STEP 1
Before you Begin:
Clear a good-size workspace with plenty of light. It's best to avoid carpeted areas, which can quickly accumulate component-destroying static electricity. You'll need a Phillips-head screwdriver, a pair of needle-nosed pliers, and plenty of time.

Gather all your components and unpack them to confirm that everything is included. Remove the computer case cover and lay it flat on your work surface. Inside, you should find the AC power cable, mounting brackets, and a bag of screws.

STEP 2

Most of today's motherboards have only a few jumpers, and you seldom need to deal with the ones that are there. Usually, the default settings will work fine. But read the manual for your motherboard carefully to see if any need to be changed.

If you purchased your motherboard along with a CPU and RAM, these components may already be installed. Otherwise, you'll need to do it. Lay the motherboard on a flat surface and install the RAM into the RAM sockets, beginning with the socket marked "Bank 0." Slide the module firmly into the socket. A bracket on each side will snap into place when the module is correctly seated. If you purchased multiple modules, install the rest of them now.

Work very carefully when installing the CPU. Lift the lever located on the side of the socket and carefully insert the processor. As you do so, make sure that pin 1 on the processor matches pin 1 on the socket. The CPU will fit correctly only one way. Hold the processor firmly in place and lock the lever down (A).

Install the cooling fan/heat sink on the CPU (procedures vary, so read the instructions carefully), and attach the fan power connector to the connector on the motherboard (B). (See the motherboard manual for the correct location.)

STEP 3

Screw in the metal standoffs (packed with the case hardware) that will hold the motherboard in the case (A).

Carefully slide the board into place (B).

You'll know it's correctly seated when the mounting holes line up. Using the screws that came with the case, mount the motherboard. Be careful not to overtighten the screws, or you may damage the board.

Next, hook up the small connectors for the case's on/off switch, the reset button, speakers, and the indicator lights (power and hard disk activity) to the motherboard. See your motherboard manual for details, and work carefully.

Finally, connect the large power connector from the PC's power supply to the motherboard. The connector will fit only one way.

STEP 4

Using the screws that came with the case, install the floppy disk drive. (If you aren't sure where it goes, look for the cutout in the front panel of the case.)

Next, make sure the jumpers on your EIDE hard drive (A), CD-RW drive, and other drives are set correctly. 

Make sure the data and power connectors on all drives are facing inside the case.

Mount your hard drive (or drives) in the appropriate location, usually in bays in the middle of the case near the motherboard. If you have two hard drives, install the second one next to the primary drive to make hooking up the cables easy.

For components, such as CD-RW drives, that you'll need to access from the front of the case, you may have to attach mounting brackets that came with the case. Some cases don't require them. When you install the drives, make sure that their fronts line up with the front of the case (B).

STEP 5

Press firmly and evenly on each add-in card until the card is seated properly in its slot; then screw the card down using the set of screws that came with your case (A).

STEP 6

It's time to wire everything up. When making connections, make sure that pin 1 of the wide data cables (usually the red wire) connects to pin 1 of the drive and motherboard connectors. (If you're lucky, you'll have keyed connectors on the cables that fit in only one way.) Note the beveled edge on the power connectors and their sockets, but be careful: You can force them in the wrong way.

A. Attach the floppy disk data cable from the drive to the floppy connector on the motherboard.

B. Plug the wide data cable into the primary EIDE channel connector on the motherboard and into the first hard drive on the other end. If you have a second drive on that channel, attach the second connector on the cable to it. (It doesn't matter which connector you use on which drive.)

C. Connect a wide data cable from the secondary EIDE connector on the motherboard to your CD-RW drive. Attach the second connector to the second EIDE drive on that channel (if any).

D. Run the thin audio cable (not pictured) from the rear of your CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive to the appropriate connector on the sound card--or to the motherboard, if you're using its built-in sound support.

E. Plug power connectors into your floppy drive; your hard drive(s); your CD-ROM, CD-RW, or DVD-ROM drives; and any other removable-media drives.

Other drives (such as a DVD-ROM) may have additional cables. Follow the directions that came with the drive to connect these cables correctly. If you run out of power leads, purchase a "Y" connector to add a lead.

STEP 7

Plug the keyboard and mouse into the appropriate connectors on the back of the case. Also hook up your monitor, speakers, printer, and other devices (such as network or modem cables). Finally, plug the AC cord from the power supply into the wall.

*Now you need to move on to installing the software.

*Information and images are from BUILDACOMPUTER.net

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