The CompleteDiscover more of our complete manuals on Readly today... Python itll iaaal Manual " nos Ce o ti CTO] Manual Photoshop 1 eS tos! instagram eigen 4 Manual se Thg Complete ‘The Complete Nikon || {Canon Manua ManualYour essential step-by-step guide to building your ORM ium Cmca elie EMC aCe eee a Makes takes some time, planning and careful thought and is not always the best POCA eck monn tant mC an ACT MCORP ec ekiort ee Om nmce a Ceres scat ROG chore Gricuricic cit in the future, we recommend it to anyone. If you need to either get your first ea ernie Ce Racine ac Ce CONT tel yt) 2s ES Soe CS LC igen ERS BTC resus OLSContents The Complete Build Your Own PC Manual be (3) Plan Your Build 8 PON EMEA MET SACO AON inet 32___Choosing a Graphics Card (GPU) Se eee orem EE eee tact) SPO racked Cen erates ent SC eae 42___ Expansion Cards and Extras Peers lacesad 44 CPUand Case Coolin; Pena Skee mace ens 28 HOD, SSD or Both? 48 Build Your Own PC - Jargon Buster eryZi | 2) Installing Software Frame e\ Cn) Deco EU accents OC Windows 7 or 8.1 TOMO een etn cence es SOM seen nea ses nna SUMO) Me RM Ane ase Meco eranel conn SEO cen tee Se een SEPM actA eee ED Monee Ann i 120 _ Installing Linux on 32 __ ical re ser ss Pam ae) - = a oc Adding a CPU Cooler 4 i eu ule a As Peers) ing Optical Drives 76 __ Installing the Graphics Card Peace eats mU nT Mice Celli ions EV er eM ene cued Fane Renee enna es ECM onsen neta) DM's Made Easy Series Visit us at: wawwadmpulblications com « if Folow us on Facebook: BDM Publications « i Flow us on Twitter: @BDMpubs| Pee?a ews = ‘Plan Your Build It is important before you start to build, that you make sure you have done some forward planning. Proper planning helps PO RU a MeCN NOR ia me ye ue Cd Eee eM ROR (Lae MICRO URI oe Loi. | PCa ae em eal RR dale understand each main component of a PC build.CHOOSING THE SYSTEM TYPE Learn the main differences between the common Windows/Linux PC platforms; Intel and AMD. Learn the pros and cons of each type and discover reasons why you might want to choose one over the other, when you start planning your first PC build. The choice you make here will dictate several decisions later on Intel® Xeon® Processor E7 v4 CHOOSING APC CASE CHOOSING A PROCESSOR Learn what to look for ina good PCcase and which features should be important teyou and your computer. NEED MORE POWER? EXPANSION CARDS AND EXTRAS y ‘expansion card until you have understood upply the options available. ETN elms) PO he ea Cee nd Cie aaa eed Cn aes ed freee nad Choosing a Graphics Card (GPU) ed Penne ts Expansion Cards and Extras Geen HDD, SSD OR BOTH? BEFORE YOU BUILD: PRECAUTIONS red ofa il, there ae some simple a prepare friPlan Your Build 10 Reasons to Build Your Own PC There are many reasons for building your own PC and if you took five different builders, all five might have a completely different reason for wanting to undertake this task. Here are our top ten reasons for choosing and enjoying to build PC after PC, in all shapes and sizes, for gaming, media and work. 1. PICK EXACTLY THE COMPONENTS YOU NEED ‘Shop around enough and throw enough money around and you will almost certainly be able to find a pre-built PC that matches your desired spec list. However, ifyou have a budget, and let's face it, many of us will have, finding an offthe-shelf PC that perfectly matches your needs is quite hard. Build your own and you can pick exactly the ight parts you want, to best provide yourself with the capabilities required 7 F 2. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF DEALS Ifyou are clever and shop around, pick the right time to buy and are prepared to perhaps wait a while for something to be reduced, you can defintely get more bang for your buck by building your own PC. We saved over £50 on our chosen CPU simply because one of the component retailers that sends us newsletters had a flash (1 day) sale, We could have ust saved the ‘money but instead added it to our graphics card budget 3. THE SATISFACTION FACTOR Nowadays, many people never really get the chance to build something for themselves but there really are few better feelings, than those you get from successfully planning and building something with your own hands. Even more so, with something ‘as seemingly complicated as a PC, Even if you do nat manage to save a huge amount of money, and massive savings aren't always possible in today’s world of cheaper and cheaper pre-built systems, the satisfaction you can get certainly makes up fori. 4, UNDERSTANDING YOUR PC BETTER ‘Building your own PC isa great learning process. You will learn skills and techniques that can only help you use your PC more efficiently and confidently throughout it's usable life. While you won't suddenly be an expert PC engineer, you will certainly Understand how your PC works more clearly and be in a better position to notice if things go wrong later. It also makes the task of upgrading components less daunting,5, SPREAD THE COST Ifyou are prepared to commit to building your own PC, you can spread the cost without resorting to getting credit. Buy a component each month for six months and you will have almost everything you need, all the major parts anyway, without having, tolay out alump sum. You can ofcourse, buy the parts in any order but we suggest leaving the processor, motherboard and graphics card until last These are the cones most likely to see. technology updates over that time, 6. AVOID BLOATWARE When you buy a pre-made PC, especially from one ofthe big chain stores, its likely to have software preinstalled. Some ofthis might bbe useful but often itis not. You will hen either have to spend time. cleaning ths stuff off you are even intially awareits there, or lve with ton your PC. When you build your own PC, you choose what goes inti 7. PICK THE PERFECT CASE You can buy pre-built Cs — ina fairly wide range of styles, from LED-lt gaming towers to tiny media boxes. however, you want a case thatis more unusual, finding a pre-built ‘computers much harder. As longas you plan your build propery, you can use ‘almost any ofthe thousands of different cases available, from bright orange statement towers, tocamoufiage painted portable LAN boxes. 10 Reasons to Build Your Own PC 8. BETTER COOLING Even fairly cheap cases now come with cable management options and with several places to ‘add fans. This means that youcan tuck away the PSU cables so that they do not impede airflow and you can adé more fans later fr increased cooling too. if you buy a mid-tier case, then you wll typically get 2 oF 3fans, maybe more with high-end ‘one. Having good airfiow, a ‘good heatsink for the CPU ‘anda graphics card witha ‘200d cooler means that all your components willbe ‘well cooled. That means bette longevity 9. BETTER OS OPTIONS, You can utilise a slightly older OS. One thing holding a lot of people back from a new computer isthe reluctance to adopt Windows 10 and previously, Windows 8. Today retailers sell the vast majority oftheir new hardware with Windows 8 or 10, preinstalled, whether you want itor not, Building your own machine offers the ability to load on your preferred 0S: T ifyou ‘would rather stick with the familiar, 10 if you are ready to make ‘the jump or GNU/Linuxif you really want something different, ® ubuntu 10. SELF-BUILDING IS FUN! ‘owning a sel-bult PC is great fun. The process fullof packages arriving, opening packages, puting things together and learning What goes where and why and how, Discovering anew trick for routing cables better or learning about a faster type of transfer cable becomes exciting! You will love your new rigmore than you could ‘ever love one from a tore because ittakes you beyond mere hardware ownership and bestows hardware familiarity Bons ModekosySeies 9Plan Your Build Choosing the System Type For most people who want to build their own PC, there are only two real choices when it comes to the system type, Intel or AMD. There are advantages to choosing either one of these options, which might not be immediately obvious to the very new builder. It might also not be obvious that compatibility problems can occurif you don't understand the difference between these two PC platforms. Your choice here will definitely influence every major component purchase you make later. (inte) Intel is probably the better known PC platform and almost certainly has a larger following amongst PC builders around the globe, Thisis largely because they lead the world in processor development, offer a wider range of chips and are better supported by other component manufacturers although Intel's advances in CPU technology has slowed in recent years, they are still constantly improving and refining their chips. you are building a gaming or multimedia PC, Intelis probably the better choice and not only because their processors generally offer better speed and power, along with good overclocking properties on the K-series processo's, for the money. The choice (of CPU dictates the choice of motherboard (or vice versa) and some of the best gaming motherboards are made for Intel chips, soit makes sense to go down this route, Trying to keep up withthe latest developments from Intelis expensive, as you will always pay a premium for the latest chip and will also then need to make sure that you choose a ‘motherboard with a compatible socket, However, advances in chip design also means that predecessor chips become more affordable and give you opportunities to find a powerful bargain. 10 eoMstade Easy SerieChoosing the System Type I Why Choose AMD? you are building on a budget, orf you are not worried about your PC being able to handle more taxing processing actions such {8s gaming or video editing, AMD could befor you. Not only are AMD processors and motherboards usually cheaper than Inte, they also give you the option to combine the CPU and @ GPU ina single unit: the APU. That isn’t to say that AMD processors are completely unsuitable for gaming rigs, because some ofthe higher-end Ryzen CPUs naw offer similar performance to intel, i7 or even', butf you are going for pure power, AMD may not be the best choice. There is also a smaller choice with AMD and some ofthe processor architecture still available to buy is getting near to the end ofits, effective ie The latest AMD gaming processors, in the AMA Ryzen family, include something for everyone and every budget. Ryzen 3 are the cheapest and lowest-powered, followed by the Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 7. All include X versions (e.g, 700K) which allow for ‘overclocking, The Ryzen family also includes a high-end version called the Threadripper, which uses a different socket (TR4) to allow up toa huge 32 cores and 64 threads. AMD also recently launched the EPYC range of CPU's, although these are aimed ‘more at servers and other HPC workloads. Dear tt epee ee sot ee erent ee rey eee ee arate ety enc at Ser oes erent ee oN Woceasy Sees ALPlan Your Build 444 = ey : Choosing eae ore Although they may not have seen the sort of massive changes that most other PC components have, the choice of case for your build is now much wider than it was just a few years ago. From simple black boxes, to LED-lit windowed showcases, there is a case style out there for everyone, However, choosing a case should be about more than just looks. Quality and features vary greatly and getting this key component right can mean the eed eee eee eer eres ©Making Your Choice Choosing a PC Case ‘As with any purchase, there are several things you need to consider before you choose a case. Getting things wrong here could mean a difficult build or additional expense later. CASE SIZE Unless you have a very specific function planned for your PC, ‘media Box or portable, it is best to choose the size based on the hhardurare you want to fit inside, For mast first time builders, a midsize tower is probably the best mix of size, Budget and range of tyes available. your initial build is a stepping stone toa gaming rig, ou might want to think about getting an E-ATX case from the start. You can read ‘more about the different case sizes available on the next page BUDGET you arena tight budget wth this build, you are probably going to get better value for money with a mATK ase. You can expect to pay anything from £25 to £300 ($30 to $350) for a mATKcase, depending, ‘on brand, quality and features. You really don't need to spend a fortune, a really ood quality starter cases are available from ‘around £40 ($45). You can expect to pay closer to £100 (115) fora half decent €-ATX case and double that for a high spec one, Our ‘advice isto go fora cheaper bigname case: Thermaltake, Cooleemastr, Corsair, Antec ec, rather than a flashy one rom a lesser-known brand, ere ito the budget rome eer ots Set STYLE ‘hiss very much a personal choice. Some builders wil ike the windowed, vented and LED-It gamer style cases; others will prefer the understated black boxstyle. There are ‘asesin almost every style imaginable but just make sure that you don't choose style over substance. ifacaseis cheap but seems to have alot of external design elements, it could well be that the quality on the insides lacking. Our Thermaltake Core VBL isa nice mix of understated ‘and modem garner, with a window to show off the inside, a sleek mesh front and great build ‘quality and al for just £40 ($45) FEATURES Although this should probably be higher up thelist, we have found that it usually ist It is very easy to find two very similarly priced and externally styled cases that lffer hugely in the more technical features they provide. A good case should, in our a ‘pinion, include at least two 120mm or 140mm fans, a usable front panel with USB, audio ete ‘and should be made mainly of metal. Be careful that the metal isn’t wafer thin though. It should ideally be toolless and have removable crive bays too, asySeres 13Plan Your Build PC Case Sizes There are several different case sizes available, from Mini ITX to full tower. Styles and sizes vary within these form factors but certain rules always apply. FULL TOWER (E-ATX) Fulltower, or Extended ATX, cases are generally larger than the standard ATX cases and almost always the most ‘expensive off the-shelf cases you can buy. E-ATX cases are mostly designed to be gaming. ‘or server cases, with ots of raom inside for massive _raphics cards (some high fend GPX cards are upto 30cm long), water cooling radiators and case fans Fulltower cases usually have more expansion slots at the back, atleast ‘two, and up to four, front fans and aside panel window. These large casesare normally only suitable for -ATK and ‘ATK motherboards MIDI TOWER (ATX) Midi tower or mid tower were orginally known simply as tower or ‘ATK cases but since the atival of E-ATX, the more descriptive name isused to show that they are between fll and mini towers. Mid ‘tower cases are where you wil find the most choice, and probably the best value for money. You can spend alittle ora lot and as long ‘asyou choose carefully stil get a case perfec for your build. ATX ‘cases will usually accept ATK Mini AT ‘and Micro ATX motherboards but itis worth double checking before purchase. Our case isa midi tower 1A eoMstade Easy Serie MICRO ATX Micro ATX, which ae often labelled as mATX or cube cases, are Perfect for those with alack of space and who don't need tofthigh fend GPX cards, water cooling, et. Just as with any other type of case, mATX cases are available ina range of styles and ata range of prices. Smaller ddoesn’tnced to mean cheaper and less innovative. Building a PC with a mATX ease takes a bit more planning than the previous ‘wosizes we have discussed. Most graphics cards that wl ft in an ATX or ATK case, without you havingto think aboutit, Wor'tfitin many maTx cases. The same applies tolargeCPU coolers, MINI ITX, ‘The smallest ofthe four main case form factors ITX or Mini ITK are ‘most often cubes but you can algo find some that are lke mini tower ‘cases, These allow for very compact builds, for media PCs and often include features that allow them to be moved around easily with carrying handles, etc. You will have to use a special ITX motherboard with this type of case but you should be able tofit a midsize graphics card into many of them. The TK form factoris a faity recent addition to the PC case ranges and because they are quite specialist, our choice of tyes wl be slightly more limited than with more common sizes.Inside Your Case Choosing a PC Case Here we take a look inside the Thermaltake Core V31 case that we are using in our build and check out some of the features that made us choose it. pei ma “The Core V3t comes vith two fans installed one tthe front and one at the back, both of which are important for ailow. There are mounting Poet 2 CUT OUTS FOR CABLES OR PIPES ‘Asyou can see, the back (or side) panel of our case is fullofeut outs, ideal for managing all ofthe power cables or water cooling pipes we Cad emcee] M 0). AAS See ee Ecc cae Cee ee Oe rey Bearer Eeetcce 4 EXPANSION SLOTS eee eet ee eer rnc Pe eee a) Pee Team ENTS een eles ‘This case positions the power supply at the bottom; some cases put Cet ee seein ees POEs PUG eee ee ae eee De Lo een me eon eos eee edaay Eee 144) Ut) iV Motherboards esa es ge et dere Taga Rag eo rN eee the CPU you are going to use. However, ifyou want to get the best out of your new PC, you really need to choose See ee Me ee ee ee ee eee Co designed for general use or office work. Over the next few pages we will look at the many different De epee ate ee F a - 5 oe ™ Se,Choosing a Motherboard The motherboard (or mainboard) in your PC is the foundat Motherboards tion of everything else you plan to add, soit makes sense to ensure you choose the best one possible. INTEL OR AMD Your only real choice of processors going to be between Intel ‘and AMD and so your choice of motherboard is going to be based tially, on which processor type you have decided to go with, Inte are the market leaders, withthe fastest and most powerful processors among their range. However, AMD make some very good processors and they tend to be considerably cheaper; so if you are on avery tight budget, this could be an option. Once you hhave decided which to use, your search for a motherboard can be narrowed down slightly. SOCKET TYPE Although all processors might look, on the outside, pretty identical they are almost continually being improved and updated, and will only ft into certain sockets, Once more your ‘motherboard choice is going to be dictated by the processor you plan to use, We are using an intel Core i5-8600K processor in our build, so our motherboard had to have an LGA 1151 socket. It wouldn't have fitted into the slightly newer LGA 2011 socket used by an Intel Core7-6800K. AMD use a different but similar system. Here your choice will be between AMI, AM3+, FM2 and FMD Whichever you go for, make sure the motherboard socket, ‘matches your CPU, ort will be an expensive mistake st current motherboards offer ab ee Sree! suppor, and et erent een ee iets ecra hse CHIPSET (INTEL) ‘Assuming you have chosen to build with an intel CPU, the next step to narrowing down your motherboard search isto choose a chipset. chipset is simply a set of ‘electronic componentsin an integrated circuit, so chipset types are really just away of denoting different combinations of motherboard features. Choosing beetvien them s usually about what you plan to usethe PC for ‘mainly. Gaming chipsets like 2170 and 237 Express tend to allow ‘overclocking and multiple graphics cards, H chipsets (H97, H110, ‘tc are usually more mainstream, losing the overclocking feature for example. Q and B chipsets are aimed more at business or rnon-media builds FORM FACTOR Hopefully you now know the socket and chipset type you want your motherboard to have, so naw its time to decide on the size (or form factor of the board. Motherboards are unequally divided 0 four main sizes (largest to smallest) E-ATK, ATX, mATX and {TX (or Mini IT). Whilst itis possible to find boards in