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The basics of building a Gaming Desktop PC. [WALKTHROUGH]

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The basics of building a Gaming Desktop PC. [WALKTHROUGH] Empty The basics of building a Gaming Desktop PC. [WALKTHROUGH]

Post by The_gh0stm4n Fri 05 Oct 2018, 01:44

*WARNING* the following guide is mainly intended for educational/illustration purposes. If you don't feel confident enough in doing this, then just don't. There is a lot that can go wrong, such as danger of wrecking your precious PC parts due to electrostatic discharges. Proceed at your own risk.

Extra note - the guide focuses on AMD-components, though references and comparisons to Intel-components are made as well on occasion.


The basics of building a Gaming Desktop PC. [WALKTHROUGH] Jedt51E



This is going to be a lengthier guide, and most of you reading this are going to be new to this topic (you are also the primary intended audience, for this topic). The aim is to build a decent gaming desktop PC for as little money as possible. I don't care about your fancy "benchmarks", so you can miss me with that. Haters gonna hate  This is about good performance for a decent price. I'm only going into the actual computer itself, not to any peripheral devices, screens, etc.

Since this guide is intended for beginners I have made (over)simplifications from time to time as well as using arbitrary labels/terms.

In the course of this I will try to cover a lot of ground, starting with basic preparations, going over to the importance and danger of electrostatic discharges, next with descriptions of individual components, the actual assembly of the parts, and some final remarks as well.

Without further ado, let's start:




1. Preparations / Crash course in static electricity

Those of you regularly using cars or similar vehicles as a means of transport have certainly noticed it at times: you want to get out of the car, touch the door handle in order to open the car door and...ZAP! You get a slight shock. This is a form of static electricity as well, usually created by friction between you and your clothing/the inner parts of the car. More precisely, we call this an "Electrostatic Discharge" (ESD).

This static electricity can "charge up" on us all in doing various daily activities (unless you work in one of these fancy laboratories with their anti-static mats, floors, workbenches, clothing/wristwraps, ionized air, etc.). At home, something as simple as the friction that is created when walking over a carpet floor could create static electricity. 

Note that that the very short "zapping" you feel is dangerous for sensitive electronic parts, such as motherboards. Even if you don't feel any zapping, you could be charged up...still potentially enough to damage your sensitive PC parts.

Most of the people reading this are going to be newbies, therefore I don't assume that any of you are using fancier equipment such as these anti-ESD wristwraps. What you should do at home is to prepare yourself and your environment for this phenomenon. Reduce the possibility of creating static electricity, and also have a way of discharging yourself as well. But first things first.



Static electricity occurs (more frequently) in situations such as...

- Rooms/environments with dry air. Note that this tends to happen in autumns/winters more often because of the heating
- people wearing woolen clothing and artificial fibers such as polyester/nylon, etc.
- shoes/sandals made of rubber are not recommended either
- rubbing your hands against wool/polyester/nylon, or even plastic such as cellophane
- walking on carpet floors or otherwise working with, or on them
- the above-mentioned cars with their car seats made of artificial fibers and plastic interiors
- petting furry animals such as cats or dogs
- brushing dust with brooms 
- I suppose scratching any hair you might have, as well
- and I guess a million other things. But if you keep these rudimentary guidelines in mind for home purposes, it should give you an idea.
- P.S. a lot of modern PC components like motherboards have safeguards in them that can take a limited amount of electrostatic discharge before eventually being busted. DO NOT RELY on that alone though. This is intended as a last-ditch fail-safe only. 



So what can you do to avoid or mitigate these things as much as possible?

- Air is a crucial factor in the topic of ESD. If you don't have an air humidifier device, try boiling water and let the steam dissipate into the room. Should help a little bit.
- Avoid woolen clothing when you intend to work on computer parts, and things like polyester/nylon as well. Using cotton is better.
- Being barefoot while working on computer can be an option; I simply used cotton socks throughout the guide below.
- I worked on a wooden table, with a wooden floor underneath, and a wooden chair. It's not optimal either, because a lot of wooden furniture these days is prepared with various coloring to make it shiny and more resistant I suppose. But this usually colorless treatment of wooden furniture can have the potential for charging you up as well.
- Also, try avoiding working on computer parts, in rooms with a carpet floor
- And yes, don't work in cars as well
- For the duration of you working on computer parts, I recommend locking out any furry animals temporarily
- If you want to undust computer parts, never use these please (Example picture). Only use canned air, google for it.
- Avoid scratching yourself and your clothing if at all possible
- Sensitive electronic components are sometimes delivered in so-called "anti-ESD bags", which help preventing being charged up during transportation. Leave your PC parts in these bags, until you are ready to assemble them.
- One last thing maybe: please only touch components such as the motherboard on the edges. Avoid touching the actual integrated circuits located all over the board (except on the edges). But this should also help mitigating dangerous ESDs. 


