How to: Build a PC

These days, it’s fairly obvious that owning a PC is necessary, not only for business purposes, but for day-to-day life. Who could survive without one? It is with this mind that we provide you with a step-by-step guide, created by IDG News Service’s Nick Barber, on how exactly to build a PC.

The guide covers each step from choosing your components and installing the motherboard, to installing the drives and configuring the BIOS.

Some may already have a PC yet it is in need of a revamp, in that case, read our guide: Your old computer, born again.

Part One: Choosing your components

This article is the first in a series of how-to stories on building a computer. For a video version of part one, click here.

There are some advantages to building your own PC, like picking out the exact parts you want and building it to your own specifications. It's also going to cost less than buying a computer from a typical retail outlet.

One of the drawbacks of building your own system is that rather than the full system being under a single warranty, each individual part has a warranty under its manufacturer. If something goes wrong, it may mean contacting each company separately.

The PC we're building will be built for video editing, so there will be a lot of high-end components, but regardless, every computer needs certain parts.

The motherboard is the control centre of the PC, where most of the components and chips plug into. When buying a motherboard, make sure it has the correct number and sizes of sockets for your CPU, memory and other cards. We chose the EVGA E760 Intel X58 motherboard, for about US$420.

When unboxing components, most parts will come in antistatic bags. It's important to keep them in these bags until you're ready to assemble. Static shocks can ruin PC components, so be sure to ground yourself by touching metal before handling a component, or by wearing an antistatic wrist strap.

Next is the processor, which is the brains of the PC. We chose an Intel Core i7-980X. It's a 3.33-GHz, six-core desktop processor. It also has hyperthreading, which means there will effectively be 12 processing cores for the computer. This would be overkill on a traditional desktop, but since we'll be editing video with it, the 12 cores will be very useful. For this particular CPU, Intel included a cooling fan, heat sink and thermal paste. You could use them, but we opted to buy our own. The CPU cost about $US1,000.

After the CPU, RAM is one of the most important components of a PC. If you're installing a 32-bit operating system, it will only be able to use 3 gigabytes of memory. If you're installing a 64-bit OS, then memory is only limited by your budget. Memory is important, especially if you plan to run multiple high-powered applications. We chose 16GB of DDR3 SDRAM from GSkill. It cost about $730.

For our graphics processor, we chose an Nvidia Quadro FX 3800. It's designed to take advantage of the Mercury Playback Engine in Adobe Premiere CS5. That means that some of the video rendering will be off-loaded from the CPU and onto the GPU, resulting in faster export time and real-time effects processing. The card has its own built-in fan as well as one DVI and two HDMI outputs. It cost about $800.

For optical drives we purchased both an internal Blu-ray player and burner as well as a traditional CD-ROM drive and burner. The benefit to having two optical drives is that it makes it easier to copy discs. With a Blu-ray burner it's possible to burn 1080p video and play it back on a Blu-ray disc player. The Pioneer Blu-ray disc/DVD/CD writer cost about $US200 and the Lite-On 24x DVD writer with Lightscribe cost about $US32.

Many PCs usually have a single hard disc drive, but for our computer we will be installing three. The first one is a Western Digital VelociRaptor 150GB, 10,000 RPM SATA 3Gb/s drive. That means that the storage capacity is 150GB. It spins at 10,000 revolutions per minute, which is fast for a drive, and its data transfer speed is 3 gigabits per second. We plan to install our operating system and Adobe CS5 on this drive. We also considered installing a solid state drive, but because of cost, storage capacity and reliability concerns, we decided to install a traditional drive. The other two drives are Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 7200 RPM 6Gb/s drives. That will give us two terabytes of storage and fast data transfer. The first drive cost about $US150 and the last two cost about $100 each.

Our motherboard and case have some USB ports, but we wanted to add more. We bought a Rosewill USB 2.0 adapter that has five USB ports. It will plug into our motherboard and add five ports on the back of our case and one port on the inside. It cost $US12.

