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Old 5th October 2010, 09:40   #1576
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I am interested to learn how to assemble a personal computer and assemble my next PC. I intend to upgrade after 2 years so I have plenty of time. I think it would be satisfying to assemble my own PC. My knowledge would increase and I do not have to deal with service guys for maintenance. How to go about doing it, any books or websites recommended?

Aroy, I think you are the best person to answer this question?
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Old 5th October 2010, 09:55   #1577
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Originally Posted by PatienceWins View Post
I am interested to learn how to assemble a personal computer and assemble my next PC. I intend to upgrade after 2 years so I have plenty of time. I think it would be satisfying to assemble my own PC. My knowledge would increase and I do not have to deal with service guys for maintenance. How to go about doing it, any books or websites recommended?

Aroy, I think you are the best person to answer this question?
As I have been doing this for over fifteen years I find it relatively easy to assemble the PC. You can get an idea here Search for assembling pc

In general just remember to read the manuals thoroughly, and follow the instructions step by step. If the dealer you buy the components from is knowledgeable, he can not only guide you, but help you out if any thing goes wrong. So if it your first time find a good dealer and buy components with iron clad guaranty.
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Old 5th October 2010, 11:00   #1578
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PatienceWins View Post
I am interested to learn how to assemble a personal computer and assemble my next PC. I intend to upgrade after 2 years so I have plenty of time. I think it would be satisfying to assemble my own PC. My knowledge would increase and I do not have to deal with service guys for maintenance. How to go about doing it, any books or websites recommended?

Aroy, I think you are the best person to answer this question?
Well to be honest, I had tried to assemble my own computer and except putting power button wire the wrong way, I had done everything correctly.
It wasnt that hard, the only thing you need is the directions and most motherboards come with a chart to show each port and wire.
The only thing left would be a OS setup, which is again quite easy, just setup the primary boot to your CD/DVD drive and secondary to your hard disk(not completely sure of this part) and thats it. What you can do is, open your current PC, remove your RAM, and put it back, remove your grafic card and put it back, basicly remove one by one, everything and put it back.
This way you wont forget where everything was.
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Old 5th October 2010, 11:20   #1579
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Originally Posted by Aroy View Post
As I have been doing this for over fifteen years I find it relatively easy to assemble the PC. You can get an idea here Search for assembling pc

In general just remember to read the manuals thoroughly, and follow the instructions step by step. If the dealer you buy the components from is knowledgeable, he can not only guide you, but help you out if any thing goes wrong. So if it your first time find a good dealer and buy components with iron clad guaranty.
most importantly, please don't forget to ground yourself before handling the components, specially the processor, RAM and the motherboard - one can easily fry the chips with static electricity
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Old 5th October 2010, 14:04   #1580
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One should wear a grounded wrist strap, but in twenty years of working with computers I seldom did --- but was always careful to ground myself as you say. In the days when I was inside the boxes the most, the power was not yet under software control, and I would work with the power lead plugged in and keep touching the case. Now, one must not work with the power lead plugged in, as power is going to the mb even when "off".

Although I have installed, removed, replaced, many many memory chips, extension boards, disks, even the occasional processor, in quite a variety of machines, the one thing I have never done is to build from scratch. I've always been a manual reader, but I'm going to be checking out the advice on the net about the best sequence and procedures before I start. Manuals are not for wimps*, and it is always better to learn from other people's experience



*Actually, where possible I read the manual before buying: they are a lot more honest about what stuff does and how than the sales literature is!

Last edited by Thad E Ginathom : 5th October 2010 at 14:05.
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Old 5th October 2010, 15:32   #1581
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most importantly, please don't forget to ground yourself before handling the components, specially the processor, RAM and the motherboard - one can easily fry the chips with static electricity
That holds true in cold dry climate, where static can build up quickly, as in Delhi winters. Test static build up by running a comb through your hair. If static is built up the hair will be attracted to the comb. In coastal regions where the temparature is high, static rarely builds up.

It is a good practice to handle the MB and the RAM by the edge which would minimize static transfer from hands. Another trick is to wash your hands and pat them dry. Enough moisture will be retained to stop static build up.

A good sequence

- PS
- MB without RAM or Processor
- Video card if any
start the machine and listen for the error code. It is generally processor not present. Any other code/beep there is error in assembly! Add the processor. Start again. If everything is OK it will either go to the Bios or beep to indicate absence of RAM. Add RAM, one DIM at a time. If any DIM is faulty the computer will stop then.

