How to Assemble a Computer

Imagined building your own computer? Actually buying all the supporting components and assembling it yourself might sound difficult.

The basic reasons are,

1. To build a machine to matches your needs.

2. Upgradation will be easier

3. To save money.

Before starting the process first decide on the type of system that you would like to build. It must suit all your needs. You must take care of the components quality and security.

Choosing a Motherboard

This forms the integral part of your computer. There are many types.

• Cheap motherboards: these perform basic tasks in ease

• Middle-of-the-road motherboards: bit costlier but handle the complicated tasks well

• High-end motherboards: to build a gaming machine or video workstation, these give speed. These are available at a higher rate.

• Extreme motherboards: costliest of all.chartering all important needs.

Here are some tips to choose,

• Intel or an AMD processor? AMD chips are cheaper, but Intel is famous.

• Size matters.

• USB ports.

• FireWire.

• Graphics card - either embed it or connect it externally.

• Hard disks -PATA or SATA

• Pin configurations.

• Video cards or RAM extension slots.

Buying Computer Parts

Other essential computer parts to note down are,

• CPU with brand and correct pin configuration, speed.

• RAM with right configuration to enhance speed.

• Right connectors to supply power and other transfers.

• Optical drives enabling both CD and DVD writing

• Select a proper operating system that suits your needs.

¬Buying

There are many buying methods,

• Mail order - visit websites and place orders online.

• Outlets - variety is available

• Local parts retailer - they assemble quality goods and sale them.

Installing RAM and the Microprocessor

Static electricity is the charge that builds in your body. it affects the instrument too. you can prevent by grounding yourself. Wear a grounding bracelet on your wrist connect to a copper pipe thus eliminating shock.

Unwrap the motherboard and the microprocessor chip. The chip has marked corner that aligns with the motherboard. Make sure that it fits in perfectly. Install the heat sink that's reduces the heat build up inside the CPU and connect to the power supply. Place the RAM in the right place named slot 1.your mother board is almost ready.

Assembling the Case

Add all the components to the case. Connect the necessary wires at the right place. Screw the plates perfectly. Install the power supply in the case if it's not already installed. The power supply has two sides. It has a fan side that faces outside and the wire side that faces inside. Screw them up properly. The manual will have clear instructions as where to plug-in so do that properly at the right label.

Installing the Hard Drive

Place the hard drive and the CD-ROM drive. Connect the corresponding power lines. Now install the cables. One side of the cable has a red stripe on it, which makes it "pin 1." on the motherboard,hook the red cable into the IDE connector marked "1" and the other end to the back of the drive. Drive is thus connected.

CD-ROM drive is installed the same way as the hard drive. Connect the power and other connections to motherboard. Make sure a connecter goes to the audio unit. Add monitor, keyboard, mouse and speakers and other important connections.

Powering Up and Troubleshooting

Before switching on your computer makes sure all connections are made. Power supply should be 110-220v.when the power switch on four things will happen:

• The fan spins up

• Hard disk spins up.

• Lights will be seen in the parts.

• Monitor will start up with the OS booting up.

Troubleshooting

easy methods can be used to find out what's wrong. Basically you check if,

• Power supply is plugged properly in and turned.try cleaning it up.

• Is the mother board connected properly?

• Are the connectors properly connected?

• Is the video card or other devices compatible?

Try swapping the parts to find out the fault. The steps enable you to troubleshoot by your own. Still if it's not working then try calling your nearest service for expert advice.

If it is still not working try going back to the shop were you brought the parts. Ask them to help you solve the problem at minimum charge. If there is guarantee period then you can ask them to replace it. Experts find problems easily and solve them at low cost. The basic problems are due to bad part or bad connection.

It is too easy to build a computer. It's easier to give it a shot. This helps you to know about the system better and you can upgrade by yourself. It saves money and is fun too. Computer may seem to be a complex machine, but its not. A few tips and observance will solve our problems as it still continues to be an integral part of the lives.

Laptop Motherboard Repair

A laptop is a simple and compact computer. Yet, its compactness is the reason for its intricacies and complications. For instance, while most normal PCs have a mother board that has different ports for different other components of the computer to be attached, a laptop on the other hand, has a mother board that has a lot of things that are built into it, instead of sections where other parts can be attached. An example here can be given of a sound card, which often comes as a separate part for older PCs and has to be attached to the motherboard of a computer. However, the sound and video display card is integrated with the mother board in case of the laptop.