On the front of our case, we'll add a card reader with five slots that can handle more than 30 types of media cards like SD, compact flash, MicroSD and others. It also includes one extra USB port. The Koutech all-in-one card reader cost $US20.

As mentioned before, we decided to choose an after-market fan and heat sink to cool our CPU. It's important to buy a powerful enough fan so that the CPU doesn't overheat. For our system we chose the Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 for about $US40. We also bought Arctic Silver 5 thermal compound for about $US10.

The last internal component for the system is the power supply. Power supplies are measured in watts, and for our high-end system we chose a Silverstone ST1000-P modular active PFC power supply. The nice feature about this unit is that you only have to attach the plugs that you need. In some power supplies all of the wires are permanently attached to the unit, so the leftover ones that aren't used end up sitting bundled in the bottom of the case. It cost about $US190.

In addition to the main hardware components of the PC, you may want to consider some peripherals. We already have two monitors and a keyboard, so we don't need to buy them. We instead bought a Logitech S-220 17-watt 2.1 speaker system for about $US30, an eight-button Logitech MX 518 wired optical mouse for $US43, a Logitech C600 2-megapixel USB webcam for $70, a Cirago BTA-6210 USB Bluetooth dongle for $25, a 20-count of blank Blu-ray discs for $US30, and a Hauppauge dual TV tuner card for $US115.

To house all of the components we chose a full-size tower, the Cooler Master Cosmos 1000 for $US170, because it had a number of features we liked. It has four built-in cooling fans, enough bays to install up to six hard drives internally and five bays on the front panel. On the top of the case are four USB ports, a firewire and E-SATA port, and microphone and headphone jacks. The case also has sound deadening.

The two main pieces of software for the PC are Windows 7 Ultimate, the top tier of Microsoft's newest OS, as well as Adobe Production Premium CS5. Windows 7 cost $US285 and the CS5 upgrade cost $US570.

In total, the parts cost about $US5,225, plus shipping and applicable taxes.

The next article in the series discusses installing a motherboard.

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Part Two: Installing the motherboard

This article is the second in a series of how-to stories on building a computer. For a video version of part two, click here.

The motherboard, sometimes abbreviated "mobo," is the most basic part of the PC, but also one of the most important as all of your internal components will interact with it. Our motherboard is an EVGA E760 Intel X58. It supports our Intel Core i7 processor, fast DDR3 RAM, has multiple high-speed PCI-Express slots and a number of external ports like USB, Firewire and E-SATA.

This motherboard is an EATX board, which tells us what kind of case it can fit into. Since we purchased a full-size case, there should be no problem fitting it.

First, determine what screw holes you'll be using to attach your motherboard to your case. There is usually a template included with your motherboard that will tell you what holes to use with what kind of case.

Then locate the brass screws that came with your case and screw them into the holes that match the hole layout on your motherboard. These brass screws let the motherboard sit away from the metal on your case.

Take the accompanying port panel that shipped with the motherboard and insert it into the back of the case. The port panel is motherboard-specific and allows the motherboard ports --USB, Ethernet, etc.-- to be accessed from the back of your case. It also functions as a barrier to keep dirt and dust from entering the case.

Lining up the motherboard with the brass screws and the port panel you just installed, proceed to screw down the motherboard. Use the correct screws as indicated by your manual and make sure each screw is securely tightened. The screws should be snug, but not too tight otherwise you could crack your motherboard.

When you're done, you can begin installing your other components.

Part three discusses installing the processor.

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Part Three: Installing the CPU

This article is the third in a series of how-to stories on building a computer. For a video version of part three, click here.

After seating the motherboard it's time to install the CPU, or the brains of the computer. The processor is delicate so handle it by the edges and be sure to discharge any static electricity before picking it up. You can do this by touching a piece of grounded metal or by wearing an antistatic wrist strap that is attached to grounded metal.