each size witha full complement of features, this is more about matching the motherboard to the case you are using, or vice versa, E-ATX ‘boards will only fit in E-ATX cases; ATX wil fit in ATX and often E-ATX; mATX will fit in ATX and mATX cases; and ITX normally only fits in TX cases, ATK isthe most standard ofthe sizes, so you will hhave a better choice and be mare likely to get a good deal eee ee a earn eerPlan Your Build CPU SOCKET COMPARISON | Sienssutnatesat ipa Troteottotcng Oey cere ieeeeie eet * , core ene ey ea aor See en) individual contact sald Pons ‘ SE Recommended Minimum Specification The motherboard you choose for your build needs to be up to a variety of tasks, be able to support a number of components and be suitable for your daily use. The exact specification you need may well be different to the specification another builder needs but there is certainly a base level of features you should look out for when you make your choice. GAMING/MEDIA BUILD | Wihagasigeermess but yu'tbe neetng appr orto dpa oer + 4xDDR3 or DORA DIMM sockets supporting up to 64 GB of system memory + Dual channel memory architecture + Support for DDRS 1600/1338 MHz memory (minimum) + Support for Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) memory modules Integrated Graphics Processor Intel HD Graphics support + Slior CrossFire Support 1 xD-Sub port, 1920%1200@60 Hz 1 xDVLD port, 192014200060 Hz 1 xHOM! port, 409612160024 He + High Definition Audio 2/4/5.1/7.1 channel + High Speed LAN chip (10/100/1000 Mbit) + -LxPCLExpress x16 sot, running at x16 (PCIEXI6) + -LXPCLExpress x16 sot, running atx (PCIEXA) + 2xPCLExpress x slots + 2xPCislots + LxM2Socket3connector + 3x SATA Express connectors + 6XSATASGb/s connectors + Support for RAID 0, RAID, AID S and RAID 10, + upto8xUSB3.0/20 pons + 6xUSB20/11 ports 18Motherboards Fee aed aes Peete motherboard and is provided by the motherboard manufact Sar oftext that ash up ont eet ee hierar Seeger: things like hard drives, the keyboard, USB connections and other onents, The Bl eee GENERAL/BUSINESS BUILD | aitiicenconeSiy sare youcSn sang money entice aurea eg + Support for ECC UDIMM 1Rxa/2Rx8 memory modules [operate innon-£CC mode} + Support for nomECC UDIMI 1Rx8/2Rx8 memory modules On-board Graphics - integrated Graphics Processor 1LxD-Sub port, supporting 2 maximum resolution of 192010200860 Hz + LxDVED port, supporting a maximum resolution of 192010200860 Hz High Definition Audio 2/4/5.1/2.1 channel + Support for /POIF Out High Speed LAN chip (20/100/1000 Mbit) 1 xPCL Express x16 slot, running atx16 (PCIEXIS) 1 xPCI Express x slot 2xPC slots 4x SATA6Gb/s connectors 4USB3./20 ports + 8xUSB20/1: ports Boe aceEiySenes 19Plan Your Build Gl atofoss lat -w-Nmelecelh The CPU (Central Processing Unit) of your computer s likely to be the most expensive single component, especially if you are trying to future-proof your build as much as possible. When it comes to choosing a processor, faster and newer s almost always better. However, does the average PC builder really need a 4GHz Ce Nee name ae uae geo eee a eet ae cee ed Read on to find the answers to these questions and many more. SAnetOTn Nc eee ge ee CEE CaS oe acca enMaking Your Choice Choosing a Processor For many PC builders the choice of processor is key to the whole project and will largely dictate the rest of the components required. INTEL OR AMD. ‘Although your only two choices of processor manufacturers are Intel or AMD, there are several diferent categories of processor from each ofthese chip makers, Intl is by far the market leader, offer the widest range both in terms of speed/power and price and tends to be ahead in terms of features and technological ‘advances. AMD make some great processors too and they are generally cheaper to buy, and a good choice ifyou are on avery tight budget. Our choice, and our recommendation, is Intel. More specifically one of the Skylake Core iS range that offers good speed, power and value for money. intel, PROCESSOR SPEED Both Intel and AMD processors are sold as being a certain speed. Our Intel Core iS runs at 3.5GHz but as itis a K model, it 's possible to overclock it using additional software. The speed of a processor refers to Clock Speed or Clock Rate, which used tobe a simple way to compare two different chips. Faster clock. speed meant a faster chip and this s stil true if comparing two chips from the same family (two intel Skylake CPU's for ‘example}.As a general rule go for the CPU with the fastest speed in the family you want to use. Just be aware that higher clock speed also means higher price, possibly with only a small, performance increase. ets Pea ition but that ores eon er eee acon etree SOCKET TYPE ‘As processors improve, the numberof pins or connectors usually increases as well This means that an Intel processor designated LGA 1150 (the Haswell famiy) won't fit into a socket designed fora LGA 2011 (the numbers here refer to the numberof pinson the chp). ‘These ae called processor generations and itis always better to buy the newest generation ifyou can afford. This provides a degree of futureproofing but probably won't be the best value for money. You ‘jn only futureproof so much anyway. you plan to have your ‘computer for more than a couple of years, itis unlikely that any CPUS released after ths time wil ft anyway. Just ensure that the processor you choose matches the motherboard socket or vice versa CPU OR APU (CPUs, or Central Processing Units, have been the norm in computers fora long time, but a couple of years ago AMD launched a range of APUs. APU, or Accelerated Processing Unit, Is ‘a processor and graphics accelerator on a single chip. The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One both use a type of APU. The latest version of the AMD APU is called Carrizo. For most general builds, we would suggest that geting 2 dedicated graphics card isa better ‘option but if you are ona very tight ‘budget, this can make sense. Itis also {an option if you are building a very small IMicbased computer such as a media bax. Se Sr Ree eed Tee reat om DNs ace asy Sees 2Plan Your Build These are the four processors we considered while planning our PC build, two from Intel and | The Processors we Considered two from AMD, with their relative strengths and weaknesses. AMD RYZEN 5 2400G FROM: £146.00 $180.00 €145.00 Pros cons Budget quad-core CPU + Only 4MBL3Cach Low power usage Not built for gaming, Built-in Vega 11 GFX No overclocking. INTEL CORE |7 6700 3.4GHZ FROM: £270.00 $305.00 €300.00 Pros: + Goodclockrate cons Supports hyper- + Too expensive forthe threading budget Low power + Locked clock rate requirements Latest generation Intel 22 eoMstade Easy Sve AMD RYZEN 7 2700X FROM: £290.00 $310.00 €290.00 Pros cons ‘cores and 16 threads “Too expensive for budget High turbo clock speed Wraith cooler included Some gaming imitations High power usage ms INTEL CORE |5-6600K 3.5GHZ FROM: £150.00 $180.00 €175.00 Good valueforspeed Cons Intel Skylake + Can run slightly hot Unlocked clock rate Only 6M L3 Cache Good benchmarksDO YOU NEED HYPER-THREADING? | Choosing a Processor Se ee eee enone ene Ne a ‘Technology (or HT Technology) uses processor resources more Coenen eee performance feature it also increases processor throughput, improving overall performance on threaded software. Intel HT Technology i available on the Intel Core processor fami the Intel Core M processor family and the Intel Xeon processor PaO R aie ee a ‘an operating system and BIOS supporting hyper-threading, you can run demanding applications simultaneously whilst maintaining system responsiveness. Then create, edit and encode graphically intensive files while running background applications, suchas virus, Pree es ON eau ecu MULTI-CORE CPUS | OVERCLOCKING THE CPU | & Ce eee ee Te aes ee eee yen) individual processors (called cores inthis sense) into one Perec rete et eer tant ety ‘twice as powerful as a single coe processor In practice the performance gains far smaller, only about 50%, due to imperfect pe eee a ee eas Te eee ca ee ee means thatthe pracessor can now handle numerous SO ot aca A Ue ay Coin rete? ‘These cores can be thought of a different sectionsin a factory, Ree to ed een eee ae ae) single cores nat enough o handle the information. Cenc ey ea eee ene tare cas Understanding the need for some PC builders towant to Suerte generation which have their clock rate unlocked. For both Intel and AMD chips, this is shown by a Kin the name (such as ‘our 6600K) and AMD often call CPUs that can be Pree ee ot ae OTe ER ea creo eee ee eat eran aay Staite etc ta serious research and after taking every possible precaution, Seen a eee aes Pi etenn eee ea etsPlan Your Build BU aTom Nae vAUY Afast and easy way to add a performance boost to your PC isto install high quality, fast RAM (Random Access Memory). DDR4 is the latest variation of PC memory and is the fastest and most efficient yet but just like many CR een Te aN ee ed eee cee Eee Me eee ee eee ee eee ea ace Renae VENGEANCE = START BUILDING Ed CO ce ee a ree Cea ee al Pe erentMaking Your Choice The Right RAM A lack of RAM has the potential to be a real power and speed bottleneck for your PC build, so getting it right s just as important as choosing the right CPU or graphics card. (OW MUCH RAM? Before we even look at speeds and channels, we should look at ‘exactly how much RAM we need and how much our build can suppor. First stop should be the motherboard information sheet ‘or website, as this will show the maximum amount of AM it can take. General purpose motherboards might have two slots and a ‘maximum of 16GB, whereas a media or gaming motherboard will ‘normally have four slots, capable of taking 32-64GB, Next you need to.check what your planned 0S can support (see the table below) We recommend no less than 8GB but ideally 1668, of fast SDRAM, DOUBLE DATA RATE Double Data Rate or DDR memory has been the norm in PCs for ‘more than 15 years. Each version of the DDR memory standard hhas improved on the last, wth the current version being DRA, Assuming that the motherboard you have chosen to use is fairly recent, your choices will be DDR3 or DDR4, There isnot a huge performance increase between DDR3 2000MH2 and DORA 2133MHZ, so if you are planning to use the slowest DDR4, it might, be better value to get the fastest DDR3.Ifyour motherboard supports it however, DDR4 can go up to as high as 3400MHz; then you really will see a performance boost. RAM SPEED AMis often talked about a fjust putting moreinto your computer vill magically make itrun faster and smoother. This simply isn't the ‘ase, tis true thatthe RAM that i installed can be a performance bottleneck but just adding more isn'ta guaranteed fix If your motherboard supports it itis probably better tohave a single 868 ‘module of DDRS 3400MH2 than 12 or 16GB of DDR3 1866MHz spread ‘over tw orthree modules. your motherboard and BIOS supports it itcan also be worth looking for SDRAM, as ths wll automatically ‘overclock. I yousdo follow ths route, make ure thatthe DINM has a heat spreader. MATCHED PAIRS Dual-channel architecture is a motherboard technology that essentially doubles the amount of available memory bandwidth, It's generally a good idea to match the two memory modules for ‘best compatibility and many modules are sold as paired kits If ‘one module s rated ata slower speed than the other, for ‘example if one is 1600MHz and the other is 2133MHz, both will run at the slower speed in dual-channel mode. If you're installing four modules they don't all need to be identical but make sure pairs match up accordingly and are installed in their respective slots. If your motherboard supports dual-channel the sits willbe colour-coded, BONS HodekosySeies 25Plan Your Build tn eae eN Se a NOS AEN Pee) 10(Pr0} ee ee LATENCY TIMINGS, When you are comparing different SDRAM options for your build, you will almost certainty see some numbers lke 14-16-16-31. Thisis the CL ‘or CAS Latency. Column Access Strobe (CAS) latency isthe delay time between the moment a memory controler tll the memory module to.access a particular memory column on a RAM module, and the ‘moment the data from the given array location is available on the ‘module's output pins. Boasan men 26 eo eerie Perey PEEP Nave Pana 278 The memory timings are gven through a series of numbers. For instance: 444-48, 5:5:515, 7-721 0r9.9:9-24, Asa general ul, the smaller the numbers, the faster the memory; but we are talking about tiny amounts of time here. Don't get too hung up on CL timings when choosing memory. Itcan bea good way to choose between two atherwise similar matched pars but unless you are building 2 very high spec rig, anything below CL 14 in DDR& memery) should be perfectly good, As with anything, the faster something isthe more you tend to pay frit. RSA A ES PenMemory Modules - A Closer Look Bassa ‘Amemory module is another name for a RAM chip. Itis often used as a general term used to describe SIMM, DIMM, and Se aU A ae gee ee a a Pe eeu oe tea cee THE MEMORY IN OUR BUILD | 1 HEAT SPREADER Many memory modules now feature heat spreaders, designed to help dissipate heat asthe ‘memory s put under load. The design ofthe heat Se se ee erent ve Seni) Pros 2 SOCKET CONTACTS These are the pats that connect the memory ee as ec e acrTog toavoid touching the contacts during installation butiftthey are dirty of dusty, itis safe to carefully eae eet eee) 3 ALIGNMENT SLOT This cutouts a feature ofall current memory De eN See ee eu eet ter eee aoa Bese ee ee COMIC Rane at te acs Pere te eee ees ‘went for some fait high performance SDRAM. Vengeance LPK Se a a ere mn spreader is made of pure aluminium for faster heat dissipation and the eight layer PCB helps manage heat and provides superior ree Serer eae eee) Series motherboards and offers higher frequencies, greater bandwidth and lower power consumption than DDR3 modules ‘There's XMP 2.0 support for trouble-ree automatic overclocking and, Peer eeu eer ys motherboard, your components or just your style. eae Pee co tea) Ere “ested Latency: 13-15-15-28 Sa ael Reece DIL) Pin Out: 288 Pin oben Doe ee ee aPlan Your Build HDD, SSD or Both? The storage capacity of your PC will be dictated by what you will be doing with it but even if you don't think you Nee Te RN ane Bee es ee ea eh) Cee Mu ane ML mee UO Led eee Tsu Ck LORD HDD, an SSD or perhaps both. Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of all these component choices. START BUILDING Cn ee ee ard Cremer i strc) PeMaking Your Choice HDD, SSD or Both? It is very likely that in a couple of years, Solid State Drives (SSDs) will be cheap enough to completely replace Hard Disk Drives (HDDs) but for most PC builders now, a compromise will need to be made between cost and storage capacity. HARD DISK DRIVES. ‘Standard hard disk drives work by writing data onto a stack of spinning discs within the case of the drive, These spin at certain ‘maximum speeds and the faster the spin speed (RPN), the faster the data is written to and read from the discs. Most curently available HDDs work at a maximum of 7200r9m, but both slower (6400rpm) and faster (10000rpm) are available. AHDD is always the cheapest mass storage option fora PC build butit isn't the fastest, nor the ‘most efficient. Unless you need, for whatever ‘eason, super quick read)write speeds, a SATAconnected ‘7200rpm hard disk rive will be fine for fst time builders SOLID STATE DRIVES Solid state drives (SSDs) differ from hard disk drives in that they do not contain moving parts, le. the stack of discs or platters, and store data on integrated circuit assemblies, There is n9| spin-up" time, so data transfers faster, with less latency. They are great when building a PC that needs to be quiet, as their ‘operation is virtually silent. The downside of them, as with almost all upgraded technology, isthe cost. As an example, a 1TB ‘SSD will cost about 4 times as much as a ITB HDD. There are ‘SSDs available from 64GB right up to 30r 4 TB, HYBRID SSHD_ ‘Amore recent option, and the one we have chosen for our build is @ hybrid drive or SSHD. This combines a traitional HDD with a small amount of solid state memory. The SSHD can potentially improve performance as the SSD part of the drives cache forthe data that ismos frequently used, such as for booting and the most important datacan be retrieved quickly and efficiently. hybrid drive are sil more expensive than. a HOD and won't offer all of the features of true SSD but they seemtobea ‘good compromise between the two, BOTH HDD AND SSD The last and possibly best option isto install both a HDD and an. ‘880 separately within a PC system. Ths gives you the freedom to hhave a large amount of storage (ata reasonable cost) but install programs and data which need or benefit from faster access onto ‘a smaller $SD. This sa litle more complicated to set up than any of the previous options but you end up with a faster system that hhas lots of storage. You could buy a 240GB $80 fairly cheaply and combine that with a 750GB or 178 HOD for example. This would probably cost about half that ofa single 178 SSD.Plan Your Build Hard Disk Drives vs Solid State Drives Aside from cost, SSDs are more appealing to PC builders in almost every single way. The table below shows how the two types of storage drive compare in a variety of ways. Peetu Pree Peers Perreny Coed ee Lod Cee ee ed Pees Disk spin-up may take several seconds. A system with many drives may need to stagger spin-up, taking even longer. Ranges from 2 (high-end server drive) to 1121s (laptop HDD) due to the need to ‘move the heads and wait for the data to rotate under the read/write head. (Once the head is positioned, when reading, cr writing a continuous track, a modern HDD can transfer data at about 200 MBs, See Almost instantaneous, no mechanical components to prepare. Typically under 0.1 ms.As data can be retrieved directly from various locations of the flash memory, access times usually not 2 big performance bottleneck. Inconsumer products the maximum transfer rate typically ranges from about 200, MB/s to 1500 MB/s, depending on the disk. ‘Much higher than $SDs, Read time's, different for every seek Generally low because the data can be read directly from any location, If data from different areas ofthe platter ‘must be accessed, as wth fragmented files, response times willbe increased, HDDs have moving parts (heads, actuator and spindle motor) and make characteristic sounds of whirring and clicking; noise levels vvary between models but can be significant. Read performance does not change based ‘on where datas stored on an SSD. ‘SSDs have no moving parts and therefore are basicaly silent, although on some low-grade $50s, high pitch noise from the high voltage generator (for erasing blocks) may occur Should be mounted to protect against vibration and shock. Some HDDs should not be installed inatilted position. HDDs have moving parts and are subject to potential mechanical failures from the resulting wear and tear The storage ‘medium itself (magnetic platter) does not essentially degrade from read and write operations. Expect between 6 and 11 years ofuse. Not sensitive to orientation, vibration, or shock. Usually no exposed circuitry ‘SSDs have no moving parts to fail ‘mechanically. Each block of a flash-based ‘SSD can only be erased and therefore ‘written a limited numberof times before it fails. The controllers manage this limitation so that dives can last for many years under normal use,NAND FLASH | fey HDD, SSD or Both? HDD FORM FACTORS | ee eee ae ay Pee ee cee a lost. For applications requiring fastaccess but not necessarily Ce eee etd ae random-access memory (RAM). Such devices may employ Peretti seers pete ees SSD RAID ARRAYS Se ee ae ee ee Pee ere ene eo Pee eer ae ea acs use a RAID array RAID stands for redundant array of independent disks (sometimes inexpensive disks) and is a way of making Windows tie several SDs together and treat them as one single drive. Thishas many advantages, not least