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price list at the computer store on the corner, only to feel overwhelmed by the sheer quantity
of parts on offer. If you aren't yet used to buying a PC in individual components, it can't do
any harm to draw up a list of everything you need before doing anything else. That said, a
complete PC system requires the following items:
PC case
Motherboard
Processor
CPU cooler
RAM
Graphics card
• Monitor
• Keyboard
• Mouse
These components are necessary to run the new computer, including its
operating system (e.g., Windows, Linux).
Extra Options For Special Applications
Depending on what you'll be using your PC for, you might need the following components as
well; please note, though, that this list is by no means complete:
Internet access Modem, ISDN card, or network card (if using DSL)
Gaming and Music Sound card and loudspeakers
CD recording, archiving CD recorder, ZIP drive
Network Network card (Ethernet)
Digital camera Either a motherboard with integrated USB, or separate USB
card
Video Editing & Video capture card with IEEE1394/FireWire (i-Link) interface,
Camcorder if possible
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Case And Power Supply
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1:08 PM - 09/04/2002 by Uwe Scheffel
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Power Supply
The advent of processors breaking the gigahertz barrier has made one thing clear: their thirst
for power is hard to rein in. When buying a case, take a very close look at the built-in power
supply. In addition to the classic ATX power supply, it should also feature an
auxiliary power connector. More and more motherboards require this plug to cover the power
needs of a Pentium 4 or an Athlon XP. The only time you won't need it is if you're operating
a CPU at 1400 MHz or less.
Extra current for power-hungry CPUs: ATX12 (left) and P6 connector. (right)
An increasingly familiar sight on motherboards: on the left, the P6 (AUX); and on the right,
Your power supply will depend on how many drives you plan to install. Small cases only offer
three or four connectors. Once you've used up all the available connectors, you'll have to use
a Y junction to turn one plug into two.
One into two: a typical Y junction with large plugs.
This cable also comes with small plugs for connecting floppy drives and the like to a power
supply.
Always make a point of asking about assembly materials: are all the screws, spacers and
other accessories included with the case? A small bag of assembly materials is usually stuck to
the inside of the case. Always be wary of cheap offers!
case.
A drive screw's thread is finer and thinner than screws used for the case. The head is smaller,
too. This kind of screw is generally used to affix the drives in the drive bays, and
Motherboard Overview
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1:08 PM - 09/04/2002 by Uwe Scheffel
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Main components of a motherboard.
The image shows an ASUS motherboard. At the top on the right-hand side are the interfaces
and connectors that stick out of the case at the back of an assembled computer. This board is
designed for AMD Athlon and Duron processors. Socket A, as it's called, is labeled
"CPU socket" in the picture. The expansion slots are to its left. The AGP slot is used exclusively
for the graphics card. The PCI slots will hold network cards, ISDN, sound or video-editing
boards. At the bottom left are the panel connectors for the on/ off button, the hard drive LED,
the reset switch, and the operating LED. Take time to familiarize yourself with where they're
located. By the way, LEDs that don't light up can generally be fixed by simply turning the plug
around. The two IDE connectors (40-pin) are below in the middle, while the connector for the
floppy drive (34-pin FDD connector) is in the left side of the image. We'll describe the cables
and drive configurations on the next page.
Onboard Components
ATX connector panel
Keyboard, mouse, two serial connectors, a parallel port and two USB ports are on the ATX port
panel. Some motherboards, like the one here, feature optional sound and joystick jacks. There
are also models that have a monitor connection. That saves a slot and some money, but you'll
have to deactivate the onboard chip if you plan to replace these cheap onboard modules with
a higher-quality expansion card. It's generally impossible to run both chips at the same time.
Once again, it can either be done in BIOS or with a jumper. Check your handbook to find out
which method to use.
