Assignment 20 - Christian Lauritzen

How-To: Make a Computer

Many believe making a computer out of separately purchased parts is something only a Computer Hardware major or overly obsessed nerd is capable of.  However, little do these many know, it is actually relatively simple so long as you do the correct research beforehand.  It may look long, but if you follow every step, you should have a working computer in no time.  With that in mind, I present this short guide to having your own homemade computer (PLEASE KEEP IN MIND BUILDING A COMPUTER IS A TRIAL AND ERROR PROCESS, YOU WILL MAKE MISTAKES, YOU MAY THINK SOMETHING IS BROKEN, BUT IF SOMETHING DOESN'T WORK JUST STAY CALM AND RETRACE YOUR STEPS OR GET SOMEONE TO HELP YOU, ODDS ARE YOU JUST DID SOMETHING SMALL INCORRECTLY).

1. Don't try to make a Mac or a Laptop - Steve Jobs had a vision of entirely proprietary parts and extremely untinkering-friendly design so as to make his computers compact and visually attractive on the inside.  While this is nice and all, you aren't capable of using this design scheme.  However, if you are so inclined, you can download Mac OS onto your brand new computer and it should work just fine.  The same goes for any laptop minus the inside being visually attractive.  The parts are too small and the engineering too complicated, so I strongly advise you not to attempt building one.

2. Research the parts you want - Desktop computers can range from a couple hundred to a couple thousand dollars in total, so it is important that you figure out what you want beforehand.  Lucky for you, you are building a computer, so you can already shave off a couple hundred dollars off of whatever your final price point would be.  It is important to keep in mind that there are many different connectors, drivers, cords, inputs, and whole slew of other things that are needed to be the same to try to ensure compatibility.  With that being said, there are many websites that automatically allow you to select the parts you want, making sure all of them are compatible, and shipping them all to you for you to assemble.  Personally I would recommend www.pcpartpicker.com.  Now here are the parts you will need:

    - Motherboard
    - Processor
    - Thermal paste
    - Processor cooling fan
    - Power Supply
    - Hard Drive
    - Case
    - More fans
    - RAM
    - Graphics Card (If you are doing graphically intensive work like video editing or games)
    - Optical Drive (If you still use discs and need a way to put them in your computer)
    - An Operating System of your choice (Windows, OSX, Linux, etc.)
    - Monitor (If you don't already have one)
    - Peripherals that you may not already own
    - Various cords and wires you may not already own (most of them will come with the stuff you order online)

3. Assemble your computer - (IMPORTANT NOTE, IT IS POSSIBLE TO BREAK PARTS, MAKE SURE THE ROOM YOU WORK IN HAS LOW STATIC ELECTRICITY OR MAKE SURE TO PERIODICALLY GROUND YOURSELF TO NOT FRY ANYTHING).  Now the hard part is done.  Once you have waited a couple of weeks and all of your parts have arrived, it is time to begin putting your machine together.  First, get out some tools (screwdriver, pliers, etc.) get out your motherboard.  Everything you just bought will plug right into it, making it relatively easy to assemble.  It makes it easier to assemble with everything outside of the case first, so leave the case alone for now and begin work on a grounded surface.  Begin by placing your processor in the processor port (the gold plated square in the middle).  Use the hinge to close it tightly, but make sure it is on correctly, as bending the pins will void your warranty and cost you a hefty sum of money.  Place a pea-sized drop of thermal paste on the top plate of the processor, place your processor cooling fan on top of it, push it down to spread the paste, screw it into the motherboard, plug the fan into the motherboard, and that part is done.  Next, plug your Graphics Card into the long port below the processor and lock it in place.  Plug in any cords that need to be.  Take your sticks of RAM and plug them into the provided slots, locking them in place as well.  Put your hard drive and optical drive to the side and plug in any necessary cords from them into the motherboard.  If you also purchased extra fans, lock those in your case and plug them into your motherboard.  The last thing you need to connect is your power supply.  Do so by making sure every part that needs power receives it from the power supply, including the motherboard itself.  Not all parts will, so this will depend on which you bought, make sure to research beforehand which of your parts will need power.  Once everything has been installed, open your case and put it on its side and carefully place everything you just assembled into it.  The Graphics Card and Motherboard should have slots in the back of the case to line up with.  There should also be slots to slide in your hard drive and optical drive in the front and your power supply in the back.  Once set, carefully screw in all necessary screws to make sure all of the parts are safely connected to the side of the case or the slot the part was put in, you don't want gravity breaking your machine.  Once everything is safely connected and in the case, close it up and put it in a cool, dry location.

4. (OPTIONAL STEP) Make the inside look good - The vast majority of computer builders will ignore the step, to the anger of a few, but in case that OCD impulse in the back of your head is driving you insane, you may choose to get some zip ties and other binding materials to organize all of the loose cables you just randomly connected to parts.  Not only does it make the machine look pretty, but it makes things easier for you if you need to crack it open again to fix or upgrade a part.  You may also optionally purchase and install some LCD lights into your computer to make it look like a mini rave in your computer.

5. Power it on, plug in your peripherals, and install your OS - For many this can be the most agitating step.  For this part, flip the power switch on the power supply and plug the provided cable into it then into the wall.  The computer shouldn't be on right now.  Plug in your mouse, keyboard, and monitor, and press the power button on the front.  If it didn't, turn off the power supply and unplug/replug different parts in the computer until it works again.  This is the most agitating part because computers rarely work the first time, but luckily it is probably your fault, not a malfunctioning parts fault.  Once it fires up for the first time (which may take a while), it should bring you to the BIOS settings.  Unless you are trying to overclock it or do something else which requires messing with your motherboard, you can ignore most of this.  Depending on your motherboard, you may not need to do this step, but find the setting where you need to tell the motherboard to accept an OS and plug the storage device it is on into your computer.  You may need to research how to do this with your motherboard, but it should download the OS and boot up normally into the OS.  This may not work properly as well so make sure your Hard Drive is properly attached and repeat until it works.  Once the OS activates properly, you should have a working computer.  Various small settings may be off, but they should be simple to change in the regular settings on your computer.

And with all that completed. congratulations, you now have a computer for hundreds of dollars cheaper than you could get it if you bought it pre-assembled.

NOTE - If something doesn't work and you just can't figure out why, don't be afraid to have someone else look at it.  Odds are you did something small incorrectly and it is just stopping anything from happening.  I recommend the Geek Squad at BestBuy.  If the issue is small, they won't charge you, and everyone I've worked with there has been able to fix my mistake pretty quickly.