Last minute pc building tips?

[IMPERIUS]

^title

I'm building my first rig tommorrow, do you have any tips that would make the building easyer, safer and more efficent?

Thanks

[Sors]

Don't guess, look up everything you don't know how to do.

[LeopardChurch]

The manual is your best friend.
Do not use a screwdriver right away use your hands to avoid crossthreading (unless you're confident enough, that is)
Handle the CPU by the edges, do not touch the contacts

If you run into any doubt do not hesitate to ask someone or look it up

Good luck, you should be fine.
 

[Tetters]

^title

I'm building my first rig tommorrow, do you have any tips that would make the building easyer, safer and more efficent?

Thanks

as the others before me have said, dont be nervous about looking at the manual if you in doubt and never forget you have a great community behind you here who can help out with almost any issues.

 

Most of all I would say ... enjoy it ... its huge fun building a PC, a fun that never really fades either. So as nervous as you might be, remember to enjoy every step

 

Have fun

 

T

[Kristian]

And also, the first thing I usually do is unbox the power supply and hook it up to the wall outlet. No need to turn it on or anything, just touch it every once in a while to ground yourself

[IMPERIUS]

as the others before me have said, dont be nervous about looking at the manual if you in doubt and never forget you have a great community behind you here who can help out with almost any issues.

Most of all I would say ... enjoy it ... its huge fun building a PC, a fun that never really fades either. So as nervous as you might be, remember to enjoy every step

Have fun

T

Yeah it really was fun when I tore apart my family's 2000 pc and put it back together. My only concern is that some parts were laying in the closet for a month I if anything wouldn't be ok I could have some trouble returning them. All stores have 14-days or no questions asked time and a 1yr warranty or more, depending on the part but I assume that they will take it since the part would have an issue

[IMPERIUS]

And also, the first thing I usually do is unbox the power supply and hook it up to the wall outlet. No need to turn it on or anything, just touch it every once in a while to ground yourself

Just plug it in and leave the on/off button at off? Why not on on?

[LeopardChurch]

 

That doesn't really matter if you're going to use it to ground yourself.

It only needs to be pluged to the wall outlet to be connected to ground. (the whole psu chassis is grounded, else you would be shock the instant you toched it)

Also, if you run into any trouble while building it, just ask over here, i personally would like to get a higher post count while at the same time giving something useful.

[Jade]

Just plug it in and leave the on/off button at off? Why not on on?

Then power could be transferred and potentially short things out. If it's set to off, it's not drawing any power whatsoever, just giving access to a ground.

[Darkman]

Please plug in the CPU power cable as your installing the motherboard, that thing is a bitch to get at after the motherboard is installed, especially if you have a large cooler.

[SIGSEGV]

If the screws for the power supply aren't in the right place, you're putting it in upside down

[christianled59]

If you are using a modular power supply, plug in the cpu power cable before putting in the mobo. Saves a lot of time and hassle for cable management.

[ArchieTect]

I just build my rig in two afternoons after work and POST it last night, even though I never built a computer by myself.

 

I bought a ratcheting screwdriver for the build, that was really helpful. Having a flashlight was helpful.

 

Pulling the cling film off of various parts caused a surprising static build up that snapped when my finger brushed against the case. Get the cling film off early or at the end when the PSU is plugged in and grounded.

[Nexxus]

Dont dun goof

[shujin]

do cpu in motherboard first than put the heatsink once you done that you have done the only step you can derp on. Also if you don't have anyway to discharge static I would sugest you build while barefoot ^^. Also biggest advice never panic no matter what you might do a mistake if so.

[Tetters]

Also if you don't have anyway to discharge static I would sugest you build while barefoot

someone suggested in an earlier thread here not to wear wool socks, sliding on a carpet whilst rubbing oneself with balloons ..... hehe

 

In seriousness, just keep touching the case itself is enough to dispel static build-up

[Guest DollarPC]

So just watch Linus vids like 30 times just to make sure.Might take a few hours but worth it

[shujin]

someone suggested in an earlier thread here not to wear wool socks, sliding on a carpet whilst rubbing oneself with balloons ..... hehe

 

In seriousness, just keep touching the case itself is enough to dispel static build-up

yeah I usually forget that's why I'm barefoot

[Diederik_Gr]

I recently helped my friend build his PC, and the experience i had from my own build did help me. Some things i'd say:

-put the motherboard on the box and insert the RAM and CPU there, it is a little harder if you have a small case

-plugging in the PSU is not necessary, I've built two systems on thin carpet and never had any problems. It may be better to do so, but it's not critical by any means

-tower heat sinks are tough to install, plan ahead if you got a big one. Plugging in the fan first might be a good idea

-you don't need a ton of thermal paste between the CPU and the cooler. Too much of it can even isolate the CPU. Usually the pre-applied thermal paste is fine though.