The basics of building a Gaming Desktop PC. [WALKTHROUGH] UCgy0Yf


There are like additional things that some people mention on occasion such as using hand moisturizer cream, or applying hairspray on your clothes beforehand, etc. I'm not sure what to think of these things though.

So, once you (hopefully) got an understanding of what static electricity is and how to avoid it as much as possible, there is another necessary thing. Remember the above paragraphs: just because you don't feel any "zapping" doesn't mean there is no static electricity on you. In addition for the preparations, you will need to have a source on which you can discharge static electricity. 

This is a complex topic, and I strongly recommend you do some reading on your own. But for the purposes of this introduction, some basics should suffice.

In the area of electrical bonding/grounding, the idea is to connect metallic objects (that are NOT supposed to have any electricity in them) such as water pipes or radiators in a way, as to prevent electric shocks. In the event that electricity somehow makes its way into a metallic heating radiator and you touch this thing you could get zapped - but this time, quite seriously. So what is typically done, is to "ground" these items. In very rudimentary terms, imagine a separate wire or other metallic connection that transports any electricity away from these metallic things, and into the earth where the electricity dissipates. I'm not sure about international standards when it comes to building and setting up electricity safeguards, so feel free to ask in your local area around or enlist the help of an electrician.

Again: the basic idea of grounding is to transport electricity away from the metallic object, and into the ground. 

So what can you do, to intentionally discharge any static electricity you may have built up? You'll need to touch a metallic conducting object that is grounded. Conducting metals are for example iron or copper. You should also prefer unpainted objects. Again, if you are not sure what exactly is grounded in your living place, ask an electrician and/or the person responsible for maintenance of these systems. In my case, I know that all radiators are grounded, so I touched the unpainted part of it. 

Depending on the situation though, radiators/heating systems though may have an increased level of electrical resistance in them. For example, it's typical to use some kind of fiber sealing in these pipes to avoid leaking, and in theory this could lead the radiator pipe not being 100% optimal for discharging static electricity. Enlist the help of an electrician (again); they will have specialized tools to measure various electrical characteristics such as the  "Ohm"-value, which stands for electrical resistance.


The basics of building a Gaming Desktop PC. [WALKTHROUGH] GK3JoRP


Other things suitable at least in my environment for discharging static electricity. Like these tiny grounding-rods in each power socket (again, I don't know to what extent other countries handle these things, I'm only speaking about my own environment).

The basics of building a Gaming Desktop PC. [WALKTHROUGH] HRK5GQ7


There is also a grounding-connection away from my main water supply pipe, which can also be touched for a quick discharge. For many of you, especially those living in apartment buildings, you're not likely going to have access to that pipe, unless you're part of the maintenance personnel I guess. As an alternative, look below any sinks in your living place. If there are metal water pipes, you could touch those as well.

The basics of building a Gaming Desktop PC. [WALKTHROUGH] Oaw584u


If all else fails, I suppose you could also walk outside each time and briefly touch a streetlight-pole. Or maybe even sticking an iron pipe into the earth and touching that. There is also the concept of letting static electricity let itself dissipate into the air, and which can be accelerated if the air is humid enough. For a guide like this though, I would not rely on this concept, so I still recommend touching a grounded metallic (and preferably unpainted) object.

Note that for increased safety in the following guide, I have touched the metallic part before each individual step of handling the parts and assembling the PC. If you use a screwdriver or any other tools, I'd suggest you discharge the tool(s) as well before every step, by bringing the them into contact with the metal


And since the intention of this guide is more to give a first impression on what needs to be done, please do more research on your own. It's quite an interesting topic, for me at least. What a Face




2. Individual descriptions of each component

2.1. The PC case

This part encases your entire inner hardware components. The basic idea of the part is to prevent people from touching any inner component (depending on the situation, this could be dangerous and be electrically hazardous), but also to enable a certain level of airflow out of the case so as to reduce temperatures created by the inner components, even more.

When you select a PC case, my suggestion is you choose an "ATX case"; read the description in the offer you are considering. If you choose such an ATX case, you will have more flexibility later on when it comes to choosing a motherboard. Choosing a smaller case may look 'cute' (for some people I guess), but you may get problems down the road. My own case is in an ATX-format; couldn't tell you the exact make/model, it was fairly cheap though.

Typically, PC cases have a number of USB ports (often on the front side) plus the familiar green and pink connectors for headphones/speakers and microphones, respectively. Sometimes there is one - maybe more - built-in ventilation fans, that help cool the system as well. And of course, the on/off switch is typically also part of the PC case.

