pc build What is a thing that a first time pc builder should know?

[Ak5u]

I'm gonna build a pc tomorrow. Is there some extra tricks I should know? 

[Stu_Bear]

Don't get in a hurry.  Keep everything clean.  Ground yourself.  When in doubt ask for help.  Don't drink alcohol before or during.

[minibois]

The only trick you need to know is: sweep the leg!

/s

 

Depending on how prepared you are (like if you watched a full 'how to build a PC' video you are basically fully prepared), you might not need to know extra tricks.

But one thing I can say, is 'visualize' things before build it. Think about if you should fit in the RAM or CPU cooler first, run the 8 pin EPS cable through the cable management hole before placing the motherboard down (and plug the cable in already too), that just makes it easier. Don't forget the IO shield, properly ground yourself before building, have all you tools handy, get a good building space, build outside of the PC first.

 

Those are mainly the tips I would give, if you are basically properly prepared already.

[aisle9]

It's always the front panel connections.

[NinJake]

Take your time. Don't rush or it will end up taking longer.

[ChazandGame]

Im building mine in 2 days im freaking out cuz if i mess it up ya i will be dead but take your time even if it takes HOURS

[Jurrunio]

Build the system outside of the case first, use the motherboard's box as insulating platform. You'll learn what cables connect to where that way and will help you route cables in the case

[Stu_Bear]

3 minutes ago, Jurrunio said:

Build the system outside of the case first, use the motherboard's box as insulating platform. You'll learn what cables connect to where that way and will help you route cables in the case

That's actually great advice...last build I did actually assembled the mobo outside the case...then lowered it assembled into the case and used a long, magnetic screwdriver to screw the mobo down.  Maybe it was the only way I could do it with confidence cause of the tall-a$$ cooler on my cpu.  Even connected all the wires to the mobo before lowering it in...made it WAY easier...ymmv.  

[Samfisher]

Decide your fan intake and exhaust direction.  The side with the brace across it is always the exhaust side, as in air comes out that side.   You REALLY don't want to wire everything up, have everything setup and then find out the fans are the wrong direction and you'll have to remove every thing to fix it.

[Ashiella]

Shit doesnt break as easy as you think. (Exception: CPU/Motherboard pins)
Honestly, I'd probably troll my friends irl and say they're probably going to break something if they touch it the wrong way.

[Guest]

Screw with confidence.

[cluelessgenius]

gpu last. cables first. and for gods sake try to make it look somewhat clean. you get bad karma points for just shoving all the cables in there and leaving it being a mess. also putting on the sidepanel before posting is bad ju-ju as well  oh and post your results when youre done  

[Ben17]

17 hours ago, Ak5u said:

I'm gonna build a pc tomorrow. Is there some extra tricks I should know? 

Take your time

Don't rush the build 

do your front panel connections before you put in the GPU 

Defnitionally  let us know how goes 

Try to keep your cables tidy 

[Praesi]

Just watch a buildvideos on YT.

[cesh me inside b0z]

A lot of people in the PC community are full of themselves.

[Yogi_DaBear221]

19 hours ago, Stu_Bear said:

Don't drink alcohol before or during.

 

19 hours ago, Ak5u said:

I'm gonna build a pc tomorrow. Is there some extra tricks I should know? 

But make sure you've got a little bit of the bubbly for afterward.

 

 

Just some things I've always been told, so first, you don't need a livestrong, I mean an anti-static bracelet, just be sure to touch any grounded metal and you'll de-static yourself. As it has already been said assemble as much as you can outside the case, Ram, Cooler, CPU,(Not in that order), take your time and be careful with the CPU and the MOBO itself but somethings do take a bit of UMPH to get put in, IE Ram and your graphics card. If you're going dual channel do not put the ram next to eachother do it 1 & 3 or 2 & 4 or else it won't be recognized correctly. Don't use a swiss army knife that "hopefully" has a phillips head screwdriver, don't hammer in the IO Shield, don't cover your CPU in thermal paste, I do a grain of rice some people do that and like an X and a | or something like that, but don't cover it in paste. Less is almost more.

 

[Slayerking92]

RTFM

[Giganthrax]

Build on a wooden table. Touch the metal on the computer case to ground yourself before you begin.

 

Leave the SATA and HDD/SSD power cables for last (these ports are more fragile than they seem). 

