Leave the computer cover off during assembly. There's no reason to replace the case's cover immediately after installing a part. After all, what if you connected a cable upside down? Instead, test your newly installed device first, if possible. As long as you don't touch any of the circuit boards inside the case, you'll be fine. REMEMBER
By the way, nothing inside your machine will explode or spew nasty radiation, so you don't have to step behind a lead screen when you fire it up. Simply make sure that you don't touch any circuit boards inside while the machine is running. Personally, I replace the case's cover on a work-in-progress only at the end of the day (to fend off dust, felines, and small fingers).
The primary, number-one, all-important, absolutely necessary, required rule
Do not panic!
There's very little chance that you can destroy a component simply by connecting it the wrong way. Take your time while you build your computer and move at your own pace - you can avoid mistakes that way. Here's an important Mark's Maxim:
MARK'S MAXIM
Building a computer is not a contest, and there is no time limit. [TM]
After you gain experience by building a few machines, you can work on speed records; for now, just try to schedule as much uninterrupted time as possible. For example, I know several supertechs who can assemble a complete PC in a single hour. Of course, people often laugh at them at dinner parties. (Being a techno-nerd does have its dark side, I guess.)
The other primary, number-one, all-important, absolutely necessary, required rule
Liquids are taboo!
WARNING
If you even so much as think of parking your soda or mineral water next to your computer (even just for a second), you might remind yourself of Chernobyl or Three Mile Island. If you spill beverages or other liquids on your computer components, that liquid will ruin every exposed circuit that it touches - period. You can't salvage anything from such a spill.
PCs Are Built with Standard Parts
Computers are practically appliances these days - one computer is put together pretty much like another. Ever since IBM introduced the IBM PC, computers have been built using standard components with the same connectors and dimensions, so you no longer need the experience of an electronics engineer to assemble one. And the parts are self-contained, so you don't need to worry about soldering (or gears and springs, either). Everyone uses the same building blocks that fit together the same way.
In fact, assembling standardized computer components is how popular mail-order and direct-sale computer manufacturers build their machines. Like you, they order standard computer components and peripherals and then follow a procedure (much like the ones that I describe in this book) to assemble the computer according to your specifications.
Introducing the Major Parts
Before you find out more about where to buy the parts that make up a computer, allow me to introduce you to each of the major components. I describe each component in general, although you can find out all the details about each computer part in other chapters of this book.
The metal mansion
Your computer's case is its home, complete with a power supply, the various buttons and lights on the front, and the all-important fans that keep the inside of your computer cool. Today's high-power gaming machines have three or four fans, depending on how many devices inside are generating heat - heck, the fastest PCs that gamers build these days are liquid-cooled, just like your car!
You might notice several large, rectangular cutouts on the front of your case. Don't worry - your computer case isn't defective; it's supposed to have them. These holes, called drive bays, enable you to add components, such as a DVD-ROM drive. An unused drive bay is usually covered by a plastic insert. Or the front of your case might have a door that swings open for access to the bays. Figure 1-2 illustrates a custom "modded" case. Gamers and PC techno-jocks swear by unique cases, just like how owners of custom cars love fancy paint jobs and flames galore. This case has additional air vents at the front and room for more fans at the back, as well as colorful paint and chrome accents.
You can get computer cases in various sizes. The size that you choose depends on how many toys (usually called peripherals) you want to add to your computer. See Chapter 3 for a more detailed discussion of your computer's case.
The big kahuna
A number of different circuit boards are inside a computer, but only one is big enough, complicated enough, and important enough to be called your computer's motherboard. Your computer motherboard holds
- The CPU chip: This acts as the brain of your PC.
- The RAM modules: These act as your computer's memory while it's turned on.
- All sorts of connectors: You connect lots of things to your motherboard, such as hard drives, a DVD drive, and power cables.
In fact, the motherboard holds just about everything, as you can see in Figure 1-3. (PCI slots are covered in Chapter 4, and your motherboard's BIOS makes an appearance in Chapters 3 and 7.)
TIP
If you enjoy acronyms and abbreviations, you'll be happy to know that CPU stands for central processing unit, and RAM stands for random access memory.
Computer CPUs come in different speeds, measured in gigahertz (GHz), such as 3 GHz. Sometimes, the CPU speed is mentioned after the processor name, such as Pentium 4 3.06 GHz. In general, the faster the CPU speed, the faster your computer.
The most popular brand of CPU these days is the Intel Core 2 series, which includes the Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Extreme Edition, but you can also find processors from Advanced Micro Devices, which everyone calls AMD. AMD's alternative CPUs are usually less expensive and often run as fast and efficiently as the Core 2 series. I discuss the most popular processors and their advantages later in Chapter 4.
For all the details on your motherboard, see Chapter 3. I discuss CPU chips and RAM modules in Chapter 4.
The eye candy
Next on your list are the video card and the monitor. Together, these two parts display everything from your e-mail to your latest financial figures to all those killer Web pages (and don't forget those flashy enemy Quarkians you need to disintegrate).
All video cards have their own special, onboard RAM modules; the more RAM, the more colors and detail the card can display. Today's state-of-the-art video cards also help speed up your computer while it displays 3-D graphics or digital video. The video card performs most of the display work itself, giving your CPU a well-deserved rest. (Note that many of today's motherboards have a built-in video card, so you might not need a separate card if you're not interested in playing the latest games.) Although you can certainly find many manufacturers of video cards, the actual chipsets used in the cards are built by either AMD (originally ATI) and NVIDIA.
Monitors have screen areas that typically range from 15-24 inches (measured diagonally across the case). You can go even larger if you crave that much onscreen space, or you can put two monitors side by side for a larger virtual desktop. Naturally, the larger the monitor, the more expensive. Today's liquid crystal display (LCD) monitors use less electricity and emit very little radiation compared with the "antique" CRT (or tube) monitors used a decade ago.
Chapter 6 contains just about everything that you ever (or never) wanted to know about video cards and PC monitors.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Build Your Own PC Do-It-Yourself For Dummiesby Mark L. Chambers Copyright © 2009 by Mark L. Chambers. Excerpted by permission.
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