How to Build a Computer

If you've never built a computer (which is likely because you're reading this), then I highly suggest you do if not for the learning experience, then for the fact that it's nearly 500 dollars cheaper to build your own than buying a computer from a manufacturer; however, if you also need to buy an OS, the price may be closer. Regardless, it's still a great learning experience about how computers work.

You'll need to buy some things before we get started. A lot of the items work no matter what computer parts you have, in this case, if you already have them, you don't need to buy the parts.

Motherboard
Processor
Ram
Hard Drive *works with most*
Video Card *works with most*
Power Supply *works with most*
Case *works with most*
CD/DVD Drive *works with all*
Keyboard/Mouse *works with all*

Before going on, make sure you an Operating System that you can install; if need one for free, get Linux which can be downloaded off the internet or order Ubuntu for free (even shipping is free!). Also make sure you have a screwdriver and if you have poor eye sight, a flash light could help light up areas that are difficult to see.

Also make sure that the processor and motherboard are compatible, you can find this information while buying the motherboard and checking what kind of processor it can use.

One final warning: while building the computer, the environment should remain static free. Stay away from carpets or anything that can create a static charge!

Building The Computer:
Start by placing the processor inside the motherboard in the correct place. Make absolutely sure that this is placed correctly; there should be instructions on how the processor is placed in the motherboard instruction manual. Then, put the cooler on top of the processor; if there is a slight mistake here, the processor will heat up and be unable to work. Connect the power supply for the cooler onto the motherboard (there should be a label on the motherboard for this).

Then, put the ram in the correct slots. These slots are the longest slots on the motherboard and the only ones that'll fit; it's almost like a jigsaw puzzle. Before putting the motherboard inside the case, put the power supply in. Make sure the processor and video card power requirements don't surpass what the power supply can provide. Now, you can put the motherboard inside the case, facing the right way.

The case should have some small connectors for the motherboard near the power button. Of course, this is how your computer can turn on! You'll need to connect these to the motherboard. Follow the case and motherboard's instructions for this.

Now you can put in the CD/DVD Drive, Hard Drive and Video Card in. The video card will fit in either the PCI Express x16 slot (unless you have a really expensive motherboard, there should only be one of them) unless it's an older video card, in which case, it'll fit in one of the lower PCI slots.

I highly recommend a DVD drive because many operating systems now are included on a single DVD and the only way you can install those operating systems is with a DVD drive! The Hard Drive should be at least 60 gigabytes for modern machines, although 100 or more is preferred. If you're using the latest equipment, a video card with at least 256 megabytes and support the latest 3D technology, either DirectX 9 or 10 or OpenGL 2.0. Check the Video Card specifications if you're unsure.

After all of the big stuff is in place, you can get out the cables and connect everything. This should be mostly self-explanatory because either the cables fit or they don't. If you're struggling to put it in, you probably have the wrong one; note that older Hard Drives may no longer be supported as the cables using them have changed over time. Currently, they use Serial ATA, which came out in 2003 so if you're using an older Hard Drive, make sure you have the correct cables. Finally, connect your mouse and keyboard.

Now, plug the computer into a power supply and see if it'll turn on. If it does, all the connectors are in the correct place; if it doesn't, then you'll want to double check your cables and refer to the manuals included with the motherboard. If you have a monitor, plug that into the back of the case onto the video card and check the BIOS. This basically means if you don't see any errors on the screen, then it's working. If you see something that says "cannot detect" or "cannot find" or something similar, then there's problem with that peripheral so you should check the connections.

Remember, all you have a computer that works but it doesn't have an operating system. Install that by following the directions included with your operating system. If you have high speed internet, connect the ethernet cable into the back. This is because modern operating systems can automatically update your files while it's installing as long as you are connected to the internet directly.

Congratulations, you've built a computer!