How to build a PC
Dakota Wellman

There's a common misconception that buying a PC prebuilt is better than building your own. In most cases computers are around $300 more than if you were to build it yourself as the retailer needs to make profit. To build a computer you need to shop for components. The components needed to make a working computer are as follows. A CPU, RAM, Storage, Motherboard, Case and a PSU. You may also want to include a GPU but it's optional. Good ways to find parts is to look up budget builds on youtube, shop on pcpartpicker.com, and bother newegg tech support.

You may want to ground yourself before you start. To ground yourself you can touch the sides of something metal while building. Or you can use a anti static wristband. The reason it is recommended to ground yourself is because pc parts vulnerable to static electricity.

	Now that you have all your parts and you are ready to build. Find the motherboard box and open it with care. Do not rip the box as motherboard suppliers need this if you want to return your board. Pull out the motherboard and close the box. Take the motherboard out of the antistatic bag and gently lay the motherboard on top of the box to begin working.
The first component we will install is the CPU (Central Processing Unit). To install the CPU, go to your motherboard and find the CPU socket. The motherboard should have a plastic piece already in the socket. To take this out you need to lift the metal arm out of the way and the plastic piece should pop out. Do not throw this piece away, motherboard suppliers require this if you want to RMA or return your board. Now get the CPU box and take the CPU out. Make sure to not touch the top or the bottom of the CPU. Make sure to grab the processor (CPU) by the sides. There are thousands of tiny pins at the bottom that you can bend, even one bent pin can result in your cpu not working. Find the triangle or dot on the corner of the CPU, there is also a triangle or dot on the motherboards CPU socket. You need to match these corners up to make sure you installed the CPU correctly. When you lined the corners up gently drop the cpu in the socket and don't add any force. Just lock the metal arm back down on the CPU and your done.

Now we will instal the RAM (Random Access Memory). The cpu should have 4 slots for memory. To install your RAM toggle the plastic retention clips at the end of the slots. If you have 2 RAM sticks then you want to space them one slots a part. If you have 4 sticks you want to fill in all the slots. Do not touch the golden connector at the bottom of the memory stick. The memory should have a gap in the bottom, on the motherboard there should be a plastic piece the size of the gap. You want to line these up and push the memory in until the retention clips click back to place. This takes a lot of force so don't be scared to push it in there. That's all for the RAM.

Now that your Memory is installed it's time to install the CPU cooler. Some coolers have thermal paste already applied to the heatsync but if there is no thermal paste already applied you need to apply it yourself. Thermal paste goes right on top of the cpu. To install thermal paste get the thermal paste and squeeze out a pea sized dots in the middle of the CPU. Any more thermal paste can seep out of the sides and cause damage. The reason we use a pea sized dot in the middle is because when the cooler presses down on the cpu it spreads out equally. Most cooler have clips but every cooler is different so make sure to read your manuals for both your motherboard and your CPU cooler. When you are done installing your cooler you can now install your motherboard into your case.

Now that you installed your RAM and your CPU with the cooler. You can now install your motherboard into your case. Take the side panel of the case and make sure the standoffs are installed. Standoffs are little screws where the motherboard screws in. If standoffs are not installed the motherboard will come in contact with the case and this can cause damage. If you need to install standoffs they should be in a bag with your case. Once the standoffs are installed you need to install an IO shield. These things are a pain to install. To instal it find the Opening for the IO shield on the case and push the shield in. Make sure to push around the edges to not bend it. Npw the motherboard can be placed into the case. Take the motherboard and gently lay it on the case. The holes in the motherboard for screws should match up with the standoffs. Get the screws for the motherboard and screw the motherboard into the case make sure to screw them in tight but not too tight to break anything. Make sure the motherboard cant move around in the case.

Now that you have your CPU, CPU cooler, and memory installed. You can move on to storage to get that out of the way. Every case is different and has different places for storage so it is important to look around your case and read a manual if the case comes with one. Hard drives (HDD) are usually installed in slots on the bottom of sides of the case. On the other hand solid state drives (SSD) are usually hidden somewhere and screwed on to the case directly. Since every case is different read your manuals to ensure you installed the storage correctly.