Building the Perfect PC

Things to Know and Do Before You Start

We’ve built many systems over the years, and we’ve learned a lot of lessons the hard way. Here are some things to keep in mind as you begin your project.

Make sure you have everything you need before you start

Have all of the hardware, software, and tools you’ll need lined up and waiting. You don’t want to have to stop in mid-build to go off in search of a small Phillips screwdriver or to drive to the store to buy a cable. If your luck is anything like ours, you won’t find the screwdriver you need and the store will be closed. In addition to tools and components, make sure you have the distribution CDs for the operating system, service packs, device drivers, diagnostics utilities, and any other software you’ll need to complete the build.

RTFM

Read the fine manuals, if only the Quick Start sections. Surprisingly, while system manuals are notoriously awful, many component manuals are actually quite good. You’ll find all sorts of hints and tips, from the best way to install the component to suggestions on optimizing its performance.

Don’t assume that every box contains what it’s supposed to. Before you begin the build, open each box and verify its contents against the packing list. Quite often, we open a new component box only to find that the driver CD, manual, cable, or some other small component that should have been included is missing. On one memorable occasion, we opened a new, shrink-wrapped video adapter box only to find that everything was present except the video adapter itself!

Note

Okay, we admit it. We almost never read the manuals, but we can just about build a system blindfolded. Until you’re proficient, reading the manuals before you proceed is the best way to guarantee that your new PC will, um, work.

Download the latest drivers

Although PC component inventories turn over quickly, the CDs included with components usually don’t contain the most recent drivers. Some manufacturers don’t update their driver CDs very often, so the bundled drivers may be a year or more out of date, even if the component itself was made recently. Before you begin building a PC, visit the web site for each of your components and download the most recent driver and BIOS updates. Unpack or unzip them if necessary, burn them to CD, and label the CD. You may choose to install drivers from the bundled CD—in fact, at times it’s necessary to do so because the downloadable updates do not include everything that’s on the CD—but you want to have those later drivers available so that you can update your system immediately.

While you’re at it, download all of the documentation you can find for each component. Quite often, the detailed documentation intended for system builders is not included in the component box. The only way to get it is to download it.

Ground yourself before touching components

Processors, memory modules, and other electronic components— including the circuit boards in drives—are sensitive to static shock. Static electricity can damage components even if the voltage is too low for you to see or feel a static spark. The best way to avoid static damage to components is to get in the habit of grounding yourself before you touch any sensitive component. You can buy special anti-static wrist straps and similar devices, but they’re really not necessary. All you need to do is touch a metal object like the chassis or power supply before you handle components.

Static Guard

To minimize problems with static, wear wool or cotton clothing and avoid rubber-soled shoes. Static problems increase when the air is dry, as is common in winter when central heating systems are in use. You can reduce or eliminate static with a spray bottle filled with water to which you’ve added a few drops of dishwashing liquid. Thoroughly spritz your work area immediately before you begin working. The goal is not to get anything wet, but simply to increase the humidity of the air. (Whatever you do, avoid wetting the case or components themselves, especially the connectors and slots, which must be kept clean and dry at all times.)

Keep track of the screws and other small parts

Building a PC yields an incredible number of small pieces that need to be kept organized. As you open each component box, your pile of screws, cables, mounting brackets, adapters, and other small parts grows larger. Some of these things you’ll need, and some you won’t. As we can attest, one errant screw left on the floor can destroy a vacuum cleaner. Worse, one unnoticed screw in the wrong place can short out and destroy the motherboard and other components. The best solution we’ve found is to use an egg carton or ice cube tray to keep parts organized. The goal is to have all of the small parts accounted for when you finish assembling the PC.

Warning

Some PCs use a variety of screws that look very similar but are in fact threaded differently. For example, the screws used to secure some case covers and those used to mount some disk drives may appear to be identical, but swapping them may result in stripped threads. If in doubt, keep each type of screw in a separate compartment of your organizer.

