Hello everybody!
We continue the series of videos on building a new PC, and if you didn’t see the first
part, just follow the link in the description.
In today’s second part I’ll show you how to assemble a computer with the parts we have
chosen in the first episode.
There are
several stages in assembling a PC.
The first thing to do is to get the case ready, that is, remove all side panels to provide
access to every part and lay all wires the way you like.
In fact, it doesn’t matter that we are building the computer in this particular case and with
these particular parts.
Essentially, all builds are more or less similar; the only thing to be really different is how
the CPU cooler is mounted and several other minor aspects, but all the other things are
very much the same.
Getting ready to assemble a computer When the case is ready, unbox the motherboard,
unpack the processor, and then install the processor into the motherboard.
It’s not that difficult at all - just find out how to place it into the socket.
If you are trying to assemble a computer for the first time, never try to push or force
the processor into the socket if it doesn’t fit - it never helps, but you can bend the
pins or end up with a damaged processor.
There is no need for any physical pressure - if you insert it the right way, it will
slide into the socket easily.
So what’s the proper way of installing it?
On the processor, there is a triangular mark in the corner, and a similar mark on the socket
of your motherboard.
Place the processor the way as to make sure the marks coincide.
It will fit into its place easily and you can assure yourselves by having a closer look.
Now lock this retention lever.
That’s all, the CPU has been put into place - nothing too difficult.
The next step is application of the thermal paste.
After the processor is installed, it needs some thermal paste on top.
In my case, the stock cooler comes with thermal paste on it, so I skip the paste operation
and just install the cooler.
Thermal paste should be applied in a thin layer along the perimeter of the processor
or the heatsink (the lower part of the cooler system).
All coolers always come with an installation manual, so read it carefully before you start,
and consider it done.
Depending on the cooler type, you may see a different kind of mounting; as we’re dealing
with the stock cooler, let’s remove this part as it is intended for mounting tower-type
coolers.
Then, mount the stock cooler from the box.
These for bolts should be tightened as far as they would go.
At first start the screws, and then screw them till the end one by one.
When the cooler is mounted, connect it to the motherboard.
The plug at the end of the cable coming from the fan should be inserted into the connector
marked as CPU_FAN.
The actual location of the connector depends on the particular motherboard model, but the
marking is always the same.
Installing system memory Our next step is to install the system memory.
It’s not difficult at all - just release the retention clips.
Bear in mind, that system memory modules should be inserted only in a certain position.
If the module won’t fit into the slot, just try turning the module the other side.
Inserting the modules should not require any physical pressure - if you keep on forcing
the module into the slot where it doesn’t want to fit, you may end up hearing the sound
of memory module cracking.
Usually motherboards with more than two memory slots have them made in different colors.
If you want two memory modules to work in dual-channel mode, make sure you insert them
into slots of the same color, but if you only have one module, the slot color doesn’t
matter at all.
The motherboard may also have special marking and numbers for slots.
Insert the module by slightly pressing on it until you hear a click - first on one side,
and then on the other.
That’s all, your memory is now in place, and it must be one of the easiest steps in
building a computer.
Before we move on to the next stage, make sure you know the location of all necessary
connectors.
First of all, find the connector marked as SYS_FAN.
You will need it to connect the case fan.
The fan on the computer case should be powered from this particular connector.
Installing the motherboard into the case.
The next step is to put the motherboard inside the case.
First of all, make sure the cables are untangled and out of your way as you get inside.
We’ll pay more attention to cable management later by hiding them behind the side panel
so that they don’t hang about inside the case and don’t hinder the proper air circulation.
Look inside the motherboard box to find the I/O shield.
Insert it in the rear of your case according to the position of the motherboard.
Do it from the inside of the case and push slightly until it clicks into place.
Then have a look at how your motherboard fits into the case to find out where you should
prepare additional mounting points.
Usually these things (also called standoff screws) come with the computer case.
Add some more if necessary.
Now check the motherboard again to make sure it coincides with the standoff screws.
Now fix it to the case with the screws that come shipped with the case.
Connecting the PSU to the motherboard.
At this stage, it’s time to connect the motherboard to the power supply unit.
This thick cable delivers power to the motherboard, so plug it in.
This 8-pin cable powers the processor, so connect it to the plug with the corresponding
marking.
Leave the graphics card power connector for now - we will put it into its proper place
as soon as the card is installed.
Connecting the motherboard to the case Now we are ready to connect the motherboard
to the front panel of the case.
