Indholdsfortegnelse for Issue 3 i Build Your Own PC The Complete Manual

The Central Processing Unit This is the first part of the build where things can go wrong if you are not very careful. Always handle the CPU with great care and take your time when fitting. STEP 1 Fitting the CPU in to the motherboard socket is usually best done before the motherboard is fitted into the case, as is fitting the CPU Cooler and RAM, as this allows for greater control. The CPU is a small and delicate component, so making installation as easy as possible makes sense. Even if you take anti-static precautions at no other time during the build, do so for this part. STEP 2 The process for fitting an AMD or Intel CPU is similar, but there are some physical differences between the two processor…

Fitting a PCIe Card Almost all graphics cards you buy these days, even cheap ones, will fit in the PCIe socket on your motherboard, so this is the type we will look at here. STEP 1 The first thing to do is make sure that the PCIe socket on your motherboard is clear of cables and that the graphics card will fit in the case when it is plugged in. Some cards are very long and if you are using a mATX case, it might be a tight squeeze where your hard drive cradle projects from the front. If possible move the HDD cradle to give the GFX card more room to breathe. STEP 2 Depending on the GFX card you are installing, you will need to remove either one…

Planning Cable Routes The amount of cable management you can do depends on the case you have chosen to use. Our Thermaltake case provides several options but this will vary greatly. STEP 1 For a relatively cost-effective case, the Thermaltake Core V31 we are using provides exceptional cable management options. There are two large apertures at the bottom of the side panel, both protected by rubber grommets, through which we can feed all of the cables from the PSU. Our cables are sheathed anyway but the rubber further protects them from being damaged by the metal edges. STEP 2 Once the cable bundle is fed through the fixed side panel, we can start feeding the individual cables into wherever they are needed. They can then be fed back through any…

The Installation Media The first thing to consider is the installation media you want to use to install Windows. This can be either a shop-bought install disc, a created disc or a prepared USB flash drive. STEP 1 If you have a official Windows installation disc, you can skip this part and move on to the boot process. If you have an old copy of windows, it is usually possible to reuse that to install windows on your new PC, as long as it is not already registered on another PC (or is no longer being used on another PC, although this is a slightly more complicated process). STEP 2 Increasingly, Windows is offered as a downloadable file rather than a physical disc. Just as with a disc, when buying…

Updating Drivers Windows 10 comes with default generic drivers but for optimum performance it’s a good idea to download and install the latest custom-made drivers for your hardware. STEP 1 Go to the website of your peripheral manufacturer. In this case we’re looking at the website for Epson printers, to install an update for an R2400 photo printer. Click on the link for product support and enter the model name or number. STEP 2 Epson’s website, for example, can automatically detect the operating system you’re using and immediately offer you the latest recommended driver. In other cases you will have to tell the site that you’re using Windows 10. STEP 3 Once you’ve entered the model name and told the site that you’re looking for Windows 10 drivers, you should…

Fitting the SSD STEP 1 Shut down your PC, unplug it from the mains and disconnect the mouse, keyboard, monitor and any other attached devices; then leave it for half an hour to ensure that residual voltage in the capacitors has dissipated and any hot components have cooled down. STEP 2 For a desktop PC open the side of the case so that you can access the area where the HDD is located. You may need a small screwdriver to remove a few case screws but many cases open without tools. Don’t lose the screws! STEP 3 AN SSD can fit into either a 3.5-inch (floppy disk drive) bay or a 5.25-inch (HDD/optical drive) bay. Since many recent PC cases no longer have 3.5-inch bays we’ll show how to fit…

Choosing a Distribution Installing a Linux distribution on your new PC is not something everyone will want to do and even those who choose this route will probably want something similar to Windows. UBUNTU Ubuntu is one of the most prolific Linux distributions and the one we suggest beginners use. “Ubuntu” is an ancient African word meaning “humanity to others”. The Ubuntu distribution brings the spirit of Ubuntu to the computer world. It’s a comprehensive distribution with everything you need to get going. It comes with an office suite, web browser, email and media apps and an app store. The interface known as “Unity” is reminiscent of OS X, with a Launcher on the side used to open and switch between programs; also there’s the Dash for searching and new…

1. PICK EXACTLYTHE COMPONENTSYOU NEED Shop around enough and throw enough money around and you will almost certainly be able to find a pre-built PC that matches your desired spec list. However, if you have a budget, and let’s face it, many of us will have, finding an off-the-shelf PC that perfectly matches your needs is quite hard. Build your own and you can pick exactly the right parts you want, to best provide yourself with the capabilities required. 2. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF DEALS If you are clever and shop around, pick the right time to buy and are prepared to perhaps wait a while for something to be reduced, you can definitely get more bang for your buck by building your own PC. We saved over £50 on our…

