Hey guys, this is Austin and today I’m here with a full tutorial on how
to build a gaming computer.
With the current generation of consoles stuck
in 2006 there’s never been a better time to build yourself a gaming PC.
To start with let me go over the parts which are all from my latest $500
budget gaming build.
If you’re building that computer then perfect but even
if you’re building a different machine this tutorial still applies.
I won’t
go into detail on each part so if you want to know more feel free to check
out that video and then come back here when you’re done.
To build the
computer you should have a decently sized workspace and as far as tools go
all you really need is a Phillips screwdriver and a knife.
You should also
work on tile or hardwood floors as if you build on carpet you could
potentially build up some static electricity which could harm your
components.
It’s also a good idea to touch the steel case before handling
any sensitive parts to ground yourself out.
The first step is grabbing our
case which for this build is an Antec 300.
Bust out the unboxing knife and
pop the cap on the box.
You’ll find a bit of foam and under that the
instructions which of course we aren’t going to look at.
We’re rebels like
that.
Flip the box upside down and then pull the box over the case.
Then
just pull the plastic wrap off and flip it right-side up.
Now that we’ve
freed the case it’s a good idea to look it over to check if it was damaged
in shipping.
If everything’s good move around to the back and undo the four
thumb screws holding the side panels on.
Slide both the left and right
panels off so we have room to work.
Inside you should find a small box of
accessories which will contain two small bags of screws.
Put these aside as
we’ll be needing them a bit later.
Push the case off to the side for a bit
and grab your power supply.
Inside here is another manual, the power cable,
a few small screws and the supply itself.
Grab it and remove the plastic wrap.
Now let’s install it.
Make sure it’s oriented correctly with the cables coming
out the back and then place it on the bottom of your case.
There should be
metal tabs to make sure you’ve got it properly aligned but the best way to
check is to look at the rear of the case.
There are four screw holes you’ll
need to keep the supply in place, double check that all of these are lined up.
If not readjust the supply until it’s all good.
Grab the small bag of screws
you got with the power supply and your screwdriver.
Drop a screw into one of
the holes and tighten it decently but not all the way in case something needs
to be readjusted.
Then go to the hole opposite where the first screw is and
do that one.
Then just finish the last two screws.
Now that everything is in
the proper place go back and tighten each screw down to make sure the supply
isn’t going anywhere.
Nicely done, we have the first component in our build
installed.
Push the case back for a bit and grab your motherboard.
In here
you should find a pair of SATA cables, one straight and one angled and the
I/O shield for your ports.
Set the motherboard aside for a second and below
you’ll find the manual and drivers DVD.
Set this one aside as it actually is
helpful later on.
Now gently pull the motherboard out and set it on the
bag.
One thing to keep in mind is that the motherboard is one of the most
sensitive parts to static so when you are handling it always touch it by the
plastic parts.
You should also leave it on the anti-static bag instead of
letting it sit on your table.
Before we move on let’s take a look at a few
of the important features of the board.
First of all is the CPU socket which
as the name implies is where your CPU goes.
To the right of this are the
slots where you’ll install RAM.
Below the CPU socket you should see your
PCI Express slots.
These are what you’ll plug your graphics card into as
well as various other cards like Wi-Fi or capture cards.
Toward the bottom
of the board are 4 SATA connectors which are for connecting hard drives.
On some motherboards you’ll have two types, SATA 2 and SATA 3.
The only
difference is that SATA 3 is faster and works better if you have an SSD.
There are more important bits on the board but those are the main things
you need to learn.
Now grab your processor.
If you’re using an Intel CPU
like we are the process is identical but AMD CPUs install slightly
differently.
Bust the box open and inside you’ll find the manual along
with a Core i3 sticker, stock heatsink and fan along with the CPU which
is a little too easy to overlook.
Like the motherboard this is an extremely
delicate part so only touch it by the edges when handling it.
To install
you’ll need to push back the arm holding the socket closed and lift the
protective cover off.
Now line up the two small notches on the CPU to the
notches in the socket and gently rest it down.
Do not apply any pressure
at all, it should rest nicely by itself.
Lie the cover back down and firmly
press the arm down under the clip.
It will give a lot of resistance but
don’t worry, just press it all the way down until it’s secure.
Now you’ve
got one of the hardest parts of the build taken care of.
Moving on we have
to install the heatsink.
For this build I’ll be using the stock Intel cooler
however if you’re using an aftermarket cooler then it’s best to look up a
specific tutorial as they all install differently.
The stock cooler is easy,
on the bottom you’ll find thermal paste already applied.
All you need to is
align it over the CPU with each of the four pegs inside the holes on the
motherboard.
Then press each down by starting on the opposite corners until
they click into place.
Once it’s installed you can lift the motherboard by
the heatsink.
Slide the motherboard off to the side and grab your RAM.
For
this build we’ll be using a pair of 2GB DIMMs which will give the build 4GB.
These aren’t extremely delicate however it’s still a good idea to only handle
them by the heatsink or edges.
On the bottom you’ll find a series of gold pins
with a slightly offset notch.
You’ll see a matching notch in the slot on the
motherboard which means they can only go in one way.
Pop open the clips on the
side and then drop the RAM in.
Press firmly on both ends until it snaps into
place.
Then just pop the other DIMM in the same way and you’re good to go.
That’s it for part one of this tutorial.
If you enjoyed definitely be sure
to leave this video a thumbs up and check out part two which will be on
screen now as well as in a link in the description of this video.