because the read and ‘write times of a RAID array are frequently faster than fora single Pete Oe ener at a mn a Pesto tae aT) Protest) pS ee ited erty naar Perens Brees Sertich ene and connect the divesto aes fe noc ee oats Poet Pee ees pines WHAT IS NAS? Network Attached Storage (NAS) allows multiple users to store and share lle in a centralised location rather than individuals storing files on their own computers. By using Network eee et eae eet See UE eee Cs Se eee toa ee eae ay Peerage eer ec eee oe SD nee cee een Peer ae te eee eet ey Sr oc tease ney gee Cur eee ae ted Cee Oe ene ec that itis possible to set up remote access. Forgotten that es te aed ceed er Ca CunPear i i ’ : — af et VY, IY, lar entered a Graphics Card (GPU) ~) Ifyou are building a PC to be able to play games, the graphics card or Graphical Processing Unit (GPU) will = probably be one of the most expensive components after the CPU. GPUs seem to be improved and updated neg eeT Rue CUP e a gona Leet aati eee, edge tech can be very expensive, For our build we have chosen a card which offers a good mix of features and eee es " Ee ereMaking Your Choice Choosing a graphic system, which is dis Choosing a Graphics Card (GPU) card can be a very confusing business, Fora start, there is the naming inctly unintuitive, then there are the power and performance statistics to get your head around. Hopefully this guide will make your choice easier. NVIDIA OR AMD Although there used to be a few other options when itcame to sraphics card chip makers, the choice s now between just two, Nvidia and AMD. This is a continual arms race, with each improved card from one camp being bettered by an upgraded card from the ‘other camp just weeks or months later. For the average gamer or indeed the average PC user, there is itl to choose between them, Ifyouare a hardcore gamer who wants to drop a couple of weeks wages on a cutting edge card, Nvidia is probably the way to go right now, with their incredibly powerful GTX 1080 architecture, AMD 71 VIDEO MEMORY (VRAM) Although you should aim to buy a graphics card which offers the ‘most on-board RAM for your buck, the amount isn’t the only consideration. Acard with 268 of GDDRS RAM is probably a better ‘option than a similarly priced card with 4GB of GDDR3 RAM. tis currently possible to buy graphics cards with 8B of GDDRSX RAM, Which i the newest version of VRAM available, and costs a quite staggering amount of memory. You will ofcourse, pay a premium for thissort of card specification. Asa minimum, look for atleast 22GB of GDDRS RAM on a graphics card i Na ya fotre SATA Aa CLOCK SPEED AND MEMORY BUS. ‘Although there are dozens of diferent specs to look at when choosing graphics card, graphics core lack speed and the size of ‘the memory bus along with the amount of VRAM, are probably the most important for gamers. The core clock speed tells you how fast the GPU can work, whilst the memory bus size (256-itis a good size to look or) controls how much data can be sent through at once. A ‘ard with a clock speed of 1000NHz and a memory bus of 25-bit is probably better choice than one witha clock speed of 1200MHz but ‘a memory bus of 128-bit. Don't base your choice solely on these ‘three specs but they are a good place to start comparing, PHYSICAL SIZE Finding the perfect graphics card to run your favourite games isl well and good butifthat card wont physical fitinsde your case, you have big problem. Graphics cards nt iting fairy new problem, unless you were tryingto build a LAN boxor other small, ‘stom setup. But these days, even mid tower cases can struggle to house some ofthe tiple an cards onthe market. Its quite posse to find graphics cards that are 32cm (over {Bin long andi you are not usingafultower ‘ase there isthe very real possibilty of something ike this not iting. Check card and case dimensions carefully before you buy. DNs Wace asy Sees 33Plan Your Build MODEL NUMBERS | Es POWER ON DEMAND | ( Se De eto ue eee Cee a Rene ee CeO Ma ce ete eo) Rete aa eeu Ua Poe ere eee ices eer en eee ee hea bandwidth orwith a newer generation ofthe GPU itself Soa high-end Radeon R9 380 may not be as fast as abasic Radeon RO 390. Asa general rule, go fora car from the newest generation eee en) Beretta ~ 7 road SLIAND CROSSFIRE | ae ee cote cy Consider the problem ofthe increased power it will need, As a ‘general rule of thumb, if you assume that each graphics card Ear eee tts system also uses around 250W. Ths will vary based on the ‘components you are using, This means that for any modern Pe tenet eo ec) ect aera rat Sr eee ee PES ee ene Cee een ee Reenter eee ee) Reem Cee einen ty Socotra pea eres ee Pe eeu at a tog at smooth a proposition asit might seem. A second Ae ence aay ene anne cee: Perera Italso requires a lot of power to run two cards, so teens eee ead tans eee eee eee eee eet teat recommend avoiding this option and instead spending the extra money on a better single card 3A eoMstade EasyAnatomy of a graphics card Choosing a Graphics Card (GPU) Modern graphics cards can be expensive and slightly intimidating bits of kit. Let’s take a [00k ‘at the standard parts of a high-end card, to help you feel more comfortable handling one. 1 PCIE CONNECTOR Seatac eed Preece har een tea Cee rear eee ere eee eee eas Sree ee Sosa pee ese) ‘You wll ned to remove one, or more tkely two, blanking plates from. Cee ete eee eer eer Peace ea meg cere ‘and will usually feature DV and HDMI but may als include DisplayPort and other outputs 3 EXHAUST VENT See ot eee a some ofthe massive amounts of heat generated by a card ke this out Spee er ae cy powerful cards wil. Check ths is not blocked regularly paca HZ tis possible to buy cards without fans and just a heatsink but f you Re uo Ete oceans from one to three cooling fans to be whiring away inside your case. Dente Ler een ee eens 5 CROSSFIRE CONNECTOR Pe ee eee nen ereny connectorfusing AMD, but on ths card, the SLI connector son the top ledge fyour cardi SL (or CrossFire) compatible, you will often get the Poet en oes Crea ee de kee Se ee ees ‘on almost every graphics card you buy nowadays. The amount of power a card needs can vary, s can the type of power connector. This, error tanec eer ane tect 7 SPEED CONTROLLER SWITCH See ee ee ee ey as eee ce still decide the fan speed needed but you can control the controller if theres generally more orlessairfiow. oe adPlan Your Build yh Tr — meme x. Need More ae The role of a PC power supply unitis to convert the AC electric power that comes from the mains to the DC power that the computer requires. However, it can do much more than that. A good quality power supply can make your system more efficient, stable and reliable. The power supply is often the first component to fail in a colder system, so making sure you understand the full role of the PSU in your build is very important.Making Your Choice Need More Power? As with any purchase, there are several things you need to consider before you choose a power supply. Getting things wrong here could mean a difficult build or additional expense later. PC POWER REQUIREMENTS, ‘The first thing to consider is exactly how much power your PC build will require as @ minimum, The exact power requirement will vary dependingon the components you have chosen. fyou are sing a 4GH2 7 processor and an Nvidia GTX 1080 graphics card, you will need to look for a PSU with a higher wattage thanif you ‘are using a 2.2GHz iS and a GTX 750. Asa basic rule of thumb, add ‘up the power requirements for CPU, GPU and HDD; you can find thisin the documentation or on the manufacturers website. Then ‘add on 2500, which isthe average power requirement ofa base system, and finally add on 1000. WIRED OR MODULAR ‘Amodular power supply is simply one thathas the cables separate tothe main unit. This allows the end userto pick and choose the ‘exact cables they need to attach a large selection willbe supplied with the PSU) and avoid the problem of excess cables. Amodular ‘power supply is usually more expensive than a wired counterpart, although this is usually down tothe convenience it wil offer rather than build quality. You can also buy semi-modular PSUs, which hhave the main power cable wire in and then several ports for connecting other cables. POWER CONNECTORS The selection of power connectors your chosen PSU hasis more of ‘a concern ifyou are using a wired unit. The main things to check ‘are whether ithas the correct connector forthe CPU power socket (4or8:pin) and that it has the correct connections for your chosen, graphics card. Many modern graphics cards wil need two PCle power connections and they could be either 6 or &-pin, and even ‘one ofeach. You will normaly have a lot more options with a ‘modular PSU but evenif you buy a wired power supply with the wrong connectors, ou might be abe to buy an adaptor. POWER EFFICIENCY {snot all about the wattage of a power supply Efficiency i also important, although probably ess so fyou are on a tight budget, so look for PSUs that have the 80 Plus certification. Thisindicates that the PSU will be 80 per cent or more energy efficient. Tis type cof power supply saves money by wasting less power, as a result they use less electricity and also emit less heat. The benefits of Usingan efficient power supply are more substantial in computers, that use a lot of power, BRONZE oN MadekosySeies 37Plan Your Build Power Connections The following are the power connectors that our build requires. Although this is a good example of a standard set of connections, you should always check your build doesn’t need different ones. THE 20+4 PIN CONNECTOR This is the main power connector for the motherboard, providing power for most ofthe on-board features. If you are using an ATX or mATX motherboard, you will need to use all 24 pins. Some motherboards will only need the 20 pin part so ccheck with your motherboard manual or manufacturers website. Ensure itis lined up correctly and press it home, supporting the board as you do this. THE 4+4 PIN CONNECTOR Thisis the power for the processor only and on modem motherboards which have moder CPUs, tis will be an 8-pin connector that can spit into two 4-pin connectors. fyour motherboard or CPU only require a4pin 12v connection, just use cither ofthe two. In some cases the PSU willonly have a single ‘pin 12v connector. As before, line up the pins and press firmly : 38 eoMsHade Easy Sere THE PCIE 6 PIN CONNECTOR ‘This cables for providing dedicated power to your GPU (graphics ard). Older cards were able to draw power from the motherboard but almost all modern GFX cards will need their own supply. The PCle connector is normally an 8-pin, thatcan spit into a6 plus a pin. n our build the Radeon RS card requires two &-pin ‘connections, which we were caefulto ensure our PSU had, THE MOLEX CONNECTOR ‘Almost universally known as Molex, these connectors were widely used in older PCs to provide power to hard drives, CD drives, et. but have now been almost totally replaced by SATA connectors. You will almost certainly stil see a couple of Molex connectors if you are using a wired PSU. On a modular PSU, you can simply leave them in the box ifthey are not requiredTHE SATA CONNECTORS This kind of plugs used to provide power to Serial ATA (SATA) devices such as hard disk drives and optical disk drives. f your ‘power supply doesn't have enaugh ofthese plugs for your system, you can convert any standard peripheral power plug (known as Molex) inte 8 SATA power plug through the use ofan adapter. SATA, connectors are often daisy-chained on the same cable. High Performance PSU ‘As with any ofthe components in your build, its possible to spend large amounts of cash to get very high performance power supply units. One such PSU is the Corsair ‘AX1500% Digital ATX Power Supply Unit. It provides 1500 Watts of continuous, digitally controlled power on 15 Amp circuits of 115V or higher; and 80 PLUS certification with an incredible 94 per cent efficiency rating. Zero RPM Fan mode ensures silent operation at low and medium loads and the fully modular, low profile cable set makes for easy installation and great looking builds. Corsair Link integration lets you monitor power usage and efficiency your Windows desktop. cree Beste arr PLUS” PLATINUM, TITANIUM and customise performance, directly from I CORSAIR AX15001 From: From £335 $380.00 €375.00 Need More Power? Sen ceretites ts erro era PLUS" AE PLUS” Er Bons Madey Sees 39A] en MY Do You Need an ‘cal Drive? Optical Drive? Meher ene a read Meee a eel ae Perle dee eT ene MR eaten uaa raced tae Rome otu el nae em oR ee MU p eu ae cds Oe me er eae nee etre ac OMe acece Seat aga ked ah Teo oT rg PereyMaking Your Choice Do You Need an Optical Drive? The optical drive is one of the first non-essential components we have looked at in this guide. Deciding whether you need or want one is down to your user requirements. CD OR DVD DRIV Inall honesty, buying a CD weiter drive is fairly pointless, seeing ‘as you can burn audio justas easily with a DVD writer that only costs afew pounds extra. CD writers are actually quite hard to find ifyou lke shopping atthe large online component retailers. So ifyou want the ability to burn dises on the PC, pick up a OVD writer drive CASE STYLE Most DVD writers have black front panels to blend with the ‘majority of PC cases. you have a case with a coloured front that doesn’t hide drives behind a door panel, you ‘might struggle to find fone to match. Some cases with a brightly | coloured front panel ‘come with snap on facias for optical drives but you will probably be Fi resticted to certain E makes and madels, - YOUR DRIVE-LE: Ifyou do decide to go fora bull without an optical drive (you can alvays pret tere erin ea tee tae BLU-RAY DRIVES You can of course, choose to add a Blu-ray driveinstead of or as well ‘as your DVD drive. These drives are stil surprisingly expensive, ‘especialy ifyou want one that isa writer drive, considering how long the format has been available. You can expectto pay about £50.00 for Blu-ray writer drive, compared to around £15.00 for a DVD writer EXTERNAL DRIVES ‘The alternative is simply to get an external drive that you can connect to your PC as and when you need it. External DVD writers, are slightly more expensive but generally smaller and sleeker and designed to sit on top of a case unobtrusively. They also have the ‘advantage of being fully portable and can often be linked directly toa TVor monitor. @ic > 7 later ofcourse), you should eee ee ert tae tenn ec eee ey nay ete ee en ee ee ered to stor it. Bumed discs eetPlan Your Build V 1 Hy . my ee. : aer-las(eak@rliels ; and Extras Expansion cards are technically any printed circuit board that can be added to the system to add functionali or features. This means that a graphics card is an expansion card, albeit a fairly fancy one, and you can run. PC without including one, assuming the motherboard has on-board graphics. Here we will look at some Ce er ne co aM east en eryMaking Your Choice Do You Need an Optical Drive? Expansion cards, of which a graphics card is one type, are used to add specific functionality to a PC. You might not even know you need one until you understand some of the options available. DO YOU NEED ONE? Expansion cards used to be much more prevalent, especially sound cards and LAN cards. This is because motherboards either didn't have these features on-board or the ones that were on the ‘motherboard were basic versions. Sof, for example, you wanted 5.1 channel audio on your PC, an expansion card could give it to you. So before you buy an expansion card, other than a graphics card, check that you actualy need it. DO YOU HAVE SPACE? Unless you are building a Mini ITXC, itis very likely that you will hhave several spare PCI sockets for use with expansion cards but it Is certainly worth checking that the motherboard you want to use inyour builé has enough PCI sackets for the amount of expansion cards you plan to add. Its also worth checking that the PCI slots available, will support the cards as there are several different types of PC socket. cere veri) Interface Ca escent eee eed Sete een ete ieteeietcrens eee eer eet FAN CONTROLLER [nother additional extra that you may want to think about, especially if you are building a gaming PC that will need good ventilation, is fan controller panel. These are usually fitted into ‘one ofthe optical drive sits onthe front ofthe case and wil either have dials or buttons to speed up or slow down the internal fans If you are planning on adding afan controller, check that your motherboard supports it STORAGE CARD READER Another useful option for some builders is a card reader hub, Which again can be fitted into the front optical drive slots of @ ‘ase but can also be bought to fit into an expansion sot at the back. These usually feature slots for SD cards, USB fash drives, ‘MicroSD and more, Obviously a front fitted hub is more convenient if you use storage cards regulary but arear hub is good if your case doesn't have lots of optical drive slots. BONS Wace asy Sees 43A] 7. Wn eave ons Cooling The days of having a single exhaust fan in your PC case anda stock cooler on the CPU are well and truly behind us, Its not unusual to see cases being sold with three, four and even six fans, particularly if you are looking fora Ce ee ee ae le Re ene ge renee ec ares tte en dae gu ed PereyMaking Your Choice CPU and Case Cooling Most cases feature at least two fans, and your CPU will be supplied with a stock cooler, but if, ‘you want to build this PC properly, you really need to upgrade both of those components. STOCK COOLER? {stack cooler, meaning a standard CPU cooler supplied by the chip maker, may be perfectly fin, However, this will depend on the CPU you have chosen and the amount of load you thinkit ‘might have to deal with. Generally the more powerful the chip, the more heat it will produce; too much heat, thatisn't property drawn off and expelled, could mean a shortened life for the processor. For a fairly small amount of ‘money, an after market (CPU cooler could see temperature drops of 10-15 degrees centigrade ‘compared toa stock item, AIR CPU COOLER Air coolers, those that use a fan and heatsink to draw heat directly from the CPU, have been the norm in PCs for years. They can be pretty efficient, depending on their specification and they are not very expensive. There isa lot of choice out there ‘but on the downside they are quite big and unless the fan used is high quality, they can add another layer of noise when your PCis running. Any heat drawn off the PUhas to be dealt with by the case fans. tis possible instead to buy CPU water coolers. WATER CPU COOLER These work by pumping waterin a closed loop between a heatsink attached tothe CPU and a radiator. Fans on the radiator cool the ‘water heated by the CPU and pump it back round as col water, ready to draw off more heat. These are considered much more ceffiient than the ar coolers but are also much more expensive to buy. The cooling raciator is normally positioned so thatthe fans draw air from outside the case but this often means the case needs specific radiator mounting points. EXTRA CASE FANS Whether you need to upgrade the case fans, or add more, depends on your component list and what you plan to use the PC for If your builds geared towards gaming or graphically intensive tasks, adding more fansis almost certainly a good idea Unless you go very high-end, mast cases will only have two fans, ‘even gaming cases. However, there are lots of cases available that provide ‘mounting locations for several more, Just ‘make sure you check i sizes (120mm, 140mm, etc) and Look for less than 15dB noise, Se eee a eed a Se mone ets eee ao eres a healthy Pc 45Plan Your Build Before You Build - Precautions Nothing will spoil the joy of building your own PC faster than damaging a critical component before you have even fitted it inside the case. Although there iso need to be scared of a first-time build, there are simple things ‘you can do to