It is for these reasons that the motherboard is perhaps the most important part of a laptop after the processor. It is also not easy to repair a laptop motherboard because of its immense intricacies. While repairing a motherboard one has to be extremely careful and cautious.

Whenever a problem is arises with a motherboard, one should not take the risk of repairing it themselves since if it is not done properly it can lead to irreparable damage to the entire laptop. It is usually safe to approach a dealer of a laptop for the repair of its motherboard. They have technicians who have an expertise in dealing with laptop motherboard problems and can make the right diagnosis and carry out repairs.

There are many self employed people who repair laptops and are often a much cheaper option. One can approach them to repair their motherboard, but a few things should be kept in mind. The most important is to know their experience in repairing laptop motherboards. Let them not convince and fool you by saying that they have repaired many PC motherboards since laptops and PCs are a different thing all together.

Secondly one needs to ask them whether they have previously repaired laptops of the make that you have. If they have done so, they would be aware of the intricacies of the work and can be a safe bet for laptop motherboard repairs.

Laptop motherboard repair needs expertise and experience and it is best left to the experts

How to Install the Motherboard Driver

Is the motherboard driver important?

As the current rate of hardware regeneration is much faster than that of software, the latest motherboards might come across a range of issues on incompatibility, such as motherboard chipsets unable to be correctly recognized by operating system, which directly results new technology that system should have been able to support is incapable of use, and compatibility problems largely increase. In this situation, major chip suppliers provide relevant motherboard drivers to tie in their operating systems. These system board drivers play two roles: let the system exactly identify as well as make full use of these latest chipsets, and enable the system support the new technology offered by down-to-date chipsets.

Main board drivers can not only fix compatibility issues between hardware and software, but also to a certain degree can optimize the whole system or its subsystem. Improvement of motherboard drivers matters a lot in the performance of a motherboard.

What's the type of your chipset?

These days, main chipset manufacturers are Intel, NVIDIA, VIA etc, they all have their own motherboard drivers. So before installing motherboard drivers, you should find out the board and model of your motherboard's chipset, you can get this information in your motherboard manual or search it through some software like Everest.

How to install main board drivers?

Intel chipsets are famous for their excellent stability and compatibility, coupled with their own CPU, the performance is world class, so they are widely used. Below I will take the Intel chipset as an example to explain how to install the motherboard driver.

Intel motherboard driver is called Intel Chipset Software Installation Utility, which supports Windows 9X/Me/2000/XP; system can exactly recognize all kinds of Intel chipsets through it.

Step 1 Download Intel Chipset Software Installation Utility and double-click Setup.exe.

Step 2 Select Next in the pop-up dialog box, finally restart your computer.

Step 3 Right-click My Computer, select Properties.

Step 4 Choose Hardware and click Device Manager.

Step 5 In the Device Manager box you can check whether the driver has been installed successfully by double-clicking IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers, if you can see "Intel(R) 82801DB..." which means you have made it.

In essence, the installations of a variety of chipset drivers are similar, they are all standard installations of Windows programs, but you have to restart your computer after installing motherboard driver.

What is a Computer Motherboard?

All vital internal components of a computer system are connected to a flat, rectangular circuit board known as the computer motherboard. If the CPU is known as the "brains" of a computer, the motherboard can be thought of as the "heart." In computer terminology, the motherboard is also called the logic board, mainboard, or system board. It is commonly abbreviated as "mobo" or MB.

While a motherboard does not boost the speed of a computer, it is one of the most essential parts of a computer because it links all components that allow a computer system to function. If you are purchasing a barebone system, it will always come with a motherboard which serves as the spine or backbone upon which other computer components can be attached.

Most of a computer's internal components are plugged directly onto the motherboard via sockets or slots. A motherboard may contain an Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) that can be used to attach an AGP video card, Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) slots for PCI video cards and network cards, and Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE) interfaces for hard drives and optical drives. The computer motherboard also contains several ports for external peripherals like the monitor, printer, keyboard, mouse, speakers and removable devices.

