Back to the basics (how to build a PC)

[TooNice]

Well, this is it..
A couple weeks ago I made this thread regarding building a PC.

After various delays (research, delivery delays etc.), I've finally got all the items minus the thermal paste which I am hoping to receive tomorrow.

I made a number of change to the components, added some accessories (e.g. Cordless Desktop), and ended up ordering items from 10 separate online stores. I might expand on both the service and the changes I've made later.
The purpose of this thread though is to ask if anyone knows a decent, "how to put everything together" website.

Previously I've done various upgrades (added/changing HD, video card, memory, various PCI cards and the likes), but I've actually not build a new PC from ground up.

I don't think it'll be particularly complicated. I know roughly where things goes, but there are certain details I am not too sure about. e.g. How to mount the Coolermaster Aero Lite onto the motherboard (there is no instruction whatsoever). Where do I connect the fans (I've heard of 3 pins and 4 pins connector, not sure what those are).
I am sure I can find the "how-tos" for each steps if I look into it..
But it'll be helpful to have a high-level guide, or a "check-list" just to make sure I haven't forgot anything..

[BUFF]

http://www.buildyourown.org.uk/

http://www.motherboards.org/articles...des/924_1.html

http://www.mysuperpc.com/build_a_computer.shtml

& no doubt plenty more

[mightynimrod]

Aero7 lite is dead easy to mount, if you look at the cpu socket at the top and bottom there are 3 lugs at the top and bottom.

You need a big-ish flat bladed screwdriver for this.

Right, seat the cpu in it's socket-apply the thermal paste as per instructions-you only want a very thin layer, now with the cpu seated look at the underside of the Aero7 and you will see a ridge that steps inwards ( i hope your using AMD not intel ) the ridge goes at the top end of the cpu- if you look the cpu socket steps up!
Place the metal connector over the top 3 socket lugs and keeping the Aero7 pretty straight on top of the cpu put the screwdriver in the bottom end of the metal connector (you will need some force ) and push/locate it over the bottom lugs of the cpu socket.

The 3 pin connector that is on the Aero7 is purely for fan speed monitoring so place that to the CPU fan header on your motherboard ( your motherboard manual will give you a diagram of where this is ) and connect the 4 pin molex to a connector of your power supply.

Hope this helps you

[TooNice]

Thanks.
Well, since I bothered to order some Arctic Silver 5, I guess I'll have to remove the thermal pad that came with my Aero Lite.

Thermal pads can be scraped off with a plastic tool that will not scratch the bottom then the remnants can be removed with a xylene based cleaner, (Goof Off and some carburetor cleaners) acetone, mineral spirits, or high-purity isopropyl alcohol.

Okay, so where can I get any of those products?
Preferably a common place (e.g. Boots, pharmacist and places like that.. I don't really want to hunt down a harder to find specialised store if I can help it).
I have some kind of cleaning spirit I bought got from the pharmacist a while back, but I am not sure if that'll do. Apparently, they didn't sell alcohol for fear that people would drink it

Re-clean the heatsink surface with a LINT FREE cloth

Umm, not too sure what is meant by "lint free".. Again, where can I get those?

I might just go for a lil shopping tomorrow, but it'll be nice know where to go in advance.. Additionally, I'll also need to get some anti-static wrist thingy.. Guess I'll have a look at my local computer store (normally, I just ground myself manually by touching the heater/case).

[Zak33]

ATTN "TOO NICE" :

To get the Goo off the bottom of a CPU, get an old CD, and use the edge.....its hard enough, rigid enough, cheap as chips and wont scratch the cpu core. ANd you can keep rotating it, to constantly use a clean edge.

Then, when most is off, use Kitchen Roll (its stonger than bog roll) and rub real hard to get the last little bits off.....then it needs cleaning.

I use... Kitchen roll with GIN......and then I have a little "drinky poo" , then I clean it again with more gin.

Seriously...works a treat.

Wash the HEATSINK in the same way......make sure its IMMACULATE. The heatsink is harder metal, not fragile so its ok to go at it real hard. Get it REALLY CLEAN...

NOW...STATIC STRAP.....get a big long bit of speaker wire, or electric flex etc......strip both ends of it, to the wire.....stick one bit of it UNDER YOUR WATCH STRAP......DONT TIE IT ON.....(if you EVER weirdly got electrocuted through it, it will pull out from under your strap dead easy.....and you wont die )

the OTHER END......earth it on a radiator pipe......radiators are always earther....I use a Crocodile Clip to secure it....or the case chassis IF ITS PLUGGED IN BUT NOT SWITCHED ON AT THE WALL. JUST PLUGGED IN.

ITS FREE...no shopping.

[gamezfreak]

Ah the joys of attaching an Aero 7 Lite.

T'is as simple as tieing your shoe laces.

Grab the cooler and scrape off that crappy thermal pad they give you with something like a CD, insert the CPU into it's socket and lock it in (I guess you know how to do this.) Apply a good serving of thermal paste onto the core, not too thick though!

If you look at your cooler you'll see it has clips on both sides, push one side all the way down, then 'seat' the cooler on top of the CPU - sliding the 'pushed down' clip onto the 3 lugs.

Now the hard part - on the otherside you'll have to use a bit of force with a screwdriver to push the clip onto it.

Once you've done that - push the little 3 pin plug onto your motherboard and the molex connecter to the power supply and your done

[Austin]

See mightynimrod's response above LOL.

