7 replies to this topic

[Mul.]

In progress of development. Over time this guide will become a universal hardware guide

Index

Understanding PC Hardware - While the final stages of building a computer for a beginner is building an expensive jigsaw puzzle, there are preliminary stages to the whole plan. One of them being understanding hardware! This section of the "How to Build A PC" guide details what each component does and what exactly to look for when choosing the particular component.

*NEW*
Building the Ideal Gaming Machine- This article details 4 systems ranging in budgets from $550 to $2000. While it won't cater for everyone, it's a nice placed to start for selecting components to use in your next system.

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How To Build A Computer

It tends to happen once in a while that people have a poor system for flight simulator 2004 and wish to buy a new computer all together to enjoy the game more. I have to say that buying a new computer can be far more costly than building a computer.

Initial thoughts of building a computer: Very complicated? A Risk? Personally although there is a small risk of dead on arrival components it isn't that risky and infact it isn't that complicated either.

What do you need to Build a Computer?

- A Phillips ScrewDriver
- A well lit room
- Some music that you like
- Patience
- …and around 2 hours of your time.


Ok so that is what it takes to build a computer. Nothing much
My next section is what components do you require to assemble a full computer.

Picking the Components

Processor- Follow this link for a more in depth explanation.

Motherboard- Follow this link for a more in depth explanation.

CPU Heatsink-Fan: The CPU Heatsink is an aluminium or copper block with fins that dissipates the heat from the CPU due to its conductivity and larger surface area. A fan then pushes the warm air away therefore cooling the CPU. If you purchase a retail version of a CPU it comes with a Heatsink. If you buy an OEM CPU or wish to have a higher performance cooling solution, it is recommended to chose a cooler with a 92mm or 120mm fan as they tend to make less noise and push more air at the same time. HSF's with heatpipes perform well and are recommended. See my overclocking guide for the Heatsinks of choice!

Memory (RAM)- Follow this link for a more in depth explanation.

Hard Disk Drive: What your file are stored to. Simple Enough
There are 2 interfaces for Hard Disks. IDE and SATA. There isn't much difference between each other. I would personally recommend you purchase a HardDisk with a minimum storage capacity of 80GB.

Graphics Card- Follow this link for a more in depth explanation.

Case: What you put all the components in, obviously
You will find there are 2 available form factors for cases.
Micro ATX: This is common for smaller cases. I don't generally advise these for very powerful systems as their thermal designs aren't always the greatest. You are restricted to micro atx sized motherboards as well.
ATX: THese are larger cases, which have a lot of expandability for extra drives and offer far better thermal designs for powerful systems. You can use both ATX and mATX boards in these kinds of cases.
BTX: The BTX form factor differs from the above two quite vastly. BTX is a form factor pushed on by intel due to their P4's excessive heat output. The BTX form factor is essentially the reverse of standard ATX, which has its advantages because it allows hot air to rise up the case and blown out via an exhaust fan. I do however not recommend these unless they support ATX motherboards as well, which I can think of quite a few cases which do.

When it comes to cases, it is difficult for me to suggest the right one. It's always subject to opinion. I can however suggest a wide variety of cases.

If you are looking for a non gaming looking one, then there are plenty around to suit your needs. Once you start paying over $80/£50, generally the quality from brands like Antec, Lian-Li, Silverstone, Akasa are high.

If you are after a gaming case, you'll find the normal cases in the same price bracket are built to a higher standard. They simply are. If you want a gaming case only look at:
Antec, Thermaltake, NZXT, Aspire.

PowerSupply Unit- Follow this link for a more in depth explanation.

Optical Drives: Such as a DVD-Rom, DVD/CD-RW combi, DVD+/-RW drives.
There isn't much to consider when choosing these.

Floppy Drive: Some people may consider this an outdated device. I know I do, however if you ever need to update your motherboards BIOS (it's firmware or driver in simpler terms) a floppy drive is a good thing to have.

You should be familiar with the above parts and know what they look like before attempting the build.

The Demonstrator System

This computer is being built for a friend and thought I'd use it as a demonstrator system.

In this case the components are as follows

Motherboard: DFI LanParty ICFX3200T2R/G RD600
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 1.86GHz Conroe
HSF: Scythe Ninja Plus
Memory (RAM): 1GB Crucial Ballistix PC2-5300C3
Hard Disk Drive: Seagate Barracuda 120GB SATA
Graphics Card: Leadtek Winfast GeForce 7300GT 256mb GDDR2
Case: Antec Sonata II Case
PowerSupply Unit: Tagan 420W PSU
Optical Drives: Sony DVD/CDRW Drive

Edited by Mul., 03 February 2008 - 07:49 AM.