prepare for it. Some of the main concerns include electrostatic discharge, dropped parts and damage caused by forcibly fitting together parts or scratched circuits. has metal Peet aerate ere en stem, to eee sea enor ne Ue Tete tsa) ea ELECTRIC SHOC! When working on your PC or any mains powered equipment, a Oe eee ee une uete ect eer eet erase as eet ar eee maa to pees eae Pe ee eee ce) ce se eet from the supply. They are not user repairable. fitfals,replaceit eeu Le witha new one Nee eee = 46 wouDROPPED COMPONENTS Before You Build - Precautions Rees Ace otc) break some ofthe delicate nay Roe eas emits Siero Peer possible, reduce the risk of peer eeint a away from the edge ofyour build eee ged Peterson Bere Toe pen Pecan eens Pes aera) Tee ey ene ey aS Roar eee Ltens Ne estes ocd pins have become thinner asthe ee eet eer et Cee ected eset cece COMPONENT MANUALS | Tega ee eo cr Pee er) Ce oC] een oer eee isconnect the unit Ree aun ee sides and use an Air Dusterto Serene eat eer y pec Sn) Rene ee ea eet Ne ey arene ea en ey Roe emt cur cae) [prevent you from plugging something into the wrong place and damaging the whole build, Your motherboard manuals Pe en ete erect een bbeableto find one on the manufacturer websitePlan Your Build Build Your Own PC - Jargon Buster When you start on anything to do with building computers, you will soon see that there are weird phrases and acronyms used all over the place. Whilst this is not a complete list, it does explain most of the more common terms new builders will encounter when putting together their frst system. A.. AGP ‘Accelerated Graphics Port -2 high-speed point-to-point ‘channel fr attaching a video or ‘raphics card to a computer's motherboard. Largely superseded by PCI-e now. am ‘Advanced Technology eXtended ‘a motherboard form factor specification developed by Intel in 1995 to improve on previous factor standards lke AT. Bandwidth Bandwidth refers to how much ‘data you can send through 2 network or modem connection, Itisusually measured in bits Bios Stands for Basic input/output System. The BIOS isa program preinstalled on Windows-based ‘computers that the computer uses to startup. Boot Insimple terms, to boot a ‘computers to turn it on, Once the computers poweris turned ‘on, the "boot process” takes AB ewe Made Easy Sere 3 place. This involves loading the startup instructions. Boot Disk ‘Aboot diskis a disk that a ‘computer can star up or “boot” {rom (see above). The most ‘common type of boot disks an internal hard dive, which is ‘what most computers use. Bus ‘communication system that transfers data between ‘computer components inside a ‘computer or between ‘computers. An example is USB. (Universal Serial Bus). Blu-ray Drive ‘An optical disc drive capable of reading Blu-ray discs. Available as intetnal and external versions for use with a PC system. Cc cache hardware or software ‘component that stores data so future requests for that data can be served faster. Data might be the result of an earlier ‘computation or the duplicate of data stored elsewhere. case Case is variously known as the ‘computer chassis, enclosure, tower box or system unit, The variety of ciferent case styles Ishuge. Caseform factors determined by motherboard size. co-RoM Compact Disc Read-Only Memory -a pre-pressed optical compact disc that contains data cor music playback chip ‘Arminiaturised electronic circuit, that has been manufactured in ‘the surface ofa thin substrate of semiconductor material. ipset A group of integrated circuits or chips, that are designed to work ‘together. They are usually sold asa single product Clock cycle Aclock cycle oF clock tick, is one increment of the CPU clock, during which the smallest unit of processor activity can be performed. Common clock eycle Activites include load, store and jump operations. Clock speed The clock speed of a processor is measured in clock cycles per second or hertz. For example, 2 CPU that completes three billion clock cycles per second has a clock speed of 3,000 megahertz, or 36H cmos, Stands for Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor. The low power consumption of CMOS allows the memory to be powered by a simple Lithium battery for many years, core portion of a CPU which actually performs arithmetic and logical ‘operations. ACPU may have ‘multiple cores. An example would be a quad-core processor. cpu A Central Processing Units the electronic ‘brain’ of a computer that carries out the instructions ‘ofa computer program by performing the basic arithmetic, logical, control and VO operations. D oR Stands for Double Data Rate and isan advanced version of SDRAM, a type of computer ‘memory. Itcan transfer data twice as fast as regular SDRAM chips. DDR2, DDR3, DDR¢ are all newer, aster versions. Disk Drive ‘Adevice that reads andor rites data toa disk. Itcan referto,your internal harddisk drive, ‘as well as optical drives that read removable CDs and DVDs. bimm Dual Inline Memory Module. A DIN¢M is a small circuit board that holds memory chips. DIMMs hhave faster data transfer capabilities than SIMMs and have pretty much replaced SIMs, ov ‘Stands for Digital Video Interface. Most DVI ports support analogue and digital displays. Ifthe display is ‘analogue, the DVI connection converts the digital signal to an analogue one. DRAM Dynamic Random Access Memory 's the most common type andis synchronous; SDRAMisafaster version of standard DRAM, EIDE EIDE is short for Enhanced Integrated Drive Electronics and isan improved version of the IDE drive controler standard. Expansion Card Any printed circuit board installed into a PC to add functionality. For example, 9 user may add a USB card with extra ports to allow the addition lof more external devices. Fis FaT32 Refers to the way Windows stores data on your hard driv. FAT stands for File Allocation Table; itis an improvement to the original FAT system, Firmware Firmware isa software program Cor set of instructions programmed on a hardware device, It provides the necessary instructions for how the device ‘communicates with the other computer hardware. Flash Memory Flash memory isa type of clectricaly erasable programmable read-only ‘memory (EEPRON]. A common use of flash memory is when storing the BIOS settings ina ‘computers ROM. Fs Frontside Bus, The FSB connects the computer's processor to the system memory (RAM) and ‘other components on the motherboard, G opr Graphics Double Data Rate. This is the type of memory that is used in graphics cards. The current specification is GDDRS Which has a maximum transfer rate of 2068s Gigabyte A gigabyte is 1,024 megabytes and precedes the terabyte unit ‘of measurement, Hard drive sizes are typically measured in gigabytes or terabytes, Gigahertz One gigahertz is equal to 1,000 ‘megahertz (MHz), [tis ‘commonly used to measure ‘computer processing speeds. pu Graphics Processing Unit. The (GPU is used primarily for computing 20 functions, This includes things such a lighting. effects, object transformations ‘and 30 mation, Build Your Own PC - Jargon Buster cul Graphical User interface. It refers to the graphical interface of a computer that allows users to click and drag objects with a ‘mouse instead of entering text atacommand line H.. Hard Disk Also known as the Hard Drive The hard disk ishoused inside the hard dive, which reads and ‘writes data tothe disk. The hard drive also transmits data back and forth between the CPU and the disk. Hop HDDiis short for “hard disk drive. An HDD isa storage device used to store data, HOM High-Definition Multimedia Interface. HDMI is a digital Interface for transmitting audio and video data in a single cable. Itis supported by most HD TVs and related components. Heatsink The heatsink is made out of ‘metal, such as anc or copper alloy ands attached to the [processor with a thermal ‘material that draws the heat ‘away from the processor towards the heatsink. Hyper-threading Hyper-threading isa technology developed by intel. itenables the a processor to execute two threads, or sets of instructions, at the same time. ee Vo Input/Output. The ports on the outside of a computer are commonly referred to as VO ports because they are what connect input and output devices to the computer. Isp Integrated Graphics Processor. ‘An IGP isa graphics chip thats integrated into part of a computer's motherboard, Input Device ‘an input device is any device that provides input to a computer. This includes things like a mouse or keyboard, J... Jumper ‘small metal connector that acts as an on/off switch. A jumpers usually placed over 2 wires, which makes a connection and turns the connection “on”. Jumpers are ‘mainly found on motherboards, ‘but can occasionally still be found on IDE hard drives and DvD drives. K Kbps kilobits Per Second. Often confused with Kilobytes per second, which is 8 times more data per second. Kilobyte Allobyte is 1,024 bytes. Most small files on your computer are ‘measured in kilobytes, oe aN Local Area Network. ALAN isa computer network imited to a small area such as an office building, university or even a residential home. DNs Macey Sees ABPlan Your Build Latency Amount of time it takes a packet fof data to move across.a network connection. Latency and bandwidth are the two factors that determine your network connection speed, Linux. Linuxis a free, open source operating system. Widely used by Web hosting companies and hhas many other specialised applications. M.. MER ‘Master Boot Record. Ths s the first sector on a hard drive. The 'MBR holds the partition tables and bootstrapping information that allows the operating system to take over operations during initial boot up. Mbps Megabits Per Second. One ‘megabits equal to one million bits or 1,000 klobits. Used to ‘measure data transfer speeds of high bandwidth connections. Megahertz ‘The most common area you will see Megahertz used isin ‘measuring processor clock speed. Memory Generally used to elerto any electronic data storage facility in ‘a computer system Memory Module ‘Amemory module is another name fora RAM chip. tis often used as a general term used to describe SIMM, DIMM and. 'SO-DIMM memory. Microprocessor More often referred to as a processor, its the brains of a ‘computer. Common micropro: cessars include the intel Core iS 50 ebMstade Easy Sve andi range, and the AMD Fx processors. Multithreading Multithreading.s similarto ‘multitasking but enables the processing of multiple threads atone time, rather than ‘multiple processes. Nic Network Interface Card Pronounced *nic’, this isthe card that connects your computer to a network cable and through that tothe Internet. These cards come in speeds of 10, 100, and 1000 ¥-Base configurations. Meaning they can transfer data at 10, 100, and 1000Mbps. NTFS. New Technology File System. NTFS is a filesystem introduced by Microsoft with Windows NT ands supported by subsequent versions of Windows, Northbridge The Northbridge isa chip inside a computer that connects the central processing unit (CPU) to other primary components in the system, 0... mM Original Equipment Manufacturer. This refers to a company that produces hardware to be marketed under another company's brand name. Operating system Also known as 0S, The software that communicates with computer hardware on the most basic evel. Without an ‘operating system, no software programs can run, ‘optical Drive Some common types of optical drives include CD-ROM, CD-RW, DVD-ROM, DVD-RW and Blu-ray. Overclocking Overclockinginvolves increasing the clock speed of the ‘computer's CPU past the rate at which itwas originally designed torun. P. Parallel Port “This 25:pin connector interface is found on the back of older PCs and is used for connecting ‘external devices such as printers Partition ‘partition isa section ofa hard disk. You can create multiple Partitions on a hard disk. The ‘computer will recognize each Partition as a separate disk Pci Peripheral Component Interconnect. Most add-on cards such as SCSI, Firewire and USB controllers use a PCI connection, PCL Express {An improved version of PCI PCI Express can be abbreviated as PCle. Peripherat ‘A peripheral any device that provides an external function for the computer. Examples are printer, monitor and speakers. Platform Platform can refer toa ‘computers operating systern ‘or, when building aPC, can refer to the combination of motherboard, CPU and memory. Port There are several cfferent uses for the word “port” but when looking at hardware (and building), it generally means the sockets where peripherals are connected to the PC. Post Power On Self Test. A test performed by the computer at ‘boot up that tests the memory, (CPU and various /0 devices. On a correctly working PC, you should not even know this test {staking place. Processor Sometimes referred to as the ‘microprocessor or CPU, the processor does all the computations such as adding, subtracting, multiplying ‘and dividing. Q Quad-core (Quad-core CPUs have four processing cores. These cores act as separate processors but ‘are contained ina single chp. RAID Redundant Array of Independent Disks. When hard disks are arranged in a RAID configuration, the computer sees them all as one large disk. RAM Random Access Memory. RAM is ‘made up of small memory chips that form a memory module. ROM Read Only Memory. ROM is ‘memory thatis writen to once ‘and cannot be changed. tis used Jncomputers mainly for the BIOS instructions when booting up.S... SATA Serial Advanced Technology Attachment or Serial ATA, An interface used to connect ATA drives to a computer's ‘motherboard, SDRAM Synchronous Dynamic Random ‘Access Memory, SDRAM is an improvement to standard DRAM because it retrieves data alternately between two sets ‘of memory. sui Scalable Link interface. SLIis a technology developed by NVIDIA that allows multiple graphics cards to work together ina single computer system, Socket Socket refers to several things in computing but when building it normally refers to the places on the motherboard where components such as the CPU are plugged in, Southbridge The Southbridge is a chip that connects the Northbridge to other components inside the computer, including hard drives and network connections. sso Solid State Drive. An SSO serves the same purpose as a hard drive but uses flash memory rather than a spindle of ‘magnetic disks. flere Terabyte Aterabyteis 1,024 gigabytes. Many modern hard drives are ‘now measured in multiple terabytes, whichis a huge amount of storage. TcP.1P Transmission Control Protocol Internet Protocol. These 2 protocols allow computers to ‘communicate over networks. The TCP portion verifies the delivery of the packets (clumps of information), and the IP portion determines where the packet needs to be sent, U... use Universal Serial Bus. A very common type of PC por. Itean be used to connect keyboards, ‘mice, game controllers, printers, scanners, digital cameras and removable media drives V... oa Video Graphics Array. The VGA standard was originally developed by IBM in 1987 and allowed for a display solution cof 640x480, Virtual Memory Virtual memory is memory that is located on your hard drive. Virtual memory is used if your computer runs out of space in its RAM. Virtual memory is much slower than RAM, X... xe X86 is the generic name for intel processors released after the original 8086 processor. These include the 286, 386, 486, and 586 processors, 51X Building Your PC eR ROR RMU Ke asm ee racer through a complete PC build, from start to finish, highlighting rh ee ere ue nd encounter along the way. As long as you have planned well, this stage should not take very long. It is, however, better to Re CR RUC COR eum Oem Gu elt— Dolo) Cael eg 1 ciaamcanBuilding Your PC Getting Ready to Build Asuccessful frst PC build should be as organised as possible, so making sure you follow each step in the right order is important. tis no good planning your build without know what you want to use the PC for just as itis no ood starting to put things together without knowing all of the components you want or need. At this point, you should be done with your hardware selection, so let's just take a moment to ensure you are ready to build. ttt au OH lb ra) |Getting Ready to Build ‘Adding a CPU Cooler CUTTY Dar Fa vay 55Building Your PC Preparing the Case Choosing a case used to be almost an afterthought when building a custom PC. One grey box was much the same as another grey box. Thankfully the days of grey boxes are well and truly over and our choice of PC case ranges from tiny media boxes designed to go next toa TY, to bespoke glass towers aimed at those who want to show off their perfectly co-ordinated components. However, whichever case you choose, some preparation is needed before beginning your build. Access and Configure the Case We are assuming that you are working with a fairly standard tower case. If you are building in ‘case with an unusual form factor, preparation steps may be different. rarely, Many modem cases use thumbscrews to hold the panels right-hand panel giving access to some fixing screws and the in place but some may ust use standard crosshead fixing ‘able management space inside. Cable management is an screws. In ether case, they wll be along the edge a the back. important part of any build and will be discussed in detail later. Even with cases that use thumbscrews, you might need to use a Generally the only cases that don’t follow this format are Micro screwdriver when initaly loosening them, TXand frame mounted cases. 