You don’t need to feel intimidated when learning how to build a PC. The process mostly involves screwing in the right screws and connecting the right cables, so as long as you’re careful with your components and take the proper safety precautions, you can build your own PC.
We’ve broken down the process into a series of easy-to-follow steps. From gathering your components to putting on the finishing touches, our guide will walk you through how to easily build a PC.
If you are already familiar with the overall process of building a PC, you can jump to a specific step using the list below:
Getting started
This guide is all about piecing components together to create a functional machine. If you haven’t selected and purchased all the required hardware, make sure you do that first. It’s also a good idea to purchase (or craft) your case last so you can make sure everything will fit inside it.
Have your parts? Good. Let’s build a computer!
Before you dig in, ensure there’s a clean workspace with plenty of room to open boxes and put parts together. Hopefully, there’s already a pile in front of you. If not, our PC build guide can walk you through that process.
There are a couple of safety issues to discuss before we actually start ripping open those boxes.
Safety first
There’s an invisible risk when building a computer that can crush the most powerful system: Static electricity. The same force that lets you shock your friends when you wear wool socks can also fry components in a heartbeat. Fortunately, static is easy to all but eliminate with a few simple steps.
One simple solution is to purchase an anti-static wristband. One end wraps around your wrist, and the other clips somewhere on the computer case, keeping the wearer constantly grounded. Touching the case frequently with the PSU plugged in and powered off achieves the same effect.
Apart from that, build your PC in a room with a bare floor — carpets generate a lot of static — and wear rubber-soled shoes rather than socks. Many components ship in anti-static bags, so leave them bagged until just before installation.
This guide serves as a general overview of the process, and the instructions packed with your parts may vary from our suggestions. When they do, default to the included instructions and use our guide as a road map for the overall project.
Opening the case
Preparing the case is the easy part. Instructions for the specific case you purchased should introduce you to its basic layout as well as list special instructions regarding component installation.
Lay down the case in your work area and remove the side panel. For most PC cases, this means the left-side panel when viewed from the front. This panel provides access to the case interior.
Also, remove anything that’s dangling inside the case. If it’s attached, push it aside. Many cases have permanent internal wiring that becomes problematic later on.
Before we start putting everything together, we’ll first install the power supply and then set the case aside for a few minutes.
Step 1: Install the power supply
The first component to make its way into the case should be the power supply (PSU). It is typically located at the rear of the case, usually in the bottom or top corner.
When in doubt, the slot is easily located by searching for a square opening with screw holes in at least two corners. The PSU sits in this opening with its power switch and a female socket facing out from the case’s back panel. Consult your case’s manual if you have trouble finding the proper location.
You can install the power supply with the fan facing up or down. In most computer cases, pointing the fan down is ideal. All you need to do is look at your case. If there’s space between the bottom and floor (and preferably a dust filter in between), install your power supply with the fan facing down. Most modern cases are built for this type of installation. If your case manual says something different, however, we recommend following that.
There are two main power supply variants: Standard and modular. There’s a hybrid semi-modular type too, but we don’t need to worry about that for now.
Modular PSUs have cables that detach from the main unit to avoid clutter. They’re ideal for smaller cases and neat freaks. If you have a modular PSU, it’s best to leave the cables out for now and run them as you install each additional component.
If the PSU’s cables don’t detach, carefully bundle them so they’re hanging out the case’s open side panel. This temporarily keeps them out of the way while we install the remaining components.
Step 2: Install the processor
Next, prepare the motherboard by installing the CPU and RAM before fitting it in the case. They’re a lot easier to install now rather than after the motherboard resides in the system.
In fact, depending on your case and cooler, you may not be able to assemble your system with the motherboard already installed. That’s because many after-market coolers use a backplate to provide the tightest fit possible. It is, of course, attached to the back of the motherboard. You won’t be able to install it unless you have a case with a cut-out that aligns with the backplate’s location, a feature typically found only in high-end enclosures.
There are numerous pins on the CPU and motherboard, and bending any one of them could render that component kaput.
Carefully remove the motherboard from its anti-static bag and set it on a hard, flat, non-metal surface such as a wooden desk, or the top of the motherboard box itself. Also, make sure there are no s of dust or liquid nearby.
Even though installing a CPU is an easier task now than it was in previous years, it’s still one of the most precarious. There are numerous pins on the CPU and motherboard, and bending any one of them could render that component kaput.
That said, the process isn’t designed to be difficult, and as long as you follow the instructions clearly and keep an eye out to ensure the chip is fully seated before you clamp it in place, you’ll be fine. However, there are some subtle differences in the process depending on who made your CPU.
How to install an Intel processor
Instead of jutting from the processor, pins now reside in modern Intel sockets on motherboards, making CPU installation easy. This part of the socket is called the contact array. Absolutely do not bend or touch these pins!
The square metal bracket holding the CPU in place is the load plate, and it’s raised and lowered using the load lever. When clamped down, the end of the load lever tucks under a hook to keep everything in place. When you unbox your motherboard, the contact array will be covered with a piece of plastic. This plastic will pop out once you open the bracket, so wait to open it until you’re ready to install your processor.
First, open the load plate. Do this by gently pushing down on the load arm and moving it out sideways from under the hook, and then raising it up all the way. The hook’s lever action opens the plate, which you can easily flip up. At this point, the plastic piece will come loose. If it doesn’t pop out, gently remove it.
As shown above, the CPU itself should have a small half-circle notch on each side of the chip. With the contacts facing down, there should be only one direction where the notches line up with the notches in the socket. Pick up your processor by the sides, clamping it lightly between your fingertips. Here, you want to avoid touching the bottom of the processor.
With the processor in hand, line up the notches (or use the small gold triangle in the corner to line up the socket) and set the processor in. You don’t need to apply any force here. The processor should slot in without issues. Once it’s sitting in the socket, very gently press the side to make sure it’s slotted in. Again, very gently do this. You don’t want to move your processor. You want to make sure it’s in place.
Use the load arm on the side to lower the plate over the chip, then push down and re-clip the arm under the hook once again. This requires a fair amount of pressure, so make sure the chip is properly seated before pressing down.
Remember, the notches in the processor should align with those in the socket. If in doubt, start again and double-check.
How to install an AMD processor
Unlike Intel’s design, pins jut from AMD’s CPUs. These pins insert into holes embedded in the motherboard’s CPU socket. The load arm on the socket slightly shifts the holes underneath, gripping the pins on the processor when pressed all the way down.
If it isn’t already, raise the arm so that it’s pointing straight up, and then rests a little farther back. That ensures the holes for the pins are wide open.
Instead of using notches, correctly line up the processor in the slot using a triangle engraved in gold on one of the CPU’s corners. All you need to do is line that triangle up with a second triangle cut into the slot. Again, pick up the processor by the sides gently, avoiding the bottom.
Once the processor sits comfortably in the slot, simply press the arm down until it clicks into place and locks in. This last step can be intimidating since it requires a fair amount of pressure to lock in place.
Step 3: Install the RAM
System memory, or RAM, doesn’t require any careful goo placement or wires. There are just two important factors, assuming you’ve chosen compatible RAM: Direction and slot choice.
The direction is easy enough. Each memory stick has a notch in the contacts lining the bottom edge that lines up with a block in the motherboard’s memory slots. If you hold it just above the slot and the two line up, it’s facing the right direction. If it doesn’t line up, spin it 180 degrees.
Slot choice depends on a few factors, one of which is how you purchased RAM. If it’s just a single stick, install it in the A1 slot and move on with your life. A diagram in the motherboard’s manual should label the slots if it isn’t printed directly on the PCB.