Build your own gaming PC for newbies

Install the CPU cooler-Parts used: motherboard with installed CPU, CPU cooler, thermal paste Ready for what is usually the hardest step of your build process?. Screw them in, and you sh

Table Of Contents

Acknowledgments

To all the people who bought this book a huge thanks to you

all! Without you this Book wouldn't have been possible Please tell about this book to your friends and family so it will help

them build their PC as well as me in creating more books for you readers.

I hope this book aided you in some way or the other to build

your own Gaming PC!

This book was dedicated to all the newbies to computer building and help them build their very own and probably their first

Gaming PC!

Chapter 1: Why Build Your Own

Gaming PC?

It might seem daunting to build your own PC, but the truth is it's actually quite easy It

only requires buying parts, installing them into the right slots, and hooking them up with

cables It's almost like Lego, but a bit more fiddly, and you'll need a screwdriver for some

parts.

Here are three good reasons you should build your next computer from the ground up.

It Costs

Less-To test this theory out, I compare the price of a high- end gaming PC from a well-known brand with good quality equivalent parts with the same

specifications from popular sites where you can buy parts like Newegg and Amazon The

high-end brand-name PC retails at $3,055 Meanwhile, the total for the parts I found on

Newegg and Amazon were in the $1,600 range In other words, you can simply build the PC you want with all the same parts as the brand-name PC but it'll cost half as much yet

perform just as well.

You Can Pick Exactly Which Parts You

Want-As I was looking through different options for brand-name PCs you can buy, I noticed there weren't actually that many to choose from You're limited by what the company offers,

basically By picking the parts yourself you also know exactly what you're getting, and you're paying for as much as you need Not more, not less For brand-name PCs, it's not quite clear what parts companies use, so you're never really sure whether you're overpaying for

something you don't need, or if you're getting parts that don't do what you want.

It's Extremely

Satisfying-It is extremely satisfying to put hand-picked parts together and run the Windows operating system, as well as apps and games You can look at your final product and say "I made that," not some company like Samsung, Acer, or HP Now you know why you should build your own PC! Let's head to the next chapter where you'll learn where to buy the parts required in

order to make the PC.

Chapter 2: Buying The Parts

Here are the components you’ll need to build your first gaming PC.

Processor

-Your central processing unit, or CPU, is often referred to as the computer’s brain It

controls the number of tasks your computer can accomplish at once and how quickly it can complete said tasks.

While there are a lot of specs you can use to

compare central processing units, for your first build it’s OK to find one that’s a little cheaper but gets the job done Ask friends who game what processors

they have and how they like them Research their

recommendations and pick the one that seems best for you.

Motherboard-The motherboard houses the various components of your gaming PC Like a flesh-and-blood mother, it takes the disparate pieces, sits them down in their proper places, and helps them behave well together Take some time to think ahead about the other members of your PC family—like the video card, memory, and other components you want to use—to choose a motherboard that accommodates them.

Memory-While many of us struggle to think of what we ate for lunch yesterday (fish tacos, maybe?), computers equipped with the right memory sticks have rock- solid short-term memories.

Random access memory, or RAM, allows computers to access files quickly and run multiple processes at once without lagging.

You’ll want at least 4GB of RAM for your computer Anything less than that and many games won’t run As an upper limit, most online enthusiasts agree

that 16GB of RAM is more than enough for your gaming needs.

Check out the motherboard’s specs to determine how many RAM sticks you need and

what speeds and types are available.

Graphics processing

unit-The graphics processing unit, also known as the GPU, graphics card, or video card, is a pretty flashy component Not only does it look cool, but it makes your games appear photorealistic without crashing your computer or slowing your gameplay.

There are sites that stress-test graphics cards and publish reviews pointing out flaws in

aesthetics and execution Reading these is a great way to figure out what card to buy.

Storage-It can be tricky to know exactly how much storage you’ll need Make your best informed

guess Look at how much space your current list of games requires and use this number as a benchmark.

Then there’s another choice you have to make You can buy either a hard drive or a

solid-state drive (SSD) Some sources recommend combining a lower- end SSD with a hard drive for the best of both worlds But if you can cover your storage needs with an SSD alone, it may

be helpful to go this route, as these drives can halve loading times, no problem.

If this sounds overwhelming, don’t worry It’s

possible to add storage to your PC in the future.

Power

supply-You’re going to need to harness the power of electricity to bring your PC to life This is where

a quality power supply unit, or PSU, comes into play.

Avoid settling for the cheapest PSU to plug into your new machine If you buy nice

components, but

penny-pinch for your power supply, you may find

that you’ve literally torched your investment.

Case-The computer case is where everything comes together Like a good power source, a nice

case can last you multiple rebuilds over many years.

