The First Things You Need To Start Building
Your Own Personal Computer

The first things you need to start building your own PC are:

Bare bones shopping list

1. Tools

2. Anti-static wristband or anti-static board

3. Motherboard - ATX standard

4. Case - ATX standard

5. CPU - Pentium OR AMD.

The Motherboard (MB)

This Pentium board looks fairly simple without all the circuitry, and it is.

There’s almost nothing to it!

Components on the MB and their functions in simple terms.

1. PCI, 1 2 & 3: where you plug-in the sound card, modem and such devices.

2. AGP 4X/2X: for plugging in the newest line of graphics cards. You can also get PCI graphics cards. The 4x and 2x AGP are just acceleration (industry standard) protocols for graphics cards - don’t worry about them for now.

3. Battery for the CMOS and Bios: I'll explain this later in proper sequence.

4. VIA P4M266: The chipset used by the MB. It is the "engine", embedded into the board and you can basically ignore it.

5. DIMM 1 & 2: this is where the system's RAM goes. Today’s standards are DDR or SDRAM. Make sure to get the type that your MB supports.

6. FDC - your floppy drive plugs-in here.

IDE1: your Hard Disk Drive (HDD) plugs in here and

IDE2: your CD or DVD or CDRW plugs-in here.

7. This is where the CPU will reside.

8. All the blocks on the left represent the sockets you see on the outside of the case, including those for the mouse, keyboard, printer, speakers etc …..

9. Main board power plug; the power unit is usually included with the case.

Your new case should come with brass mounting screws that screw directly into the case and the spacers that keep the MB at a distance from the body of the case. Use the spacers! If you just screw the board straight on to the case, you will blow the whole project.

 

The studs are screwed into the chassis of the case

Make sure you have your anti-static protection in place, and then carefully place the board into the case to determine where the studs should be put.

Put a fine tip felt pen through the holes in the board and mark the chassis where the studs should go. This prevents you putting in a stud that doesn’t match up with a hole on the board. Check the positioning and screw the studs into the chassis. You can also use the plastic spacers but I generally keep them for the edges of the board if there are any spare holes on the board. 

When the studs are firmly in the chassis, you can screw the motherboard in to the case via the studs. 

But it is easier to install the CPU and Heatsink/Fan on the MB before you screw it into the case, because you have more room outside of the case.

Installing The CPU

Install the CPU before any other component. Every MB has a surface mount Zero Force Insertion (ZIF) socket. With the Pentium, this is a 478 – pin socket, shown at 7 in the MB diagram in figure 1.1

The actual processor itself has a gold mark indicating the orientation of the CPU in the socket.

Follow the next steps in this section carefully to install the CPU in the onboard socket.

The Case

Now you need a case to put the MB in.

It is up to you to decide what case has the look that you prefer, but there are some things to consider before you buy;

• Does it have a 300W ATX power supply?

• Does it meet Pentium and AMD standards!?

Two examples for you to consider are the Nokia and ATX FOX cases. There are many more on the market. Ignore any that don't meet the standards.

These cases both come with ATX-standard 300W power supplies fitted to them. This is something to look for with the case you prefer because most

MB's are ATX standard. They need a supply of that standard to power them.

Don't just take a power unit out of any old PC and expect it to power an ATX standard board - it may even damage your MB!

You also get, as standard, the connectors for the external power-on LED, reset hard disk drive LED and system speaker with ATX cases. These components all plug into a small set of pins on the MB. I will give the details on that later. 

The Nokia case (left) and the FOX case (right) meet the P4 and AMD standards with ATX 300W power units installed. These are MIDI tower cases.

The CPU

Your choice of CPU is both application-dependent and a personal choice - some prefer AMD over Pentium and vice-versa.

I've used a Pentium board as an illustration. The needs of a family or small business can be met with a P4 1.6Ghz. I started my business with a much slower Pentium and a dial-up modem, so the 1.6Ghz will serve you well.

If you've big plans such as a video studio, sound mastering or even some of the top-end gaming systems, your CPU requirements will differ, ranging from 1.6Ghz up to 3.7Ghz depending on your needs.