Advice for building my first PC?

[UndeadSecurity]

I'm really on edge about building a PC, I always hear stuff about static shocks & Missing cables. Any advice would be appreciated

[Fasauceome]

build the system once outside the case so that if something is wrong, you don't need to take it all out again to fix it.

[bmx6454]

i used to make a check list, that way i won't forget cables, screws, ect. also, wear an esd bracelet if you can.

[Nena Trinity]

The hardest part is connecting case to mobo, follow manual on that... Rest is very much LEGOs but if you are worried there are some good pre-built machines that uses standard parts and is up-gradable.

[DailyProcrastinator]

10 minutes ago, UndeadSecurity said:

I'm really on edge about building a PC, I always hear stuff about static shocks & Missing cables. Any advice would be appreciated

I liked to watch full build guides while building my first PC's, it's not hard just take your time. If you build on a hard surface the risk of static shock is very low. You can always plug in the PSU (powered off) and touch it now and then to ground yourself. 

 

 

[Chris Pratt]

Don't throw caution to the wind, but modern components aren't nearly as susceptible to ESD as they once were. You can get an ESD bracelet if you really want to be safe, but you can also just touch something like the metal on your case before picking something up. Jay, from Jayztwocents, did a build on carpet just to drive people nuts. No issues, so you don't need to be like uber paranoid about it.

 

An ounce of preparation is worth a pound of effort. Watch some build videos. Read the manuals for your components and any installation instructions. Pay particular attention to your motherboard manual. It should tell what and where things on the board are and how to install the main components. Think about cable management early and often. Don't save this to the end. Each time you have a cable in your hand, you should be thinking about how to route it so it's out of the way, but still accessible if you need to get to it.

 

Pay attention to the placement of connectors on your motherboard in relation to cutouts in your case. Sometimes, you might need to route a cable before the motherboard goes in, and believe me, it is an absolute pain to take it back out later after everything is installed. In that regard, assemble as much as you can outside of the case. You can usually do most everything but the graphics card and any SATA drives before putting your motherboard in. That will give you extra room to work. Some people even like to assemble everything outside the case first to do a test post, to make sure all the components work. You may or may not be able to add the CPU cooler before you install the motherboard in the case. If it's a large air cooler, it might block the motherboards screws. A stock cooler or just a smaller sized cooler should be fine and also gives you a really nice hand hold when you're slotting in the board.

 

You don't need a ton of tools but I'd highly recommend a magnetic Phillips head. You won't hurt the components with it (the magnet is not strong enough), but when you inevitably drop a screw in your case, it's worth its weight in gold. You might also consider a magnetic tray, so you can throw screws in there and not worry about them going anywhere.

 

Those are the most important things. Build videos really are invaluable, so watch some. Even if it's not your components, you'll still get an idea of what things look like and where they go. Take your time and have fun.