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

[NumLock21]

Prepare a first aid kit

[ARikozuM]

[Jumballi]

Don't hesitate to watch and rewatch build videos on youtube while you're building it.
if you got a friend irl or online you can chat iwth over the phone who knows about computers, they can help walk you through it as well

[Ak5u]

On 1/14/2020 at 1:00 PM, cluelessgenius said:

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  

The pc doesn't boot :/. The mobo flashes a Red Light next to text that says "cpu" I'm not sure If the cable is not connected well enough or if the cpu is broken. 

[Lurick]

2 minutes ago, Ak5u said:

The pc doesn't boot :/. The mobo flashes a Red Light next to text that says "cpu" I'm not sure If the cable is not connected well enough or if the cpu is broken. 

Pictures of the build?

8-pin CPU connected?

Full spec list?

[Touch My Hamm]

If in doubt, ask questions. Alot of people here eager to help someone in need. Don't be afraid to ask any questions.

 

Good Luck

[Toxic_Fate]

On 1/13/2020 at 1:05 PM, Ak5u said:

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

There not as breakable as may be expected I man handle them so don't baby you stuff. (Linus Drops his all the time)

[startrekdude]

On 1/14/2020 at 5:09 AM, Samfisher said:

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.

Yea always double check the fans, the ones on my AIO water cooler are backwards and I think suck up way more dust. But I can't be bothered to fix it because it works as is.

[Intrafinesse]

Watch youtube videos on how to install your motherboard, builds with your case, how to install your CPU cooler, and common build mistakes.

 

I'll add - the cables from the case that attach to the mobo have jumpers that go on little pins.  Its easier to attach them before placing the mobo in the case.

 

I ran a small benchmark (userbenchmark.exe) and say that my memory speed was very slow, so I went into teh BIOS and lo and behold it had selected the incorrect (much lower ) speed.

[cluelessgenius]

1 hour ago, Ak5u said:

The pc doesn't boot :/. The mobo flashes a Red Light next to text that says "cpu" I'm not sure If the cable is not connected well enough or if the cpu is broken. 

take the cpu back out carefully. check the pins on the mobo with a flashlight. just make sure not to drop it on there. if none look obviously bent then try simply putting the cpu back in and wiggle it a bit in there. sometimes a simple re-seating of the cpu works. also while youre at it check the 8 pin power cable for the cpu. is it in all the way on the mobo? did you plug the other end in the proper place on the psu ?(if you have a modular one). 

also full specs would be helpful. maybe ou just need a bios update or something.

[NinJake]

As @Lurick and @cluelessgenius have asked. Please provide your full system specs @Ak5u. If possible, pictures would also be helpful.

[Velcade]

On 1/13/2020 at 2:08 PM, Stu_Bear said:

Don't drink alcohol before or during.

What?  Don't get too carried away.  A glass of bourbon has always helped me when building PCs.

[Cloud9 0m3a]

Install your IO shield!

[Zando_]

1 minute ago, Cloud9 0m3a said:

Install your IO shield!

^ Before you put in the motherboard!

[Ak5u]

On 1/13/2020 at 10:05 PM, Ak5u said:

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

Thanks everyone for the great tips i finally finished the build and did some troubleshooting! It works! 

[Reytime]

Beware of motherboard screws falling behind parts during installation! Nothing worse than having to take everything out just to find that one screw you dropped.

[Stu_Bear]

1 hour ago, Cloud9 0m3a said:

Install your IO shield!

Before or after the flux capacitor?

[Samfisher]

12 hours ago, startrekdude said:

Yea always double check the fans, the ones on my AIO water cooler are backwards and I think suck up way more dust. But I can't be bothered to fix it because it works as is.

The direction of the fan shouldn't change how much dust is in the system.  It either gets caught on 1 side of the radiator, or between the radiator and fan, depending on where the fans are facing.

[Ben17]

don't watch the verge lol

[Mooshi]

Never do what Steve Urkle from the Verge did

[startrekdude]

On 1/15/2020 at 10:09 PM, Samfisher said:

The direction of the fan shouldn't change how much dust is in the system.  It either gets caught on 1 side of the radiator, or between the radiator and fan, depending on where the fans are facing.

ah makes sense 

[20_below]

1 hour ago, doertedev said:

First rule of mainboards? USE SPACERS! drilled my first mobo directly to the case ... i was young. Very young

God, I did exactly this for my first build 

 

Take your time, and watch a video while building it and treat it like someone is physically there guiding you on what to do. When I did my second build last year I had a video walk-through on the TV and would constantly pause it to make sure I wasn't forgetting anything. I think Linus recently released a first time building video that is pretty good at walking you through what you need to know and do. 

[mariushm]

My advice.... well, three of them ...

 

If the motherboard has a separate IO shield, don't forget to install that one in the case, before you insert the motherboard. (and pay attention to those springy bits so they won't obstruct connectors)

 

Try to install most components (cpu, memory, cooler, optional m.2 ssd) while the motherboard is outside, sitting on some non-conductive material (the cardboard box that the motherboard was shipped into for example, or some sheets of copier paper)

 

Watch some build guides on Youtube from several different people, which have good rating. Maybe go through some of the most highlighted comments to see if there's some obvious flaws pointed out in the comments for the guide.

If you still have concerns, maybe write down on a sheet of paper some bullet points, see what's done similarly in multiple videos and have that paper near you.

Ex 

1. take out motherboard and put it on cardboard box

2. open cpu box, cpu socket and insert the cpu paying attention to arrows

3. install ram

4. remove plastic from heatsink if any, put a big drop of thermal paste on cpu if there's no pre-applied paste on heatsink (or clean existing old paste from heatsink and put fresh paste on cpu)

and so on...

5. install m.2 SSD

6. make sure motherboard standoffs are installed only where there are motherboard screw holes

6. double check io shield is installed in case and insert the mb at an angle so that it will slide nicely in the io shield and sit on standoffs

 

... and so on...

 

Saves you from having to go back and forth in videos and panicking if you miss some steps

 

If some videos recommend something but others don't, don't be afraid to ask on forums what's the deal with that.

 

and last but not least, don't use the verge's video as a guide.