~ Hey newbies ~ Never built a computer before...? : )

[mechBgon]

Photo guide for first-time computer builders!

Update: Vegetto has contributed a whole page of Pentium4 setup photos with commentary, and a video clip showing the latch-down of the P4 heatsink!

 

[txxxx]

Too much time on your hands?

Anyway, bold out the part about the "manuals" , also please place a note that having no CPU thermal paste/pad will NOT kill a cpu...as a few (idiots) have said before

 

[Gurck]

Very, very nice! A friend of mine who's never built one before is about to for the first time, and is one of those people whose IQ diminishes the closer he gets to a pc.. this will be a godsend for him, thank you

 

[phreaqe]

that is a very usefull guide. i have buult my own system 3 times and i never thought of the credit card trick to protect the motherboard. i will use that in the future to save me from damaging my MB. i like how most of the pictures are ery hi res so that you can see in detail waht you are trying to point out.

very good and easy to follow design.

i may have missed it but you should mention cooling in there somewhere

 

[screw3d]

Want me to 1337-ify that for you again?

 

[ElFenix]

heat sink is two words

 

[someone16]

Just one thing, and that is stuff shouldn't be put on top of anti static bags, they are only made for putting stuff in. Keep it in there until you need it out.

IMO very good guide nonetheless.

 

[RaynorWolfcastle]

I'll put my replies in point form for readability's sake:
[*]Very nice guide!
[*]Ground yourself!!! You should always connect the PSU to the wall and turn the switch to off before building!! This grounds the case and diminishes the risk of ESD damage. I also touch the ESD-safe bag of each component onto a metallic part of the case to make sure there will be no static later. Definitely put a note in about this, you could also put a note in about using an ESD bracelet if you want to be even more sure about static.

[*]You should put in a step to fire up the motherboard with only the RAM, CPU, and video. If it POSTs ok, then continue onwards, otherwise recheck everything (in particular grounding and placement of the standoffs).
[*]Showing how to install a PSU would be nice, since some cases don't come with a PSU. Maybe add that when you get a chance?
[*]Make a point of mentioning to beware of sharp case edges. First time builders could be surprised at how easily mangled you can get trying to put together a computer

[*]Snacks shouldn't be greasy/make sure to wash hands between building time and snacking. Greasy hands + small screws = pain in the ass.
[*]You're a hairy beast!

 

[InlineFive]

It's good! However I want to point out that not all motherboards will "catch" a processor before it overheats. You may want to point out that this feature is more common on newer K7 motherboards and all K8, P4 motherboards.

-Por

 

[Sahrin]

I know it's not supposed to be, but I found a lot of that hilarious (particularly the line about subarus...former subaru owner here!).

That's a great guide...I don't know what to say aside from that.

 

[Wolfsraider]

this will help a lot of folks around here, and i wouldn't be suprised to see it floating in the far reaches of cyberspace as well in the not to distant future.

great job

very nice pics as well...What camera are you using?

thanks for the guide

mike

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: txxxx
Too much time on your hands?

Hey, it keeps me outta the bars Are you saying it's ok to use a heatsink with neither thermal compound nor a thermal patch, just bare metal on bare silicon? 'Cause I'm afraid I don't agree with that :Q

Originally posted by: screw3d
Want me to 1337-ify you that again?

Does it still not work in non-IE browsers? I went and did some research and I thought I had ironed out my mistake. Hold off for now and I'll run it through MS Word if it still doesn't work at all. If it works but just looks plain, that's good enough for me.

Originally posted by: RaynorWolfcastle
You're a hairy beast!

Yeah, you might say that I'll give the grounding issue more coverage up front, and add the part about doing a function check outside the case before throwing in extra variables by mounting the stuff in the case.

And thanks for the other inputs too, they are all noted And here I thought this post was going to drift off the page for lack of interest...

 

[screw3d]

Originally posted by: mechBgon
Does it still not work in non-IE browsers? I went and did some research and I thought I had ironed out my mistake. Hold off for now and I'll run it through MS Word if it still doesn't work at all. If it works but just looks plain, that's good enough for me.

I'm surprised.. what's not working? It worked fine on Firefox for me? Anyway yea.. I'll hold off till you have the final version up

 

[Wolfsraider]

lol at the avatar pic


very nice

 

[RaynorWolfcastle]

How did you manage to quote Cerb for my reply in a thread where he hasn't posted?

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: RaynorWolfcastle
How did you manage to quote Cerb for my reply in a thread where he hasn't posted?

LOL, by manually goofing it up You and he both use the Wolf avatar and I was manually inserting the names for the second and third quotes. Fixing that right now, and thanks again for the input

 

[fireontheway]

very nice guide! will Episode 2 include improving case airflow and organizing cables?

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: fireontheway
very nice guide! will Episode 2 include improving case airflow and organizing cables?

Hehe, check out the Lian-Li modding page and the cable-sleeving page here and see if I'm gettin' warm

 

[Bonesdad]

Need beer, lots of beer...

 

[Genero]

A friend and I want to build our 1st pc in a few months and your guide will be invaluable. Thank you!

 

[tomstevens26]

Good job! I don't have any changes to mention other than some of the stuff already pointed out. Also, good idea about that credit card. I've used a screwdriver with the tip wrapped in electric tape before, but the credit card idea seems a lot better (and more available). I've already sent the link to a few friends of mine that I've built for in the past. Not that I mind building for them, but, well, you guys know...

Tom

 

[Peter D]

Very nice What kinda DigiCam do you use?

 

[mechBgon]

ooops, dp

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: Vegetto
Very nice What kinda DigiCam do you use?

Canon A60 :heart: I have one of those little low-budget flex-leg desktop tripods they sell at Newegg, and also a ~$40 full-sized Canon tripod that I used more. Since I want to get natural-looking non-flash photos, I need the tripods to keep the camera steady enough for the low shutter speeds involved. Typically I shot these at f8.0, ISO 50, and shutter speeds of around 1/2 second to 1 second, with time-delayed shutter release so I could get my hands off the camera after pressing the button.

 

[cowdog]

Blue Sky Grapefruit soda. Much better than Brisk!!

Very nice guide. Impressively thorough.