Need Definitive Guide to Building PC [have ordered components]

[halehaler]

Ok, so far I've effectively built 4 pc's for friends on a forum. I tell them exactly what components to buy, they buy them, then go off and build it themselves.

However; this time my friend is local, and I've said I'll build it for him. This is due to me hearing how easy the actual building is meant to be and I figured I'm a semi-expert with hardware, so the actual building can't be hard.

I am building an AMD FX6100 PC, with a 6850, and a GA-970A-D3 Full hardware list here- https://secure.scan.co.uk/aspnet/Sho...e92ac1e4bfc65a

Does the MOBO manual tell you what to do? If so, then this thread can be locked :P. If not, can anybody link me to a big guide please? Many say different things, and change as the next-gen components arrive.

Additional Comment:

My guess is...

1. Don't plug anything into wall power socket until end.
2. Put PSU @bottom of case, plug in case
3. Slot MOBO into mobo slot in case then attach to PSU.
4. Put the GPU in the PCI-E (x16) slot and then attach to PSU
5. Slot teh ram in
6. You put the HDD in the HDD rack (does it need to be plugged into PSU?)
7. Shove DISK-Drive in

Do I put Win7 disk in straight away, then just boot from there?

[TSXmike]

the manual usually tells you how to proceed all the way to first startup.

[vai0]

I would install cpu, cpu cooler (unless it has back-plate or something else restricting) and ram onto mobo. Then install mobo into case. Then throw in gpu, cd drives, hard drives. Then connect mobo cords to cd drives and hard drives. Then install PSU and plug in cords.

Yes hard drive needs power from psu, same with cd drives.

[hostage67]

Install everything on the motherboard first, cpu, ram, etc... Do not install any slot cards yet (ie your video card).

Line up your motherboard raisers with the holes in your motherboard, make sure you don't have any extras placed on the case as they can short the motherboard.

Put your PSU in your case, your backplate for the motherboard, mount your motherboard and connect the PSU (hide whatever cables you can for good visual effect), set all the case connections to the motherboard (power, usb, etc...), install all drives (cd, hd), install GPU, connect all cables to the PC, plug it in and test it out.

Basically the main thing is to make sure you have no shorts, and install everything you can on the motherboard prior to installing it.

[halehaler]

Originally Posted by hostage67

Install everything on the motherboard first, cpu, ram, etc... Do not install any slot cards yet (ie your video card).

Line up your motherboard raisers with the holes in your motherboard, make sure you don't have any extras placed on the case as they can short the motherboard.

Put your PSU in your case, your backplate for the motherboard, mount your motherboard and connect the PSU (hide whatever cables you can for good visual effect), set all the case connections to the motherboard (power, usb, etc...), install all drives (cd, hd), install GPU, connect all cables to the PC, plug it in and test it out.

Basically the main thing is to make sure you have no shorts, and install everything you can on the motherboard prior to installing it.

What do you mean by "no shorts"; short circuits? If so, how should I prevent these.

[AMDGUY]

Originally Posted by hostage67

Line up your motherboard raisers with the holes in your motherboard, make sure you don't have any extras placed on the case as they can short the motherboard.
.

That's probably one of the most important things for a first timer.
The new case will come with a bag of screws & standoffs (see pic).
The standoffs keep the motherboard from shorting against the case.
Make sure they are placed only in corresponding holes in the motherboard.
Then mount the motherboard with the screws going onto the standoffs.

[hostage67]

Originally Posted by halehaler

What do you mean by "no shorts"; short circuits? If so, how should I prevent these.

Yes, see the above post for a picture of common risers. These risers are typically metal, so if you have an extra one on the mount that doesn't line up with a hole in your motherboard it has the potential to short out your motherboard which is likely to destroy it. This is probably the most common area for destroying a new motherboard.

The other potential area is when connecting your case wires. The speaker, power, LED etc... shouldn't cause any real problems, but if you have a case that requires you to place the individual USB wires make sure they are setup correctly before powering it up. In most cases I think they have changed how the USB is handled and created a block for it instead of requiring you to wire it, but it's possible you may still have one with all the individual wires instead of blocks.

The rest of the assembly is pretty straight forward and relatively low risk. Old school cases used to have you wire in your PSU as well. And that could certainly be fun, but they stopped doing that some time ago.

[DrGuns4Hands]

Little caution from my first build tighten the bolts securing the mobo snug but don't crank them down overtightening caused my computer not to start.

[DC]

You must really dislike your friend if you're going with an AMD build!

Jokes asside, really hope they become competitive again.

[halehaler]

Originally Posted by DC

You must really dislike your friend if you're going with an AMD build!

Jokes asside, really hope they become competitive again.

I hate AMD too. However I was on a tight budget so couldn't afford an i5 pc, so for multi-core future-proofing I felt even the bad AMD was better than a cheap i3. Also the mobos are cheaper too.

Additional Comment:

So with the risers, the most important thing is making they line up in the appropriate MOBO holes for them? otherwise the electricity may go into the wrong bit of the mobo.

[DC]

I'd say if I were going to throw some tips on the general build here I say the following:

- Remove the stock thermal paste some heatsinks come with, get some nail polish remover and q-tips and give the face of the CPU and the heatsink a good cleaning, blow on it till its dry and then apply the thermal paste (get some good thermal paste, AS5 etc, keep the tube yourself as Im sure your mate wont ever be replacing/reseating the heatsink).

