Installing the Motherboard, CPU, Heat Sink, Fan and RAM

Posted by on 08/16 at 08:45 AM Permalink

Now that we have chosen the components for building our computer, we will now go through the steps for putting it all together. Some steps have been covered in previous Tech Tips; such as installing the graphics card, power supply unit, CD/DVD drive and sound card, so we will not go into those again.

Read Full Article Here:
http://www.geeks.com/techtips/2006/techtips-17aug06.htm

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Posted by David Thornberry on 08/20 at 09:37 PM

I think one of the biggest pain after installing the motherboard in the case is get those front case wires / lights installed correctly

Posted by Ralph Mason on 08/21 at 12:41 AM

Hi!

Been a “hobby” builder for about 15 yrs. Re: thermal paste- Most heat sinks have thermal paste already on them. This fact should have been addressed, along with a comment as to whether this was adequate or not!

‘Bye!

Posted by Danny Duncan on 08/21 at 01:16 AM

Thank You, I am so interested in the building of my own computer. I have a million questions, about a million different subjects pertaining to building my own computer. I am good at working on things like the job of a gunsmith for instance, that I happen to know something about. I know the putting of parts into the case is really no problem, but this “Static Electricity” deal has me scarred. I would be so broken hearted to spend my money on all the parts, only to fry them by making a stupid mistake. I know this from gun work, of course the only thing that could happen is it would not go off or it could kill you. That is why when you have a concern, you put it a vise to fire it with a string, but this static deal is different. Just a scary thing to me.
Thank You

Posted by Aaron on 08/21 at 01:26 AM

While it is generally accepted that the motherboard should go into the case first, remember that many new heatsinks require the unit to be screwed in to the back of the board, which must be done before the motherboard is put in the case.

Posted by Glenn on 08/21 at 05:05 AM

I have noticed that some heatsinks come with thermal tape on them and some do not. If your heatsink has the tape should you also use the paste? or just use the thermal tape alone without paste?

I have never mixed the two. I always wondered if that is the correct way.

Is the tape better than the paste? I know it is easier and less messy to apply.

Posted by Paul Fox on 08/21 at 05:44 AM

Thermal paste is not optional for AMD processors. Some Intel boxed processors have a “thermal sticker” that conducts heat attached to the fan. I have seen the combination of thermal paste and this sticker actually allow a processor to get so hot it damaged the motherboard (not to mention that the CPU was warped). Check the instructions for installing your CPU. If you don’t see what you’re looking for check the manufaturer’s site.

Posted by Noah on 08/21 at 05:48 AM

I was wondering about the RAM, i know you went over these but you didn’t go over the mother board connection requirements and how they interact with each other. for instance the mother board says “Supports up to 2 GB DDR SDRAM” and which RAM is that? b/c someone not knowing can buy a DDR 255pin RAM which would i think only work on labtops… another mother board says “Supports DDR-266/333/400” again i would think 266 is a pin, other then that i have no clue what it is… socket mother boards got me lost, more tech data is great! it helps knowing what you mean… my tech team here even gets lost on what your items are…

Posted by George Christilaw on 08/21 at 08:27 AM

Very good job in your description of building a machine. Although you used an AMD chip for your explanation, Intel’s socket 775 chips are different as they have no pins on the chips. The pins are on the mother board instead and need to be even more careful when placing the cpu onto the board.
Having built many machines since 1994, I do not put the chip,fan and memory together inside the case as some cases lack the room to do so. I put the board onto the antistatic bag and install all the components, except the add on cards while the board is out of the case. This allows one to actually see better especially when inserting the CPU thus eliminating any board twisting when you apply slight pressure while locking the CPU in place and while installing the fan assembly to the board. This also works well for inserting the memory as it needs to be incerted with greater force to make a clean connection.
You didn’t mention that when you first align the board into the case to first install the I/O shield. I’ve seen many machines where someone has installed the board got the machine up and running and had the I/O shield in their hand as they forgot to put it in when they started. Do it once do it right is my moto. The worst thing is having to disasemble the work you have just done to install the I/O shield which increases your chance to damage something.

Posted by Albert on 08/21 at 09:49 AM

Dude - don’t you install the CPU and heatsink on the mobo before installing the mobo in the case???

Posted by Win Bent on 08/21 at 09:50 AM

This is a very nice summary of the steps involved in installing a motherboard. It’s too bad that some portions couldn’t be more specific, but that’s due to the wide variety of motherboards and cases, so it can’t be avoided.

However, I was a bit surprised that this Tech Tip came *after* the ones for installing the graphics card, sound card, and others. Those devices depend on having the motherboard already in place! (I believe the earlier Tech Tips merely covered SELECTING those components, but that’s not what it says in the first paragraph of this Tech Tip.)

Also, I found it sadly amusing that the text says “The CPU will have a mark of some sort, most commonly a small triangle in one corner,” yet the photo used to illustrate this was artfully cropped to show NONE of the CPU’s corners.

Posted by work boots on 01/26 at 07:10 AM

I put the board onto the antistatic bag and install all the components, except the add on cards while the board is out of the case.

Posted by fire damage restoration on 02/13 at 10:59 AM

Most motherboards produced today are designed for so-called IBM-compatible computers, which held over 96% of the global personal computer market in 2005.

Posted by Computer Parts on 02/29 at 07:13 PM

Interesting way of applying the thermal paste. I’m gonna have to try that. I usually just make sure the cpu IHS surface is clean and then apply some AS5 very thinly over the center of it. Then fit the heatsink on top.