Go through the MB manual to set the defaults and other operating parameters.
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Old 6th October 2010, 00:14   #1582
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Static is better just not risked at all --- but one big difference here compared to my mother country, is carpets (big static creator) and tiled floors. If I'm standing barefoot on a tiled floor, I'm earthed/grounded aren't I? Not sure: techies please comment!
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Old 6th October 2010, 00:31   #1583
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Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom View Post
Static is better just not risked at all --- but one big difference here compared to my mother country, is carpets (big static creator) and tiled floors. If I'm standing barefoot on a tiled floor, I'm earthed/grounded aren't I? Not sure: techies please comment!
As someone who studied class XII electrostatics a few months ago, I think you are.

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Manuals are not for wimps*, and it is always better to learn from other people's experience
Wish people'd understand that. Most of the people I know don't know most of the features of the product they have.

I remember once we were at my Uncle's home, and they had just bought a food processor. Well, everybody huddled around, excited at seeing a new product. It had two driving gears, which, I presume, every food processor has. Anyway, they put a jar on the top of one gear, and turned it on while everybody waited with bated breath [Maybe I've exaggerated a little, or a bit too much]. Well, it didn't work.

So all the self-styled 'expert' grown-ups began diagnosing and making phone calls, and/or muttering that the thing did work fine at the shopkeeper's.

Only if they had read the manual which clearly stated that you had to put jars on both the gears for the thing to work, which a 9 year old, while casually reading the manual, discovered and put the thing into action, the 9 year old being yours sincerely.
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Old 6th October 2010, 01:11   #1584
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I have a problem with phone manuals and camera manuals, both of which seem to either have just too much compressed information, or too little padded out with waffle. Still, I try! The worst product sales literature I have ever seen in my life comes from IBM: pages and pages and pages that tell you that you just have to have this particular thing/software, and your company will almost certainly not survive, let alone compete, without it, but nothing about what it actually does! really, seriously, nothing! Well, I'm not buying that then!

Thanks for the grounding info. That'll make me feel safer building my PC soon.

Last edited by Thad E Ginathom : 6th October 2010 at 01:12.
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Old 6th October 2010, 14:33   #1585
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That holds true in cold dry climate, where static can build up quickly, as in Delhi winters. Test static build up by running a comb through your hair. If static is built up the hair will be attracted to the comb. In coastal regions where the temparature is high, static rarely builds up.
The static build up has nothing to do with temperature. It is affected more by the moisture in the air - the humidity. In temperate regions (Europe and mountains anywhere) the humidity is low and hence the built up static electricity has fewer points to dissipate. This can happen inside an air-conditioned room in places like Madras too. You don't need to walk on carpets to generate static electricity. You can scratch your back when you wear synthetic dress and still generate plenty of static.

So the bottom line is it is better and safer to ground yourself by touching an earthed object - like your AC metal wall socket outer ring before you embark on touching solid state devices.

Most chips including our CPUs come in a conductive foam packaging material. Leave them in that conductive foam until you are ready to insert them in their socket. Hard disks and many I/O cards also come in metalized wrappers to protect them against static electricity. Same way remove them from their cover only when you are ready to place them in their circuit.

Incidentally, computer cases are not earthed to proper ground. Most SMPS (switch mode power supplies) will have residual voltages as high as 50 V floating above the 'ground'.

Quote:
If I'm standing barefoot on a tiled floor, I'm earthed/grounded aren't I? Not sure: techies please comment!
It depends on the kind of tile. Some tiles are made of synthetic material and hence can be bad conductors.

Last edited by Prowler : 6th October 2010 at 14:36. Reason: Added additional content
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Old 6th October 2010, 17:22   #1586
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It might depend on how much concrete there is between it and the earth too? Ours are not synthetic, and we live on the ground floor.

Humidity and moisture is important from the standpoint of condensation. I think it is important, if those components have come from an AC shop, in an AC car, but the room is not AC, to let the temperature equalise before unwrapping. This too, not just for components, but for all electronics. They just don't like working when wet!
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Old 6th October 2010, 17:53   #1587
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why unnecessarily taxing your brains - simbly touch a grounded metal thingy, then bhagvaan ka naam le kar start assembling your PC

disclaimer: don't blame me if your PC goes "poof"
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Old 6th October 2010, 18:24   #1588
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Yes, I will take every precaution. It costs nothing, whereas "poof" can be expensive!
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Old 6th October 2010, 19:55   #1589
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Yes, I will take every precaution. It costs nothing, whereas "poof" can be expensive!
What I used to do whenever I got the bug to disassemble was to wear one of my mom's bangles and connected a wire from the bangle to the earthing pin on the socket.
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Old 6th October 2010, 22:03   #1590
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What I used to do whenever I got the bug to disassemble was to wear one of my mom's bangles and connected a wire from the bangle to the earthing pin on the socket.
How about a "Kada" which is popular with men in North.
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