Installing the hardware, Part 1:
Motherboard, CPU, and Memory
Choosing all the different brands and types of components can be very
difficult and requires a fair amount of research, but once you’ve got all your
parts, you’re ready to get down to business and start building the thing.
This is the bay of your ATX case, the big open area into which most of the
components will be installed
With a new case, a set of tiny screws or brackets are usually included.
These are to keep the motherboard from coming into contact with the case and
prevent any short that might thus occur.
Insert them into the corner and side screw holes that you will use to
attach the motherboard.
Then screw the motherboard into place.
Socket to install most current CPUs come in a socket form.You usually will
have to lift a lever on the motherboard’s it.
The CPU’s pins are configured in such a way that it can only be installed
one way. Do not force it into the
socket! Make sure that you have it turned the correct way, and then close the
lever.
Clip the CPU cooler onto the processor socket and attach its power cable to
the motherboard’s fan header.
These three long thin slots (called DIMMs) are for you memory modules. Different motherboards have different numbers
and types of DIMM slots. These are for
SDRAM.
Like the CPU, there is only one proper way of
installing the memory modules. Align them
with the slot but do not force them in.
When a memory module is properly installed, the clips on the slot’s sides
will close into the its notches.
Installing
the Hardware, Part 2: Graphics and Sound Cards
Now take a look at the different I/O
(In/Out) slots on the other side of the motherboard. This board has three types
of slots: AGP, PCI, and ISA.
When the card is installed, screw the card’s
bracket to the case to prevent it from becoming dislodged
The white slots further down from
the CPU are called PCI. Your motherboard may also have one or two black ISA
slots at the very end that are for older devices. Insert your sound or other
cards (i.e. modem) into the appropriate slots and screw them in place.
Near the other corner of the
motherboard’s far end, you will find two rows of pins, called PN1 and PN2, that
are used to attach the motherboard to the case's warning lights, speaker, and
on/off switch.
The motherboard’s manual or
indicators on the motherboard itself will provide information on correct
attachment of these wries. In this picture, we have connected the wires of the
case’s on/off switch.
Installing the Hardware, Part 3:
Hard Disk and CD Drives
Take a look at these rectangular
connectors on the side of the board (called IDE connectors) to which you attach
hard disk and CD drives. Usually there are only 2, but more and more
motherboards have 4. Also, they can be any color and in different locations.
The slightly smaller connector is called FDC1. It connects to the floppy drive.
Each IDE connector supports 2
devices. The first is called the “master,” the second is called the “slave.”
This motherboard, therefore, can handle up to 8 hard drives or CD drives.
This is an IDE cable. They are usually color-coded,
but not always. The connector at the long end (blue here) attaches to the
motherboard. The connecter at the opposite end (black here) attaches to the
master IDE device. The connector in the middle (here gray) attaches to the
slave device
You are going to have to use little pieces of
plastic called jumpers to tell your IDE devices whether they are masters or
slaves. Most hard drives will have labels that indicate the various jumper
placements.
Here is the rear end of the hard
drive. That white spot to the right is the jumper. (The connector to the left
goes to the IDE cable, while the connector on the right goes to the power
supply.)
A close up on the jumper shows that it is at the
rightmost position. That is the correct placement for master on this drive, but
every brand's drives are different
For example, here is the back of
our DVD drive. (The IDE connector is on the right, the power connector on the
left.)
We want to make this drive the
slave on the same IDE cable as our hard drive. Therefore, the jumper is in the
“SL” position for slave. (“MA” stands for master, and “CS” stands for cable
select, which allows your device’s position on the IDE cable to determine
whether it it master or slave.)
Place the hard drive in the appropriate
bay in the case and screw it into place.
Do the same for your CD drive.
Insert the long end of the IDE
cable into the first IDE port.
Insert the other, master, end of
the IDE cable into the hard drive.
Insert the IDE cable’s center, slave, connector into the CD drive
Connecting the Power
Our next step is to install and connect the
power supply. First screw it into place.
Most current
power supply units have (at least) three different kinds of connectors. This is
the main ATX connector
which attaches to the motherboard.
These are the peripheral connector switch attach to the hard drive
and the CD drive.
then connect to monitor and then to power supply.
switch on the computer. select booting device and install the operating system
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