The basics of building a Gaming Desktop PC. [WALKTHROUGH] QLA5fb7


The basics of building a Gaming Desktop PC. [WALKTHROUGH] AKyH4Ai



2.2. The Power-Supply Unit (PSU)

This part transports electricity to your computer. Oftentimes when you shop for parts like a graphics card, you will find notices along the lines of "[insert number here] Watts in Power Supply recommended". Most modern Power Supply Units have a 'power range' (to use a very simple term) between 350-1,000 Watts. If you are a hardcore gamer, then a 1,000 Watts power supply should be fine for you. If you however use the computer for office purposes only and light multimedia consumption, then 350 Watts should be enough for you. However, the vast majority of people are going to aim for a middle-ground between these two extremes. 

What you'll need to look out for is the "TDP" (Thermal Design Power) value on parts such as the CPU and GPU. The TDP value is provided in the form of a "Watt" number. For example, there are CPUs with a TDP of 220 Watts, graphics cards with a TDP of 200 Watts, etc. Simply stated, this value states what kind of energy a particular part needs, under maximum load. If you use a power-supply that is too weak to handle your other components, your computer will just shut off under heavy load.

Count the TDP values of the CPU you intend to purchase, plus the TDP from your prospective graphics card, and add maybe between 50-100 extra watts for the rest of your components, and you get an approximation of how many Watts your Power Supply Unit should be able to provide. 

TL; DR: my own super-cheap power supply can only handle 420 Watts (model "PowerMax 420"), but this is enough for my other parts. If you want to be on the safe side, go for something in the range of like 700-800 Watts for your PSU. 

I have already built in the power-supply, here:

The basics of building a Gaming Desktop PC. [WALKTHROUGH] G8QIjb5




2.3. The motherboard

This part kind of connects all your other components: the power-supply, the hard-drive(s), any optical drive(s), the graphics card(s), the RAM module(s), USB devices not connected to the PC case-ports, etc. 

It also contains 'settings' (usually called "BIOS settings") that determine certain functionalities of the other components. Such as what the booting order of connected devices is, what the clock speed of your CPU is, etc.

A Gigabyte 78LMT-USB3 R2 motherboard, which is in the "micro-ATX" format (and fits into the case very easily).

The basics of building a Gaming Desktop PC. [WALKTHROUGH] KCYTJ7Z


Typical components of a motherboard are a socket for the CPU, RAM module slots, PCI-E connectors (often for graphics cards), an Ethernet port, additional ports for headphones/speakers/microphones, and many other connectors for various power-supply and SATA cables.

The basics of building a Gaming Desktop PC. [WALKTHROUGH] L58YrF9


2.4. The Central Processing Unit (CPU)

A very small part, that is nonetheless crucial. It does all the calculating of the applications you work/play with, and it is kind of like the primary brain of your computer. Remember the last part above that spoke about "sockets"? Your choice of a CPU not only depends on how strong your power-supply unit is, but also what the socket of the motherboard is. 

The above motherboard has an AM3+ socket, so you'll have to look for CPUs with the same socket (read the descriptions again). Assuming you bought an 800 Watts Power Supply Unit, you should be fine with almost anything that the mainstream has to offer. Again, depending on what exactly you want to buy though, you have to do the math yourself.

I chose an AMD FX-8350. The maximum TDP of this CPU is 125 Watts.

The basics of building a Gaming Desktop PC. [WALKTHROUGH] EbkzZ65


And just in case some of you thought about using a CPU with a different socket...bear in mind that these socket types all have different physical characteristics. You are not going to fit a different socket-type CPU, in your motherboard. Compare the bottom of the AMD FX-8350 (left in picture), with the bottom of one of my old CPUs, and Intel i3 530 (the right one).


The basics of building a Gaming Desktop PC. [WALKTHROUGH] NCwtuPk


Just a brief note about "over-clocking"...I don't recommend doing so. The main reason is that if anything bad happens and it is found to have been caused by overclocking, it voids the warranty of the CPU. I don't know how Intel handle this, but at the time of me writing this, AMD does not replace damages caused by over-clocking. Other than that...I could try over-clocking the above CPU to 5.0GHz, but will it really improve performance that much, compared to the default clock speed of 4.0GHz? Besides, I'm not sure how well the CPU-cooler would handle the additional heat.



2.5. The CPU-cooler/fan

To my surprise, this was the most difficult part for me to select, at least in my own specific setup of motherboard/PSU/CPU. The problem were either dimension-related (too wide, too high), or they were not able to handle the TDP of my CPU. Apart from measuring your available space, also make sure to choose a CPU-fan that is suitable for the TDP that a CPU produces. 

The purpose of the CPU fan is to "take the heat" that a CPU produces, and to disperse it all over its (usually metallic) body. 

