Adding the Main
Components.
This section shows
the connection of the power unit, installation of the Hard
Disk Drive (HDD),
the floppy drive (FDD), Memory, Graphics cards (Both AGP and PCI)
and modems etc.
First, we connect
the case power switch, reset and HDD LED to the MB
You have a bundle
of wires leading from the front end inside the case.
Figure 4.1 shows
the general configuration of connectors but check your MB manual
to find out exactly where it is and the configuration you must
use. It varies between MB's. There is also a speaker connector
that also simply plugs in.
It is important
that it is done properly or nothing will happen when you switch
your new PC on. Get the power-on switch right at least!
Here is how a
particular board is set up; the row of pins are circled.
I ALWAYS install
the HDD, floppy drive and CD ROM/DVD/CDRW after the MB.
If you start by
installing PCI and AGP or memory modules, you will have to
remove them in order to put the HDD etc in the case. I know from
experience!
You will notice
the cages at the front on the inside of the case. The CD units
go in the large ones at the top, then the HDD and the FDD go in
the smaller ones that are lower down.
It’s easy to see
where to put the floppy drive; it must line up with the external
access point so you can put your disks in. Anywhere on the same
part of the cage that you can get the mounting screws to line up
will do for the HDD.
Small brackets on
the inside of the cage let you simply slide both units in to the
case.
Important:
Make sure the
power connector on the HDD is facing outward, towards you. The
orientation for the FDD is simple; the button that ejects the
disk must line up with the external button of the case. There’s
no guesswork there.
There are many
makes and models of both HDD and FDD, with varying prices, but
they all serve the same function. For your FDD, it's an easy
choice about which model to buy, get one that suits your budget
and save money, if you can, for the items to come.
Installing the HDD
The HDD is where
your programs, including the vital operating system, will
reside.
You can buy HDD's
with a capacity from 20GB up to a massive 200GB.
Your choice
depends on what you use your PC for. A 60 - 80GB HDD would serve
most needs but you need to consider a larger HDD if you will be,
for example, editing videos.
The IDE cable has
a notch in the middle so you can't really go wrong connecting
it. The power cable can only go in one way as one side is
beveled.
If you have any
doubt, just remember
red to red
for IDE and
power cables.
The IDE cable has
a red line that runs the full length of the cable and should
face the red wire on the power cable.
Installing the floppy
The floppy drive
has to be inserted from the inside. See HDD installation above.
Installing a CD/DVD/CDRW
Remove one of the
front panels from your case - they simply push OUT from the
inside.
A new unit will
have mounting screws for the inside cage and an audio wire to
connect your CD to the onboard sound connector or to your sound
card.
Look at the back
of the unit to see where this wire connector goes: R marks where
the red wire should be.
There is another
row of pins with a little jumper. You will see (M) Master and
(S) slave - this is important if you are putting more than one
unit in the system i.e. a DVD and a CDRW.
I always mount the
DVD on top and the CDRW below, then set the DVD to master and
the CDRW to slave. This lets the Bios recognize that you have 2
units (more on that later).
You will see a
long double-row of pins next to that. This is your IDE
connection and next to that is the power connector.
Let's assume that
you are just installing 1 unit for now.
The unit itself,
whether it is a DVD, CDROM or DVD writer, is a standard size.
Fit them as shown below.
I connect the
audio wire and the IDE cable to the back of the CD/DVD etc.
before I push the unit into place. It makes life a lot simpler.
The IDE cable has
a notch in the middle so you should not go wrong connecting it.
The power cable can only go in one way as one side is beveled.
If in doubt, just remember
red to red
for IDE and
power cables.
The IDE cable has
a red line that runs the full length of the cable and should be
facing the red wire on the power cable.
The IDE cable
attaches the CD, HDD and FDD to the MB. It is responsible for
data transfer and generally comes as part of the MB package,
folded like the one below.
The
Memory – RAM
The standard
memory for most Pentium and AMD boards is either DDR or
SDRAM. The DDR
module has one notch and the SDRAM has 2.
Some MB’s only
have sockets for one type. Others have sockets for both but you
can only use one type in any machine at one time due to
frequency and timing differences.
DDR RAM is reputed
to be the best choice; it is faster in benchmark tests.
Your system will
not function without some kind of RAM installed and the more,
the better.
What does RAM do?
It is short-term
memory (your HDD is your long-term memory). Any data written to
Ram disappears when the power is turned off. If you need to keep
some information, save it to your HDD.
More RAM will
allow your applications etc. to load more quickly. It will also
increase the multitasking capabilities of your PC.
I recommend at
least 256MB DDR or SDRAM MINIMUM and, preferably,
512MB. The price
of components are dropping so memory is becoming more
affordable.
With your
anti-static gear in place, you are ready to install the RAM!
This is an
illustration of a DDR RAM module and its socket on the MB
Unlock the socket
latches by pushing them outward; align the memory module on the
socket so that the notches match.
Firmly insert the
memory module into the socket until the retaining clips snap
into place and the module is properly seated.
With the memory in
place, start to install extra options. Many modern MB’s are made
for simplicity and ease of installation. The MB that is
illustrated on this site has on-board audio, on-board graphics
and even an on-board modem.
These inbuilt
features may not meet your requirements, so we will now
introduce the installation of AGP and PCI based cards.
Don’t worry about the terminology - it's all in the
jargon buster.
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