[Whorax]

If your case has ventilation on the bottom for your PSU, then place the PSU with the fan down. If not, then place the PSU with the fan up. It's always better to have the PSU fan faced down if possible so it doesn't have to share air with other components, like the GPU.

[Weirdybeardyman]

Something that took me ages to get used to when building PC's is how much force is required to do things, it is important when pulling the clip down on the CPU socket and inserting RAM chips to realise that they require alot of pressure to do. Don't be clumsy and brute force stuff but if you are sure stuff is in correctly then don't be afraid about pushing hard, especially when pulling the clip down to secure the socket. It will feel like you must be breaking it, and it will usually make the horrible sound of compressing pins but that is correct, and you are much more likely to break something if you keep Appling a bit of pressure and then taking it out to check it hasn't broken. Also, just take your time, don't rush it.

[awesomes8wc3]

Take your time

Don't rush

Don't force things

Yell "Fuck!" if something doesn't work.

Have fun!

[CloudySky]

If you want to be efficient with time, I have some suggestions that some people won't think about.

 

Unless you're booting your OS through a CD drive, prepare the USB OS install prior to building your PC.

 

-During your build, think careful about every single detail such as the placement of your cables and components.

 

The placement of your cables are critical for several reasons:

 

If you want to replace or remove a component, it is a lot of hassle and tedious work if the cables are tangled and intertwined; moreover, if you want maximum efficiency in airflow and heat dissipation from your case, then cable manage will slightly help. 

 

-Make sure your PSU is turned off before you plug it up with your components.

 

My buddy electrocuted himself and fried his components in the process..

 

-Use CoreTemp and monitor your temps after you updated windows and installed basic programs such as browsers and etc.

 

Use a temperature monitoring program and make sure that your heat sink is properly doing its job. CoreTemp is free and safe.

 

-Do not use the driver on the CD that came with your GPU.

 

Unless you purchase the GPU at launch, more than likely the drivers will create unnecessary errors with your GPU. Generally, it is better to manually download and install the drivers from the website.

 

-Try to run your PC for 24 hours after you installed all the necessities, checked for abnormalities, and stress tested your rig.

 

I only recommend this because it allows you to see if there may be any problems that are lurking in the shadows. 

[Weirdybeardyman]

If you want to be efficient with time, I have some suggestions that some people won't think about.

 

Unless you're booting your OS through a CD drive, prepare the USB OS install prior to building your PC.

 

-During your build, think careful about every single detail such as the placement of your cables and components.

 

The placement of your cables are critical for several reasons:

 

If you want to replace or remove a component, it is a lot of hassle and tedious work if the cables are tangled and intertwined; moreover, if you want maximum efficiency in airflow and heat dissipation from your case, then cable manage will slightly help. 

 

-Make sure your PSU is turned off before you plug it up with your components.

 

My buddy electrocuted himself and fried his components in the process..

 

-Use CoreTemp and monitor your temps after you updated windows and installed basic programs such as browsers and etc.

 

Use a temperature monitoring program and make sure that your heat sink is properly doing its job. CoreTemp is free and safe.

 

-Do not use the driver on the CD that came with your GPU.

 

Unless you purchase the GPU at launch, more than likely the drivers will create unnecessary errors with your GPU. Generally, it is better to manually download and install the drivers from the website.

 

-Try to run your PC for 24 hours after you installed all the necessities, checked for abnormalities, and stress tested your rig.

 

I only recommend this because it allows you to see if there may be any problems that are lurking in the shadows. 

Yep I would definitely stress good cable management and using a USB installation of WIndows will save you about 30mins. I would reccomend HWmonitor as a temperature monitoring system but preferences vary,

Use another USB and download the newest versions of the drivers for your system from another computer.

[Swndlr]

everything basically has its own plug, youll be fine.