Ask about the form factor. This depends on the motherboard. Since almost all new
motherboards conform to the ATX form factor, your case will have to be ATX compatible. You
can still scrounge up AT cases for AT motherboards. A modern ATX motherboard can be
identified by the fact that all the jacks for the keyboard, mouse, parallel printer, and serial
COM port are soldered directly onto the motherboard. We'll document this in the section on
the motherboard.
Many modern motherboards with integrated software configuration no longer require you to do
anything prior to assembly. That means that you type your processor parameters directly in
BIOS (Basic Input Output System). Most of the time, you access the BIOS menu by pressing
the DEL key, F2 or F10, shortly after switching on the PC. Check your handbook to find out
which key to use. The latest technology even recognizes the CPU automatically, a feature that
is particularly useful for beginners. But making settings manually is still a must for anyone
who wants to fine-tune his or her system.
There is no automatic software configuration on older boards. That's why it can't hurt to know
the three principles of manual configuration. By the same token, overclockers will be more
likely to make settings by hand. Here are the different ways to set clock speed:
Obsolete: using jumpers, the frequency table is right next to the jumper block.
Multiplier table for older models.
Intel and AMD officially abolished the variable multiplier for their processors some time ago.
They wanted to prevent people from overclocking, say, 1300 MHz models to 1500 MHz. That
kind of overclocking would boost performance significantly without costing a dime. For the
tinkerers among us, all that's left for us when trying to eke more performance out of a
processor is a gentle increase of the FSB. All the same, there are a few tricks for removing the
fixed multiplier, at least for AMD processors. More information on this can be found in the
article, Plastic Surgery: Releasing The Athlon XP To Hit 2000+ . As the motherboard
manufacturers are aware of this, they attract more buyers by offering what is, in fact, a
superfluous multiplier. The BIOS screenshot shows this clearly.
Floppy drives are in danger of extinction because floppies generally don't hold much data.
Most software is generally installed from CD-ROMs now, anyway. CD burners are very popular
for archiving data. Nevertheless, a floppy drive can still pay off if you work with old programs
or data from time to time.
Floppy connector (34-pin) above, IDE connector(40-pin) for hard drives and CD-ROM below.
It's easy to spot floppy cables. They usually have a "twist" of individual wires, as you can see
in the upper corner of the image. The image shows a color marking on a cable. This is
frequently a red line that marks pin 1. Pin 1 is also printed on the motherboard. On modern
motherboards, notches and/ or a missing pin in the middle (see picture blow) prevent the
cable from being inserted the wrong way. You still need to watch out when hooking up older
drives or motherboards. The red dotted line at the other end of the cable should always point
in the direction of the power supply. Here, too, there is a reverse-connection protection to
keep it from being improperly configured.
The vast majority of hard drives and CD/DVD drives are based on the IDE (Integrated Device
Electronics) standard. There's also the SCSI standard, which is mostly used for servers or
workstations. In comparison to SCSI, IDE is extremely cheap to produce, which accounts for
its higher popularity. There are four subgroups within the IDE class: UltraDMA/33;
UltraDMA/66; UltraDMA/100; and UltraDMA/133. The number at the end describes its
bandwidth. As a rule of thumb, the higher, the better. 133, for example, stands for the
maximum data transfer rate of 133 megaBytes per second. DMA is short for Direct Memory
Access. A beginner doesn't necessarily have to know how DMA works in order to obtain good
results.
Two drives can be run on each IDE connector block. Motherboards usually have two IDE
connectors (Primary and Secondary IDE), so that a maximum of four devices can be
connected. Modern motherboards with an additional controller can even offer four IDE
connectors. If you want to connect an IDE to a drive, it is configured as a "Master" (Single). If,
on the other hand, two drives need to be connected, one must be labeled "Master," and the
other "Slave." The jumpers are used to connect the contacts, thus configuring the drive. The
connection to the motherboard is made by way of a 40-pin ribbon cable. It has three plugs -
one for the motherboard, and the other two for the two drives.