At this stage you may have some difficulties if you’re building a computer for the first
time, especially when you need to connect the front panel cables.
Don’t worry - all plugs and all motherboard connectors come with the corresponding markings.
It’s very easy - put the AUDIO plug into the AUDIO connector - just pay attention to
the location of the connectors and remember that if you are trying to put something in
the wrong place, it won’t fit in.
After that, insert the USB plug into USB1 or USB2 connector, and it doesn’t matter
which one you chose.
Now it’s time to connect the Power and RESET buttons, as well as LED indicators.
Read the motherboard manual to find out their exact location.
HD LED, Reset, Power and Power LED indicator.
Electric polarity is usually marked on the motherboard and the plugs.
If there is no marking at all, then the general principle of motherboard design is that the
positive contact should be on the left, and the negative on the right.
The white wire is the negative one, and the green wire (or the wire of any other color)
is the positive one.
If your front panel has a USB 3.0 port, this is the wire you should plug into this motherboard
connector marked as USB 3.0.
Installing the hard disk The next stage is to install and connect the
SSD.
Just find a good place for the drive inside the case and fix it there.
In our case, it can be put here onto this side panel.
Fix the drive with screws, connect the power cable from the PSU, and use the SATA cable
to connect the SSD to the motherboard.
Installing the graphics card The next and almost the last step is installing
the graphics card.
It is quite easy - take it out of the box and unpack.
Estimate how it would fit into the case and remove a shield or two from the rear of the
case to make way for the card’s connectors.
Then just insert the card into the PCI Express slot and use a screw or two to secure the
graphic card's metal retention bracket to the case so that is fixed into place firmly
and can’t get damaged.
Finally, it is now that you connect the additional power cable that was hanging about the case
all this time.
At this moment, you’re almost finished with the assembly operations, except for cable
management and closing the case.
Lay the wires and cables neatly, tie them if necessary to make sure they are not hanging
all about inside the computer case.
Close the side panels.
That’s all, we’ve got everything together, and now let’s start the computer and run
some tests.
First of all, we should test the build for stability and temperature.
When idle, the temperature inside the case remained under 35 C.
The CPU fan worked at 1200 RPM.
The graphics card fans worked in a passive mode at 1400 RPM.
AIDA stress test brought the CPU temperature to 45-50 C at the frequency of 3.4 GHz,
with the CPU fan rotating at 1800 RPM.
The graphics card was idle, so nothing changed.
The build is stable and no much hotter than in idle conditions.
Now let’s test our build in 3DMark.
At first we will launch the stress test which is intended to check computers after assembly.
As you can see, our computer passed the test easily.
As a result, the frame rate stability made 97,8%.
You can see all the other data on the screen.
Now let’s check out other tests.
We move on to Sky Diver - a test for gaming and mid-range PCs.
Our build scored 29,243 points in this test.
41 216 points for graphics, 12 940 for physical effects and 22 692 points for combined performance.
Here are the detailed results.
In the graphics test we achieved the average 192 frames per second.
In physics with 8 threads, the frame rate hovered about 217, and it dropped to 43 in
96 threads.
During the test, the processor reached the temperature of 49 C, and the graphics warmed
up to 68-69 C. The maximum GPU load was 96%.
The CPU frequency varied from 3.4 to 3.7 GHz.
The graphics memory frequency was 2000 Mhz.
Looking at the online ratings, it’s not bad at all - our build scored better than
90% of all results.
In the Fire Strike test for high-performance gaming builds, our computer scored 10 978
points.
You can check out detailed monitoring for yourselves.
From 50 to 58 FPS in the graphics test.
49 FPS in the physical test. and 21 FPS in the combined test.
Looking at the online ratings again, it’s a good result - our build scored better than
67% of all results.
Finally, let’s test the build in games, with the first one being Assassin Creed Origins.
in FullHD resolution.
With very high settings, the game works at 40 FPS,
the graphics card loaded for 75-80%, and the central processor for 70%.
The CPU temperature was always under 46 C, and the graphics card worked at 70-72 C.
In some episodes, we enjoyed 60 FPS or even more.
The next game for the test is NFS Payback.
With ultra-high settings, we had about 80 FPS almost everywhere, and sometimes even
over 100 FPS.
While playing, the graphics was loaded 99% and the temperature was 72 C.
The CPU load was 50 to 55%, with the temperature of 52 C.
As you can see, it is quite a good build we have.
That is all for now.
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Thank you for watching.
Good luck.