The basics of building a Gaming Desktop PC. [WALKTHROUGH] Nnb46XK


"Be Quiet Pure Rock Slim 120W TDP". I know what some of you are thinking now. "That's not exactly the TDP value of the above CPU". I say you only have to choose a CPU-fan that is "approximately" around the TDP value of your CPU. That apparent difference of 5 Watts isn't going to make a difference in practical life.

What is going to make a difference is, if you choose a monster-CPU with a TDP of over 200 Watts, and then only choose a CPU-fan that is suitable for CPU-TDPs of 70 Watts, or so. You get the idea hopefully.

Those among you who are new to this entire thing...will certainly ask now if there aren't any CPU-coolers shipped alongside the actual CPUs. The answer is: yes, very often there are CPU-coolers that are delivered in the same package as your actual CPU. But I do not recommended using these, so-called "boxed coolers". The one that came with my AMD FX-8350 was as loud as a jet engine. I even tried down-clocking the CPU in the BIOS to around 3.2 GHz; the default clock speed being 4.0 GHz. It helped a little bit, but was still super-annoying. And of course I was not intending to "nerf" my CPU unnecessarily (you kidding me?). I tweaked the BIOS settings merely as a test to see what - if anything - happens if I deliberately down-clock the CPU. I eventually ordered the above third-party CPU cooler, and I love it.

In certain special editions of CPU packages (that are more expensive than the default packages), they ship special coolers alongside their CPU. For example, I have seen some AMD CPUs packing "Wraith" CPU-coolers in them.

It's worth noting as well, that you should pay attention to CPU-socket compatibility as well. AMD CPU sockets have these hooks (the piece of metal in the above screenshot, in front of the box) to which the cooler needs to be attached. Intel CPU sockets have these typical plastic pins that you need to push into the motherboard. See my old CPU-cooler for an Intel i3 530:

The basics of building a Gaming Desktop PC. [WALKTHROUGH] TMw9b94


Very often though, third-party CPU coolers come with kits for both AMD and Intel sockets. In my case, there is another set of hooks, that contain plastic pins for Intel CPU-sockets.

Oh, and one more thing perhaps: NEVER EVER START UP A COMPUTER IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A CPU-COOLER PROPERLY ATTACHED AND CONNECTED. WHILE MOST MODERN CPUs HAVE SAFEGUARDS BUILT-IN TO REDUCE THE CHANCES OF OVERHEATING, DON'T COUNT ON THAT. YOU MUST USE A CPU-COOLER ALONGSIDE YOUR CPU. EVEN IF IT'S JUST A BOXED COOLER.



2.6. The Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)

What I call the secondary brain in your computer; responsible for processing everything that has to do with graphics. The choice of your Graphics Card will also depend what your Power Supply can handle. But there is another potential issue: namely space. Even if you have an ATX case, maybe it's an idea to purchase the graphics card as the last part, and measure the dimensions given in the description of the graphics card (length - width - height), against what is available in your specific situation.

Some higher-end graphics cards are pretty long, and you may end up with not being able to fit this part in.

An NVIDIA GTX 1050Ti. 

The basics of building a Gaming Desktop PC. [WALKTHROUGH] LbOIFql


You will notice that from any given graphics card there seem to be "different versions". In fact, these are just different manufacturers producing the graphics card under license (from either AMD or NVIDIA).

For example you could see an "ASUS NVIDIA GTX 1050Ti". Or a "Sapphire NVIDIA GTX 1050Ti". I say it doesn't matter what you choose in the end. Variations among these models are mainly in the color, the shape of the heatsink/cooling fan, and maybe in some other extras that are shipped alongside the GPU...such as maybe a specific free game key on Steam. Sometimes the heatsink in certain variations is longer, but yes. In terms of price, the differences between the apparent "variants" are not that great either. A new NVIDIA GTX 1050Ti, regardless if it's from Asus, Sapphire, MSI or whatever, costs at the time of me writing this piece, around 200 Euros.

Modern graphics cards virtually always already come with a fan/heatsink. So there is not need to buy a separate cooler for GPUs.

Extra note: you will often see in modern graphics card descriptions something like "PCI-E version 3.0". The newbies among you will then compare this to the above motherboard model and then say "wait a minute, the PCI-E socket on the motherboard only says 2.0 - does that GPU even work?". The answer is yes! You can use a PCI-E 3.0 GPU, on a motherboard that "only" supports PCI-E 2.0

As for TDP values, you can for example consult Wikipedia, as - interestingly enough - the TDP of a graphics card is not always provided in its product descriptions. In my case: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GeForce_10_series



2.7. RAM modules

These are modules that store data used at any given moment, by any application. While in theory hard-drives also store data, RAM modules operate a lot faster. You have to look at the RAM type that your motherboard supports, in my case it is compatible (only) with DDR3 RAM modules. 

