The document provides a comprehensive guide on building and assembling a desktop computer, detailing the benefits of doing so, such as learning about computer components and customization. It highlights essential safety precautions to prevent static electricity damage, as well as the critical components needed, including the case, motherboard, CPU, RAM, and storage drives. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of choosing compatible parts based on the intended use and operating systems, while also discussing overclocking and underclocking considerations.

1. PC Assembly
IT 202 (Shop Service Assembly)

2. Introduction
Building and assembling a computer, for those
who have a penchant to do so, may be a very
rewarding experience.

3. Building or assembling a desktop PC is a
viable option for many people and
may bring significant benefits, such as:
• Learning about computer components and
how they fit and work together;
• Understanding the internal and hardware
workings of a computer;

4. • Learning computer hardware terminology and
’geek-speak’;
• Ability to customise a computer according to
specialised specifications;
• Building and assembling something from
components;
• The satisfaction of a job well-done;
• Engendering technical problem solving ability;
• Saving money; and
• Having fun!

5. Building your own computer instead of
purchasing one pre-fabricated and
assembled may also be contraindicated for
certain people and may pose a significant
challenge if you:
• Don’t enjoy the building and assembly
process;
• Have no interest in researching and choosing
the parts;

6. • Are not mindful of quality control processes
when opening boxes and packaging and
checking to ensure that everything is present;
• Are disinterested in assembling items and
components into a custom-built PC designed
and built according to your own specifications;
• Are used to and like calling a technical support
person to fix your PC
• technology issues, rather than fixing them
yourself;

7. • Value a centralized warranty service (each part
will have its own warranty/ return policy), so if
a part fails you'll have to deal with either the
company you bought it from or the actual
manufacturer.

8. Safety…
Repairing your own computer can be great fun,
and can save you loads of time and money. But
no amount of money saved is worth
compromising your safety. Thus, some
precautions are in order.

9. Safety (cont.)
There are other safety issues that have less to do
with your own safety, and more to do with how
you may inadvertently harm some of the
components inside your computer. Certain
components are highly susceptible to damage
caused by electrostatic discharge (ESD), more
commonly known as static electricity. While it
takes about 3000 volts of static electricity for
you to feel the discharge, certain electronic
components can be damaged with as few as 30
volts of static discharge.

10. Safety (cont.)
Two types of damage can occur. A catastrophic
failure will damage the component beyond use,
while an upset failure can degrade the
performance of the component, thus making
the problem more difficult to detect.

11. Safety (cont.)
To protect your computer against ESD damage,
you need to ground yourself before touching
any electronic components, such as the hard
drive, memory modules, processor,
motherboard, or expansion cards. This is done
using a ground bracelet or static strap, which is a
strap you wear around your wrist. The other end
of the strap is attached to a grounded
conductor, such as the computer case or the
ground connector of a wall outlet.

12. Safety (cont.)
During a repair or upgrade procedure,
components that you remove from the
computer should be placed in anti-static, or
static shielding bags to protect them against the
effect of ESD.

13. Safety (cont.)
Here’s what you need to do to reduce
the risk of ESD damage:
• Wear a ground bracelet
• As you remove components, store them in anti-
static bags
• Remove all jewellery
• If you have long hair, tie it back
• Wear natural rather than synthetic clothing
• Work on hard floors rather than carpeted
surfaces
• Always remember to turn the power off

14. Choosing the parts

15. Choosing the parts (cont.)
• The first step to building a computer is
acquiring the parts.
• A computer is made up of a case, also called a
chassis, which houses several internal
components, and the external components,
including peripherals.

16. Choosing the parts (cont.)
Inside the case go the following internal parts:
• Power Supply/PSU power supply unit,
converts outlet power, which is alternating
current (AC), to direct current (DC), which is
what the internal components require, as well
as providing appropriate voltages and currents
for the various internal components.

