simply screw the card into place. In my case, there's a piece on the back that can be opened so you can access the screws.

Hammer time. I plugged the largest power connector into the mobo and another one into the GPU, as I remembered someone once mentioning GPUs need their own power. I connected the optical drive and HDD to the mobo with SATA wires. What I didn't know was that these both needed their own power, something the manuals missed. Fortunately, the GPU came with more than enough cables and I figured it out later. I also connected the front USB, audio and power button, which were all labeled on the mobo, but were also pointed out in the sizable manual that came with the mobo.

Another thing I failed to realize, and that's a common mistake for first timers (like putting it in the butt), is the CPU also requires power.

Finally, everything was connected. I put my old XP Pro disc in the drive and got started only to be faced with "reboot and select proper boot device". What had I forgotten this time? The mobo came with a boot disc. I put the correct disc in the drive and everything since then has been smooth sailing.

I'll update as I finish up.

08-02-2010, 08:22 PM	#1 (permalink)
Willravel ... a sort of licensed troubleshooter.	Willravel Chronicles His First Computer Build Background: For those unaware, I'm a lifetime Mac user. All I've ever done was plug in the power, keyboard, mouse and monitor and just go. I'm like the Eloy from Time Machine: blissful, innocent, and a bit ignorant. So I got Star Craft 2 in the mail last week and quickly realized my Mac mini didn't have the video processing power necessary to run the game. I looked around for some deals on newer Mac minis and iMacs, but Apple hardware tends to keep its value a bit too well. I'd have to spend at least $600 on an Apple that could only run Star Craft 2 on its lowest settings. Frack that. For a few years I've had the thought of having a separate Windows machine around for needs beyond the basic, and this was the perfect excuse to dive in and build a custom gaming rig. Thanks to Lasereth's legendary video card recommendation thread, I knew that powerful video cards could be had at bargain basement prices right now. I posted a thread on Reddit and got immediate responses from experienced builders about what deals were out there. Within 24 hours, I had purchased all the hardware I needed off Newegg: Case, mobo(motherboard), CPU/GPU (central processing unit/graphics processing unit)combo deal, optical drive (DVD burner), and a now-expired deal on a HDD (hard drive) and PSU (power supply unit) It arrived this afternoon. I'm not ashamed to say I jumped up and down clapping my hands. The first thing I did was open everything up and take a careful inventory. Newegg has never been anything but perfect, but you can't be too careful. Once I was sure everything I needed was here, I got my tools: a 3/16 x 3 phillips screwdriver (not magnetized), needle nosed pliers, flashlight, and a pair of anti-static gloves. It's probably overkill to use such gloves, but it removes any doubt, which in and of itself makes them feel like a good investment. I opened up the case and located the area for the PSU, which in my case (hehe) is in the back on top. Most cases, by my understanding, have a similar location, though some have it on the back bottom. You can find it by looking for the pattern of screw holes in the case and a hole in the shape of the vent on the back of the PSU. I screwed the PSU in place and that was that. What I should have done at this point was look through the build and figure out exactly how many power wires I'd need and plug them in, but it didn't occur to me until later. As you build, space becomes less and less common until eventually you can be working in very cramped quarters. Next, I put in the mobo. I put the plate in place on the back panel, which showed me where to line up the USB, serial, audio and ethernet connectors on the back. When I slid the mobo in place, though, I realized they weren't perfectly lining up. The solution was pegs or standoffs. The case came with screws that are meant to be screwed into the case first and then you screw the mobo into the standoffs with additional screws. This is in order to ground the mobo. The CPU came next. You have to peel back a sticker that's in place over where the CPU is located and then carefully line up the CPU to the slot. There are arrows to show you which way is up, but in case that's not obvious enough there are patterns in the CPU that can also be matched. When the CPU was in place, I pulled back on a little silver lever, which prepares the processor to be locked in place. When you push the lever back down again, it's locked. The CPU came with a fan, which was fairly simple to install, but be careful; there's some sticky stuff on the bottom of the fan that connects to the CPU. It's meant to conduct temperature, I believe. The fan locks in place with a lever. After that, I popped out a piece of plastic that is in the place of the optical drive on the front of the case and slid the optical drive into place. It was a bit cramped already because of the PSU, but I got it in there and four screws had it well in place. The HDD was next, which went into a slot toward the front of the case below the optical drive. Like the optical drive, you slide it into place and then anchor it with 4 screws. Finally, it was time to put in the GPU. I located a PCI slot that gave the GPU a little room to breathe. You have to pop out little metal pieces so that your connectors can pop out the back of the case. When you've got the GPU plugged in and sticking out the back, you simply screw the card into place. In my case, there's a piece on the back that can be opened so you can access the screws. Hammer time. I plugged the largest power connector into the mobo and another one into the GPU, as I remembered someone once mentioning GPUs need their own power. I connected the optical drive and HDD to the mobo with SATA wires. What I didn't know was that these both needed their own power, something the manuals missed. Fortunately, the GPU came with more than enough cables and I figured it out later. I also connected the front USB, audio and power button, which were all labeled on the mobo, but were also pointed out in the sizable manual that came with the mobo. Another thing I failed to realize, and that's a common mistake for first timers (like putting it in the butt), is the CPU also requires power. Finally, everything was connected. I put my old XP Pro disc in the drive and got started only to be faced with "reboot and select proper boot device". What had I forgotten this time? The mobo came with a boot disc. I put the correct disc in the drive and everything since then has been smooth sailing. I'll update as I finish up.