To invest in your “forever” case, look for one that’s made of metal rather than plastic, with plenty of space on the inside to keep your current components ventilated while leaving room for future replacement parts.

And, of course, always check the reviews It can be tricky to tell from an online photo how well a piece will perform when you have it under your desk.

Now that you know which parts to buy let's start building your PC in the next chapter.

Chapter 3: Assembling Your PC

Your build may differ slightly, but most of the steps below are universal and will look and function very similarly.

Install the

CPU-Parts used: Motherboard, CPU

Remove your motherboard from its anti-static sleeve and place it on a clean, flat surface, where you'll be doing your build Remove the protective plastic covering over the CPU socket

on the motherboard by pushing the lever arm down and to the side, then pulling the covering

up Now you’re ready to install the processor.

Open your CPU box and take the processor out It’s probably safely housed in a plastic sleeve Look at the CPU, and match the arrow on the bottom-left corner of the chip with the bottom corner of the socket There are also two notches on the top half of the chip The pins face down, so the plain silver side should be facing up There’s only one possible way to correctly orient the CPU, which makes it easy to install! The CPU fits into the socket, and you don't need to press down to force it into place It doesn't "snap" in—it just rests on top of the pins.

To finish the installation, simply lower the socket covering and push the lever arm back into place.

Install the CPU

cooler-Parts used: motherboard (with installed CPU), CPU

cooler, thermal paste

Ready for what is (usually) the hardest step of your build process? Everything from here on is

a total breeze, but installing a CPU cooler can be a bit tricky, especially because they vary in design For this step, you should primarily be following the steps

shown in your CPU cooler’s included instructions But I’ll walk you through two examples: installing the stock Intel cooler included with Intel’s processors,

and installing the popular Cooler Master Hyper 212

Evo, my recommended air cooler.

Stock Intel cooler: This little guy will keep an Intel processor cool enough if you’re not doing any overclocking, but it’s not as quiet or efficient as an aftermarket cooler Its greatest

strength, however, is simplicity If you look at the bottom of the cooler, you’ll notice it already has thermal material on it This means you don’t need to add thermal paste to your CPU.

Intel’s cooler is also easy to mount Simply place it over the CPU socket, oriented so that its labeling faces the same direction as the text on the processor The frame of the socket is the top, while the lever arm juts down to the bottom Push the cooler’s pegs into the four holes surrounding the CPU socket until they click into place.

Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo: This cooler takes a bit more work First, find the CPU

mounting plate (aka back plate) You need to install this plate to the backside of the

motherboard to provide extra support for the cooler Refer to the instructions to find the

proper screws and backplate positioning for your motherboards, since the mounting

positioning can vary slightly between sockets But lining it up should be easy—there are four holes around the edges of the CPU socket, and that’s where you’ll be placing screws to attach

to the backplate on the backside of the motherboard Hold the backplate in position so its mounting holes line up with the holes around the socket, then screw it into place from the top

With the backplate securely in place, you’re ready

to install the cooler Unclip the fan from the radiator to make it easier to install Now flip the radiator

over so that the small side, with copper piping, is facing up There should be a clear plastic covering on this surface to keep it clean.

Remove the plastic and apply a pea-size dab of thermal paste to the middle of the surface (I did a sloppy job in the video above: you can use about

half that much thermal paste) You don’t need a lot, and you don’t need to spread it around— pressing

the cooler onto the CPU will do that for you.

Ready to put it in place? Orient the cooler vertically over the CPU socket (the socket is

taller than it is wide, so you should orient the cooler to match) and press it down firmly on the CPU Make sure it’s on straight.

Home stretch: look at the CPU mounting bracket, a crossbar with spring-loaded screws on the ends Reference the instructions to make sure those screws are positioned properly for your motherboard socket Then, with the bracket closed, slip it in the gap between the

radiator and the contact point of the cooler There’s a little peg hole here that the center of the bracket nestles into Push it into place, then spread the two arms out and position the

screws into place over the four mounting screws you installed earlier Screw them in, and you should feel the cooler tighten up against the motherboard until it’s held solidly in place.

Reattach the fan to the heatsink simply by clipping

it into place You’ve now installed your CPU cooler.

Slot in the

RAM-Parts used: motherboard (with CPU and cooler), RAM

This step is easy So easy Take your RAM sticks (you probably have two or four) out of their packaging Before installing, refer to your motherboard manual’s page about the RAM slots This page will tell you which RAM slots are the ideal slots to use based on how many sticks you have These slots are usually color coordinated.

Once you know where you’re putting the RAM, unlock the slot by pushing down on the hinged tabs on one end Orient your RAM so that the notch ⅓ of the way through the stick matches with the notch on the slot Now press the RAM sticks firmly into the slots Don’t worry about pressing too hard—it takes some pressure The tabs will click into place when

the sticks are fully inserted.