But there is a possible catch: often there are problems with motherboard model compatibility, even if you choose the right type of modules. For example, there are RAM modules that only have their chips on one side (oftentimes these are so-called "single-rank modules"), but the motherboard requires RAM modules that are "double-rank". Then there could be general problems with a particular motherboard model, even if you choose a correctly-ranked RAM module-set.

I'm not sure how widespread this issue with single-rank vs. double-rank modules is these days; I myself have mostly seen RAM modules only that have their chips on both left & right. Still you should do careful research about motherboard compatibility as well. RAM manufactuers often provide (online) lists that state the compatibility of modules with specific motherboards.

Here are some "Ballistix Sport" DDR3 RAM modules (4 modules with 4GB of RAM each, making a total of 16GB of RAM):

The basics of building a Gaming Desktop PC. [WALKTHROUGH] QzXDLIz


I recommend using a number of identical RAM modules in your computer, instead of RAM modules with different specs. Yes, there are subtypes within RAM module maintypes (DDR3, DDR4, etc.). For example, RAM modules can vary in speed.

In addition, if you are a "gamer-person", max out your RAM module slots, and go for at least 16GB of RAM. Most modern motherboards should support at least 32GB of total RAM. If you are more the casual gamer, you are doing fine with just 8GB of RAM.



2.8. The hard-drive

This is where most of your "stuff" gets saved. There are HDDs and SSDs. The first category are hard-drives that have more filespace, but their ability to be read is slower. The second category has less filespace, but is very fast in terms to be read.

Unless you are, or intend to become, a super-hardcore gamer...I would suggest to go for a simple HDD. They have more filespace, they are cheaper, you can rewrite and delete files very often without worry. The increased read-performance from SSD drives is mostly going to be relevant only for hardcore gamers, in my opinion.

If you go for an SSD drive, bear in mind that you should not uninstall/reinstall apps too frequently, or even move around files/folders that much, as all these things can reduce the lifespan of the drive. I suppose one could see that as another disadvantage of SSD drives.

I simply chose a 2TB "Seagate Barracuda" HDD:

The basics of building a Gaming Desktop PC. [WALKTHROUGH] 3yXaJvB


The contraption below is supposed to connect the HDD, to the PC case. A piece of wide plastic that you push into the appropriate slot in the PC case, then apply screws to fix. The contraption also contains a small fan that is supposed to help cool the HDD, though I don't have this activated, or even plugged in.

Note that (because we were talking about RAM before), applications don't need all the data of a particular installation, all the time. RAM modules only need a portion of an installation, and this portion gets loaded into the RAM. There is the concept of virtual RAM, in which you can use a - preferably empty and additional - hard-drive, to compensate for a lack of enough 'real' RAM.

My own experiences with that were not very successful, as hard-drives are a lot slower than RAM modules. But stories are circulating from people who did kind of use an empty SSD drive in addition to the main hard-drive, and thereby managed to gain a modest performance boost.

I say, you should rather try investing in good RAM modules, as using hard-drives as a "partial substitute" for RAM modules is going to wear the drives down over time, and the performance boost not even remotely compensates for that.



2.9. Optical drive(s)

I simply took the CD/DVD drive & burner, from my old PC, and use this in my new system. Couldn't even tell you the make/model of it...  Suspect
And I hope I don't have to explain what this particular device is for.

The basics of building a Gaming Desktop PC. [WALKTHROUGH] Qt8VCJb


2.10. Thermal Paste

You may or may not have heard from this. But you may ask yourselves what any kind of "paste" is there for in a complex machine with lots of electronics? 

Look above at the picture with the CPU cooler. The small rectangular shape at the bottom is where this cooler connects with the CPU, transporting the heat away from the CPU. In theory, and if you install the CPU cooler correctly, the surface of the CPU should (almost) completely connect with the bottom of the cooler. So - in theory - the heat should be transported already, right? Well, almost.

In reality, when the CPU heats itself up, there may be small 'deformations', as the CPU surface and the cooler bottom maybe don't expand in the same way under heat. These are small deformations, and probably aren't going to be noticeable by a layperson. But what this could lead to is that not the entire surface of the CPU is "covered" anymore, under heat. And thermal paste is there to compensate for that phenomenon.

Arctic MX-2 Thermal Compound.

The basics of building a Gaming Desktop PC. [WALKTHROUGH] Tb505Ud


I bought the above tubes to be set for some time to come. The mainstream recommendation is to replace the thermal paste on the CPU (and GPU! yes, the same principle applies on GPUs as well) at least once a year. I would say, if you use the computer heavily and frequently, do it more often. Like every 3-4 months. 

