Advice for putting together new rig?

[Syncroprism]

Hi there!

 

So in a month or two I'll have all my long dreamed components in front of me and I'll finally be able to put them together to make one beast of a system. However, even though I know stuff about hardware and am generally pretty good at giving advice (so humble, I know...), this is going to be my first time ever putting together a system and I'm nervous as all hell! I've watched every Linus video on building a system that I could find on YouTube and I still don't feel that sure in myself... Could anyone share some helpful insight on something that would make the process of putting together the components easier? I would greatly appreciate it...

Also, I have a few particular questions:

First off, how do I ground myself? I have a hardwood floor, do I have to wear a wrist or ankle bracelet? 

Secondly, how do I connect the power switch on the case to the motherboard?

And finally, do components usually come with a manual? 

 

I'm sorry for all the (possibly stupid) questions, but as I said, this is my first time doing this, up until now I've always left the putting together part to a technician... 

 

Thanks a lot in advance!

[Octavialicious]

To ground yourself just touch a piece of metal, I usually just touch some part of my case. To connect the power switch etc, you put the case connectors (these are little cables attached to your case)  onto the pins on the bottom of your motherboard (the manual will tell you which ones are for which function) Lastly, most components come with a manual. 
 

Good luck with the build!

[Guest]

Wear a grounding strap just to be safe, its not really worth the risk in my opinion (especially if you live in an extreme climate)

the power switch just plugs in

yes they come with a manual

 

Most importantly figure out cable management I see lots of cool builds ruined by crappy cable management.

[Enderman]

A good idea is to have a laptop or phone playing one of linus' build guides at the same time you build, this way you can be sure you're following all the steps.

 

To ground yourself: install the PSU, plug it in to the wall, leave it off, then touch the metal of your case every few minutes, or before touching your components.

A good addition is to keep some part of your skin (like arm or elbow, or your other hand) touching the case while you touch your components.

 

In your manual it should tell you the pin that you need to plug in the power button to. It will be like this:

you can see there are two pins called "PWRSW" which you plug the power switch cable into. there is no polarity for the switch, so you dont need to worry about which way you plug it in.

 

And finally yes most components will come with a manual, but most stuff about how to attach one component to another will not be in a manual, you will need to find that information online or in a build guide.

 

If you have an extra device like a laptop or phone you can just post any question that you have while building and we will answer within seconds Good luck!

[Guest]

I honestly found Austin Evan's pc build guide to be more helpful to new builders. Its more simple and too the point.

[FizzyFantom]

Grouding is important, you can use an antistatic strap on your wrist or ankle, maing sure you connect it to the metal casing of a plugged in (but not switched on) PSU or a radiator if you house has central heating (the outsides of electric heaters should also be grounded, just be careful where you clip the lead on).

The power switches and LEDs connect to the motherboard on a block of pins as @Enderman pointed out above. The switches are not polarised so you can connect them either way, but the LEDs will be so they only work one way around. If you connect the LEDs the wrong way around it won't damage anythin, just turn it off and plug them in the correct way.

All components will come with a manual (when they are new) which I suggest you read on your first build. You should be albe to build the whole PC just reading the manuals and even very experienced builders often look at the motherboard manual for front panel pinout and PCIe lane setup.

If you have any more questions feel free to ask, we would be happy to help

[Syncroprism]

Wow, so many lightning fast responses! I was not expecting that, you guys are amazing

Thank you so much for the answers, you've helped me a ton. I will definitely be playing a build video on my lappy while I'm putting everything together. As for the climate, I don't think it's that extreme in Germany, but I'd like to be sure. Guess I'll buy an antistatic strap from amazon or something. Just one last question- should I still be touching the case while I'm putting a certain component in (let's say RAM), or will that close the circuit?

 

And thanks again, this is one great community