Anyway the std gunk on the bottom of a new HS is not awful though certainly inferior to AS/CM compound. So long as you don't detach the HS the std stuff is more than fine, AS/CM is just more desirable for techies. No actual need for a wrist-strap either, even for an occasional PC builder. Just ensure your hands get regularly rubbed over something earthed like a radiator or the metal insides of your PC case (pref when plugged in) and avoid touching static filled things (hair or carpet). A big thing which can help is to only plug the power lead in to the wall when the HSF is attached to the CPU, most modern mobos have an auto-shutoff but some don't. Whenever working inside your PC it's also best to unplug the PC from the wall or flick the switch off (0) on the PSU, then wait 10 secs.

As for cleaning I use a credit/loyalty card and then kitchen towel. To finish off you can use Acetone ... that's nail polish remover. Basically all you need is something heavily alcohol based which will evaporate and not leave a residue. Be sure to use something like kitchen towel or a lint free cloth to apply it sparingly. Leave it a good hour to ensure it is fully dry before you add goo and attach. A lint free cloth is simply a cloth which doesn't leave any fibres behind ... best and cheap is the little cloths people use for cleaning their spectacles.

[TooNice]

Thanks again for the replies

Well, my AS5 didn't arrive today.. So I guess the fully system won't be ready until Monday (*mumbles*).

At least I've got additional time to prepare..

The thermal pads *seems* removed now ( used first a credit card, then some Surgical spirit (Methanol and Ethanol) to clean the remains. Not sure if that thing is strong enough, but at least there is no oil or parfum in it. So hopefully, combined with thorough rubbing, it was sufficient.

Unfortunately, I my HS came with a vertical scratch (most of the lines on the HS are horizontal).
Its not very deep, I can't even feel it properly. Certainly not as deep as the gap between the cooper center and the aluminium.
Hopefully, it won't have too much of a negative impact..

Still, since I've got more time, I might as well look into "lapping". Where can I get suitable sand paper for the task (offline preferably) and is it a dangerous task?
I don't want to end up with 1000 scratches all over the HS

[TooNice]

Umm.. After searching through the forum, I guess that the "Wet And Dry" from Halford is what I am looking for. I'd get the KustomPC lapping kit, the £10 doesn't bother me that much, but I don't want to wait for yet another day

Quite conveniently, I found out that there is a Halford just 0.85 mile away
Guess I'll do a (2x) 8 min jog tomorrow morning

[SilentDeath]

wouldnt bother with a static strap tbh, if you touch your case every 20 mins while building, and before you pic anything up your shuld be fine (assumeing your case is grounded - mount the psu and plug it in, dont turn it on though untill uve finished - with atx ones you cant anyway... [note: unplug it before you plug the mobo conenctors in, as that can turn the psu on, and probly wont damage anything, but can be scary])

static straps are a good way to get electricuted aswell... although youd need to touch a live conductor or a large capacitor it does happen. with static straps, youd usually wear it on the hand your not working with - bad idea, as any current that goes into your working hand will exit through the other, meaning it goes past your heart and could kill you.

if lapping anyhitng, its a good idea to do it over a sink with plenty of water, cos its messy. water will make it easyer, and make it better once youve finnished, and will stop all the metal form becoming dust in the air, which isnt nice to breath in, also your wet and dry paper would last longer... its best to start with a low grit, like 280 (for anodised heatsinks anyway) and work upto 1500grit.. though 600 grit is fine.. try to go in circles to get an even finnish and not have a brushed look to it.. shinyer the better (aslong as the surface is flat - i have the kustompcs one, the galss is v usefull...)
lapping isnt really woth the effort if the base is almost flat, which yours sounds like it is... and if its a part alu heatsink then its not going to be great anyway... this is my gfx card waterblock ive just made, the shiny metal is silver

http://www.uploadit.org/files2/07110...0materials.JPG
(not fin yet!)

f you EVER weirdly got electrocuted through it, it will pull out from under your strap dead easy.....and you wont die

unless u mean static shocks, which are harmless (but can be annoying) than any shock can kill you. to get a shock it would have to be over 100v either dc or ac, and atleast 5ma current, and cos u will lose control of your muscles, theres not much chance of pulling it out easly.... best to let go of what evers live instead of ground actaully...

clean heatsinks and cpus with bog paper... fold it up so you can get the edges aswell... i also have a habbit of grounding tissue before using it to clean cpus... if theres much visible paste left after teh tissue has wiped it, then its in need of lapping (i got about 5c lower temps from my slk800 after )

Zak33 - stop wasting gin! just drink it!!!

[iamwhoiam]

if you have any alcoholic medical pads, they work nicely, just make sure u give it a rub with a lint free cloth later (but usually the alcohol evaporates)

[TooNice]

By the way...

How many times can you re-use sandpaper?

I am thinking of getting a kit from KustomPCs.
But if I can only use the kit once or twice, it won't be worth it at all.

(especially considering that my current HS costed around £11 - Its a bit overkill to spend another £10 just to polish it )

[Trickle]

Originally posted by |SilentDeath|
if you touch your case every 20 mins while building

This will require you to leave the power 'kettle plug' conencted to a wall socket (etc) - but with the power turned off - either ideally at wall or with PSU rear switch. So perhaps put the PSU in the case as a first step.

Edit: [not sure if this is mentioned above] Insert the cpu and ram into the mobo and put the paste and heatsink on before you put the mobo in the case. Do this on a flat surface such as a kitchen table - perhaps on the case door if its not got a removable tray etc. So whilst the mobo isnt in the case, you can still touch the case (/w PSU already in it plugged in) every so often to destatic.

[TooNice]

Umm, I ended up touching the heater every 5 minutes or so

Or every time I touched something else while I was inserting the motherboard/RAM.

[Trickle]

Originally posted by TooNice
How many times can you re-use sandpaper?

Sandpaper!? If this is your first time building a pc, I wouldnt suggest doing blow holes etc just yet!

[TooNice]

For heatsink lapping...
It is sandpaper you use, right?

No way I am making holes into my Black Widow