56 eoMsHade Easy Sve‘As youcan see, the Thermaltake Core V31 case we are using for our build also has some extra features bochind the slightly expanded right-hand panel. As wel as the expanded panel giving more cable space, there are aso two ‘moveable SSD cradles hidden back there. During the build process its usually a good idea to leave the right-hand panel off the case Preparing the Case Most cases come with atleast two fans preinstalled, one behind the front panel to suck. airin and one at the back to expel warm ar. Almost every modern case will be capable of having more fans. f you purchased additional case fans, now is a good time to fit ‘them. To fit an additional front fan, you will normally need to remove the front panel However ifyou prefer you can replace the panel before you start adding components, Depending fon the case you are using for your build, you might also be able tomove or remove the optical drive racks and the hard drive racks, which are usualy atthe front ofthe case. Removing unwanted racks can help to increase airflow or just give more room for large components. This is normally hed in place with simple plastic split pegs anda frm pull will removeit. Be aware that your case wil have wiring running from the power switch ‘etc. on the front panel, so dont pull too hard. ifan adcltional front fan can be fitted, you will see standardised fixing points and normally for either 120mm and 140mm case fans. Use the supplied screws to fit avs aceasy Sones 57Building Your PC Navigating Your Motherboard We will be referring to specific parts of the motherboard in detail as we work our way through the build but for now itis a good idea to familiarise yourself with how a standard motherboard is laid out, where the sockets and ports wil be, and what they look like, There will be some slight variations in location of sockets and features between different motherboards but most will follow this general layout pattern. Motherboard Sockets Almost every motherboard will have a standard set of sockets. More advanced boards may have additional sockets and older boards may have fewer, but these are the essential ones.BACK PANEL CONNECTIONS | Navigating Your Motherboard Fe eae Lags erences hte tar! Ea ee eee ey Peer en tc eketene ere tee ary pee Pel aas Se eee rene cancer ey Cees onsen Ten ae eet supported depend on the monitor being used. Connect a monitor that supports DV-D connection to this prt Pins ‘The HDMI portis HOCP compliant and supports Dolby True HD and, Soeur tT schon Pee aes eterna ens eaten ae eee et Ss Pentre sa ate pee ete ee ae 8-channel LPCM audio output. You can use this port to connect your ag ee eects eres Ce a patente nent cap ketn rs Sete ete ue un ee are CG) ‘The Microphone In jack is where you connect stand microphone or plug the microphone jack ofa gaming headsetin ® = sho >) et, Celi alse Leeann Pee er ere ee ears Seti Yee ene peer eee ety ee Nt et ee Seo ate each lorena eer ‘ormally have a small clip to hod large cards frmiy in place 2-PCIE SOCKETS etme ees a ee ee ea you are using any type of gaming board. These will almost Benen a eet ena ey ree eter eee aN ‘matched pair of DIMMs should always be inserted into the same colour sockets if possible, EEE Ras ele eee ct eee ee te regio Poe eee een oe ee) eer eee re err) De ee eae eee ‘number oflanes actually connected toa slot may also be less than Caan tants eee Ee Ona acme ia) his approximate position and is fairy hard to miss. When you unbox Pek ne eciccons perenne tne and AMD processor sockets use slightly diferent ways of locking the (CPU in place but each will ave a lever that needs ta belted to allow access ee en as Som ute is supported by the interface, is upto 600MBs. Ths interface is Pes eeeereeee r eceaeart an en eseee ona eel ey ee eee et eat the edge of the motherboard (as showin here, inthe direction petits ee Dene ett ont ores specification for internally mounted computer expansion cards (SS0s). Most solid state drives released within the last year orso eee eae ee ea een Pe ere ea cee reer ty ot a reer net ite een tees acer)Building Your PCNavigating Your Motherboard 61Building Your PC Fitting the CPU The CPU, or Central Processing Unit, is the brain of your computer and is one of the key areas where you should tryto get as much bang for your buck as possible. The processor is generally one of the most expensive single components, so installing it safely and correctly first time is important. Almost as important is how you plan to keep the processor running smoothly after installation, which we will cover in detail over the next few pages. The Central Processing Unit Thisis the first part of the build where things can go wrong ifyou are not very careful. Always handle the CPU with great care and take your time when fitting. into the case, ais fitting the CPU Cooler and RAM, a this ‘between the tio processor types, not least the arrangement allows for greater control, The CPU isa small and delicate (of the contact pins. We are using an Intel Core iS 6600k CPU ‘component, so making installation as easy as possible makes for our build and we will concentrate on that process. See sense, Even ifyou take anti-static precautions at no other time further down the guide to see specific AMD CPU installation during the build, do so for this part. advice and precautions, 62 eoMsttade Easy Svs 5Fitting the CPU surface, a thin sheet of anti-static foam beneath socket (arrow to arrow) Intel processors also have the motherboard will help to stop it moving or being damaged, ‘a small indentation on each edge, which further helps you to ‘and positioned so thatthe locking lever on the CPU socket is line itup inthe socket. Holding the CPU carefully by the edges, pointing towards you, carefully take the processor outfits loweritit into place inthe socket. Ensue itis seated correctly, box. Only ever touch the CPU on the sides, never touch the withthe arrows and the notches lined up and in place. contacts on the underside, hinge up out ofthe way Leave the plastic socket cover on for into position. The exact locking process may vary slighty, even the moment. Take a close look atthe now visible CPU socket betwen the intel family of CPU's, but most wil slide the locking, and you will see a small arrow in the bottom left commer. fyou frame under a metal plat or raised washer. Firmly press the lookon the CPU itself, you will see that also hasa small arow locking bar into the locked position. Your processor is now none corner. safely installed onto the board. avs Macey Sees 63Building Your PC Adding a CPU Cooler Depending on the processor you that bought, you may already have a stock CPU cooler. These are generally okay but not as efficient as many third-party coolers, particularly if you are planning on heavy workloads. Aftermarket coolers are not all that expensive and can really help with CPU heat reduction. For our build we are using an Arctic Freezer 7 Pro and most similar coolers will attach in the same way. Air Cooling the CPU Water cooling has become very popular over the last several years, but unless you are building a power gaming rig, air (heatsink) coolers are fine. For Intel motherboards, the fst thing you need to dois prepare the mounting plate. Place this face up ‘ona flat surface and check the mounting holesin each comes. You should see that there are three possible positions forthe mounting pins (forthe diferent Intel CPU sackets: 1150 etc) Place the mounting pegsinto the correct holes at each corner. Carefully positon the mounting plate onto the ‘motherboard, ining up the pegs with the holes on the board, before pressing them through. Thiswill see the ‘mounting plate held loosely in position. You now need to push 2 pin into the mounting pegin each ofthe comers, pressing firmiy down until you feel sight click. The mounting peg is ‘now held firmly in place 64 cowsAdding a CPU Cooler ‘mounting plate, until you have a firm fixture. If between the bottom of the CPU cooler heatsink your CPU cooler has afan on the side rather than on the top, as ‘and the CPU. Thermal paste helps to improve heat dissipation ‘most stock coolers do, decide which way you want itto face. by ling the tiny gap between the heatsink and CPU. Our cooler (Our case has vents atthe top, so we are choosing to face the fan has alayer of thermal paste pre-applied but not all do. You can "upwards, away from the graphics card slot, Decide which buy thermal paste applicators cheaply online or at PC stores. makes more sense for your build | ‘not require this but many do as it helps give access to the screw ‘supplied screws or other fixings to secure tin place. This step is fitting that secures the cooler to the mounting plate. The ‘uite an important one to get right fst time, as tryingto Freezer 7 fan simply lips on, so removing itis easy. Ifyou remove it and then clean up thermal paste a chore. As you remove the fan from your cooler before fitting it into place, apply slight, even pressure, the thermal paste will spread to fill ‘make sure nothing willimpede it. the gap. =z = BONS Hodekosy Sees 65Building Your PC Fitting the Memory Modules The DIMM's, or Dual In-line Memory Modules, are modules that contain several RAM or SDRAM chips on a small circuit board, Most motherboards will have multiple memory module sockets, usually arranged in pairs. When ‘you buy memory modules, they are usually sold as a matched pair; this ensures that they have the same latency, or in other words the same memory reaction time. The RAM modules you will be fitting are quite robust but even so, they should be handled with care and without ever touching the metal contacts along the bottom. | Installing the SDRAM SIs) | Howyou fitthe memory into the motherboard 55) tyourmotherboard supports multiple memory ‘channels and has more than two sockets itis sockets depends on how many matched modules you are installing. A single 8GB madule will almost always go worth considering buying, for example, two 4GB matched into socket 1, unless otherwise advised in your motherboard ‘modules, rather than a single 8GB module. although the single instruction manual, but if you have matiple modules and '5GB might be more efficient, two 4B DINMS give you more multiple sockets, the choice isnot always so obvious. flexibility, assuming identical latency range et. Se Crecente Perea eases men Eee Ces 66 eoMsiade Ezy Seriesockets they will be colourcoded to show the diferent memory channels, s isthe case with our Gigabyte ‘motherboard. A single matched pair of modules would be fitted Into socket 1 and 3. fyou had a second matched pair, these would then go into sockets 2 and 4, Memory modules have an offset notch inthe row ‘of connectors on the bottom. Ths will correspond with 2 divider in the motherboard memory socket, ensuring thatyou can't insert the DIN the wrong way around. The ‘memory socket will also usually have a hinged clip at each end that needs to be pressed down and away from the socket. Fitting the Memory Modules that one end slots into the socket fist Ensure that itis pressed up against the end of the socket and then lower the ‘other end into place. Press firmly and evenly onthe top ofthe ‘module to seat it into the socket. The hinged clips at either end vill close, locking the DIMM firmly into place. ‘matched pai, fitting a matched pair or set of four modules. Give each module a firm push on its top edge to censure that they are al seated snugly. Adding RAM is one ofthe ‘cheapest and easiest ways of increasing PC speed and even rnon-gamers should aim for at least 868 to stat. asySeies GTBuilding Your PC Fitting the Motherboard into the Case Ifyou have been following the steps of the build so far, you should now be in a position to fit the motherboard, along with the fitted CPU, cooler and RAM, into your prepared case. This not only involves screwing the board into place but also correctly connecting all the case controls like the power switch, HDD LED, front USB ports etc.. Your motherboard will also have been supplied with a back plate, This is the part of the build where your PC starts to look like a PC and not just a pile of components. Always handle the motherboard by holding the edges, not the contacts. | Installing the Board Take the back plate which is punched with holes ‘You obviously have to ensure that the plates that match the external inputs on the motherboard inserted the right way up, usually with the mouse back panel and press nto the rectangular hole in the back of ‘and keyboard connections nearest the top ofthe case, and the the case. The coloured or labelled side faces out, with the ‘on-board audio ports towards the bottom. Check on your padded or tabbed side facingin. The padding or tabs wil help specific motherboard justin case this is different. The back ‘twensure a secure fit against the back panel plate will have small protrusions or clips around the edge to holpit attach to the rim ofthe hoe. 68 eoMsttade Easy 5‘motherboard carefully in. Whenever you are going totouch the motherboard, especialy the exposed connections ‘on the back, make sure you are wearing an anti-static wristband and clip or that you discharge any bult up static electricity in your body by touchinga large metal object, ikea desk. your risers and reposition if needed. Identify the motherboard Fitting the Motherboard into the Case plate oles, press the motherboard against the plate and screw one ofthe motherboard fixing screws into one ‘of the holes to holdit in place. You can now insert screws into all of te other holes on the motherboard and tighten them carefully. You don't need to apply too much pressure when tightening the screws,Building Your PC Connecting the Front Control Panel Even very basic cases will have some wiring from the front panel to the motherboard and most ‘modern cases will have several wires, including USB headers, power controls and more. control pane! wiring, check to see ifyou can thread it through any cable management holes straight away. Temight well be better to wait and see where on the ‘motherboard it needs to reach to. The front panel s usualy at the top of the case, so the wiring wll normally need torun the full height ofthe case. connections for front USB, audio in and out sockets and the power and reset switches are normally positioned along the bottom edge of the motherboard. Each connection socket willbe labelled on the motherboard but this is sometimes hard to see. Check the motherboard manual ifuncure TO eosstade Easy Serie ‘connect, you can use the cable management holes to thread the cables around the back of the case to where they ‘need to go. Most ofthe connections can only attach one way. They will either have guides onthe plastic connector housing or ‘one of the pins on the connector wil be missing. connectors are fairl simple to find and connect. The wiring for the power switch, HOD LED and the reset switch might seem a bit more confusing fr the first time bulider. All ‘of these wires ft onto a single connection on the ‘motherboard; thisis just a double row of pins.Fitting the Motherboard into the Case You can see where the power switch ete. needs to be connected by the labels printed on the motherboard, You can also check in the motherboard manual to see the correct positions. You will notice thatthe pins are marked as positive and negative, which will also be ‘marked on the wiring connectors. Always connected positive to positive and negative to negative Co a LEAs} To}Building Your PC Fitting the Hard Drive (HDD Fitting the hard drive into most modern cases is about more than just tightening a couple of screws in the ‘mounting bracket or sliding out a tray in the toolless drive cradle. A traditional Hard Disk Drive, as opposed to an SSD (see below), will be one of the hardest working components of your computer and has the potential to generate quite a ot of heat. Positioning it where it can be cooled efficiently will help to prolong it life. Bracket Mounting the HDD Many modern cases will now provide a toolless drive cradle. However, before we look at the hard drive cradle in more detail, lets take a look at how to mount one in an older case. HOO mounting brackets are almost always at the Slide your hard drive onto the rails and line it up front ofthe case, ust behind the front panel and with the holes. needs to have the power and usually behind a front case fan. The mounting bracket will SSATA connectors facing out into the case. Use the screws. Consist ofa pair of rails or tracks for the HDD to sit on, which supplied with your case to fix it in place an the open side of will position it perfectly with screw holes in the side of the the case. You will also need to remove the other case panel, if bracket. These holes are offset, so the HDD can only fit one not already removed and fix it from that side, way up. 2 owsCradle Mounting the HDD Fitting the Hard Drive (HDD) Toolless or screw-less hard drive mounting cradles are increasingly the norm for modern cases. This is particularly true of big brand cases: Thermaltake, Antec, Cooler Master, etc. Ifyourcase features a hard drive cradle, ike ours, the process of fitting your hard drives into place is ‘even easier than with a standard bracket. In many cases, the cradle itself can be repositioned or even removed completely ifyou are using SSDs soley in your build. Ours can be moved upto. higher position but we will leave it asi, to allow for the GFX card later. Pulla tray out of the cradle. Hard drive eadles are usually toolless but some may be screwed in. The ‘method of fixing the hard drive into the tray varies between cases. Some will need tobe screwed in and some will have screw-less fixings, such as the one shown here. Remove the screws or fixing and place your hard drive into the tray. During the preparation ofthe case, you should have positioned the metal risers in the correct holes based on the form factor of your case and motherboard. Check to see'f the holes on the motherboard now line up with your risers and reposition if needed. Identify the motherboard fixing screws that are supplied. We will look at connecting the power supply to the hard drive later For now you can connect the SATA ‘able from the small port on the back ofthe HDD, to one of several SATA ports on the motherboard. You may have other ‘components that need a SATA connection but as a rule, the HDD should go into the fist SATA3 port on the motherboard. Vii] a a BBuilding Your PC Fitting Optical Drives Optical drives are what you need to play things like CDs, DVDs and BluRay discs. Once an essential part of any PC build, they are becoming increasingly less so as more and more media is streamed or delivered wirelessly However, a DVD RW drives still a useful addition, and as they are fairly cheap, there is no real reason not to include one in your first build. Almost all cases stil feature an opening for at least one optical drive. CD and DVD Drives Astandard size optical drive will normally be called a “Five and a quarter inch” drive. Most sit flush with the front of the case, but some cases hide drives behind a panel. ‘The standard way to install an optical drives to Slide the optical disc drive into the drive bay and inset it from the front ofthe case, rather than on pushit back unti the fronts flush with the case. the inside as with your hard disks, Sometimes you can slide the ‘Screw-holes onthe side of the drive should line up with holes in drivein directly through the front panel of the case but often the drive bay. Secure the optical drive in place using four the first thing you'll need to dois to remove the case's front screws, much as you would with your hard disk. You should use panel completely. Normally, witha slight firm tug, the front will four screws in total, two on each side, so you will need to just pop oft remove the back panel. 