GAMING PC ASSEMBLY GUIDE

Venturing into assembling your first PC is something everyone takes into consideration sooner or later. Today's guide aims to eliminate one of the reasons that leads to giving up: fear . Assembling a computer can seem like a difficult operation, however with the right amount of attention and preparation but above all following a logical criterion it will become a breeze .

Before going into our assembly guide it would be good to make a list of the necessary:

- Make sure you have all the components of our build available;

- A set of screwdrivers;

- Patience and attention.

In our path we will take as an examplea mini-Tower configuration in micro-ATX format and the stock coolers for the CPUs supplied by the parent companies will be considered for assembly purposes.

PREPARATION OF THE CASE

The first step is undoubtedly to bare the case we have chosen, removing both side panels and putting them aside until the end. This is the ideal time to do the preliminary work, i.e. mount the fans, aluminum motherboard I / O panel, and power supply.

As for the fans, the best advice we can give you is to learn the basics of airflow, or how to set the airflow inside the case in order to avoid turbulence and stagnation of heat . In a very traditional way, we imagine a flow that takes air from the front and throws the heat away at the back.

It is therefore necessary to understand the directionality of the fans. The general rule is that the side with the diagonal supports is the back, i.e. the side where the air will EXIT. It would be upright not to rely on the central sticker because there is no convention on this. Some companies, such as Noctua, only apply one on the back, while others, such as Arctic, on both sides.

After creating our air flow, we proceed to insert the power supply in the appropriate compartment by screwing it as in the photo, making sure to pour the cables on the right side of the case.

Ultimately, this is a great time to install the motherboard aluminum I / O panel in the window. The assembly must be carried out from the inside out. This is a simple snap-together operation, so make sure you have inserted all four corners correctly. With many modern motherboards this step is not necessary, because the panel is integrated directly on the board itself.

PREPARING THE MOTHERBOARD

So let's move on to the highlight. First of all, it would be worth checking that the threaded spacers are present inside the case to be able to screw the motherboard. Otherwise you can find them in a box surely included in the package of the case. As for their positioning, usually on the sheet that represents the virtual space where the motherboard will be fixed you will find a small legend engraved or imprinted, otherwise it will be on the instruction booklet.

Once this brief preliminary operation has been carried out, we can proceed to insert the motherboardand screw it without special warnings. There are actually two schools of supposed at this point. Some prefer to first mount the motherboard inside the case and then install the components, while others prefer the opposite.

MOUNTING THE CPU

It should be noted that, given the enormous variability on the market, between different sockets by brand and generation but also for different visions of motherboard manufacturers, you will have to somehow pay attention to the manual of your motherboard, to have references as clear as possible.

The first process to be carried out is to lift the handle of the socket for the CPU and insert the processor paying attention to the direction.

On Intel processor motherboards, there is usually a plastic plate to remove before assembly, on which a small raised triangle is marked. It is necessary to remember exactly the angle indicated to make it match with its analogue printed in gold on the processor.

Similar mechanics for AMD processors in which, however, the triangle on the motherboard is imprinted directly on the socket. In this case, particular attention must be given to the handling of the CPU since, unlike Intel processors, AMD CPUs have male pins with the socket on the female motherboard , so you could run the risk of bending some PINs, an accident more frequent than do not imagine.

At this point we lower the bar, also following the advice given in the motherboard manual and we go to the next step.

RAM ASSEMBLY

This step, with DDR4 memory, may seem more complex than it actually is. We anticipate that the following procedure is not certain that it is superimposable to what we will see in the new DDR5 RAM .

The first step is to push out the safety latches located at the end of the slots on the motherboard. Some motherboards have a fixed side, so be careful not to break it.

At this point the bank can be inserted into its slot, paying attention to the reverse. In the central part of the interface with the RAM pins there is a cleat that divides the bench into two asymmetrical portions. The slot on the motherboard is exactly complementary, so you just need to pay a little attention to avoid problems.

Finally, with a slight pressure, the memory will snap into place and the previously opened latch will return by itself to its initial position, securing the RAM to the motherboard.

ASSEMBLING THE HEATSINK

This step is extremely different depending on whether you have chosen an Intel or AMD processor. Stock heatsinks are generally shipped with pre- applied heat-conducting paste, otherwise follow the "grain of rice" rule to never make a mistake, ie apply to the exact center of the heatspreader (the satin aluminum part of the processor engraved with the name) a quantity equal to exactly one grain of rice , no more and no less.