A computer component may be built into the motherboard. Some examples are integrated sound cards, graphics cards or Network Interface Cards (NIC). A built-in computer component may be disabled in favor of a more powerful version.

In particular, the computer motherboard contains a socket that can accommodate a particular type of CPU. Some motherboards can only support AMD CPUs while others are only compatible with Intel processors. There is yet no motherboard that can support all types of CPUs.

The computer motherboard also contains a north bridge chipset and a south bridge chipset. The north bridge links the hard disk drive and RAM to the motherboard while the south bridge connects other computer components like the video cards and sound cards to the motherboard.

Additionally, the motherboard has a Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) chip that checks computer hardware like the power supply unit and the hard disk drives for malfunctions. After performing its hardware check, the BIOS chip powers up the computer CPU. When you boot up your PC, the BIOS is the first program run by the computer before bringing you to Windows or your favored operating system.

The computer motherboard also includes a real-time battery-operated clock chip that determines time. This is the reason why they can still tell time correctly even if they have not seen any use in weeks or months.

Simply put, the motherboard serves as a hub where the CPU, RAM, hard disk drive, optical drive, graphics card, sound card and other computer hardware can meet and mingle!

Intel Motherboard Features

Intel motherboard designs come in four primary sizes, each with their own unique characteristics. Regardless of the wide differences, there are some general features which they all share to some degree or another: memory, expansion, storage, and integrated peripherals.

Size and socks are closely related in that the largest intel motherboard series on the market is designed specifically to host multiple Xeon-server class chips, while the tiniest ITX Intel motherboard series is only used for mobile CPU sockets or even Netbook/Nettop CPU sockets for Intel's ATOM family of budget CPUs. The middle two groups, ATX and Micro ATX, are both home to desktop CPU sockets, though there are a few server ATX motherboards, and at least one Micro ATX Intel motherboard featuring a socket designed for use with laptop CPUs. Obviously the larger the motherboard physically is, the more features it can integrate.

One of those features is memory sockets, which are becoming more and more important as 64-bit CPUs and 64-bit software continue to gain traction in the market. One of the main benefits of going 64-bit is the ability to address large amounts of system memory, but all that memory needs a place to plug into any Intel motherboard. This is where memory sockets come in, and larger Intel motherboards tend to have more of these than smaller ones because they tend to eat up relatively large amounts of physical space. Because most Intel motherboard designs support dual- or even triple-channel memory configurations, many memory sockets are found in pairs or in trios. The memory sockets are usually designed for very specific types of memory that operate within fairly limited tolerances when it comes to speed (MHz) and electrical requirements.

Memory and CPU sockets are not the only things that can be plugged into most Intel motherboards. All but the very smallest Intel motherboard designs feature slots designed to accommodate various add-in cards ranging from graphics adapters to high-end RAID array devices. These are generally referred to as 'slots' and come in AGP, ISA, PCI, PCI-X, PCIE, PCIE-G, and many other styles and types. Some types such as AGP are only useful for specific types of add-in modules, while other slots such as PCIE all general purpose and allow any Intel motherboard to be expanded and customized to perform any number of customized tasks.

Of course, many of those very tasks that once were exclusively handled by add-in boards are now part of the standard array of integrated features. Onboard sound, networking, USB controllers, SATA, and even advanced RAID controllers are all very common any almost every single Intel motherboard on the market. While some of these features such as RAID controllers come in many flavors, the general rule is that one gets what they pay for; a more expensive Intel motherboard will be more likely to have a more powerful integrated RAID controller. Some of these integrated features may work well for today, but having expansion slots helps to ensure that future upgradability and expansion without complete system replacement is possible if any portion of the integrated feature set is ever deemed insufficient

Motherboard Repairs

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As the most robust and significant part of a computer, motherboard takes a key role in the entire system's working. Owing to improper operation, motherboard failures happen frequently, and its source commonly covers three aspects:

Carelessness in manipulation

Some novices and users with little knowledge of computer operation often overlook its specifications and safety, their operation errors easily result in damage in some components. For example, hot plugging or incorrectly installing devices and interface cards would cause damage or deformation in device interfaces, chips or cards, and thus leads to malfunction.