74 eos‘The hole forthe optical drive in the case front may be blanked off witha solid panel, so that the front looks like it's one piece. This will need to be removed before the case front is clipped back into place. Usually, any drive bay blanks can be removed simply by releasing simple clips around the edge. In other cases, the front panel of the cease may have a door, behind which the drive willbe hidden, Fitting Optical Drives We will look at connecting power to the optical dive later but for now connecta SATA cable to the back ofthe optical drive as you did with your storage disks, If you've installed a few storage disks you might be running low on SATA cables unless your optical disk drive had ‘one included, so make sure you have enough. Run the cable ‘through any appropriate cable management hole. You can now replace the front panel ofthe case and adjust the positon of the optical drive, f needs be, by loosening the fixing screws slightly and using the slots to slide itback or forward. fyou have a second optical drive to ft and i your case features a second bay, repeat steps 1-4. There are several other components that can be fitted into a5 Ysin drive bay, suchas fan controllers Locate the SATA ports on your motherboard that you used earlier to connect your hard driv. If your motherboard has a mix of SATA2 and SATA3 ports, wich is often the case, itis a good idea to use a SATA2 port fer your ‘optical drive. Ver few optical drives benefit from the faster speeds, so you can save your SATAS ports for future ‘component adcitions. avs Macey Sees 75Building Your PC Installing the Graphics Card For some of you a powerful graphics card (GFX), or Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) to give it its correct name, will be an essential for your build. For others, being able to play the latest games on ultra-high settings won't be important at all. Unless you have purchased an AMD APU, all new builds will need a graphics card of some sort installed. The GPU will probably be one of the most expensive components you buy, so it would be sily to take chances when installing it. Fitting a PCle Card Almost all graphics cards you buy these days, even cheap ones, will fit in the PCle socket on your motherboard, so this is the type we will look at here. The frst thing to do is make sure thatthe PCle socket on your motherboard is clear of cables and that the graphics card wilfitin the case when itis plugged in, Some cards are very long and ifyou are using a mATX ease, it might bea tight squeeze where your hard drive cradle projects| from the font. I possible move the HDD cradle to give the GFX ‘ard more room to breathe, Depending on the GFX card you are installing, you will need to remove either one or two of the blanking plates that cover the expansion slots atthe back of the case, These can usually be removed by unscrewing from the inside, although some cheaper cases may require you to remove the plates permanently by snapping them off the small ‘metal tabs holding them, MMF 76 owsMake sure there is no cover on the card connector and then carefully lower itinto the PCle socket. These sockets always have acatch on them, witch will help hold the card securely in place. You may need to slide or tit this catch back to get the connector into the socket. The connector on the card will hve a slot init that wl help you line t up with the socket correctly. Installing the Graphics Card Modem PCle graphics cards, particularly high powered cards, will need to have a direct power supply, rather than being able to take power from the socket ‘on the motherboard, and will have either one or two 6-pin ‘connectors on the top or back edge. We will ook at ‘connecting the PSU in more detail ater but for now itis worth ‘checking that your PSU has the coreect cable. Press the card down from the top, evenly but firmly, untiit clicks into place. Slide or flip the socket catch to secureit, heck that all ofthe ports such as HMI, DV, ete. are accessible from where they protrude from the expansion sit at the back ofthe case and then use the screws you removed to take out the blanking plates to secure the card to the edge ofthe slot Many motherboards, especially gaming ‘motherboards, will have a second PCle socket. This allows you to run two graphics cards in SLi or Crossfire modes, assuming you have cards that are SLI of Crossfire compatible ‘The slots are normaly spaced slightly apart to allow for improved airflow from the cards on board fan but apart from this consideration, the above steps can just be repeatedBuilding Your PC Adding the Power Supply Unit When you think about the important components of a PC build, its fairly easy to overlook the Power Supply unit or PSU. However, ifyou do not match the PSU correctly with your other components, especially the graphics card, you may see a whole range of problems occur when you finally get the PC up and running. From simply not having the power to turn on, to intermittent crashes when gaming and random hardware faults, a weak or poor quality PSU is trouble. Modular and Wired PSUs Ideally you should buy a modular PSU that supplies more power than your initial build requires. lf your budget doesn’t stretch to modular buy a good quality wired PSU. dictate, to a greater or lesser degree, where your PSU tositon in orderto reduce the effects of any PSVis fitted, and howitis fitted. Some tower cases place the vibration and make the system quieter. These will normally be PSU mount at the bottom, as ours does, and some position itt inplace already but itnot, check that they are not provided with al the other case components like screws etc. for you to apply yoursel. Alternatively you can buy small self-adhesive rubber pads from stationery stores. the top. Ideally you want a case that features a vent covered by a filter where the PSU goes, allowing you to have the PSU fan facing out ofthe ease. TR eoMstade Easy Svesocket facing out and the cables facing into the case. The screw holes on the power supply will ine up with holes around the edge ofthe PSU opening, The screws should hhave been supplied with the PSU but if not, standard case screws will do the job. There should be atleast four screws holding the power supply in place. Adding the Power Supply Unit back ofthe chassis, you can start feeding cables through atthe bottom ofthe case. Work out how many of the different PSU cables you need: probably a 4*4-pin, the main 20+4-pin, the PCle 6:pin and a couple of SATA connections and tidy up the rest. you are using a modular PSU, store the ‘excess cables safely inthe box. system not booting when we get to that point) Make sure everything is properly connected and that you haven't missed a power cable before checking for less obvious problems. Some power supply’ let you switch the input voltage between 110V (US) and 230V (UK). Make sure yoursis set correctly for your location. BONS MadeosSeies 79Building Your PC Power Connections Finally, you can now begin to connect the whole system up to the power supply and take an important step towards the first boot. Ifyou followed our advice earlier in the guide for planning your build, you shouldn't have any surprises when it comes time to connect everything up. If you do find that cables are too short, or missing completely, you can buy extensions and adaptors online easily. Cables and Sockets Connecting everything up should be fairly straightforward but itis worth taking your time to ensure connectors and sockets are lined up perfectly when plugging in. BEFORE YOU START THE 20+4 PIN CONNECTOR ‘Take a close look at all ofthe main motherboard connections: ‘Thisis the main power connector for the motherboard, providing the 4+4, 2044 and PCle. You will notice that they are made up of | power for most of the on-board features. you are using an ATK or ‘square and rounded pins. This helps to ensure that they can mATX motherboard, you will need to use all 24 pins. Some conly fit ane way; that pattern will match the holes on the motherboards will only need the 20 pin part; check with your relevant motherboard connector. The reason some of the motherboard manual or manufacturers website, Ensure its lined connections are splits to accommodate different motherboard | up correctly and pressit home, supporting the board as you do, power requirements. 80 eoMsHade Easy SveTHE 4+4 PIN CONNECTOR Thisis the power for the processor only and on modern ‘motherboards that have madern CPUs, this willbe an pin connector that can split into two 4-pin connectors. if your ‘motherboard and CPU only require a pin 12v connection, just se either ofthe two. In some cases, the PSU will only have a single 4pin 12v connector. As before ine up the pins and press firmly into place THE PCIE 6 PIN CONNECTOR This cable is for providing dedicated power to your GPU (graphics card). Older cards were able to draw power from the motherboard ‘but almost all madern GFX cards will need their own supply. The Cle connector is normaly an &pin, which can split into.a Gand a 2 pin n our build the Radeon R9 card requires two 6-pin Connections, which we were careful to ensure our PSU had, Power Connections THE MOLEX CONNECTOR ‘Almost universally known as Molex, these connectors were widely sed in older PCs to provide power to hard drives, CD drives tc bbut have now been almost totally replaced by SATA connectors. You wll almost certainly stil see a couple of Molex connectors if you are using a wired PSU. On a modular PSU you can simply leave them in the baxif you don’t need them, THE SATA CONNECTORS This kindof plugis used to provide power to Serial ATA (SATA) devices such a hard disk drives and optical disk drives. f your ‘power supply doesn't have enough ofthese plugs for yoursystem, you can convert any standard peripheral power plug (known as Mole into @ SATA power plug through the use ofan adapter. SATA connectors are often daisy-chained on the same cable. oN oceasy Sees BLBuilding Your PC Cable Management Although it may seem that taking time to tidy internal cables out of sight i simply down to personal preference, and how pretty you want your PC to look through that windowed side panel, but good cable management is increasingly seen as important for the welfare of your PC. Good airflow from the case fans is essential for keeping temperatures down and as thin as they may be, cables strewn all through the case will disrupt it. Planning Cable Routes The amount of cable management you can do depends on the case you have chosen to use. (ur Thermaltake case provides several options but this will vary greatly. For a relatively costefective case, the Thermaltake Once the cable bundles fe through the fixed side Core V31 we are using provides exceptional cable panel, we can stat feeding the individual cables management options. There are two large apertures at the into wherever they are needed, They can then be fed back bottom of the side panel, both protected by rubber grommets, through any convenient hole, so thatthe connectors are back in through which we can feed all of the cables from the PSU. Our the main compartment and ready to be plugged in. When you ‘ables are sheathed anyway but the rubber further protects are doing this, take a moment to ensure that the removable them from being damaged by the metal edges. side panel wll ft back on with the cables her. 82 eoMsttade sysbehind the motherboard but itis still a good idea to.group them together where possible, and secure them into 2 bundle with plastic ties or a twist of plastic-coated wire. ‘Again our Core V31 goes the extra mile providing quick release cable ties and small lugs built-in to the back ofthe case to attach them to. Cable Management fans or coolers with a cable ifat al possible. The Component placement within a system is also important. Drives, graphics cards and other expansion cards should be positioned in such a way that their cables, or the components ‘themselves, don't interfere with one another. Don'tbe afraid to move a componentif needed, eee ‘management features we have been talking about here, don't worry, ou can sill manage the cables. Planning is even more important, as you want as many of the ‘ables as possible running ina single direction, These can then all be gathered together into a bundle, tied up and positioned against the side panel f possible. Not ideal but better than no management! oN Woceasy Sees 83Building Your PC Final Checks and First Boot Ifyou have followed all ofthe build steps thus far, you should now be at the point where the first boot up is looming, Before you do, itis worth going back and checking that everything is ready, all cables are connected nd everything is looking good. First boot doesn't mean that you can't go back and change things later but you can avoid problems by doing a few simple checks. Your Final Checklist If you are sure everything is connected and hardware is installed correctly, you can skip this checklist; but if you want to double-check, here are the key things to look for. 1. FRONT PANEL 2. COMPONENT SCREWS Make sure that all ofthe cables that are preinstalled inthe case Whether these are normal case screws, thumb-screws or toolless for the front panel controls are connected correctly, especially fixings, make sure that all of the components are correctly and the power, reset, HDD LED and POST speaker. you connected securely installed in the case. Don't over tighten screws but make these wires atthe beginning ofthe build it can be quite easy to ‘sure they are all done up Loose screws might mean a component knock them loose when routing the larger cables around the being loosened inits motherboard socket, for example the ‘ease, Check the motherboard guide for details ofthis connection. | _ graphics card, when external cables are connected later. yun 8A eowstiadet3. FANS AND COOLERS. ‘Check thatthe case fans and the CPU cooler are all connected to the motherboard correctly. You really don't want torun your new PC for very long, and by that we mean NOT AT ALL, without the (CPU cooler working and, toa lesser degree, the case fans working, Ifyou have chosen to use water cooling, ensure that the pump and reservoir are connected correctly. Final Checks and First Boot 5, PERIPHERALS. Make sure you have everything ready to be connected to your PC This includes the monitor, ensure you have the right cables fr OVI, HMI, etc, a mouse and a keyboard. Set your new computer up on, ‘desk or table, rather than where you might normally have it {under a desk or inside a cabinet for example so that you can see What is happening inside when you power up. 4, POWER CABLES check your cable management, make any improvements you want ‘and check that all f the connections to the motherboard are clipped into place. Check again thatthe side panel that covers the back ofthe motherboard is not prevented from fitting by any routed cables, and then fititinto place. Barring problems or ‘upgrades, you should rarely need to remove this again, 6, OS AND SOFTWARE As thisis a new build, you will have to install your chosen operating system from scratch, By far the most common is Windows, so We will deal with that mainly throughout this guide. f you decide to Use Linux, you can check out our Beginners’ Guide to Linux, on sale ‘now. Make sure that you have your bootable media ready, ether a Windows disk ora bootable USB drive Bric BONS Madey Seies 85Building Your PC Connecting Peripherals PC peripherals can be varied and include the monitor, keyboard and mouse along with speakers. Ifyou don't have brand new peripherals for your buil You'll need to connect a keyboard and mouse before you get started, Older keyboards and mice use P5/2.connections, which your computer should have. Most new keyboards and mice use USB, or a USB dongle if they're wireless. Connect ether ofthese to the rear USB ports. you have a setof speakers that you'd like to use, connect them now. Ifyou'te simply connecting a pairof stereo speakers, connect the 3.5mm audio cable from the speakers into the green audio jack on the back ofthe PC ‘oF into your dedicated sound card, Surround sound speakers require more connections. Simply match the colour-coded ‘ables with the matching coloured ports. you can use older ones you may have stored away. you'r planning on using an Ethernet cable for networking, connect t to the Ethernet port on the rear of your PC. The other end of the cable can be connected to your router or Wi-Fi bridge. IFyou have an ‘external Wi-Fi aerial, you will need to plug this into one of the USB ports on the rear panel of the tower Most motherboards have onboard graphics, Which are fine for most tasks. However, if you've invested ina graphics card to play games then you'll want to use the outputs it provides. You'll havea selection of outputs, including VGA (also known as D-sub), DVI and HOM! and possibly DisplayPort eeeenen etFinal Checks and First Boot First Boot You are not trying o achieve anything with this inital startup, other than making sure that everything is connected properly and your PC works. ‘yur peripherals, you are ready to test al of your included a POST speaker, you might hear a single hard work with the ist boot. It's a good idea to leave the side long beep. Your fans should startup, have a look to make sure panel off ofthe case for ths fist start up, so you can hear if they are al working. ifyou have any ambient lighting on your ceverythingis running, Many modern fans, dives, etc. re motherboard (ours has this, as do many current gaming, extremely quit. Asa rule, you shouldn't run your PC without motherboards it should come on too. IF there is no response | ‘both panels in place asit affects airflow. {rom pressing the power button, tur the page to troubleshoot. BONS Hodecos)Seies 87Building Your PC Troubleshooting Your Build Hopefully, ifyou have followed all of our instructions carefully, you won't have any problems during the first boot of your new PC. However, problems can and do occur, even for experienced builders. The difference between a beginner and an experienced builder is the ability to solve problems and troubleshoot the PC build. Ifyou have a problem with your computer, it will ikely be one of these. 88 eoMstlade ysTroubleshooting Your Build 89Building Your PCBoot Problems Troubleshooting Your Build Hopefully hardware errors have been avoided or fixed using the tips above but what about the next stage of testing out your new build, the boot sequence. Here are some of the most common problems you may encounter when booting a new build PC for the first time. CAN'T FIND BOOT DISK \When this happens, you will see a message indicating an unformatted disk or that the operating system can't be found. na new system, this often means you have got the wrong boot device specified in the system BIOS. Fr example, ifyou need to boot from the optical rive to install the 05, you will ned to set the optical drive asthe first boot device. Some newer boards with both IDE connectors and SATA connectors wil treat them differently. ‘en Spc Help Com trie ‘ewan hot fem ote E100 oye esol 0 view oF ‘ont iere evi ‘Eile omen oF MULTIPLE HARD DRIVES IF there are multiple hard drives, make sure the hard drive order is set correctly because specifying “hard drive” as the boot device only means thatthe system will attempt to boot from the first hard drive, BLUE SCREEN Ifyou are trying to boot from an existing Windows installation on a hard drive transferred from an older system, then a BSOD on startup can occur. The specific error code is 0x0000007, This often ‘means that the system cannot find the right storage controle. Maybe your old system had its SATA ports set to IDE mode and your new ones setup for AHC| or perhaps your new board has a different chipset. WINDOWS INSTALL FAULT during the installation of Windows, the process abruptly abor for, ‘no apparent reason, you may have bad or overclocked memory. The \Windows boot CO ships with a memory diagnostic. Just boot from the DvD and run te diagnostic, which should tellyouif memoryisthe culprit. You will be prompted to either load Windows, which is ‘Windows set up,or the memory diagnostc. oN oceasy Sees 9eee a orn peor nd eres prone rae wececsccng ecarearre ad cere eee bers 2 Kaa Installing Software CRU RCC CCRC MTree your new PC. We cover installing an operating system on both Windows and Linux, how to update preinstalled drivers as well PEER ele RM rey om MERA M CDT me ROUT essential post-build programs and apps. ee errrINSTALLING WINDOWS Learn how to install the Windows operatin brand new computer, no matter whether y existing copy on CD or if you are downloading online an g from a USB flash drive. You will also learn ho ur PC te UPGRADING TO WINDOWS 10 UPGRADE TO A SOLID STATE DRIVE CHOOSING LINU) installing an unfamiliar Linux Installing Software \CONTENTS Ere tae eed 96 Upgrading to Windows 10 from Peete +100 Updating Your Motherboard BIOS Caen Ennead 108 Protecting Your PC from Malware 140 Upgrading to a Solid State Drive (SSD) PO a ey prea Pree presented PROTECT YOUR PC FROM MALWARE todownload right now. Cee)Installing Software Installing the Windows OS Installing the Windows OS, be it 7, 8r 10, on a brand new PC is not quite as simple as booting up, putting in the installation disc and following the on-screen instructions. But don’t worry, once you know the fairly easy steps you need to take, getting the operating system onto your new PC should be a straightforward process. This is also.a good time to get used to working in the BIOS menu, The first thing to consider isthe installation media you want to use to install Windows. This can be either a shop-bought install disc, a created disc or a prepared USB flash drive. can skp this part and move onto the boot process. downloadable file rather than a physical disc. | The Installation Media Ifyou have an old copy of windows, it is usually possible to reuse Just as with a disc, when buying a digital copy of Windows, it that to install windows on your new PC, as ong ass not will need to include a unique activation key. You will be asked already registered on another PC (ris no longer being used on for this during installation. A digital download of Windows will, ‘another PC, although tis isa slightly more complicated proces bbe an 180 file, which is just a archive of a CD/DVD (called an Image). This will need to be burnt to a disc or toa bootable USB flash drive, MEDIA CREATION TO READY TO INSTALL A Download the Windows Media eee Ts Creation Tool from the Microsoft eee ee ae cee ea es eect ics opus another PC, Select the eon edition and fociaeeeines how we get a PC with ieee Pee cE} installation media ira ei! Pere een fon Seer 9A eoMstade Easy SveThe Boot Process The BIOS is pre-installed on