Tonight I’m building a PC. It’s my first time building one from pieces, though I’ve done plenty of work on others. I’ve got the case and all the parts I need to get going, and tools. My dining room table is cleared off, and my anti-static wrist strap is at the ready.
Oh, I do still need to find a good burn-in program, if anyone can recommend one.
What things do I need to think about that I probably haven’t yet?
So list out what you’ve got so we can say what’s missing and what would be good to have.
Have you got a mat to protect the table?
Make sure you don’t forget to use the metal standoffs that go between the case and the mobo. My bro did this once and toasted his new processor.
Make sure your heatsink makes good contact with the CPU, and you use a dab of thermal-compound between them. (Not too much, thinest possible layer.)
Make sure all your fans are working, especially the one inside the power supply.
Get some wire ties to secure cables. I hate spaghetti-like cable installations. Keep it looking nice and neat, and it will be easier to work inside the case. Cluttered cables also impede airflow, so an organized system will run cooler.
I always get a Dairy Queen Oreo Blizzard whenever I work on my computer. But keep it away from the components! I’m sure a nice Cold Beer would work well too.
You don’t need a burn-in program: installing Windows is a sufficient test. You do have all the drivers etc ready, don’t you?
But not too thin. I made that mistake once. And only once.
If any of the drives have jumper settings, copy down the diagram (or scan it) before you install the drives - that way, you can change the configuration in future without removing the drive from the case.
If your drives have to be installed from the inside of the machine (as opposed to slotting them in from the outside), do it before populating the motherboard with processor, cards and RAM - sometimes it’s hard to turn them into position later.
Band-aids. There’s sharp metal everywhere on most cases and some other components… I don’t assemble computers lately, but I’ve fiddled around enough to cut my finger(s) or hand almost every darn time.
My lessons: Cooling errors will fry your processor or create vibrations you cannot ever track down and cure. Chip fans and power supply fans are bitches. I don’t think my next machine will be homemade.
I don’t have the actual part numbers and stuff in front of me, but I know I have:
[ul]
[li]Ultra MicroFly case w/ 400W power supply[/li][li]MSI motherboard[/li][li]AMD Athlon 64 CPU[/li][li]one 1 GB RAM module[/li][/ul]
The above items were all bought new. The remaining items below are from the PC I’m replacing:
[ul]
[li]2 hard drives[/li][li]CD-RW drive[/li][li]M-Audio Audiophile 2496 PCI sound card (I use this PC to record radio broadcasts and digitize LPs)[/li][/ul]
There’s a table cloth, and I have some of that waffley-looking shelf liner stuff.
Will do.
Will do.
Will do. Definitely something I might have taken for granted.
Check.
For the machine or for me? 
I’ve got the CD that came with the motherboard, and ready access to the internet should I need to download any others.
Excellent suggestion.
If I’ve understood the manual for the case correctly, the drive cage tips out. It also has a removable motherboard tray. I think this will be a moot point either way, but I’ll keep it in mind.
Check.
I’ll take that as “I wish you luck,” and say “thanks!”
I’ve found that rather than worrying about IDE jumper settings, it’s easier to set everything to cable select and never think about it.
Check for clearances, particularly if you’ve got a small case or large components like a big heatsink or graphics card.
I can’t imagine how you could possibly move the jumpers inside the case without tweezers and a dental mirror… Anyway, I always just go with cable select.
Don’t connect to the internet before you activate the firewall!
Put some cardboard between the case and the mainboard while you’re working on it. It’ll keep the system from shorting if you need to turn it on before you finish putting it together.
Is the price you paid for all the components you require less than what it would be to buy a bare bones system from tigerdirect.com or similar? Is this about saving money and/or a desire to build your own system from scratch?
Tip-out drive cage.
It’s mostly about saving money. Well, about spending what money I’m going to spend on the things I need rather than things I don’t (like video, etc.). I’ve spent less than $200 on the new parts for this PC (not counting shipping for the case). Given that I needed a small form factor or a desktop, I couldn’t have come out any better going with TigerDirect. The closest comparable barebones kit they have is a ShuttlePC for $199.99 that has stuff I don’t need.
I’m pretty sure that’s the rub for most homebuilders.
Well, I know that my budget got considerably easier to deal with when I realized hey, I don’t need a video card because the motherboard’s on-board video will more than handle what I need.
Yup.
When I built mine (5+ years ago now) it was all about what parts I could cannibalize from the old machine.
Does the motherboard’s power connector have the same number of pins as the power supply? Some have 20, some 24. If they don’t match, you’ll need an adapter (which some computer stores don’t keep in stock, in my experience).
Make a list of the part numbers, especially the motherboard and it’s revision number. This last is if you want to update the bios later, sometimes there are different bios for each revision, and it’s a pain to pull the case apart and hunt everywhere for a small printed number hidden under a PCI card.
If there is a 4 pin power connector for the processer, if it’s not plugged in, you will break out in a cold sweat when, after hitting the power switch, there is absolute silence.