 

If you're using an aftermarket CPU cooler, make sure you have memory clearance before installing it.

 

You don't need more thermal paste than about a rice-sized drop.

 

The side of the fan with the sticker is typically where the air comes out, and the side without the sticker is where the air comes in. 

 

Don't forget to install standoffs before installing the motherboard. 

[mcbaes72]

Have confidence in yourself. If a 5 yr old girl can build a PC, so can you. 

 

Click Here

[Letgomyleghoe]

13 minutes ago, Yogi_DaBear221 said:

Just some things I've always been told, so first, you don't need a livestrong, I mean an anti-static bracelet, just be sure to touch anything metal and you'll de-static yourself. As it has already been said assemble as much as you can outside the case, Ram, Cooler, CPU,(Not in that order), take your time and be careful with the CPU and the MOBO itself but somethings do take a bit of UMPH to get put in, IE Ram and your graphics card. If you're going dual channel do not put the ram next to eachother do it 1 & 3 or 2 & 4 or else it won't be recognized correctly. Don't use a swiss army knife that "hopefully" has a phillips head screwdriver, don't hammer in the IO Shield, don't cover your CPU in thermal paste, I do a grain of rice some people do that and like an X and a | or something like that, but don't cover it in paste. Less is almost more.

that metal object has to be grounded to ground yourself though, its like wearing a livestrong bracelet, its not actually grounded so neither are you.

[Mira Yurizaki]

Never button up the case until you're certain the computer actually works.

[Yogi_DaBear221]

2 minutes ago, scuff gang said:

that metal object has to be grounded to ground yourself though, its like wearing a livestrong bracelet, its not actually grounded so neither are you.

Thank you fixed that

[Letgomyleghoe]

so some people clearly have a misconception of grounding yourself, the metal object you touch has to be grounded in order for you to be grounded, your pc case is not grounded so neither are you, this is why people recommend you touch the outside of your psu while its plugged in because the outside of your psu is grounded.

 

the knowledge of electrostatic discharge is not strong in some of you

Spoiler

just a side note static isnt a big concern and as long as your not building on carpet you should be alright.

 

[NineEyeRon]

This was me just over a year ago.

 

The things I did are

 

1. Watch a ton of videos on PC building

2. Define your use case such as Screen resolution, refresh rate, quality settings as set a budget before doing steps 3 and 4

3.Research all your parts

4.Research all your parts again! You learn as you go and probably find something better or cheaper.

5. Don’t wait for the next release a few months away, unless your building a top end rig or want to kid yourself that you can futureproof your PC

6. Think about your upgrade path and make sure you don’t try to futureproof just in case, instead plan for a small set of reasonable upgrades (don’t worry too much about bottlenecks).

7. Watch videos again and research again, you have probably learnt something.

8. Buy your stuff all at once, no over a few months/year.

9. Take your time, read the manuals, it’s not a race against time to build it.

10. Never panic about a problem, address it in a calm manner and ALWAYS put a lot of effort into your question if posting on here.

11. Don’t do anything complex, keep it simple. AIO is fine but don’t go for an RGB watercooled show rig.

[straight_stewie]

There are some tricks that I usually recommend, two come during the build, the rest are post build for testing and setup.

 

During the build:

• Always build the components outside of the case to make sure it posts. You do not need to add graphics cards or connect a hard drive at this point. All you are looking for is a working processor and RAM atleast alive enough to POST.
• Care about your cable management, front and back, like it reflects on your work ethic, skill, and the amount of money you have invested in the build. Really good cable management, even if it's never seen, is really sweet.

After the build:

• Run the most comprehensive test available in the free version of MemTest86. Problems with RAM stability are often very hard to diagnose and can appear in brand new components. This is much easier to find out now than to wait for your OS install to be corrupted.
• Stress test your machine. You can use whatever stress test application you like here. I recommend Prime95, but not the stress test version, the actual prime number finding version (by doing this you get much more control over how much your machine is stressed)

If you're at this point, you have a stable, working machine. Go ahead and start messing with your overclock/underclock settings and getting your OS install up to speed. Even if you aren't going to do any overclocking/underclocking, I really recommend selecting the highest XMP profile that your machine will natively support, as this is essentially free performance and extremely easy to do.