your motherboard, and controls all the aspects of how your PC boots up, as well as many other things. Italso allows you to manage the boot order. Ifyou have never doneit before (and many people ‘won't have) changing things in a BIOS menu can ‘seem daunting, But all we are doing here is changing the boot ‘order, so the fist thing the PC encounters is your disc or USB dive with the Windows ISO on it. can then boot from the disc, prompting it to install Windows. BIOS (Basic Input Output Subsystem) isa programmable chip that controls how information is passed to various devices in the computer system. Atypical ‘method to access the BIOS settings screen isto press ESC, F1, F2, FB or F10 during the boot sequence, Power your PC up, insert your bootable disc or USB, restart and press the relevant keyboard key until the BIOS menu opens. Use the arrow keys to select the BOOT tab, System devices appear in order of priority. BIOS settings allow you to run a boot sequence from a floppy drive, a hard drive, a CD-ROM drive or an external device. You may configure the order that your computer searches these physical devices for the boot sequence. The fist device inthe order lst has the first boot priority. Test Bvt Pricey Settee te beat 1st ont device ‘etuark tin GE sta | nsiable devices 2a ot Doster (eturt GE SIo Save and exit the BIOS setup utility and the computer will restart with the changed settings. \Windows installation should now begin. Because you are using a brand new hard crive, you will need to choose where to install Windows (main drive area, or create a partition). In our ‘experience, theres litte need to create a separate partition for Windows these days 95Installing Software Upgrading to Windows 10 from Windows 7 or 8.1 ‘fyou have an existing copy of Windows 7 or 8.1 on disc, not being used on another active PC, you can use this for the initial install of Windows and then upgrade to Windows 10 afterwards or at a later date. You have missed the deadline for the free upgrade to 10 but it is quite likely that Microsoft will reopen that offer, or run similar discounted offers for their new OS in the near future. This guide assumes you are taking this route to Windows 10, rather than a fresh install. Installing Windows 10 on a PC running Windows 7 or 8.1 isa relatively simple process. However, because of the way Windows 8.1 works, ts quite a change and takes the desktop back to being far more like Windows 7. | Upgrading to Windows 10 have installed all of the updates for Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, This ensures that your PC is up-to-date and ready fees Wass anerauray ea eee in ene ans ‘tneed a product key to reactivate Win rae eee ay Peet!) eee ras Peete et 96 BoM ade Easy Sres 1s SSS ToeIfyou are downloading through the Get Windows 10 app, either as a free or discounted offer (remember, the initial fee period has now finished, so you ‘might have to pay ull rice), you will see instructions about What you need todo, The download is fairly fastif you have a good broadband connection, Once it’s downloaded, you'll be asked to restart your PC and begin the installation. Your PC willrun through several processes during tis time, including checking, that everything installed and connected to your PC is OK with the update. The Windows 10 installation can vary in hows longit will ake depending on the age of your PC. Youmay be asked to identify whether this PC belongs to a company orifit's for personal use. ‘This is because you're installing Windows 10 Pro here, rather than Windows 10 Home; naturally, different rules apply for PCs being used in a business environment, Click Next to move through the process of setting up more personal preferences, Next you'l be asked to sign in with your Microsoft ‘account. You almost certainly do have one and if you have an Outlock com, Hotmail or Xbox account you can use those details, You should be able to use Skype details ifyou sign in with an email address too. You can also retrieve a lost password if you've forgotten yours Expect your PC to also restart several times during the installation proces. isnot something that can bbe done quickly unfortunately but when you see this blue screen appear (no, it’s not lke an old ‘blue sereen of death from earlier versions of Windows) you know the real setup is. about to begin, Ifyou don't have a Microsoft account, you can still sign up for one from the screen you saw in the previous step. You'll only need to provide basic details and you ‘ean choose whether to create a new email address or ust use ‘an existing one. You don't need to use a Hotmail or Outlook. comemail address 97Nextyou're going to set up a PIN. Despite whatit says on this screen, passwords are stil very much key to Windows 10 and i's stil the ultimate way of accessing and retrieving your information. However, it’ faster to signin ‘with a PIN, so that’s what you'l set up. PIN codes are four digits ‘exactly the same as with your bank card; but do choose a different code tothe one used for your bank. OneDriveis st up as a default in Windows 20 and we've explained a lot more about iton page 32; basically itis Microsoft's cloud storage system that enables you to access your files on multiple devices. I you don’t want this or you use an alternative click Save New Files Only to This PC by Default The legal agreement isa standard part of signing into any new software and Windows 10s no diferent. contain all the standard legal stuff,which we should all really read through, but few of us actually do. Unless you're intending to stop using your PC at this point, you will need to click Accept. Next you're offered ‘Get going fast: This allows you ‘to set up Windows 10 a bit faster, by using some default setting, whichis fine for most users (you can always change them later) Mast ofthe settings are fay standard but if you wantto check them, choose Customise Settings and go through them individually. Cortanais the vitwal assistant within Windows 10, Itcan provide you with useful information such as weather, upcoming appointments and so on. However, you'll need to give it permission to collect information from your PC ‘oF rather, you'll need to opt outf you don’t want. lick Not Now if thats the case. This screen tellsyou about the new standard default apps. I's abit sneaky as thisis Microsoft's way of telling you that these willbe the default apps for web browsing, looking at photos, listening to music and watching videos. You can always use other apps of course, butf you want toalter the default at this tage, select Let Me Choose My Default Apps.You'l then see this screen andit may be present for afew minutes. Windows takes a bitof time to re the apps you use with your PC and makes sure they're configured correctly fr Windows 10. Ths process could bbe Siow ifyou had alot of older apps installed but as this isa fairy new PC, it should only take a few seconds “The next screen you see should be the lock screen, Ifyou were a Windows 8.1 user, this will be familiar toyou. fyou'rea Windows 7 user, this will be new, asthere was ‘no lock sereen as such in Windows 7. Click anywhere to reveal the sign in page. Windows 10 always needs tobe signed into, nike older versions, You'll note that you're now asked to signin with your new PIN code but you can click Sign-in Options should you need to sign in with your passivord. Nate that you can also shut down or restart your PC from here using the Controls inthe bottom right. Here's your new desktop. As you can see all the key apps are arranged in the Start menu but you can take them out ofthe tiles’ area and add whatever you wish. Everything sstil accessible via‘All apps: Follow any further on screen instructions to complete setup and you can then start Updating divers, ete 99Installing Software Updating Your Motherboard BIOS The BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) is an often overlooked but absolutely vital part of your computer system. You see it every time you switch your computer on as it's responsible for those lines of text that flash up on the screen before Windows launches, listing things like installed RAM and other hardware details. To run Windows 10 at optimum performance you'll need to update it. 4, Fortis reas ee npris SL eee ey Reet en ete recommend that you only undertake this process if you are confident Pest sete ae ey Tetra etc aertern cs erform afl backup, o an external Updating the BIOS carries the risk of damaging your PC and you may also void the warranty on your equipment. If you Dee eS Ue Re a Ua Ee your own risk. Black Dog Media cannot accept any responsibility for any damage to your property as a result of following this tutorial 100 eoststade Easy SeriesUpdating Your Motherboard BIOS Checking your current BIOS version To check the current BIOS version you'll have to open the BIOS interface. The exact ‘method varies depending on your motherboard manufacturer. You will need the manual or specification sheet that came with your PC and a used but empty USB flash drive. Close all open apps, then click on the Start button and select Power and then Restart. This will shut down your PC and rebootit: Asyour PC reboots watch forthe BIOS messages that flash upon the screen, You're looking for a message that says something lke "Press F2 to enter BIOS” The message varies. On some systems it's the Delete key, on some it’s Esc or ane ofthe F keys Restart your PC again but this time asitreboots, repeatedly press the indicated keyboard key. I \Windows launches you've pressed the wrong key, o restart and try again. f you don't know which key it should be, try Delete, Esc, F, F2,F8,F10 or FI2, When you find the right key, you should see the BIOS configuration sereen appear. This is usually a low resolution screen with blocky text and several pages of ‘options. The stye varies from one manufacturer to another but this the BIOS screen fora popular ASUS motherboard You should see the BI0S version number prominently displayed, usually atthe top of the screen. Make a note of it. Tae mouse or trackpad won't work in BIOS, so use the arrow keys to navigate around the menu, Look for a B10S update utility. I you find one, continue with this tutorial SCL ae Use [ENTER]. (TABI or [SHIFT-TAB] to select a field 31 Ifyou don't find a BIOS update utility the BIOS ‘menu, you'll need to read the next section, ‘Updating the BIOS using WinFlash” Navigate tothe Exit tab, ‘menu entry or press Esc. Select “Exit without saving" then press Enter. Windows should naw launch normally. aoInstalling Software Download a BIOS update ‘Once you've found out your BIOS version number, you'll need to check to see if an update is available. You'll have to do this whether your PC has a builtin B10S update utility or not. SSS Since some computer manufacturer's websites hide EIS) | You may see that there are updates that mention vital update information, by far the easiest way to ‘Windows 10 specially I there is a more recent locate aBI0S updateisto type your computer or motherboard 8105 version available than the one you have, click on the link ‘model number into Google, along with “B10S update’, todownload it k Teach man | fresomanmcamsaa Bee sexes id connie A ramaniaes a sa Sino in Hom 5 fy Cvecqanaateaataastonane *! SS ——= ‘saeco link forthe BIOS version information. in most cases BIOS configuration screen appear. This is usually a You should see alist of available BIOS versions. Check to s low resolution screen with blocky text and several pages of ‘any are more recent than the one you have. ‘options. The style varies from one manufacturer to another but this s the BIOS screen fora popular ASUS motherboard iver & Toole if I top, it’s ver important that you have it plugged in to the mains Ee ear ei Sccom rece partway through the update process yo errae Paes at tr erret ats instead of a computer 102 ebsstade Easy Series iconUpdating Your Motherboard BIOS Flashing your BIOS using a built-in utility Now for the scary part, installing the new BIOS update. Make sure you've fully backed up your system before attempting this operation. STEP 1 With the USB flash drive from the previous section stil plugged in, restart your PC and enter the BIOS interface by pressing the key that you discovered in the fst part ofthis tutorial, ofthe BIOS screen. Ifyou see “Tools, navigate to it ‘and you should fin the B10S update utility. Using the atrow keys, move the curso to| STEP3 ‘the BOS flash utility and press enter. You'l see a confirmation message appear. Highlight OK and press Enter. This util 1.FAT 12/ 2.NTFS. cp-prsc sabled) Z Flash 2 Utility? [cox] Sel Sel 60 Ger Say “The update utility should recognise the USB flash Big drive that you have plugged in andit should find the BIOS update that you copied ontoit Highlight the update ‘and press Enter. Fis = The BIOS update process will now proceed automatically, Oncei’s complete you will see that the 8108 version number has changed. ress Exc or navigate to Exit, save changes and Exit Brad the BIOS screen. Your PC will restart and Windows should now launch normally. f iRenovable Dev” | A device parenthes a Save configuration changes and exit nou? 103Installing Software Updating Your Device Drivers Keeping your device drivers up to date ensures optimum performance under Windows 10 and makes your whole system more stable and reliable. Device drivers are pieces of software that allow Windows to control and communicate with things like printers, digital cameras, games controllers and other peripheral devices that are plugged in to your system. Like all software they are under constant development and new versions are released to.accommodate the latest operating systems. Windows 10 comes with default generic drivers but for optimum performance it’s a good idea to download and install the latest custom-made drivers for your hardware. | Updating Drivers SI=s! | Goto the website of your peripheral manufacturer. In this ease we're looking atthe website for Epson printers, to install an update for an R2400 pphoto printer. Click onthe link fr product support and enter the model name or number. Epon Styl Pts R2800 In et Printer SF eee ee ones ene cea firmware is a type of software that provides control, eee eae eee eerie stems such a nega ware prov 104 eoMstade Easy Series icon immediately offer you the latest recommended driver. In other «cases you wil hve to tell the site that you'r using Windows 10. ‘SUPPORT & DOWNLOADS, Wndowe 102288 . ) QUESTIONS Macosx-PoweiPe Lm | soe a 0sx108 Neware ‘ot on rot paper SGREENS LER, woow: K.1900, 2400, R2680: Which paper path How to clear he Temp folder in WindowsS53) Once you've entered the model name and told the site that you're looking for Windows 10 drivers, you should be offered a link to download the latest driver. Click on the linkand dowmload the driver file to your desktop, ifyou'e installing a driver fora device that has to be plugged in and switched on in order to work, such asa printer, make sure thatthe device i connected and Powered up before proceeding. desktop and locate the newly downloaded file, Speman seine Updating Your Device Drivers SE) From here on the process is mosty just licking OK 1n a series of windows. Do check that the device driver you're installing matches the device connected to your PC. The driver installation should only take afew seconds. ‘Toupdnte sed fie) estar your windows. ox telling you thatthe installation was successful, Repeat this process for any ther peripheralsthat are connected ‘to your system. You don't need to restart between installations {or cfferent types of devices. eer : oe Food| SS =» a { = Se Siew) | Once you've finished updating your drivers its 3 .B00d idea to restart your machine, since this should clear out any temporary files created during the installation process, as well as finalising the deletion of any ld drivers. avs Macey Sees 105Installing Software Optimising Your PC for Performance There are many ways to improve the performance of your PC. Some will only produce marginal improvements and some only speed up operations such as web searches. However, when you're trying to. ‘squeeze the most out of your system every little helps; here are some more handy tips to boost the performance of your system even further. See enna ee eee Pea es iat under 106 eoMstiade Easy Svs ic EsitonOptimising Your PC for Performance ee mplex and making ch SET “TURN OFF HARD DISK AFTER” TO NEVER = Require sign-in mete rr jons section ofthe Password E range your aot psn ‘oar DMS Hace) Sees 107Installing Software Protecting Your PC from Malware Malware is the collective term for destructive and disruptive software created with the specific intention of stealing private information about you, stealing your money or simply damaging your computer. It includes computer viruses that can attack and take over your system, browser add-ons that display pop-up ads, key loggers that can record everything you type on your keyboard and spyware that can steal your personal information. Here's how to get rid of them. Scanning for malware using Windows Defender Windows Defender isthe builtin security software that comes preinstalled with Windows 10. Use it to scan for malware on your system. click on All Apps and scroll right down to the signatures of known malware and there are new bottom. You'l find it in Windows System. Click the menu link signatures being recognised all the time. Before scanning your toopenit. system its important to ensure that your virus signatures are up todate, soclickon the Update tab, Sachem ASPERSKY3 Berner . Serene ret tt Internet Security Serena : presence 108 ebMs ade Easy Series iconoes pe eohecse ini ‘Once your definitions are update, click back on the Home tab. On the right youl see three buttons for: Quick, Fll or Custom scan. thisisthe fst time you've scanned the system orifi's been awhile since you last dd, dlickon the Fullbutton. Oa a onrarsayaesnconraunadem Protecting Your PC from Malware SIS | Defender finds any malware on your system it will attempt to “disinfect” the file by removing the malicious elements, The most likely source of malware is your email, so Defender may delete emails that contain viruses, If Defender finds any files that are so badly infected that they cannot be disinfected, twill pop upa message askingyou fits OK to delete th fil. In most cases thisisthe best course of action, however ithe fle avital part ‘ofthe operating system your ony recourse may be to format and reinstall ESI) ) Once your PC has been scanned, Windows Defender will continue to monitor it for suspicious software. To maintain a good level of protection it's a good idea to use the Quick Scan option on your system once a week Or cot vs Macey Sees 109Installing Software Upgrading to a Solid State Drive (SSD Solid state drives have many advantages over hard disk drives. They are based on solid state flash memory, similar to the SD card in your mobile phone or digital camera, They have much faster read and write times than disk drives, which means that Windows will launch and run faster. Your apps will load and access data much more quickly too. if you decide to add an SSD after finishing the build, here’s how to do it. Rn oer es eo oe ay SOS aris eertan cet ene nents less than half an hour. As with the Pe rarer etats Greece) Ee eect Cece er ene cet plenty big enough; you can always installa high capacity HDD for bulk data storage such as large ph ern Pome a find it listed under i) Pee aa ee eee Nese THINGS Dee aa Neg ee cea tg {An SSD drive big enough to replace your HDD eee nie seen et) eer ee ULL NEED 110 eosstade Easy Sve Drives! Cee eee, Opening up your PC and making alterations to its internat Ce ee of injury or electrocution if you do ee ee eee a the warranty on your equipment. If you are not Resse Ce aa pS e Cot ee eee Sa Cec Petree tacit et canUpgrading to a Solid State Drive (SSD) | Fitting the SSD disconnect the mouse, keyboard, monitor and any tofitit into a5.25-inch drive bay, as well as the other