[Mul.]

Right. Once you have received your parts make yourself a drink of your choice (Can of Pepsi was mine), put on some of your favourite music insuring the playlist will last the duration of your time assembling the pc and spread out all the components.

Have a look at each of the parts and get an idea of how things will connect together.

In my case I spread it all on the floor and put on a nice long playlist of music.



Okay lets get cracking. The first step is to carefully lift the motherboard from the box and place it on a grounded surface, such as a table. In my case I had it on a bed, which isn't the best option but it was still alright as it was sitting ontop of the antistatic.

I would recommend you touch the ground or something metal before taking the motherboard out of the packaging. Anti Static Wrist Bands are not necessary.



The connections/ports/sockets you'll find on a modern day motherboard

Installing the cpu, heatsink and ram

Installing the CPU is very simple. Here are photo's of several different CPU's
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Intel Core 2 Duo or Other LGA775



For Core 2 Duo CPU installation, you simply need to open the metal catch on the motherboard, raising the lever and drop the cpu in. Observe the notches on the top and bottom of the cpu and make sure they correspond with the motherboard. Here is a ***** demonstration

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AMD Socket 939/754/940/AM2 and Intel Socket 478

These cpu's share the same cpu installation method



Basically, on the bottom left corner of the CPU is an arrow. There is a similar arrow in the same position on the socket. This guides you where to install the CPU.  Lift the metal clip by the socket which unlocks the socket. Make sure the pins line up. if it has, it shall drop perfectly in the socket. If it hasn't gone in right, do not push it. It may have bent pins or you have put the cpu in the wrong way round

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Next part is to install the HSF. Position the HSF ontop of the cpu. The LGA775 installation involves pushing 4 push-pins through 4 holes around the CPU socket. You will hear an audible click. It is crucial that you clip the opposite side that you last clipped. For example if you started with the top right, do the bottom left next.



Remember to plug the fan into the header on the motherboard.

The last thing I would do while the motherboard is out of the case is to install the ram.



Installing memory is done by flicking the switches on either side of the memory bank, lining the memory stick up then pushing it down with a hand on either side. The memory will slot into the bank. You will hear an audible click and the tabs on either side of the RAM should now be latched in place automatically.



Your Motherboard is now prepped and ready to install into the case.

Edited by Mul., 18 August 2007 - 11:55 AM.

[Mul.]

How To Install The Motherboard

Assuming that your Power Supply Unit is preinstalled the next part is to install the motherboard. If it is not preinstalled you must install the PSU first. The powersupply unit is installed by simply pushing it into its position then screwing it in.

Ok. First part of installing the motherboard. If you install it direct to the case it will short and the computer cannot power up.

First of all open up the small box or bag which comes with your case. It will contain a bracket called a spacer. These are screwed into the holes on the motherboard tray

You screw them into the holes of your case and place the motherboard on top. The diagram below shows where to place the spacers/stand offs.



Once those screws are in the next step is to place the motherboard in. Ensure the holes in the motherboard line up with your spacers.



On doing so, screw them in using the supplied screws.

The next step is to connect the ATX 24pin Cable and the ATX12V 4pin/EPS 8pin Cable.

- This is an ATX 24pin Cable. 12 Rows of two pins. There's only one orientation that the cable will fit into the relevant socket. Here is a  ***** demonstration



-EPS 12V: 8 Pins, 4 x 2. Performance boards use this while most others use the standard ATX12V. The EPS12V cable can split into a single ATX12V if required

Edited by Mul., 18 August 2007 - 09:03 AM.

[Mul.]

Installing the System Drive

Edited by Mul., 18 August 2007 - 09:28 AM.

[Mul.]

Installing the Graphics Card

Right, the next part. Installing the graphics card. This is pretty simple to be honest. The first part is to remove the PCI Backplate from the case. The next part is to line up the card perfectly then push it down till you hear an audible noise that it has gone in.

Finally screw it into the back of the case to keep it from bending.




Most graphics cards require additional power connection either from a 4 Pin molex or 6pin PCI-Express Lead

This is connected at the back of it. If you have no PCI-E lead or you have run out of 4pin molex's pick up the Molex Y-Splitter from the box and hook it up.

That concludes my section on installing the graphics card. I will now post regarding the
front panel connections and finishing touches.

Edited by mul, 08 January 2006 - 03:59 PM.

[Mul.]

Attaching Front Panel Connectors

I find this part the most annoying part as it is somewhat fiddly. For this step you require to get out the manual for your motherboard.