Environment-induced problem

It usually refers to the trouble induced under some unknown, unpredictable or irresistible circumstance. Such as lightning and electricity supply instability, which would directly mangle the system board, generally there is no way for people to prevent such woes. In another case, the problem could be triggered by temperature, humidity and dusk, etc. The symptoms include frequent crashes and restarts, or sometimes can start but sometimes can not turn on the computer and so on, resulting in instability in the performance of the machine.

Problem caused by certain poor-quality component(s)

This problem normally brings about malfunction in some motherboard component(s), start failures or POST (Power on Self Test) errors and so on.

Motherboard problems often include start failure, blank screen and sometimes can start but sometimes can not start, etc. When we troubleshoot these issues we should first observe the failure, and then listen to the alarm, after that find whether there is a smell, finally touch in some parts see whether they run hot or get burned...Here are some common motherboard repair methods as below:

Clean your motherboard

Using a brush to get rid of the dust on the motherboard can help resolve problems caused by too much dust or dust with static on the board. Otherwise, you can use an eraser to wipe the oxide layer on its surface, because there are usually many external boards which golden fingers probably may be oxidized leading to loose contact with the main board.

Observation method

In the case of power off, check that is each part correctly attached to its specified seat, are the capacitance and the resistor pins in good contact, does the surface of any part get burned or crack, is the copper foil on any circuit board burned. Meanwhile, you can touch the surface of some chips and check whether it is too hot.

Replacement method

When you are not sure the source, you can employ this method and check the suspected parts in turn to figure out the problem. You can unload the suspected part and install it onto a trouble-free computer or the other way round install a good part to the trouble PC. For instance, if the memory has POST errors or its capacity is not exact, you can adopt the replacement method to find out the real culprit.

Software diagnostics

Here we often refer to the use of the computer's random diagnostic programs or system test software to examine your board. It is applied to check a variety of interface circuit problems.

Parts of a Motherboard

The motherboard is the heart of every computer. Without it, a fully functional computer is impossible. All other important components of a computer are connected to it in order to make every part functional. To understanding the components of a motherboard, it is critical to understand first the important parts included in it. Be guided with the following most important motherboard parts that can be found in a typical computer nowadays.

The Processor or CPU Socket

The processor socket is where one or more microprocessors can be installed. There are several types of sockets around, but in general only two are actually used. These two sockets are used by Intel and AMD for PGA and LGA. If PGA is used the CPU will need to have pins for the socket's holes, but if LGA is used then pins are not needed as it will just rest on the socket. Since the CPU socket is attached to a PCB, it is primarily designed to house the CPU from other parts of the motherboard. Aside from its primary function, the CPU socket also serves other important functions like providing a physical structure for the CPU's support, facilitating replacement, supporting the heatsink and forming an electrical connection for the PCB and the CPU.

The Memory Slots

The other term for memory slot is memory bank. It is made for RAM modules and each RAM must be compatible with the motherboard used. In average, there are 2 to 4 memory slots and the most common ones include single and dual-channel technologies. The single channel technology uses one to three RAM modules in order to work perfectly. On the other hand, the dual-channel technology must use more than one slot otherwise the module will lose its strength. For this reason, a minimum of two slots with the same type of module, with the same memory capacity and the same manufacturer must be used. For example, if 1 GB memory capacity is desired, two 512 MB modules from the same technology type and manufacturer are needed for fully functional module strength.

The SATA and ATA Interface Connectors

There are lots of interface standards made in the last years but the most important two are the SATA and ATA interfaces. The ATA interface is the same as IDE. It primarily connects hard and optical drives where two drives can be attached to one ribbon in order to support the majority of modern hard drive storage capacities. On the other hand, SATA is the new interface commonly used in most computers nowadays. It is definitely faster than ATA and it only needs one device attachment. Its wires are also thin which helps in a faster cooling process within the computer.

Main Power Connector

The main power connector is important as it is the passageway of the power supply needed for an efficient motherboard performance. There are two types of main power connectors: the 20 pins + 4 pins and the 24 pins. For this reason, incompatibilities are possible as not all power supplies have the two types of main power connectors, so it must be significantly considered.

