Scared of build

[ElCapitan]

For a while now I've been thinking of building my own PC but with all this electro-static electricity stuff I'm a bit scared that I'll mess it up and the last thing I want is to spend £165 on processor only to bugger it up,in otherwords how difficult is it to safely build a PC without breaking everything before powering up....

[Andy3536]

Very easy

Anti static wristbands are very cheap and if you use it you should be fine.

[CrazyMonkey]

It is very easy to build a pc safely. You need some common sense and patience.

Regarding the electro-static stuff, the static electricity does not pose a high threat. Discharge yourself by touching the PSU (Mounted in Case) before you handle components, other than that if you are really concerned you can buy an Anti-Static wristband for under £5 from ebuyer.

If you are buying an Intel processor (Core 2 Duo, Quad) then installing it is extremely simple - You open the socket on the motherboard place the indented side of the CPU with the correct side of the socket then simply close the socket covering, press down (reasonable force) and install CPU HSF.

Just take your time and keep patient, things do go wrong but everything can be fixed

If you need any more information feel free to ask.

[Zak33]

Just take your time and keep patient, things do go wrong but everything can be fixed

If you need any more information feel free to ask.

this is imortant....

but so is buying nice stuff. Your biggest enemy is CHEAP POWER SUPPY's. Your second biggest enemy is crap ram.

Other than that . we'll help.

As for Static....get a piece of wire, strip one end, tie it to a radiator pipe, but make sre it's touching a bit of metal, not paint. (radiators and central heating systems are always earthed, cos they can create static too)

Strip the other end of the wire, and tuck it into your watch strap.

Done.

[usxhe190]

building a pc is just a little bit more difficult than assembling a bed/shelf or making a model...

I would recommend two things:
1. anti-static wrist band
2. read the manuals (people sometimes forget - sort of like builidng ikea furniture)

[Lucio]

As long as you don't try and force anything into place, there's little chance of damaging things. ESD is a potential problem, but earthing yourself before building is normally sufficiant. Out of all the tasks, the only one you really have to watch is the heatsink application, it's not too bad if you're using the Intel stock cooler as it has a thermal pad and is fairly simple to fit, but many of the enthusiast models have different methods of fitting that can cause problems.

[LuckyNV]

with regards to static, place components on a clean solid work surface or anti-static bags if not possible, your case side panel is ideal, don't wear fluffy woolly clothing, wear short sleeved tops or roll up those sleeves.

[Mithrandir]

I bought an anti static wristband but hardly used it. Not sure where it is now though.
I always go into my PCs or handling parts, just make sure you ground yourself (touch a huge metallic object like radiator or as mentioned earlier the PSU or if your case is metallic - touch that)

Just take your time and all should be fine.

Read up as much as poss on the parts you have.

Turn to these pages if you're not sure.
Good luck!

[shadowmaster]

this is imortant....

Your biggest enemy is CHEAP POWER SUPPY's.

Done.

I agree,

Also set aside a couple of hours in which you will not be disturbed, ie no kids, no wife nagging you, etc.

Oh yeah (as usxhe190 said) read the manual, in my days of ignorance I tried to install a motherboard without the standoffs.

Besides that building a pc is pretty easy, and if you make any mistakes you can always ask for help here.

[moogle]

this is imortant....

but so is buying nice stuff. Your biggest enemy is CHEAP POWER SUPPY's. Your second biggest enemy is crap ram.

Other than that . we'll help.

As for Static....get a piece of wire, strip one end, tie it to a radiator pipe, but make sre it's touching a bit of metal, not paint. (radiators and central heating systems are always earthed, cos they can create static too)

Strip the other end of the wire, and tuck it into your watch strap.

Done.

or when the psu and mobo are screwed in and plugged in but off you can just touch the case

cheap psus are your enemy when your buying it seperately from all your major components. if you get a cheap one with all your bits from one retailer and it all goes boom they have to replace it. althought it will take sooo long. so its not really worth it anyway.

[ElCapitan]

Thanks alot for all the quick replies and great advice, I'll let you know how it goes.

[Whiternoise]

Oh yeah (as usxhe190) and read the manual, in my days of ignorance I tried to install a motherboard without the standoffs.

My mobo is installed without standoffs

Didn't realise they were supposed to go in and i wondered why the board was a bit bendy when it was in.. it's lasted thus far and hopefully will continue until Christmas

[shadowmaster]

My mobo is installed without standoffs

Didn't realise they were supposed to go in and i wondered why the board was a bit bendy when it was in.. it's lasted thus far and hopefully will continue until Christmas

Lol, it looks like my days of ignorance are still continuing.

EDIT- However to be on the safe side I think you should use standoffs.

[ElCapitan]

Hehe I think I will use standoffs, and what do you think of anti-static mats.

[Andy3536]

Hehe I think I will use standoffs, and what do you think of anti-static mats.

For buildng a home PC a little over the top.

[hse180]

I was a little afraid at first too, done a lot of reading and asked a few ?'s on here and people help as they can And by joining Hexus i managed to get a whole lot of info and a healthy over clock to boot