- PSUs can make a real mess in a case. Plan your build, the Antec's can be a bit restrictive unless you want to modify the case, so think out how you're going to run all your power cables through the case. Most try and tuck the cables they're using "through" the case and run the cables on the back of the case. The unused cables from the PSU (as you're not modular) you'll need to collect - I'd suggest zip ties and then just stuff them at the bottom of the case in the empty lower HD cages.

As far as AMD goes, you can overclock them to near i5 levels - so its not that bad, though if I had the extra $ I would have gone Sandybridge if it were a mate! lol

RISERS:

You're just going to align them with the pre-drilled spots on the case, you'll see them marked.

You don't have to use ALL of them ok? Just get enough screws in that you feel is sufficient to be stable - just remember that a bit of weight will be hanging off the case (heatsinks, GPU etc) and so you'll need to make sure you're securely screwed into the case.

The risers are there to make sure you're not screwing the MB directly flush against the frame of the case thats all.

[maxgull]

I always assemble the MOBO, CPU. HSF, 1 stick of RAM, HDD, DVD burner, plug in monitior (install vid card if mobo has no onboard) on a wooden table, plug the PSU into all, Plug PSU into wall, short "power button" pins on mobo.
See if everything works BEFORE installing in the case.

I set up the BIOS and install the OS, Drivers etc before ever putting components in the chassis. Too many out of box failures with this stuff.

[DC]

Originally Posted by maxgull

I always assemble the MOBO, CPU. HSF, 1 stick of RAM, HDD, DVD burner, plug in monitior (install vid card if mobo has no onboard) on a wooden table, plug the PSU into all, Plug PSU into wall, short "power button" pins on mobo.
See if everything works BEFORE installing in the case.

I set up the BIOS and install the OS, Drivers etc before ever putting components in the chassis. Too many out of box failures with this stuff.

Thats great advice too.

[halehaler]

Originally Posted by maxgull

I always assemble the MOBO, CPU. HSF, 1 stick of RAM, HDD, DVD burner, plug in monitior (install vid card if mobo has no onboard) on a wooden table, plug the PSU into all, Plug PSU into wall, short "power button" pins on mobo.
See if everything works BEFORE installing in the case.

I set up the BIOS and install the OS, Drivers etc before ever putting components in the chassis. Too many out of box failures with this stuff.

What do you mean by setup the BIOS? I'm familiar with the BIOS, been in there a few times before. But what will I have to do with it?

[hostage67]

Ideally you won't have to do much with the BIOS, but you will want to go into the BIOS and make sure everything is detected properly.

CPU - make sure it is recognized correctly and running at the appropriate speeds, most likely this should be working fine.

RAM - make sure this is recognized correctly and running at the appropriate speeds/voltage, many motherboards can have problems with properly detecting ram.

HD/DVD - Make sure these are recognized in the bios properly, depending on your setup there may be additional settings to use such as RAID and AHCI.

[maxgull]

Originally Posted by halehaler

What do you mean by setup the BIOS? I'm familiar with the BIOS, been in there a few times before. But what will I have to do with it?

Make sure the Date and Time are right in BIOS, otherwise windows updates may not work, as stated above, make sure all drives appear, RAM timings are correct, S3 sleep mode set (this will help the w7 sleep mode operating properly, fingers crossed) .

I set the machine boot order here to CD first, HDD next, so it will try to boot the OS disk you put in the CD drive once you got to the BIOS. F10 to save and reboot, press any key to boot from cd, and you are almost in business.

After the OS is installed, I change the boot order in BIOS to HDD first.

[halehaler]

I have no idea what the issue could be. We've got everything plugged in and when I turn I'm the pc by the switch the gpu psu and all the normal fans start spinning. However when I put the dvi connector into the back of th monitor and turn it on the monitor says its into stand by and turns off

Additional Comment:

I'm pretty sure the issue is something to do with the two 6 pin 12 volt connectors in the gpu. Only one of them fits in, the other one is sort of jammed- yet the gpu fan still runs

[hostage67]

It may not work if you don't have the secondary power hooked up to the GPU. It sounds like your PC is running you just aren't getting any video to the monitor.

First... Shut the PC down and reseat the GPU, and reconnect the power cables, make sure they are hooked up correctly and firmly. When you hook the monitor back up make sure both ends of the cable are connected correctly and that none of the connectors have any bent pins.

[maxgull]

Originally Posted by halehaler

Additional Comment:

I'm pretty sure the issue is something to do with the two 6 pin 12 volt connectors in the gpu. Only one of them fits in, the other one is sort of jammed- yet the gpu fan still runs

Pics?
Do the PS connectors for the GPU say "pci" or "pcie" (printed on plug) not P4? If it don't fit it is likely the wrong plug, GPU 6 or 8 pin? If you have used the P4 in an 8pin gpu, first GPU wont work, second, you have nothing to plug into the CPU/PCI power 4/8 pin (depends on mobo) next to the CPU socket. Double check your wiring.

GPU plugs are 6 pin and have an optional 2pin (some GPUs have 8 pin power), CPU is a 4 pin with an optional 4 pin. So, they can both be 8 pin, and will NOT swap.

[halehaler]

We've figured out the problem and I've got the cable adaptor on order now.

We needed some sort of 8-pin cable to attatch the PSU to the MOBO, this didn't come with the PSU, we just had a load of 4 and 6 pin cables.

I'm getting a 2x4 pin to 8 pin 12v adaptor.