First, locate the socket on the motherboard. We're installing an Intel Core i7-980x and it uses what's called an LGA 1366 socket. When buying parts, make sure you buy a processor that fits the correct socket type or vice versa.

On the motherboard, release the socket latch on the side, open the hinge, and remove the plastic protector.

Carefully insert the processor into the socket. Be sure to orient the processor in the right direction or you could damage it or the motherboard. In the case of the i7, it can only be inserted one direction.

After it's firmly seated, close the hinge and secure the latch. It may take a bit of force to close the latch, but don't worry, this is normal.

Then apply thermal compound before attaching the cooling bracket to the motherboard. The Intel processor included thermal compound in the package, but we purchased Arctic Silver 5. Thermal compound is a gel that's applied to the processor between it and the heat sink. If your heat sink comes with it preapplied, remove it before using your own.

Apply a fair amount on to the processor but not too much. Use something clean with a straight edge to smooth the paste, making sure that there aren't any gaps.

After the paste is evenly applied, you can install your cooling fan bracket. Again, Intel included a cooling fan, but we purchased an after-market setup, the Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro.

The bracket goes over the motherboard socket and plastic pins are used to secure each of the four corners. Then seat the heat sink and fan straight down onto the processor. We then used a screw on each side to attach the sink and fan to the bracket. If you've applied too much thermal compound then it will ooze out the sides when the heat sink is screwed down. If this happens, wipe away the excess.

Don't forget to connect the fan's power to the CPU fan header on the motherboard.

The next article in the series discusses installing memory and cards.

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Part Four: Adding RAM and cards

This article is the fourth in a series of how-to stories on building a computer. For a video version of part four, click here.

Besides the processor, a few other components will plug into the motherboard. The RAM, also known as memory, is important for storing information while your applications and operating system are running. The more RAM, the more applications that can run simultaneously. You may also notice that your computer is generally more responsive with more RAM. For video editing, we'll need a lot, so we've gone with 16GB of Quad Channel DDR3 RAM. Make sure you buy the appropriate type of RAM for your motherboard. When handling the RAM be sure to beware of static discharge. Always touch a metal piece of the case before touching a component or wear an anti-static wrist strap.

Locate the RAM slots on your motherboard. The motherboard we're using has six of them, but we'll only be using the first four, from left to right. Be sure to reference your motherboard's manual to determine what order you can use the slots. Do not insert the RAM into slots at random.

RAM only fits one direction, so make sure it's oriented correctly and then press down firmly. If you've inserted it correctly the little latches on the sides will snap into place on their own. Repeat this process for any remaining memory.

Peripheral cards, like our Nvidia Quadro FX3800 video card, are installed similarly.

First, determine which slot to use. For the Quadro, we want to use the 16x PCI-Express slot. Unscrew and remove the slot cover from the back of the case that lines up with the PCI Express slot. Insert your video card with the ports facing out the back of the case and press down firmly. The card should fit snugly in the slot. Remember to secure the card with the screw you took out previously. It may take a little force to line the card up with the whole for the screw, but that is normal. It's important to secure the card because if it moves while you're computing, it won't perform well, or at all.

Aside from the video card, we also installed a TV tuner and additional USB ports. They can be installed the same way.

The next article in the series discusses connecting the power supply.

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Part Five: Connecting the PSU

This article is the fifth in a series of how-to stories on building a computer. For a video version of part five, click here.

The power supply you pick should be able to sufficiently power all of your components. High-end video cards and multiple hard drives can especially draw a lot of power. Mid-range systems should work well with 500 watts and 800 watts is usually good enough for higher end systems, but we decided to buy a 1,000-watt power supply. We also chose a single rail 12-volt setup, which leads to a more stable power output.

The power supply we bought, the Silverstone ST1000-P, has a special feature known as modular cabling. This allows you to plug in the cables you want to use, and leave off the ones you don't. Using a traditional power supply typically meant leaving unused cables bundled at the bottom of your case.