There are inidividual little wires coming from the front of the case

-SPEAKER
-PWR LED
-PWR SW
-RESET SW
-HDD LED

You need to plug these into the corresponding pin on the motherboard.

Lets take my demonstrator motherboard as an example.



The above is the diagram for the front panel headers on this motherboard. You get the cables from the front panel and plug them in to the corresponding connections.

The Computer is now fully functional

Finally tidy any wires which are tangled and attach any unconnected fans. Close the case and power it up!

Windows XP Setup

Insert your Windows XP CD.
You will be prompted to press any key to Boot to CD. Do so.
You will be asked to press enter to run XP Setup. Do so
Choose to create a partition with NTFS Quick. People may wonder why I just advised to do a quick format. Personally I don't see the need to do a full NTFS format with a brand new hard disk. Otherwise I would recommend a full format.
Once formatted it will run through the stages of installing windows and is simple from there onwards

Thankyou for reading this tutorial and I hope it is useful.

Mul

Edited by mul, 19 February 2006 - 02:45 PM.

[Mul.]

Building the Right Computer for You - USA

Updated 14:52GMT, 8th February 2009. Next Scheduled Spec Update 8th March 2009

This is a Flight Simulation Forum so I'm producing guideline specs with the primary use of FS2004 or FSX in mind. I will also consider other system uses which are generally necessities in day to day life. Given that main considerations are FSX, here's what to look out for in a system. These systems are geared towards out of the box performance rather than overclocking but I do include parts which are capable of a decent clock. For systems geared for overclocking, see here.


Budget System

Time's flown since the last update. Today a budget system at around $600 will run FSX surprisingly well.

Intel Pentium E5200 Dual Core
Arctic Freezer 7 Pro
Gigabyte P45 DS3L
2GB Patriot PC2-6400
ATi Radeon HD 4670 512mb
Antec NSK4400 w/ 380W PSU
Samsung Spinpoint F1 320GB SATA II HDD
Samsung DVD+/-RW SATA
Windows XP OEM

Typical Price: ~$600

Mainsteam Systems

An ideal Machine for FSX on a sensible budget.

Intel Core 2 Duo E8500
Gigabyte EP45 UD3R
Arctic Freezer 7 Pro
2GB Patriot PC2-6400
nVidia GeForce GTX 260
Coolermaster Centurion Case *
OCZ 600W StealthXstream PSU
Samsung Spinpoint 320GB F1 SATA II *
Samsung DVD+/-RW SATA
Windows Vista Home Premium 64bit

Typical Price: $980

A system that will storm through FS2004 and give you an exceptional FSX experience.

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550
Gigabyte EP45 UD3P
Arctic Freezer 7 Pro
4GB OCZ Reaper PC2-6400
nVidia GeForce GTX 285
Coolermaster Centurion Case *
Corsair TX 650W PSU
Samsung Spinpoint F1 1TB SATA II HDD
Samsung DVD+/-RW SATA
Windows Vista Home Premium 64bit

Typical Price: $1350

This system has plenty of room for expansion. Out of the box it is very quick and geared for playing FSX in resolutions above 1280x1024.

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Top End Performance Monster

Grand finale. Silly quick overkill machine. Great out of the box performance and you can't do much better than this.

Intel Core i7 940
Tuniq Tower 120
6GB Corsair DDR3-1600
Samsung Spinpoint F1 1TB HDD
Tagan BZ 700W PSU
Gigabyte EX58 UD5
nVidia GeForce GTX295
Antec Nine Hundred Gaming Case
Windows Vista Home Premium
Sony DVD+/-RW-

Typical Price: ~$2500

A couple of guideline system configs that might help people out. Just remember that quite possibly none of these will cater for anyone. You'll want to edit these specs slightly or even significantly at your own descretion.

*- You may not like this selection due to your own needs. Change where required.

Mul

Edited by Mul., 08 February 2009 - 09:52 AM.

[Mul.]

30/06/07- Updates carried out on


Understanding PC Hardware - While the final stages of building a computer for a beginner is building an expensive jigsaw puzzle, there are preliminary stages to the whole plan. One of them being understanding hardware! This section of the "How to Build A PC" guide details what each component does and what exactly to look for when choosing the particular component.

*NEW*
Building the Ideal Gaming Machine- This article details 4 systems ranging in budgets from $550 to $2000. While it won't cater for everyone, it's a nice placed to start for selecting components to use in your next system.

Mul

Edited by Mul., 30 June 2007 - 10:39 AM.