The AMD Wraith MAX and Wraith PRISM series heatsinks have a central lever fixing system. The steps to follow are usually explained in a sufficiently exhaustive manner in the enclosed booklet, but we remind you of the salient points. Note the orientation of the two plastic brackets on either side of the processor socket. In the center of the heatsink there is a thin and flexible metal plate, which will be inserted first on one side and then on the other between the two plastic supports of the motherboard. Finally, turn the lever located on one of the two sides of the heatsink to close the system.

To fix the Wraith Stealth and Wraith Spire heatsinks instead, it will be necessary to remove the plastic plates by unscrewing them and screwing the heatsink directly in their place. The most useful suggestion when dealing with dissipation systems with screw fixing is to not screw it one screw at a time until it stops but proceed at opposite angles one turn at a time .

Non-K Intel processors ship with included heatsink. Although it is not the best in terms of aesthetics, in terms of performance, for most configurations, it can be used as a first choice, especially if we have a limited budget.

The installation procedure in this case is much simpler: just align the four side pins with the corresponding holes on the motherboard, rotate them 90 degrees counterclockwise from the initial position and only then press them until the heatsink is firmly fixed. .

MOUNT THE STORAGE

In our setup we chose M.2 NVMe memory because the motherboard allowed it. Otherwise, all homes have a dedicated storage space.

Assembling an M.2 SSD is a matter of moments . It is necessary to insert the memory on one side, exert a slight pressure to make it go to the stop and then screw it to the motherboard, as in the photo.

MOUNTING THE VIDEO CARD

This step is obviously optional, especially if you have opted for a solution with AMD Ryzen APUs. If, on the other hand, you have decide to insert a dedicated GPU, its assembly requires that you remove the appropriate number of dust-proof tabs from the case. Most of the latest generation gaming GPUs occupy two slots , with very few exceptions. This means that at least two tabs will have to be removed.

Obviously, make the necessary comparisons to have absolute certainty. Then insert the video card in the appropriate slot, as marked in the picture, until it clicks.

Finally, recycle the screws that held the tabs to secure the GPU to the case.

CONNECTIONS

Now it's time for the wiring. A succession of explanatory photographs will follow.

Particular attention must be paid to the connection of the fan cables. The case fans will go into the correct ports, conventionally marked "SYS_FAN" on the motherboard. On the contrary, the CPU heatsink fan will be connected to the port marked "CPU_FAN". If your motherboard shows discrepancies, obviously the relevant manual will prevail.

 

If you have purchased a modular or semi-modular power supply, it will be your concern to connect the 8-pin power cable (or cables, if your GPU requires two) to the power supply. At this point we will need to connect the 8-pin CPU power cable in the upper left corner of the motherboard. The 8-pin CPU cable differs from that for the video card in that it consists of two "square" 4-pin blocks, while the power cable for the GPU consists of a 6-pin block plus a 2-pin extension . Power to the motherboard is provided by the 24-pin cable.

The final step of our guide is to connect the cables of the case. The cables to be connected are numerous and very small. The scheme is usually conventional (you can see it in the images), but we refer you to the motherboard manual for more safety. Below is a cable marked with the writing HDAUDIO that will be inserted into the JAUD1 port, usually located at the bottom left. The last cable in the case is the big blue JUSB3.

If you have included traditional hard drives or SATA SSDs in your configuration, now is the time to connect them via SATA cable as well. These hard drives also need a dedicated power supply , so you will also need to add the appropriate cable to your power supply, if it is a semi-modular.

LAST TOUCHES

Our PC is complete. We just have to connect the external cables and carry out an ignition test. If you have followed the guide carefully you will not encounter any problems whatsoever. Proceed to close the panels of the case, fixing the cables on the right side in the best possible way with electrician clamps. The cable management is a crucial step to avoid creating turbulence inside the case , so you can slide the back all the excess, in a more orderly as possible.

FINAL REMARKS

If you've made it this far, it means you haven't returned your new components to port on a laptop. Well done!

We invite you to express your questions in the comments, which will not be missed since the amount of hardware on the market makes it impossible to create an all-encompassing assembly guide.

If you want to venture into assembling a living room mini PC, the steps are very similar but the displacement of the components inside the case will be different depending on the idea behind the small form factor case , which we talked about in our special. on the best mini-ITX houses of 2020 .

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