17. Choosing the parts (cont.)
• Motherboard/mainboard As the name indicates,
this is the electronic centrepiece of the computer,
everything else connects to the motherboard.
• Processor/CPU central processing unit, the
“brain” of the computer, most actual
computation takes place here.
• RAM random access memory, the “short-term
memory” of a computer, used by the CPU to
store program instructions and data upon which
it is currently operating. Data in RAM is lost when
the computer is powered off, thus necessitating a
hard drive.

18. Choosing the parts (cont.)
• Hard Drive/Hard Disk the “long-term memory” of
the computer, used for persistent storage i.e. the
things stored on it remain even when the
computer is powered down. The operating
system, and all your programs and data are
stored here.
• Optical Drive device for reading/writing optical
disks. May read CDs, DVDs, or other optical
media, depending on the type. It is essential for
installing many operating systems and programs.
It may be able to write some of these discs, as
well. Some people like to have two such drives for
copying disks.

19. Choosing the parts (cont.)
• Video Card/Graphics Card/GPU does
processing relating to video output. Some
motherboards have an “onboard” GPU built in
so you don’t need (but may add) a separate
video card. Otherwise, you will need a video
card. These plug into a slot on the
motherboard and provide a place to connect a
monitor to your computer.

20. Choosing the parts (cont.)
On top of the internal components listed above,
you will also need these external components:
• Keyboard for typing on. Many motherboards
won’t even boot without a keyboard attached.
• Mouse for pointing and clicking. Unless you
chose a text-based operating system, you will
likely want one of these.
• Monitor This is where the pretty pictures go.
They come in many forms, the most common
being CRT and LCD.

21. Choosing the parts (cont.)
• (CRT) cathode ray tube
– a vacuum tube containing an electron gun (a
source of electrons or electron emitter) and
a fluorescent screen used to view images.
• (LCD) liquid crystal display
– a flat panel display, electronic visual display,
or video display that uses the light modulating
properties of liquid crystals (LCs). LCs do not emit
light directly.

22. Choosing the parts (cont.)
Before you jump onto the web and start
spending lots of money on expensive computer
parts, there are three important questions you
should answer which will guide your purchases:
1. What will be the main function of the
computer?
2. What useful parts do you have on hand, from
an old computer or otherwise?
3. How much can you afford to spend on the
system?

23. What operating system am I
going to use?

24. What operating system am I going to use? (cont.)
• Before you buy components, be sure that they
are supported by the operating system you
plan to use. Almost all current, commonly
available PC devices have drivers available for
current versions of Windows (generally,
anything 2000, XP, Vista, or newer); if you
want to run an alternative operating system,
you’ll have to do some research; many
alternatives have extensive ’Hardware
Compatibility Lists’ as well as software
compatibility.

25. Windows hardware support lists
• Windows XP supports most processors and
motherboards based on the i386(x86; 32-bit)
or x86 64 (AMD64/EM64T; 64-bit)
architectures. Put simply, all available
consumer processors (especially from AMD or
Intel) will work with the Windows XP
operating system.

26. Linux hardware support lists
• As one of the most popular free operating
systems, Linux is a very good alternative. It has
versions for many different architectures,
including i386, x64 and PowerPC, though i386
versions are much more common. It will also
support all kinds of processors, enabling it to
be used on Palm PCs and even iPods. There
are many different versions of Linux, produced
by different companies. These are called
’distributions’ or ’distros’ for short.

27. Linux hardware support lists (cont.)
• For a desktop PC, you should make sure to
pick a desktop distro, one where the
company/organisation has desktop users in
mind, e.g. Ubuntu, SimplyMEPIS or Mandriva.
SUSE is also a good choice, and has tools that
make it easy to use as a server. Ubuntu has
won many awards from PC magazines and is
noted for being particularly easy to use
• (for basic tasks, e.g. web, email, word
processing).