Air Cooling the CPU Water cooling has become very popular over the last several years, but unless you are building a power gaming rig, air (heatsink) coolers are fine. STEP 1 For Intel motherboards, the first thing you need to do is prepare the mounting plate. Place this face up on a flat surface and check the mounting holes in each corner. You should see that there are three possible positions for the mounting pins (for the different Intel CPU sockets: 1150 etc.). Place the mounting pegs into the correct holes at each corner. STEP 2 Carefully position the mounting plate on to the motherboard, lining up the pegs with the holes on the board, before pressing them through. This will see the mounting plate held loosely in position. You…

Bracket Mounting the HDD Many modern cases will now provide a toolless drive cradle. However, before we look at the hard drive cradle in more detail, lets take a look at how to mount one in an older case. STEP 1 HDD mounting brackets are almost always at the front of the case, just behind the front panel and usually behind a front case fan. The mounting bracket will consist of a pair of rails or tracks for the HDD to sit on, which will position it perfectly with screw holes in the side of the bracket. These holes are offset, so the HDD can only fit one way up. STEP 2 Slide your hard drive onto the rails and line it up with the holes. It needs to have…

Your Final Checklist If you are sure everything is connected and hardware is installed correctly, you can skip this checklist; but if you want to double-check, here are the key things to look for. 1. FRONT PANEL Make sure that all of the cables that are preinstalled in the case for the front panel controls are connected correctly, especially the power, reset, HDD LED and POST speaker. If you connected these wires at the beginning of the build, it can be quite easy to knock them loose when routing the larger cables around the case. Check the motherboard guide for details of this connection. 2. COMPONENT SCREWS Whether these are normal case screws, thumb-screws or toolless fixings, make sure that all of the components are correctly and securely installed in…

Upgrading to Windows 10 Installing Windows 10 on a PC running Windows 7 or 8.1 is a relatively simple process. However, because of the way Windows 8.1 works, it is quite a change and takes the desktop back to being far more like Windows 7. STEP 1 The first thing you need to do is to make sure you have installed all of the updates for Windows 7 or Windows 8.1. This ensures that your PC is up-to-date and ready to receive the upgrade; update KB3035583 means that you’ll receive the Get Windows 10 app and is where any future discounts will be offered. STEP 2 You can also choose to download the Windows 10 update from Microsoft.com, save it to a disc or USB flash drive as an ISO,…

Fitting the SSD STEP 1 Connect your external backup drive to a USB socket on your PC. The blue USB 3.0 sockets (if you have them) provide much faster data transfer and will speed up the process considerably. STEP 2 Click on the Start button and then on Settings. On the Settings screen, click on Update & Security. STEP 3 In the index column on the left of the screen, click on Backup and then on that screen, click on the link and the bottom of the screen “Go to Backup and Restore (Windows 7)”. STEP 4 If you’ve used Windows 7 before, the screen that appears should look very familiar. On the left of the screen you’ll see “Create a system image”; click on this link. STEP 5 The…

Installation process The installation process for all versions of Linux is largely the same. Ensure that your installation media (DVD or USB Flash Drive) is inserted and tell your computer to boot into it. We are going to install Ubuntu. STEP 1 Insert your DVD or attach the USB Flash Drive to your PC and shut down Windows. The process is the same for both types of installation media but we are using the USB Flash drive that we created. Start up your PC and hold down the button you use to interrupt Startup and access the BIOS. STEP 2 If your PC has an option to choose a Temporary Startup device, like our Lenovo ThinkPad, then press the key to pick it. Choose the DVD Drive, ours is ATAPI…

Why Choose Intel? Intel is probably the better known PC platform and almost certainly has a larger following amongst PC builders around the globe. This is largely because they lead the world in processor development, offer a wider range of chips and are better supported by other component manufacturers. Although Intel’s advances in CPU technology has slowed in recent years, they are still constantly improving and refining their chips. If you are building a gaming or multimedia PC, Intel is probably the better choice and not only because their processors generally offer better speed and power, along with good overclocking properties on the K-series processors, for the money. The choice of CPU dictates the choice of motherboard (or vice versa) and some of the best gaming motherboards are made for…