So do you need thermal paste now, or not? It is not a 100% necessity; in theory you could do without. But then, my opinion is you should still go for it. One tube of the above cost me 4 Euros. It should last you quite a long time as well, even if you are a hardcore gamer.



2.11. But what about wireless network adapters, soundcards, and more??

This written guide is gigantic already, and besides, I am not using any of these items in my current computer setup. Feel free to do more research on your own, if you are interested in these extras. I use an Ethernet (LAN) connection for my internet stuff.



3. Assembly


Looking at the PC case, we kind of see 2 "compartments": the one below is the more spacious one, where your motherboard, optical drive(s) and hard-drive(s) are located.

The basics of building a Gaming Desktop PC. [WALKTHROUGH] RthqShj


The secondary compartment in the next picture, can be seen as a basic form of "cable management", in that you can put many of the cables through that second compartment, thereby reducing clutter inside your main compartment (and a better airflow, better cooling of parts, etc.).

You'll need to figure out how exactly the cables to be laid, my post is here to merely provide one possible illustration of how it can be done.

Also keep in mind that other PC cases or systems may have slightly differing systems for cable management.

The basics of building a Gaming Desktop PC. [WALKTHROUGH] RgzP78L


The Power Supply Unit usually goes to the part on the PC case, that has a rectangular opening-shape, at the back. Somewhere above I already posted a picture with the PSU being installed, but just for another illustration...hold the PSU with one hand, and apply the screws with the other hand. You can also also someone to help you hold this thing in position while you apply the screws. And if you apply them in a diagonal manner (e.g. apply the top left and then the bottom right screw), the PSU should be held in place already.

The basics of building a Gaming Desktop PC. [WALKTHROUGH] URpqQ4f


The cable on the Power Supply Unit that says "12V ATX", plus the cable from the PC case that says "HD Audio" are somewhat held in a top position, while the rest of the cables is routed through the secondary compartment, then out to the bottom into the primary compartment. I know this is difficult to explain in words and a video may be better), but please try nonetheless..

Later on, the connector with the yellow-black cables needs to go into the motherboard socket "ATX 12V", usually near the CPU-socket as well.

The other "HD Audio" cable later on needs to be fiddled underneath or over the motherboard, and to the bottom left of the motherboard, into the socket with the same name. 

The basics of building a Gaming Desktop PC. [WALKTHROUGH] 53WRgW5


The basics of building a Gaming Desktop PC. [WALKTHROUGH] 3VPNuwT


Now we'll attach the HDD with its contraption. Just push the contraption from the inside, and toward the front of the case (so it doesn't "stand out", over the motherboard later on). The holes on the side are for the screws (of course). Even though it's not clear from this picture, there is a more narrow "cage" down at the bottom of the case, that can hold 2.5'' drives. 

The basics of building a Gaming Desktop PC. [WALKTHROUGH] 406zMh9


Now on to the CD/DVD drive. This must be pushed from the outside, and into the case. So the other way round, compared to the HDD. And of course, that needs to be fixed with screws as well once you pushed it inside.


The basics of building a Gaming Desktop PC. [WALKTHROUGH] 314qyaA


Let's now leave the case for a moment, and assemble the motherboard and its immediate neighboring components, since it then becomes much easier to insert the motherboard. Think about the alternative: we could of course just put only the motherboard in as our next step, but we then have to fiddle with the CPU, the CPU cooler (the worst part) and the rest. 

Put the CPU into the motherboard socket. From the shapes at the bottom of the CPU compared to the shapes on the motherboard socket, you can determine the exact position of the CPU. Sometimes there is even a marking on the motherboard that matches an arrow in one of the corners of the CPU, or other information in the motherboard manual. If you get totally stuck, try all positions, there are just 4. Make sure to apply the CPU gently. Once you found the correct position for the CPU, push the little rod on the left forward, to fix the CPU in the socket. 

The basics of building a Gaming Desktop PC. [WALKTHROUGH] C6YT9BV



The basics of building a Gaming Desktop PC. [WALKTHROUGH] POkyUbV



Now on to the CPU-cooler. Apply some thermal paste at the bottom rectangle of the cooler. If you can't open the tube, use pliers (bound to happen with some types of thermal paste, especially if you opened a tube already). I probably put a little bit too much paste on it, but I can live with that. 

If you need a guide on how to apply thermal paste on a GPU, please read the other guide here. It's about one of my older GPUs, but the same principle still applies.

Back to topic: these 'standard' CPU coolers often have a metallic body plus a fan. Please consult the manual of your item on how to install the actual fan onto the metallic body. In my case it's just some hooks.

Put the CPU-cooler then on top of your CPU-surface.