For our computer case, the power supply mounts at the bottom. There's also a vent, so be sure to turn the power supply and mount it with the fan facing out. In some cases, the fan has to stay towards the inside.

After screwing the power supply firmly to the case, start attaching the power cables. For our build, we'll be using the main motherboard connector, the two additional motherboard connectors, a SATA power cable for the hard drives, another SATA power cable for the optical drives, a power cable for the video card and an older style power connector for the case fans.

Connect each to the power supply and snake them through the case to the different connection spots on your components.

The next article in the series discusses installing drives.

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Part Six: Inserting the drives

This article is the sixth in a series of how-to stories on building a computer. For a video version of part six, click here.

After installing the motherboard, adding cards and a processor, it's time to install the computers drives. You can select any number of configurations, but we decided to install three hard drives and two optical drives.

All our drives are SATA, which is the method of connection. You may see some older drives marked as IDE.

Our primary hard drive is a Western Digital150GB 10,000 RPM VelociRaptor. We will be installing Windows 7 and our primary applications like Adobe CS5 to this drive.

The other two drives are 7200 RPM storage drives at one terabyte each. We will use these to store all of our video footage and other files.

The Cooler Master case that we bought has pull-out, hard drive trays.

First, unscrew the tray and pull it out using its handle. Then slide the drive into the tray securing it with the provided screws.

Carefully slide the tray back into the case. We did this two more times and spaced out the drives so that they have room to breathe. Hard drives can get very warm and heat can shorten a drive's life.

We also decided to have two SATA optical drives, a Blu-ray burner and a DVD burner. To install the optical drives, we need to remove the front panels from the case. Every case is a little bit different, but after removing the panels, you'll probably need to twist and force the metal blockers from the bays. Be careful, as the corners on the metal can be very sharp.

Then simply slide each of the optical drives into the bays and line them up so they're flush with the front of the case. On our case, the bays have a button to press to secure them in place with friction. Other cases may need screws to secure the drives.

Using the SATA cables included with your motherboard, attach one end to each drive and then feed them to the SATA headers on your motherboard. We made sure to attach our primary hard drive to the SATA Zero port for easier initial booting.

The next and final article in the series discusses setting up the BIOS.

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Part Seven: Configuring the BIOS

This article is the seventh and final in a series of how-to stories on building a computer. For a video version or part seven, click here.

Configuring the BIOS is going to be one of the final steps to setting up a new PC. The BIOS is software built on to the motherboard that manages the installed hardware.

On first boot, you'll likely receive an error message. That's because BIOS settings need to be configured.

Our EVGA motherboard uses Phoenix AwardBIOS, and we have categories called Standard CMOS Features and Advanced BIOS Features.

Selecting Standard CMOS allows the time and date to be set. It also presents us with a list of connected hard drives and optical drives. If one of your drives is missing you may want to check your connections. At the bottom it also displays how much RAM is installed. If the actual installed RAM and this number differ, then check and make sure the memory is seated properly on the motherboard.

Advanced BIOS Features will allow us to pick the order in which our drives are checked on startup. For the initial setup of Windows, we're going to set the CD-ROM drive to boot first because that's where our Windows 7 setup disc will be. After Windows is installed, change this setting back to your primary hard drive.

The other categories in the BIOS will vary by motherboard. The BIOS will let you adjust more advanced settings like your RAM timings or the voltage to your processor for overclocking. We won't be discussing that, though because every configuration is different.

When done with the BIOS settings, insert the operating system setup disc into the CD-ROM drive. Save your settings and exit the BIOS. Your computer will then restart and the Windows installer should load. After installing the OS, enjoy your new PC!

Now that you have completed the most essential part of the process, building your PC, you want to use and enjoy it. Why not learn how to watch Blu-ray movies on your PC, or how to install Firefox 3.6.6 in Ubuntu Linux?.

You could also read our guide to Windows 7 security, learn how to make your new PC hassle free or disaster proof your PC.