Motherboard Sockets Almost every motherboard will have a standard set of sockets. More advanced boards may have additional sockets and older boards may have fewer, but these are the essential ones. 1 - PCIE X16 SOCKET The PCI Express specification allows for several different sizes of socket, depending on their intended use. Most modern graphics cards will require a PCIe x16 slot, as shown here, to run at their full potential. The x16 in the name refers to the number of lanes the socket allows i.e. the amount of information capable of being carried to and from the card installed. PCI Express x16 sockets normally have a small clip to hold large cards firmly in place. 2 - PCIE SOCKETS A PCI Express card fits into a slot of its…

Installing the SDRAM The RAM modules you will be fitting are quite robust but even so, they should be handled with care and without ever touching the metal contacts along the bottom. STEP 1 How you fit the memory into the motherboard sockets depends on how many matched modules you are installing. A single 8GB module will almost always go into socket 1, unless otherwise advised in your motherboard instruction manual, but if you have multiple modules and multiple sockets, the choice is not always so obvious. STEP 2 If your motherboard supports multiple memory channels and has more than two sockets, it is worth considering buying, for example, two 4GB matched modules, rather than a single 8GB module. Although the single 8GB might be more efficient, two 4GB DIMMS…

CD and DVD Drives A standard size optical drive will normally be called a “Five and a quarter inch” drive. Most sit flush with the front of the case, but some cases hide drives behind a panel. STEP 1 The standard way to install an optical drive is to insert it from the front of the case, rather than on the inside as with your hard disks. Sometimes you can slide the drive in directly through the front panel of the case but often the first thing you’ll need to do is to remove the case’s front panel completely. Normally, with a slight firm tug, the front will just pop off. STEP 2 Slide the optical disc drive into the drive bay and push it back until the front is…

Cables and Sockets Connecting everything up should be fairly straightforward but it is worth taking your time to ensure connectors and sockets are lined up perfectly when plugging in. BEFORE YOU START Take a close look at all of the main motherboard connections: the 4+4, 20+4 and PCIe. You will notice that they are made up of square and rounded pins. This helps to ensure that they can only fit one way; that pattern will match the holes on the relevant motherboard connector. The reason some of the connections are split is to accommodate different motherboard power requirements. THE 20+4 PIN CONNECTOR This is the main power connector for the motherboard, providing power for most of the on-board features. If you are using an ATX or mATX motherboard, you will…

Boot Problems Hopefully hardware errors have been avoided or fixed using the tips above but what about the next stage of testing out your new build, the boot sequence. Here are some of the most common problems you may encounter when booting a new build PC for the first time. CAN'T FIND BOOT DISK When this happens, you will see a message indicating an unformatted disk or that the operating system can’t be found. In a new system, this often means you have got the wrong boot device specified in the system BIOS. For example, if you need to boot from the optical drive to install the OS, you will need to set the optical drive as the first boot device. Some newer boards with both IDE connectors and SATA…

Checking your current BIOS version To check the current BIOS version you’ll have to open the BIOS interface. The exact method varies depending on your motherboard manufacturer. STEP 1 You will need the manual or specification sheet that came with your PC and a used but empty USB flash drive. Close all open apps, then click on the Start button and select Power and then Restart. This will shut down your PC and reboot it. STEP 2 As your PC reboots watch for the BIOS messages that flash up on the screen. You’re looking for a message that says something like “Press F2 to enter BIOS”. The message varies. On some systems it’s the Delete key, on some it’s Esc or one of the F keys. STEP 3 Restart your…

Scanning for malware using Windows Defender Windows Defender is the built-in security software that comes preinstalled with Windows 10. Use it to scan for malware on your system. STEP 1 To find Windows Defender, open the Start menu, click on All Apps and scroll right down to the bottom. You’ll find it in Windows System. Click the menu link to open it. STEP 2 PC security software works by recognising the signatures of known malware and there are new signatures being recognised all the time. Before scanning your system it’s important to ensure that your virus signatures are up to date, so click on the Update tab. STEP 3 Click on the “Update definitions” button. If your PC has been switched off for an extended period, you may have to…

FLIPBOARD Price: Free Flipboard is one of those apps you will wonder how you lived without. You can browse through categorised news items and in that way it’s similar to Windows 10’s own News app. That is where the similarity ends, as will be able to create curated ‘magazines’ that you can come back to. It also works on multiple devices, so you can have the same information on phone and desktop. EBAY Price: Free What we love most about eBay for Windows is its ability to send us notifications about what we are selling, plus auctions we are tracking that will end soon. It is a relatively simple version of the auction site, so don’t expect the ability to alter your PayPal account details, but you can do all…