Step-By-Step: Put Together a Custom PC

By Stan Miastkowski, PCW Print May 28, 2003 1:00 AM

1. Case and power supply

Remove the case's side, front, and top panels to give yourself room to work. Inside the case, you should find a box or an envelope containing critical parts and pieces for the assembly, such as hexagonal brass standoffs and screws for mounting the motherboard, drives, and other hardware. You'll also see the AC power cable and mounting brackets for drives and other peripherals. Separate the parts and read the instructions closely.

Be especially careful to use the correct screws when mounting components. Cases come with two types of screws: fine thread (for mounting the motherboard to the case and attaching floppy disk and optical drives) and coarse thread (for attaching hard drives and add-in boards). Don't force the mounting screws; if they don't go in smoothly, then you are using the wrong size.

Most cases come with the power supply preinstalled. If yours is separate, see "Keep It Powered, Keep It Cool" for tips.

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