attached devices; then leave it for half an hour to ensure required fitting screws. The frst action is to attach the SSD to that residual voltagein the capacitors has dissipated and any this plate, Don't ever tighten the screws or you may damage hhot components have cooled down. the drive. ‘you can access the area where the HDD islocated. ‘nit. You'll need to position the device so that You may need a small screwdriver to remove afew case screws your power and SATA data cables can reach these connectors. bbut many cases open without tools Don't lose the screws! AN SSD can fit into either a35-inch (floppy disk EIST) once you've decided on a good position fr the clive) bay or a5.25.inch (HDDJoptcal drive) bay. ‘SSD within the drive bay, carefully slot the ive on Since many recent PC cases no longer have 35-inch bays well its mounting plate into the drive bay. Postion it so that the show how to fit your SSD into the larger one. sctew holes on the PC chassis line up withthe holes on the ‘mounting plate, avs Waceasy Sones LLLInstalling Software mounting pate hong the SSD in position, you socket on the motherboard shoud click nto cant easily aces al four screw holes don't worn a ong = place. tea only goin one way andthe two ends are identical, the dive doesnt move, ust using two screws will be fine. So you can’ connect tthe wrong way ound a= oe - 5 2 \ Camere shsowmcnecertonsg | RW, nee the SATA poner connector For Your iugthe other end of the SATA data cableinto the res ootet sUupeAy te Px fet on youl ‘socket on the SSD. Push it in all the way until it ‘SSD. It can only connect in one way, so you can't get itthe wrong way round, clicks tan only goin one way, so you can't connect it the wrong way round, Push firmly Butdon'tfrceit. a shaped like the letter 112 eoMstade Easy SveUpgrade to a Solid State Drive (SSD) initialise your new drive before you can start using it Rightclickon the Start button and select Disk Management. F/2°5 ) Right-click on the new drive and select New Simple Volume from the pop-up menu. This prepares the ‘SSD to accept new data using the Windows NTFS filesystem Click Ok through the series of Wizard windows, Eg ‘As soon as you start Disk Management, Windows will automaticaly detect the new drive and prompt yout intialiseit. The new drive willbe shown inthe pop-up window. Check that MBR (Master Boot Record) is checked and click OK. ee eee ee eee your storage capacity while stil enjoying the Seem erect ee aoc en Renee en Orr ery Bee ne eee tg and treat them as one single drive. This has PEE eee et ete ee) Pe A eg faster than for a single drive. Setting up a RAID eaten Teed Cee ee et gear corer iD Overview of Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Disks (RAID) SUMMARY MORE INFORMATION Explorer. You should now see the new drive listed. Ifyou previously had only one drive labelled C, the new drive should be labelled D. You can now start using the drive to store data orinstall apps. avs Macey Sees 113Installing Software Migrating Windows 10 to a New SSD Moving your operating system onto a solid state drive will let Windows launch more quickly and speed up your whole system. in this section welll look at a method for transferring your Windows 10 installation onto this new drive. There are several apps that can do this for you, but there is a fairly simple method that uses Windows 10’s built-in backup system. HY MOVE THE O: Peer ore eee Pe Tecan ttt erUr i ea Cette) Se eee em eo renin. Se ete ed a Bese eee een ee cet drives it’s also a great way to keep a ee eee ey itonto your ne Coe E Noe eae Career a wea) Eee Boe Ree) ee ey Arecordable DVD er nec neces M4 costs tad Easy Sve | Fitting the SSD EIFS) connectyour extemal backup drive toa USB socket on your PC. The blue USB 3.0 sockets (f you have them) provide much faster data transfer and wil speed up the process considerably. C a wa & a |eter == Back up using Fle History — =: os Looking fran elder backup? ifyoulve used Windows 7 before the screen that ‘appears should look very familiar. On the left ofthe screen youl ee "Create a system image’; click on this ink arene SI[595) The next screen presents you with several options about creating your system image backup. The VD option is redundant, sinceit would take dozens of disks. If you have a large network drive available you could use that but We'lluse the external HDD. Migrating Windows 10 to a New SSD som) a] ome omeeneeceetatoes co cemcautm neat natty rain mata avs Macey Sees 15Installing Software process proceeds, which will take anywhere from about 15 minutes to a couple of hours depending on the size ‘of your installation and the speed of your backup drive. ‘Atte end ofthe backup process youll be given the option to create a system repair dsc. f your PC has a DVD-R drive, puta recordable DVD in and click “Create disc” Te process will take a few minutes. E| C cenmmenemengeapin [] [He Bicate Once the discs complete, take it out and label it ‘Repair disc - Windows 10° Keep this ischandy because you're going toneed itlater. ome [FoR Ome . NG oss tad Easy Sve switch off and disconnect your backup drive and ‘then shut down your PC. Unplugit from the mains and cisconnect all attached devices, such asthe monitor, mouse, keyboard and printer. new SSD, you should do so. Follow the process laid ‘out in the preceding section ofthis book. While you've got the ‘ase open, disconnect, but don't remove, the old HOD that had your Windows system ont You'll need a small cross-head screwdriver to undo the ‘crews holding the drive into the bay. =zClase up the case, reconnect your devices including the backup drive, plug the mains lead inand switch on the PC. It won't boot up, because the drive containing Windows is now disconnected. Was boot up from the disc. ‘Open the DVD drive and insert your old Windows “7/8 installation disc Restart your PC and now it will ‘On the second screen ofthe Windows installation process, click on the “Repair your computer” link at the bottom of the screen. Po Maeery a] Migrating Windows 10 to a New SSD. SJe2t | onthenext three screens, click on Troubleshoot, then Advanced Options, and then on System Image Recovery. This is where you can restore your Windows system from the disk image you recorded earlier, a image on the connected backup drive. Check that the settings are correct and click Next. © Setect a oyster vag ac Ria SIP) | After a final confirmation that you want to proceed, Windows will set about restoring your system onto your new SSD. The process will take a while, but when it’s done Windows should re-start normally. BOWS Hacetasy Seles 117Installing Software Choosing Linux There are lots of versions, known as “Distributions” of Linux available. Each has a different ethos and approach and each will offer the user a different set of features and tools. If you are considering using Linux instead of Windows on your PC, here sa look at the five mast popular, and probably the best supported, distributions available and where you can get them. Choosing a Distribution Installing a Linux distribution on your new PC is not something everyone will want to do and even those who choose this route will probably want something similar to Windows. UBUNTU Ubuntuis one ofthe most prolific Linux distributions and the one ‘we suggest beginners use. “Ubuntu” isan ancient Arican word ‘meaning “humanity to others’ The Ubuntu distribution brings the spirit of Ubuntu to the computer world. I's a comprehensive distribution with everything you need to get going. it comes with an office suite, web browser, email and media apps and an app store. “The interface known as “Unity” is reminiscent of OSX, with a Launcher on the side used to open and switch between programs; also there's the Dash for searching and new HUD interface which ‘augments the traditional menu. You can try out Ubuntu without installing it, by running it directly from a DVD or USB Flash rive. t's developed inthe UK by Canonical, who generates money through tech support. So while it’ free to install, Ubuntu is professionally funded, Not everybody isa fan and many Linux users find it abt too colourful and feature rich. We thinkt's the best place for beginners to start though and a friendly way to get up and running with Linux. Dr Ee ANB eoMstHade Easy Sve MINT Linux Mint began back in 2006 and was based on Ubuntu but it took a different direction. It was developed as an alternative to Ubuntu and soon it started to incorporate the slick interface it hhas today. The main reason people use Mint is because it offers, different desktop options upon installation, The most popular js Cinnamon but MATE, KDE and Xfce are also options. Cinnamon is more similar to the Windows interface, which ‘makes Mint with Cinnamon a popular option for those ‘migrating te Linux from Windows. While you can instal different desktop environments on Ubuntu, or any Linux system, it's ‘easier to sap out desktop environments in Mint than Ubuntu, Another interesting touch is that Mint includes proprietary rnon-Open Source software, which most Linux installations ‘avoid, While questionable in the community, it does give you builtin software lke VLC, a powerful video player, rather than. hhaving to instal it afterwards.DEBIAN Debian is one of longest running Linux distributions and forms the ‘basis of many other versions of Linux, including Ubuntu. So why install Ubuntu, when you can go for Debian? Many users do exactly that but its not ideal for beginners. Ubuntu and Mint both offer an easier installation path and come with software packages that will help you get started. Debian on the other hand, is a much more bare bones affair. tis ‘committed to fre software and its repositories contain over 50,000, _apps to install. You can install multiple different Desktop environments, although it doesn't support Unity. tm many ways Debian and Ubuntu are complete opposites. Ubuntu is for beginners while Debian i for total experts With ths in mind, we don't expect, or encourage, you to start with Debian, instead you should kick off with Ubuntu then try out Mint and then work \with Debian or other distributions. openSUSE Most Linux distributions fll into two camps. There are ones withthe lates features and technology tke Ubuntu and Mint and those with few new features but rock sold reliability, ike Debian. Meanwhile ‘openSUSE atte to cover both bases, OpenSUSE Leapis a rock sold system. ts developed openly bya community along with SUSE «employees, who develop an enterprise level operating system: ‘SUSE. This powers the London Stock Exchange amongst other things. tis designed for mission crtical environments where “there {sno scope forinstabily” Ifyou find all that too sensible, openSUSE Tumbleweed isa rling release with all the latest features andthe occasional crash, tis a highly respected Linux distribution and many of its core contributors \workon the Linux Kernel, LibreOffice, Gnome and other key Linux ‘areas. n short, openSUSE is where youl find the pros hanging out Choosing Linux FEDORA Fedora is sponsored by Red Hat, one ofthe bigger names in Linux development. thas an estimated 1.2 milion users and quite a bit ‘of kudos because Linus Torvalds creator ofthe Linux kernel, uses Fedora on all of his computers. While openSUSE and Debian are rocksolid, Fedorais abit more fi-by-your-pants system witha focus on introducing new technology early and often Consequently each release has a relatively short lifespan, with support between each version lasting around a year. Many ofthe features introduced in Fedora rollout to Ubuntu and ‘other distributions down the ine. A good example is Gnome Software, which is replacing Ubuntu Software Centre in Ubuntu 16.04. To Fedora users, other Linux distributions just fea lke old versions of their software, Mind you, Fedora users pay with alack of long term support and reliability ssues too. Using Fedora often fels lke a permanent repair job, there's always something going wrong. INSTALLING LIN Se eee Ce ee er peepee ea eer arnt eae aay DNs Madey Sees 119Installing Software Installing Linux on a PC With your installation media ready it is time to install Linux on your computer. Installing Linux should be a pain free process and it only takes around halfan hour. it's best to dedicate a whole drive to Linux, rather than try to dual boot Windows and Linux from one drive. The initial process shown below is the same ifinstalling on a brand new PC with no OS, you can just ignore the part about replacing Windows. Installation process The installation process for all versions of Linux is largely the same. Ensure that your installation media (OVD or USB Flash Drive) is inserted and tell your computer to boot into it. We are going to install Ubuntu. Insert your DVD or attach the USB Flash Drive to Your PC will now startup, Instead of running your PC and shut down Windows. The process is the Windows you will see a menu with Try Ubuntu and same for both types of installation media but we are using the Install Ubuntu options. Ifyou are installing from DVD they wll USB Flash drive that we created. Stat up your PC and hold down belarge icons, fyou install from USB Flash drive it will be a text the button you use to interrupt Startup and access the BIOS. ‘menus Either way pick Try Ubuntu. ue Ifyour PC has an option to choose a Temporary Your windows PC will now boot into Ubuntu and Startup device, ke our Lenovo ThinkPad, then display some keyboard shortcuts. Click the °X” icon press the key to pick it. Choose the DVD Drive, ours is ATAPI CDO, to get rid of them for now. You are now running in Try Ubuntu and press Enter. Ifyou do not have a Temporary Startup device ‘mode and can experiment withthe operating system. Itisnot you will need to head into your BIOS and set your PCto boot installed fully and won't save any files. from the DVD before your hard drive 120.Installing Linux on a PC Before you stat the installation it's a good idea to Double-click the install Ubuntu 14.04.4TS con on ‘connect to your local network. Connect an the desktop to start the fll installation process. ethernet cable or cick the Wi-Fl icon in the top right and Ensure that English i selected in the Welcome screen and click choose your network. Enter your W-Fi password and click Continue. Select "Download updates while installing” and Connect. A notification should display Connected in the top “instal this third-party software” and click Continue. Fight ofthe desktop. Replacing Windows You are now ready to get rid of Windows and install Linux. Following these steps erases Windows from your hard drive, so be sure to save any files on the Windows system that you want. ‘The Installation Type window will display “install Linux will take a guess at your keyboard layout Ubuntu alongside Windows 10° tis tempting but based on your location. Make sure itis correct and do not pick this option, There are numerous problems when lick Continue. n the “Who are you?” window enter your name trying to run both operating systems together. Follow our and fill out the Choose a password and Confiem your password Virtualization Tutorial fyou want both a the same time. Instead fields. Click Continue to start the installation process pick “Erase disk and install Ubuntu’, Click nstall Now and this warning sreen will The installation process now begins and Ubuntu ‘appear. Itistliingyou that it will destroy all data on displays a Welcome to Ubuntu 14.04 screen. A ‘your main harddrive and format new partitions. You don't want status bar along the bottom fils up asthe various installation ‘Windows anyway so click Continue, The next window asks you to procedures take place. The installation takes around half an Confirm your location; pick the correct city and click Continue hour, depending on the speed of your system. Click Restart Now when ithas finshed to start using your new Linux computer.ee U4 a | | | YY 20 Essential Apps The Windows Store is crammed full of useful apps for your computer, from well-known names like Spotify to litle known but extremely useful apps like Pin More. Over the next few pages we will take a look at some of the best, Cre ee ee eee ee Cee aaa ae ey UDP Ce Flipboard is one of those apps you will wonder how you lived \without. You can browse through categorised news items and in that way it's similar to Windows 10's own News app. Thatis where the similarity ends, as will b able to create curated ‘magazines? Peete Meet ean ee) you can have the same information on phone and desktop. Price: Free aera ee notifications about what we are selling, plus auctions we are See ee eee) ‘auction site, so don't expect the abil to alter your PayPal account details, but you can do all the essential stufincluding viewing and ees eee TUNEIN RADIO Price: Free ete emer Ms ee ug favourite stations than through your PC? Not only does Tuneln Radio give you access to all ofthe major DAB radio stations, you Pee eee eee ac ‘of radio stations are divided up by region and many more. Pee eh eres Pe ssa} =e ait Cs Unleash your inner creativity with Fresh Paint, the ultimate canvas, for your big ideas, Fresh Paint sa fun and easy way to paint, with Reg eee Meer era) photos into beautiful paintings or choose an activity pack to help ee ecu nt eager amazing landscapes, Fresh Paint enables you to create anything.ee NEWS REPUBLIC Cet Cen eee ete ec eee sawyyreader and one of our favourites. This s mainly because the ‘app recognises that content is king. News Republic truly gives Ree ae ee rn palling together the best elements of a visual newsreader and a er ene eet) > News nope. iis] c) tice Navigating the huge amount of news, memes and random Peat tay TL eee ts ee alee ale eat er eS Pee ee ee yes Cr Rea er tens Re Gn a een eee TOUCHMAIL Cay Turn your Gmail, Hotmall, Yahoo and others into colourful, visual tiles that you can explore with your fingers or mouse. Rich 3D Rema ceear e t ee eT) easiest way to keep your inbox clean and browse your emaitina pee eee eet cn Oreo a nT Mec eae oes 20 Essential Apps PHOTOFUNIA Cites Came ee ne ae eae ees ‘produce animated and fun images instantly with ease, using your ‘own photos, abit of imagination and siliness! PhotoFunias free ‘and very easy to use. Just select an effect you like from over 300 different ones, select your photo and PhotoFunia will handle the esc ‘re PIN MORE ere oer) Cae ee a acca n aed documents, document folders and websites to your Start screen. ee ea eee een Acey Cre tee acu Ee ee eo ee ets for your favourite websites displaying their latest news. DUOLINGO Price: Free Nee we eee Portuguese, italian or English in possibly the most effective way we've Be Een oe No a cree CMe eR een en eee se Ler eee tT complete each leven order to unlock the following one. ae FrayTH el Ua eesced Nl Ccd 1)! ni) ian Cee otro to ce ee es Osetia Lie Mee tas that also enables you to access your media on different devices. You can also play all our media through the app. Plex apps exist for many phones and tablets including i0S, Android and Windows Crees Lae ANTS Ces LINE reshapes communication, bringingyou laser to your family, friends and loved ones fr fre. With voice and video calls, messages ‘and a variety of stickers, you will be able to express yourseFin ways tae es etl ey Ce aaa Mn pee eee Gi! NETWORK SPEED TEST Cee Network Speed Test measures your network delay, download speed and upload speed. Using servers all over the world, Network eee ee eee IT) or eC ene Dee Test ill tell you what activities you might be able todo, such as stream music or make video cals Fer OPENER PRO Ce (Open ZIP & RAR fils in seconds and create archives with a single tap, Thisis the Rolls Royce of file utilities, with a simple interface De Eee Te greet ec pee eee erat ey does not clog up your PC. MAKE ZIP YUM YUM Cr ee ace erie oe Nu ed Seer ua erie) ee eee rts Meee ter Lue Tet Cheese mentees acct ur a aes Cn eee ea ery that canbe used to store ideas, make lit (as the name suggests), plan holidays, develop projects and more. 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