Build your own PC like a pro by following this guide

When you have decided to buy a new PC, most online stores give you the option of paying an extra to receive it assembled. However, if you want to save that money and do it yourself, in this step-by-step guide we are going to teach you what you should do to assemble your own PC by parts avoiding any problem that may arise and that you have a professional result.

In this guide, suitable both for beginners who have not assembled a PC in their life and for users already experienced in the matter, we are going to tell you everything you need to know to assemble your own PC in an orderly way to avoid any possible problem that may emerge and that, when you finish, the team starts the first time and without complications.

How to assemble a PC yourself by parts

Like tools, you will need at least a Philips "star" screwdriver, and it is also advisable to have cable ties to organize the cables and cutting pliers to cut the excess of these. You really will not need anything else except that some of the components you have chosen for your new PC have a special mounting system, in which case it is usual that the necessary tool is included for this.

First steps: prepare all the components

The first thing we recommend you do is to remove all the hardware from its packaging so that you have it prepared in advance and thus avoid having to stop to remove a component from its box before installing it. In this way, you will spend about 10 minutes preparing everything but then you will avoid having to stop when you are already working on the assembly.

The first component you should start working with is the PC case :

• Remove both side covers.
• Locate the hardware (it usually comes in a cardboard box tucked into the hard drive rack).
• Prepare the brass screws in which the motherboard will be installed with its specific format, since not all boxes have them installed by default and a mATX board does not use the same as an ATX, for example.
• Install any additional fans in advance if you have them.
• Prepare the front wiring of the box and route it through the corresponding holes.

You can also do one more thing beforehand: install the motherboard I / O shield. This is included among the accessories of the motherboard and you must install it from inside the box, under pressure (it is very simple, do not go over pressure, put one side and then the other and it will enter easily). The hole in the box where to install it is rectangular (shaped like the shield) and is generally located under the rear fan.

Start by working with the motherboard before mounting it

When you are about to assemble a PC in parts, it is essential to do it in a specific order, since if, for example, you installed the graphics card before the processor heatsink, it would get in the way when anchoring it. Thus, after having prepared the box, the idea is that you start working with the motherboard since there are some things you can do on it before mounting it that will then facilitate the subsequent work.

Take it out of its box and its antistatic plastic; You can rest it on its own box and plastic without problems, but be careful not to hit it or put too much pressure on it. The first thing you should do is install the processor beforehand; If you are using an Intel socket, lift the socket cover and remove the protective plastic, then note which corner of the processor is a mark and match that of the socket. Gently place the processor on top of the socket and close the lid. For AMD processors, lift the rod, put the processor in place making sure that all the pins go in without difficulty, and then close the rod again.

Before installing the motherboard in the box there are still a few things you can do, such as if you have an SSD in M.2 format, it is advisable to install it now as it will be more comfortable for you. The same happens if you have an air heatsink, the ideal is to install it before mounting the motherboard since it will be much more comfortable, as well as the RAM memory that is simply "pricking" each module in its socket.

Obviously, all this can be done with the motherboard already installed in the box, but doing it with the motherboard outside is much more comfortable and convenient to save you time since if the motherboard is mounted in the box it will cost you more to do all this. Not that it is a problem, but this way you save the time it takes and reduces the difficulty, and with it the possibility of making mistakes.

Proceed to assemble all the PC parts

At this point, you can start to assemble all the hardware, and ideally, start with the motherboard. It is important that the I / O shield is already installed and that you have previously prepared the brass brackets to anchor the plate. Once this is done, take the board from the right side (the opposite of the ports) and carefully insert it diagonally, making these ports coincide with the I / O shield. Lay it down carefully and the holes in the plate should match the brass brackets; if everything goes as it should screw the motherboard in place.

Now, before continuing to install other hardware components, it is time to make most of the connections, and it is the best time because you will not have other components in the way and it will be easier for you to route and fix the cables. Start by channeling the case's front ports (USB ports, front panel connections (power, status LED, and reset), and the HD Audio) out of the hole closest to their connection port, and plug them in.

For all connections, we have a complete tutorial that will show you where all the motherboard cables go that we recommend you consult if you have questions.

With everything connected, if you did not do it previously or if your heatsink is a liquid cooling it is time to mount it since they are quite bulky components and it is better to do it when there are not too many things involved yet.

The next step is to mount the power supply; If it is not modular, the ideal is to first assemble the source itself and then connect and channel each cable separately, but if it is modular, we recommend doing it the other way around: first, connect the cables to the motherboard and leave the other components ready if necessary, and mount the power supply afterward. We recommend this because many times when you are going to assemble a PC by parts, you are not sure how many power cables you will need.

We recommend that the first cable you connect is the 20 + 4-pin ATX since it is the most voluminous and complicated to the channel, and in fact, we recommend that you connect the end of the motherboard and channel and fix the cable with cable ties to the box individually, since otherwise and especially if your box does not have much space behind it, it could give you problems closing the side cover due to its thickness. After this, the idea is to connect the 4 + 4-pin EPS, and we recommend channeling it completely behind the motherboard, vertically, since the connector of the motherboard is usually in the upper left corner, almost attached to the shield I /OR.

If you have storage devices other than M.2 (since they go directly to the board and do not need cabling), leave the power cables and the SATA cables ready, connecting them already to the source and motherboard respectively and channeling them to reach the device mount point. Once done you can proceed to mount the hard drives that you are going to use.

At this point, you are practically finished, since it only remains to install the graphics card. Remove the bezels from the box that match the PCI-Express socket you are going to use and simply "poke" it into the socket, then screw it onto the box. Once this is done, you just have to connect the PCIe power cables you need and you are done.

Once this is done, you can close the side covers of the equipment, connect it and it will be ready to go.

If you have followed this guide without having any experience, you will have realized that actually assembling a PC in pieces is not excessively complicated as long as you are methodical and that it does not actually take too long (it takes almost longer to design and route the cables than in everything else). For an inexperienced user, the assembly of a PC can easily take a couple of hours, but when you have the experience you will see that in just 30 minutes you will have it ready.