Most PC systems have one hard drive and one CD-ROM/DVD drive. CD-ROM burners are also a
type of CD-ROM drive. The following configuration is recommended for IDE drives:
right).
Connecting the CD and/ or DVD drives is basically the same as with hard drives. The same
rules apply.
CD-ROM port panel: digital audio, analog audio, jumper blocks, IDE cable, power supply (from
left to right).
SCSI Drives - The Exception
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1:08 PM - 09/04/2002 by Uwe Scheffel
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Although the SCSI (Small Computer Systems Interface) bus system offers greater flexibility,
it's also much more expensive. SCSI is only used for workstations and servers. Ultra2 or Ultra
160 SCSIs are typical standards. A SCSI ribbon cable has 68 pins. All SCSI standards have
one thing in common: you can run at least seven drives on one adapter. "Wide" models even
allow 14 devices to be operated.
It is important to know how it works. SCSI is an open bus system and allows cable lengths of
well over a meter. However, the bus must be closed with a terminal resistor at each end, so
that the signals don't reflect. Termination can mostly be activated by a jumper on the last
device. LVD cables have their terminator as a plug-on module. The position of the individual
devices on the SCSI cable, by the way, is up to you. The drives are distinguished by way of
so-called SCSI Ids that run from 0 to 7 or 0 to 15. ID7 is usually the host adapter, 0 or 1 is
usually used for the hard drive(s). The rest of the configuration is up to you. Jumpers are used
to define the ID address from 0 to 7. In the following example, the manufacturer has named
its SCSI address IDs DAS0 to DAS3.
Description of the SCSI jumper block for auxiliary connectors. DAS0 to DAS3 are the SCSI
address bits.
Walking across a floor dragging your feet will create friction, which charges us with energy.
Once you stop moving, the soles of your shoes insulate you, but you're still carrying around a
different voltage potential than your environment. Everyone's felt the sudden shock from a
static spark, which is particularly common with plastic floors and thick, rubber-soled shoes.
This electromagnetic phenomenon can have dangerous consequences for electronic
components. Although the current from a static discharge isn't very high, the voltage
difference may briefly peak at tens of thousands of volts. That much voltage can easily destroy
sensitive components such as memory chips.
The most important thing to do before getting down to work is to ground yourself. Ideally,
you'll have an antistatic armband, as used in industry. But unless you're a real electronics
whiz, you're unlikely to have one. So, try this instead: before you come into contact any of
your PC's components, simply touch something metal (a radiator, the protective contact on a
plug or the PC case). This will ground you properly.
Drawing Up A Plan
Before you start the actual assembly, familiarize yourself with the case and components.
Unpack all the parts and keep them nearby, but not so close that they interfere. Most cases
don't come with instructions, so you should first check which screws and parts go where, and
what each is for - and whether you may have to remove anything from the case before you
can install the drives. Get yourself a proper lamp before starting, especially if you work at
night. The ceiling light in your workroom is usually not bright enough.
Finally, consider where you want to put each drive. There are only a few rules for drive
placement, but valuable ones to follow when in doubt:
• If the PC is under your desk, it makes sense to place the CD-ROM and/or DVD drive as
high up as possible so that you don't have to bend down so far.
• Always check to make sure that the ribbon cable is long enough.
• Some components get warm or even hot when operating. Always make sure that
there's enough air circulating for the heat to dissipate. That's especially important for
modern graphics cards and hard drives.
• If you're intending to put in two hard drives, make sure that there's enough room
between them. Otherwise, they may overheat, leading to a shortened life span and
instability.
• Make sure that neither cables nor other components can get caught in a fan.
• All cables must be run so that no air vents or openings are completely blocked.
This article covered the basics and some practical aspects. In the following article, Building
Your Own PC, Part 2: Assembly Step by Step , we'll describe how to put all the components
together to make a functioning PC. Users who only want to swap individual components
(upgrade) will also find all the information they need.