The basics of building a Gaming Desktop PC. [WALKTHROUGH] BlYN90s


The basics of building a Gaming Desktop PC. [WALKTHROUGH] BjB5Ylk


Next, put the hook in the right position. Above the rectangle of the CPU cooler, there is a small shape on which you can rest these hooks, and it's on to fiddling. Hook it up to the side first, that is away from the black "lever".

The basics of building a Gaming Desktop PC. [WALKTHROUGH] RL2tAsb


Once you did that (again, this will require some fiddling), do the other side with the black lever. At first comes the hook (step 1), and then the push of the black lever (step 2), which will fix and hold the CPU cooler. Push it all the way - gently - to the other side. In my case, push the black lever from the base position on the left, to the fix-position on the right.

The basics of building a Gaming Desktop PC. [WALKTHROUGH] VX4PgyZ


Let's now connect the cable that goes away from the CPU-cooler, to the motherboard. Plug it into the socket on the motherboard that says "CPU FAN". Usually that CPU-fan socket is located very near the actual CPU socket.

The basics of building a Gaming Desktop PC. [WALKTHROUGH] K63smCN


So we installed the CPU and the CPU cooler now! Probably the trickiest motherboard-related connections. Let's now put in the RAM modules. Every RAM module is divided in parts of different lengths, with a bit of a gap in-between. Make sure to pay attention to that when inserting the RAM modules (there is literally only one possible position where a RAM module can fit in its socket).

Insert the modules gently, until the levers on each side in a RAM socket *lock*. That locking sound of the plastic levers can be heard normally. Not too loud of course, but just to give you an indicator that the RAM module was inserted and fixed properly.

The screenshot below as shows another interesting aspect: namely why you should pay attention to the dimensions of the CPU cooler, and parts in general. In my example, the CPU cooler comes close to being "over" the RAM slots. It is OK in my case, still, but a CPU cooler that was just slightly wider, would have rendered it difficult - if not impossible - to fill up all of the RAM sockets.

The basics of building a Gaming Desktop PC. [WALKTHROUGH] 2gFQOcj


On to the graphics card. You should see a slot named "PCI-Express" on the motherboard. This is where our graphics card goes. Again, there is only one possible position for the GPU to fit into that.

The basics of building a Gaming Desktop PC. [WALKTHROUGH] KCfAqpX


The PCI-E connectors of the GPU must sit properly, in the socket!

The basics of building a Gaming Desktop PC. [WALKTHROUGH] K43c8Vp


We should be good to go now! Let's screw the motherboard into the PC case. The 4 slots in the screenshot below, are meant for fixing the motherboard, to the case.

The basics of building a Gaming Desktop PC. [WALKTHROUGH] UI16QGF


You will need to do some fiddling again, to properly fit the connectors on the motherboard (USB, Ethernet, Audio, etc.) to the backside of the PC case. Once you fiddled enough, apply the 4 screws (these - like all screws and extra material - are usually contained within the same package/box, that your PC case was delivered with!). 


The basics of building a Gaming Desktop PC. [WALKTHROUGH] FhbvcrG



It's getting trickier now, not by much, but tricky enough if you are new to this. After the motherboard has been inserted in the PC case, we want to attach the cables of the PC case, to the motherboard.

Modern PC cases often come with cables for the following functions:

- power on/off switch, of course
- reset switch (reboots your computer with the press of a button - usually located on the front of the PC case - without you having to disconnect the power, in case of e.g. your computer freezes)
- USB 2.0/3.0 ports
- various LEDs that illuminate the power button or something else in the PC case
- audio sockets (headphone/speaker & microphone input)

I've made the next screenshot bigger than the others, hopefully it'll be clear. Look at the socket descriptions such as +PLED-, +HD-, +PW- and so forth, in the lower right part of the picture.



The basics of building a Gaming Desktop PC. [WALKTHROUGH] 7gAb8HA


Now look at the actual cables.


The basics of building a Gaming Desktop PC. [WALKTHROUGH] IfYnawQ


Now you need to fiddle each one of them, into the right slot. Make sure that the "+" or "-" cables go to the socket position, that denotes the same symbol. Power LED + and - go into the socket that says "+PLED-". Power SW CH goes into the socket "+PW-". HDDLED +- goes into the socket "+HD-". 

What if a cable does not have "+" or "-", but the socket says so? You can try orienting yourself to where the text imprint on the cable is. Look at the "known cables" that you managed to connect successfully. Does the text of other known cables with +/-, face towards you? Then the unknown cable must be placed such, that its text imprint faces towards you as well.

If you get totally stuck, consult the manual of the PC case and/or motherboard, or try googling your PC case and/or motherboard model for more information. This looks trickier than it is, but then again, most of the people reading this are going to be newbies (and those with enough experience certainly don't need this guide here).