28. BSDs (Berkeley Software Distribution)
hardware support lists
• DesktopBSD, see FreeBSD 5.4/i386 and
FreeBSD 5.4/amd64
• Dragonfly BSD
• FreeBSD
• NetBSD
• OpenBSD
• PC-BSD, see FreeBSD 6.0/i386

29. What will be the main function
of the computer?

30. What will be the main function of the computer? (cont.)
If you’re going to build a computer from scratch
for a specific purpose, you’ll want to keep that
purpose in mind when choosing your
components; don’t just go to the store or an
online shop and start buying. Consider what you
want to use the computer for, you may be able
to save money by specifying expensive,
premium parts only where needed.

31. What will be the main function of the computer? (cont.)
• Any reasonably configured computer built
from current components will offer adequate
Internet browsing and word-processing
capabilities. For an office computer, this is
often all that is needed. As long as you
provide enough RAM for your chosen
operating system (256 MB to 1 GB for XP or
Linux, 2 GB for Windows 7) any processor you
can buy new will provide acceptable
performance.

32. What will be the main function of the computer? (cont.)
If the computer is for gaming, a fast processor,
the addition of a high-end graphics accelerator
card (or two) and extra RAM will provide a more
satisfactory gaming experience. Besides gaming,
computers intended for video editing, serious
audio work, CAD (computer aided design)/CAM
(computer aided manufacturing), or animation
will benefit from beefier components.

33. Do I plan on overclocking my
computer?

34. Do I plan on overclocking my computer?(cont.)
• Overclocking consists of running components
at faster internal speeds than they are rated
for. If you are serious about overclocking your
computer, you need to do extensive research
into the components you select, as some parts
respond to overclocking better than others.
Processors that respond well to heavy
overclocking are generally not very expensive
(though overclockable memory is), but the
price of a component is by no means a
guarantee of its overclocking potential.

35. Do I plan on overclocking my computer? (cont.)
• Overclocking usually voids your warranty and
is risky (you can destroy your entire
computer), so be warned! You need to think
hard about cooling the computer as
overclocking generates heat. Anything from a
few extra fans to a liquid-cooled system may
be necessary depending on the nature of your
system.

36. Do I plan on underclocking my
computer?

37. Do I plan on underclocking my computer? (cont.)
This can be ideal for always-on entertainment
systems. Underclocked parts run cooler, often
enabling passive cooling options to be used,
which leads to a much quieter system. The risk
here is not destroying your computer, as with
overclocking, but possible problems with hard-
disk data integrity. It is a good idea to back up
your disk data periodically on a non-volatile
medium, such as DVD’s or tape.

38. Can I use any of the parts from
my old computer?

39. Can I use any of the parts from my old computer? (cont.)
This depends on your situation; if your
computer is more than four years old, chances
are that most of the parts will be too old, slow
or incompatible for your new machine. On the
other hand, if you are upgrading from a fairly
new machine, you may be able to use many of
the parts.

40. Primary Components

41. Chassis (case)
A computer case (also known as
a computer chassis, cabinet, box,
tower, enclosure, housing,
system unit or simply case) is the
enclosure that contains most of
the components of a computer
(usually excluding the display,
keyboard and mouse).

42. Motherboard
In personal computers, a motherboard is the
central printed circuit board (PCB) in many
modern computers and holds many of the crucial
components of the system, providing connectors
for other peripherals.
The motherboard is sometimes alternatively
known as the mainboard, system board, or, on
Apple computers, the logic board. It is also
sometimes casually shortened to mobo

44. Central Processing Unit (CPU)
The central processing unit (CPU) is the portion
of a computer system that carries out the
instructions of a computer program, and is the
primary element carrying out the functions of
the computer or other processing device. The
central processing unit carries out each
instruction of the program in sequence, to
perform the basic arithmetical, logical, and
input/output operations of the system.

45. Types of CPU
There are two main desktop CPU
manufacturers, they are Intel and AMD. Both
of these companies have a power CPU and a
Budget CPU. The Power CPU's are the Core 2
Quad from Intel and the Phenom X3 and
Phenom Quad from AMD. The budget CPU's
are the Celeron from Intel and the Sempron
from AMD. Price is a big factor between these
CPU's.