The Peripherals

The peripherals of the computer are integrated altogether. It generally includes nonvolatile memory chip for the system's BIOS, a chipset forming the front side bus, peripheral buses and main memory, expanded card slot, power connectors, clock generator, sockets, main memory slot, and sound card. For latest motherboards, more peripherals are included since integrated circuits have cheap costs and sizes that can make efficient and cost-effective computers.

More specific motherboard parts can be learned from detailed manuals of understanding motherboards. Just pay full attention in understanding each part in order to learn everything correctly.

5 Important Computer Parts

 Every extreme computer user chooses each part individually. They know which part has to be extremely fast for their individual needs and which part can be just fast or even mediocre. But for beginners or people who are doing research at the moment to decide their next purchase, here is a list of the top 5 most important computer parts.

5. GPU
Nvidia and ATI will tell you it makes the number one difference in your computer, they are lying. It makes the number 5 biggest difference in your computer and that's why it's in our number 5 spot obviously. The GPU, also known as graphics card or video card, will help your computer generating 3D textures and images. So basically everything you see is generated by your GPU but most can be done by any GPU. The difference between a good one and a bad one is the speed it renders 3D images and textures in. So this includes games, graphic design and intensive 3d works. Especially if you're a gamer, please don't neglect this part of your computer.

4. Memory.
Wait when did I put this in? Anyway I guess it can be because multi-tasking is the number one thing we're doing these days. We're opening 3 internet explorers, a video, we're downloading and having Adobe Photoshop running in the background. All these applications are taking memory and when it is full, it is full. This means you can open no more without your computer slowing down or even freezing temporarily. It is something we should seriously look at when buying a new PC. Keep in mind your needs and budget.

3. CPU
The speediest windows experience can only be reached with a cpu that packs serious speed. It makes things open faster, run smoother, and will enhance the graphics experience. Like with the memory it is important to sync your needs and budget to go for a proper processor. Go for quad cores i you want to do serious multi-tasking. Go for dual core if you are less of a multi-tasker and would like a cheaper CPU.

2. HDDs
For people who are less known with the shortcuts it means hard disk drive aka the gigabytes it mentions in the my computer screen. When you run out, you're out. To ensure you can store all your data for years to come, make a list of things you expect to store. and double it for a more future proof system. 1 TB drives are as cheap as $70 these days to don't be afraid to go optimistic with the GBs.

1. Motherboard
Ah yes it is the mother of all computer parts. It is the mothership of all greatness. The cream and foundation of every nice ice cream. Should I go on with these? I've got many more. The motherboard is the most important part of every computer because it is one of the sole deciders what you can put in your computer and to some extend how great it works together. If you buy the wrong motherboard, it will limit you in your processor, memory, HDD, cooler and GPU choice. So without an doubt it is the most important part of your pc and you should pick one with care always.

So there you have it. 5 parts you should look at with care when buying a new computer. Of course there're other parts but these are the most important, vital, decisions you must make before opening your wallet.

Computer Parts and Computer Components

A computer is a multipart machine made from a mixture of electronic parts. Some components are very vital to ensure that the computer runs properly. There are some parts that the computer system cannot do without.

CPU (Central Processing Unit)

The CPU is the component that helps in the running of all computer applications and programs. You cannot perform major tasks such as booting an operating system (OS), playing videos, music or games or even doing any word processing without the CPU. Therefore a computer must have a CPU.

Motherboard

This is the part where other internal components are attached. It attaches all the internal parts of the system together. In some cases it can be said to be the heart of the system since it links all the major parts of the computer system.

HDD (Hard Disk Drive)

The main function of a hard disk is to store all the computer files or data for a long duration of time. It stores information even when there is no power. It can save program files, operating system or any other data that may be important to the user including videos or mp3s. The hard disk can be used as a temporary storage facility incase the computer is out of RAM.

RAM (Random Access Memory)

A RAM is a temporary storage facility for all information or files wile a computer is running a program or an application. Coupled with CPU, a RAM dictates the speed of the computer. The larger the RAM, the faster the speed despite having an ordinary CPU.

Video Card

Video card helps the computer to put on view all images on the screen of the computer (monitor). It speeds up the display of images on the screen and gives understandable and detailed images.

PSU (Power Supply Unit)

PSU ensures that all computer components are supplied with power. It converts high voltage power from an AC source to lower voltage which is safe for a computer. Without the PSU a computer cannot operate.