Snap the I/O shield into

place-Parts used (PC case, motherboard I/O shield)

Time to open up that shiny new PC case you bought Opening it is as simple as undoing the thumbscrews at the back of the case that hold the panels in place, and then removing them Now lay the case flat on your table so that the main cavity faces up.

Your motherboard should’ve come with a rectangular plastic or metal I/O shield that fits over the motherboard’s input/output ports To install the I/O shield into the case, first orient it correctly in relation to the motherboard, then fit it into the rectangular slot at the back of the

PC case You’ll have to press it firmly into the slot from within the case; they can be finicky to install, and the edges are sharp, so watch your fingers Press against each side of the I/O

shield until it gives you a solid snap.

Install the motherboard standoffs in the

PC case and screw in the

motherboard-Parts used: PC case, PC case standoffs and screws, motherboard

Your case should’ve come with a box or bag full of screws, zip-ties, and other odds and

ends you’ll use for installation Find the motherboard standoffs— the bottom halves of the standoffs are threaded, while the top halves are screw holes that you’ll be screwing the

motherboard into Now examine your case There should be about a dozen small holes

around the inside of the case where the standoffs go Depending on your case,

they may be labeled for different size motherboards: A for ATX, M for micro ATX, and I for mini ITX Depending on the size of your motherboard (in most cases, you’ll be building with a standard ATX size),

you want to put the standoffs into the correctly labeled holes If they’re not labeled, you

should have enough standoffs to simply cover every hole Screw them into place using the included standoff tool, which fits over the standoff and lets you use a screwdriver.

With the standoffs in place, it’s time to screw in the motherboard Orient it so that the I/O ports line up properly with the I/O shield, then lower the motherboard until it’s resting on the standoffs Most cases have a peg that fits up through a hole in the center of the motherboard,

so if you have it properly positioned, it should now be locked into place Once the

motherboard’s placed, find the motherboard screws that came with your case and tighten that mother down.

Install the power

supply-Parts used: Power supply, PC case

Another easy step Take your power supply out of its

box and set aside all the cables, which you’ll be

using a bit later Depending on the model, the power supply may be completely modular (in which case, no cables are permanently attached) or partially modular (primary motherboard power cables are hardwired in) or not at all modular (a

whole big mess of permanently attached cables) Regardless, this step of the installation

process is the same: you’re going to put the PSU into the case, usually at the bottom, so that the rear vent and power plug and on/off switch face out of the rear of the case.

Depending on your case, you may have the option

to orient the power supply face up or face down See the big fan on top of your power supply?

If your case

has a vent at the bottom, you can orient that fan down to pull in cool air from below the

case But don’t orient the PSU downwards if your PC will be resting on carpet The fan

needs clear airflow If your case doesn’t have that ventilation at the bottom, simply orient the power supply so that the fan faces up, into the case.

With the power supply nestled against the back of the case, find the power supply screws

that came with your case and screw it in tight You’ll probably need to push against the

power supply from inside

the case to make sure it’s snug.

Insert hard drives and/or

SSDs-Parts used: PC case, HDD, SSD

This step will vary a bit based on your case and what

kind of storage you’re putting into your PC A

pretty standard configuration these days is an SSD

for your Windows installation and games, and a

HDD for bulk storage of media.

In a typical case, there are convenient hard drive trays that slide in and out, or plastic runners that snap onto the sides of the HDD If it’s a tray, it probably mounts onto the bottom of the hard drive Orient your HDD in the tray so that its ports face out of the back of the tray This will allow you to run cables to it on the backside of the case, and keep the interior cavity nice and clear Now find the HDD screws included with your PC case parts and screw the HDD to the tray Then simply slide the tray back into its slot, where it should fit with a nice click.

Runners are even easier: just snap them to the sides of the HDD and then slot it into an empty space in the hard drive cage.

SSD mounting methods vary: some cases now have dedicated 2.5-inch SSD slots, while

others use adapter trays to fit the SSD into the same part of the

case as the HDDs If it’s a tray, the installation will

be similar to a hard drive Refer to your case’s manual to figure out how your SSD

should be mounted.

Plug in hard drives and/or

SSDs-Parts used: PC case, SATA cables, power cables, HDD, SSD

Once you have all your drives installed, it’s time to plug ‘em in Find the SATA data cables included with your motherboard, and plug those into the small SATA ports on the drives The SATA port is notched, so the cable can only fit in one way.

After the SATA data cable comes the SATA power cable These cables may already be attached to your power supply—there are usually plugs attached to a single cable, and you should have several extras included with the power supply If your HDD and

SSD are installed close together, you should only need one cable to power them both Find the cable where it’s connected to the power supply, pull it through one of the cable

management openings

along the wall of the case, and plug in both the SSD and HDD Like the SATA data cables, these are notched, and can only plug in one way.