46. Socket Type (INTEL)
• Socket 370 Intel Celeron, Intel PIII (not Cartridge),
Cyrix III
• Slot 1 Intel PII, Intel PIII (cartridge only)
• Socket 478 Intel P4 (2nd Gen)
• Socket 603 / 604 Intel Xeon
• Socket T Intel Pentium 4, Pentium Extreme, Pentium
D, Core 2 Duo
• LGA 771 Xeon
• PAC418 / 611 Intel Itanium
• Socket 775 Core 2 duo, Core 2 Extreme, Core 2 Quad

48. Computer memory
• In computing, memory refers to the state
information of a computing system, as it is
kept active in some physical structure. The
term "memory" is used for the information in
physical systems which are fast (i.e. RAM), as a
distinction from physical systems which are
slow to access (i.e. data storage).

49. SDR SDRAM
• Originally simply known as SDRAM, single
data rate SDRAM can accept one command
and transfer one word of data per clock cycle.

50. DDR SDRAM
• Double data rate synchronous dynamic
random access memory (DDR SDRAM) is a
class of memory integrated circuits used in
computers.

51. DDR2 SDRAM
• DDR2 SDRAM is a double data rate
synchronous dynamic random access memory
interface.

52. SO-DIMM
• A SO-DIMM, or small outline dual in-line
memory module, is a type of computer
memory built using integrated circuits.

53. DDR3 SDRAM
• In computing, DDR3 SDRAM, an abbreviation
for double data rate type three synchronous
dynamic random access memory, is a modern
kind of dynamic random access memory
(DRAM) with a high bandwidth interface. I

55. Power Supply
• A power supply unit (PSU) supplies DC power
to the other components in a computer.

56. Hard Disk Drive
• A hard disk drive (HDD) is a
non-volatile, random access
digital data storage device. It
features rotating rigid platters
on a motor-driven spindle
within a protective enclosure.
Data is magnetically read from
and written to the platter by
read/write heads that float on
a film of air above the
platters.

57. Types of HDD
• IDE : Integrated Drive Electronics. IDE drives
are also known as PATA drives( Parallel
advance technology attachment )
• SATA : Serial advance technology attachment
• SCSI : Small Computer System Interface. SCSI
is pronounced as scuzzy.
• SAS : Serial Attached SCSI

58. IDE / PATA (Integrated Drive
Electronics Drive / Parallel Advance
Technology Attachment Drive)

59. IDE / PATA (Integrated Drive Electronics
Drive / Parallel Advance Technology
Attachment Drive)
• IDE/PATA Drives have usually 40 pins.
• IDE/PATA Drives offer 133 MB/sec transfer rate.
• It sends 8 bit data at a time.
• PATA Cables are used to connect PATA HDD. Two
drives can be connected in a single pata cable.
One as master and other as slave. The
configuration of master and slave is done by
different combination of jumpers in the hdd.

60. SATA (Serial Advance Technology
Attachment Drive)

61. SATA (Serial Advance Technology
Attachment Drive)
• SATA Drives have usually 7 pins, 4 pins in pair
of two for sending and receiving data and rest
3 pins are grounded.
• SATA Drives offers generally 300MB/sec
transfer rate.
• It sends data bit by bit.
• SATA Cables are used to connect SATA HDD.
Only one drive can be connected in a single
sata cable.

62. SCSI (Small Computer System Interface
Drive)

63. SCSI (Small Computer System Interface
Drive)
• SCSI Drives have usually 50 to 68 pins.
• SCSI Drive offers generally 640MB/sec transfer
rate.
• This drives are hot swappable.
• SCSI cables are used to connect SCSI HDD.
Maximum of 16 drives can be connected in a
single scsi cable. Each hdd have a 8 bytes
hexadecimal code known as WWN (world
wide name) for its identification in the cable.

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