Obvious tips coming from a First time builder.

[Pulse]

So I completed my first build earlier today and oh boy did I run into a bunch of silly issues caused by mistakes I made assuming I knew what I was doing. So I thought a great thing to do would be to tell them all in hopes that other new builders won't end up getting frustrated as I do and saving them many many hours of sifting through google. Take each point with a grain of salt though please, I am in no way an expert these are just small little observations I have made.

1. Spend a good amount of time researching about each and ever component or part you are interested in, know the ups and downs for each part and consider if the downs are something that would effect your system greatly. Know what you need well before hand and work off that, by this I mean as an example pick a power supply after deciding what CPU, graphics card and other major parts you want that way you don't over spend or find out you have only 1 6-pin connector when you need 2.

2. The motherboard manual is a great source of help, you may think you don't need it or it has useless information or you don't need to check it. The truth is you do, a good example is I couldn't figure out why my SSD was running so incredibly slow. Turns out the SATA III port i was using was the 3rd party ports, I had assumed the first set were the Intel ones when this wasn't the case as I found out when I checked the diagram.

3. Just because your case has a motherboard cut out on the tray to reach the backplate for a CPU cooler doesn't mean you can easily install the backplate. I was scared at first to install my NH-D14 because its big and scary so I put the stock heat sink on first thinking I can install everything in the case and just change out the cooler thanks to the cut-out. Turns out the cutout didn't align well enough. So I couldn't install the backplate without unscrewing the motherboard and carefully holding it up trying not to scratch it on the stand offs as i align the backplate with my other hand.

4. Don't fall for the "oh it's not an exact fit, I'll just give a bit of force. I guess these parts aren't perfectly compatible". I fell into this trap and nearly destroyed my SSD, I bought a Crucial M4 and a Coolermaster HAF X case which comes with a SSD mount in one of the HDD tray. I assumed the fancy graphic went face up in the tray but when i set it up and went to screw it in the holes didn't align correctly so i dismissed it as just a slight alignment issue and went to screw the screws in anyway. I ended up only being able to get 2/4 screws in and i got them half way in and semi on an angle and I scratched and beat up the screw holes a bit. Then when i put it back in the case and went to connect power an data cable I notice the connection was upside down, that is when I tried to screw it in the other way around and all 4 screws went in easy and smoothly.

5. Most importantly don't panic, don't assume the worst possible situation think what could be the issue and calmly go through the possible ways you can come up with to fix it without jumping to "Oh god I broke this part now I need to spend more money to replace it or worry about warranty issues". A good example of this was when I was installing the CPU and RAM when I tried to see if the system would post but it would hang on the DRAM LED and not post. So I did what I always do and google away and read that it could be I bent a CPU socket pin or I bought the wrong RAM and the RAM I bought wasn't on the trusted manufacturer list so I was almost pulling my hair out at the thought of dropping more money on a new motherboard. So i google away more trying to figure out what else could be the issue and I come across around a small reply to one of the "Help me" Threads saying "check they are plugged in properly" so I was like why not? Turns out because ASUS use the easy install system for RAM that has one side fixed.

I hope these will help people who are going to run into similar issues, if anyone has others please feel free to list them as well.

[Dim]

Oh wow, your experience sounds terrible... my first build I just had the most trouble with the cooler. It was just stubborn to go in rofl. I've done like four builds now, but I still only really use the manuals for the overall motherboard diagram and the debugging parts (if anything needs debugging).

I think CPU coolers are easily the most frustrating part to install.

The motherboard is just screws, the CPU falls on top, the PSU is just screws, the graphics cards just slide in, the hard drives just screw in, all easy...

But coolers... some require force, some break when you use too much. Some don't fit properly, even though the fit is millimetres off... they're just a massive hassle.

[Pulse]

Oh wow, your experience sounds terrible... my first build I just had the most trouble with the cooler. It was just stubborn to go in rofl. I've done like four builds now, but I still only really use the manuals for the overall motherboard diagram and the debugging parts (if anything needs debugging).

I think CPU coolers are easily the most frustrating part to install.

The motherboard is just screws, the CPU falls on top, the PSU is just screws, the graphics cards just slide in, the hard drives just screw in, all easy...

But coolers... some require force, some break when you use too much. Some don't fit properly, even though the fit is millimetres off... they're just a massive hassle.

The only real terrible part was when I destroyed the motherboard socket pins, the rest I am honestly glad happened, its all a learning experience and I feel better off for it.

I forgot to mention it but I know what you mean by coolers oh god, the spring loaded pins, I didn't want to put so much force on it but I ended up having to put like half my body weight into it to get it to catch.

[unidentical]

First build I ever did, I got everything together, with all of my dream parts, I was super excited, it was full of LEDs so we turned off the lights, hit the power button...

Aannnnnd the power supply blew, immediately. Big orange spark, puff of smoke, big sad face. But that was 11 years ago and I haven't had that problem since.