Example Computer Build Page Four

Most mainboards have a connector for a small speaker. This is the speaker that makes the single beep when your computer starts up. If your case has a speaker dont forget to connect it.

The P1 power connector is the biggest connector block your power supply has. Plug this into your mainboard.

Connect the 4 pin auxillary power connector to the mainboard.

Connect the SATA data cable and power cable into the hard disk drive. This can be seen in greater detail in the Hard Disk page in the hardware section.

Connect the other end of the SATA data cable to a SATA port on the mainboard. They are usually numbered and this number will be seen plainly on the mainboard somewhere near the port. Start at the lowest number and work your way up if you have more than one drive.

Connect the IDE Ribbon cable to the mainboard. Note that one end of the connector on the mainboard has a slot that corresponds to a raised ridge on the ribbon cable. These must line up for the cable to be connected properly.

Connect the IDE ribbon cable to the rear of the DVD or CD drive. Note that once again there is a slot and ridge to aid in alignment. Connect the 4 pin molex power connector into the rear of the drive as well. This can be seen in greater detail in the Optical Drive page of the hardware section. As we are using a single drive on the IDE channel jumpering for master or slave is irrelevant, whatever it is set to will be fine.

All those cables can be a little messy and impede airflow through the case so a cable tie or similar to hold them more neatly is optional but certainly a step that wont hurt. Be carefull not to disconnect anything.

The computer is essentially complete, ready to be booted up and have an operating system installed on it. The machine can have its side covers put on but I recommend leaving them off until the operating system is installed just in case there are problems.

The above screen says "Press f2 to load defaults and continue", a wise choice for beginners. If the machine does not start run through the assembly steps again looking for connectors that may have been accidentally installed backwards or not firmly connected. Take the memory out and install it in another slot. If that does not help go to the computer repairs section for more information on troubleshooting.