Use force when necessary, but use it cautiously

Many books tell you never to force anything, and that’s good advice as far as it goes. If doing something requires excessive force, chances are a part is misaligned, you have not removed a screw, or there is some similar problem. But sometimes there is no alternative to applying force judiciously. For example, drive power cables sometimes fit so tightly that the only way to connect them is to grab them with pliers and press hard. (Make sure all the contacts are aligned first.) Some combinations of expansion card and slot fit so tightly that you must press very hard to seat the card. If you encounter such a situation, verify that everything is lined up and otherwise as it should be, and that there are no stray wires obstructing the slot. Then use whatever force it takes to do the job, which may be substantial.

Check and recheck before you apply power

An experienced PC technician building a PC does a quick scan of the new PC before performing the “smoke test” by applying power to the PC (if you don’t see any smoke, it passes the test). Don’t skip this step, and don’t underestimate its importance. Most PCs that fail the smoke test do so because this step was ignored. Until you gain experience, it may take several minutes to verify that all is as it should be—all components secure, all cables connected properly, no tools or other metal parts shorting anything out, and so on. Once you are comfortable working inside PCs, this step takes 15 seconds, but it may be the most important 15 seconds of the whole project.

Note

After we build a system, we pick it up and shake it gently. If something rattles, we know there’s a screw loose somewhere.

Don’t let this warning put you off building a PC. If you choose good components, assemble them carefully, and double-check everything before you apply power, the probability of catastrophic failure is probably about the same as getting hit by lightning or winning the lottery.

Start small for the first boot

The moment of greatest danger comes when you power up the PC for the first time. If the system fails catastrophically—which sometimes happens no matter how careful you are—don’t smoke more than you have to. For example, the SOHO Server project system we built for this book uses four hard drives and two memory modules. When we built that system, we installed only one drive and one memory module initially. That way, if something shorted out when we first applied power, we’d destroy only one drive and memory module rather than all of them. For that reason, we suggest starting with a minimum configuration—motherboard, processor, one memory stick, video, and one hard drive. Once you’re satisfied that all is well, you can add your optical and other drives, additional memory, expansion cards, and so on.

Leave the cover off until you’re sure everything works

Experts build and test the PC completely before putting the lid back on and connecting the external cables. Novices build the PC, reassemble the case, reconnect all the cables, and then test it.

Good Advice for First-Time System Builders

Ron Morse, one of our technical reviewers, has been building PCs for 20 years. He makes the following suggestions for first-time system builders:

• Try to arrange a couple of hours when you can reasonably expect to be free of interruptions when building your first PC. It’s a sequential process, and you need to keep track of what you have (and haven’t) done.

• Building while this week’s NASCAR crashfest or the Padres’ latest losing effort plays on the TV isn’t a good idea, either. While there’s nothing difficult about building a PC, it does take a certain level of concentration. I like to play music, but not Mahler or the Squirrel Nut Zippers, both of which cause me to think too much about the music instead of what I’m doing.

• Most pro shops don’t allow food or drink in the assembly area. It’s a good rule for the home builder, too. In addition to the obvious concerns about spills and crumbs, condensation from the outside of a cold drink container can drip unnoticed into a sensitive area, and residue from “finger food” can cause problems by contaminating contacts or making small parts hard(er) to grasp and place.

• Pace yourself. Building a PC is amazingly simple…after it’s finished. Getting there takes concentration and some physical dexterity. Plan to take short breaks at logical points during the build, then take them.

Note

The corollary to this rule is that you should always put the cover back on the case once everything is complete and tested. Some people believe that leaving the cover off improves cooling. Wrong. Cases do not depend on convection cooling, which is the only kind you get with the cover off. Cases are designed to direct cooling air across the major heat-generating components, processors and drives, but this engineering is useless if you run the PC uncovered. Replace the cover to avoid overheating components.

Another good reason to replace the cover is that running a system without the cover releases copious amounts of RF to the surrounding environment. An uncovered system can interfere with radios, monitors, televisions, and other electronic components over a wide radius.