After hopefully getting through this step, let's plug in the USB cables, of the case, into the motherboard. That should be more straightforward.

The blue cable that was left un-plugged, is for the USB 3.0 connector on the front of my PC case. Since I don't use any USB 3.0 devices (yet), I left it unplugged.

The basics of building a Gaming Desktop PC. [WALKTHROUGH] BxUHuJq



The HD Audio cable from the PC case, was fiddled under the motherboard (look at the 4th picture under chapter 3. "Assembly", above). And then connected into the "HD Audio" socket, in the lower left corner.

The basics of building a Gaming Desktop PC. [WALKTHROUGH] SgAWjZ1


On to the Power Supply Unit-cables. First we want the main power connector of the PSU, connected. Look on the motherboard for something like "ATX" or "On/Off Charge". The power supply cable is the one that is widest, so-to-speak. Look for the cable that has 2 rows of 12 pins, each. Plug it in, gently, as usual. 

Extra: should you want or need to dis-assemble the computer later on, you may find that removing that 24-pin PSU connector can be tough. Usually though, there is a plastic "lock", for a lack of a better word, that you need to hold or press downwards, while pulling the plug from the motherboard. This makes it easier to remove the plug.


The basics of building a Gaming Desktop PC. [WALKTHROUGH] NBKqDmH


The end-result is here:

The basics of building a Gaming Desktop PC. [WALKTHROUGH] J5vHLDC


Now we need to make sure to connect the right power cables, to the hard-drive(s) and optical drive(s) as well. To start with. These are "power connectors", which deliver energy for your drives to run.

The basics of building a Gaming Desktop PC. [WALKTHROUGH] 7UHKpj9


And the next are "data connectors", which are responsible for transferring actual data to be processed, to the devices.


The basics of building a Gaming Desktop PC. [WALKTHROUGH] Qo3x4pG


When you buy a motherboard, you usually also find a few of these data connector cables (blue). I took the red ones from my old PC, out of habit I guess? 


The basics of building a Gaming Desktop PC. [WALKTHROUGH] B3vSYLO


These two types of connectors are commonly referred to as "E-SATA" connectors.

Both the hard-drive and the CD/DVD-drive get a power connector, from the power supply. Plus, both drives need a data connector as well, that will be plugged into the motherboard.

Look again at the screenshot here:

The basics of building a Gaming Desktop PC. [WALKTHROUGH] BxUHuJq


On the bottom right, you can see sockets named "SATA"; that's where the data connectors need to be plugged in.

End-result?

The basics of building a Gaming Desktop PC. [WALKTHROUGH] KY52KVF


After everything is connected, close the left & right PC case-plates. The rest of the riff-raff like connecting the cables should hopefully be clear to you all, so I'll leave the guide at that.



4. Costs, outlook and performance

This setup plays GTA V / GTA Online at normal/medium settings (1400 x 900 resolution, very high texture quality, 2 x MSAA, everything else on "normal") at an almost fluent framerate of 60 FPS. Even on very busy multiplayer lobbies with 20+ players. I surely could push the graphics "higher" and still get a decent framerate, but the game looks good as-is already. This rig is also more than suitable for my other 'gaming needs', which these days includes things like Overwatch. Make no mistake: this thing looks strong on paper, and it can handle most modern PC games at the time of me writing this. But it is technically, nonetheless, an outdated set of components.

Before anybody asks: yes, you can play The Sims games on highest settings, with this thing. Not that these games necessarily look better by cranking up the graphics sliders, but if that is what you want to do nonetheless, then yes, it is doable. Just be aware that in The Sims 3, loading into a savefile still takes a while with this thing (I hear that using an SSD drive reduces savefile loading times, so there could be one possibility for upgrading the above system even more).

The purpose of this guide is to illustrate basics of building a gaming desktop PC, including the selection of parts. The aim was to build a "gaming desktop" that would primarily be able to handle GTA V / GTA Online well, while also being as cheap as possible. Most people new to building PCs in the year 2018 are probably going to go for the newer AM4 socket-architecture from AMD (see these "Ryzen" CPUs). But yes, the above does well enough for me for the moment. I am aware though that maybe in 2 years already, if I still want to keep up with future game, the system may become too old, and I'll need to buy new stuff.

Here is a rundown of the costs in the above setup. All parts are new, unless stated otherwise.

- PC case: 30 Euros
- CPU: 85 Euros
- CPU-cooler: 30 Euros
- Motherboard: 65 Euros
- RAM modules (4x4GB): 120 Euros
- HDD (2TB): 60 Euros
- GPU: 150 Euros (bought that one used/"as good as new")
- Thermal paste, 3 Tubes: 12 Euros
- Power Supply unit: 20 Euros 
- CD/DVD-drive: ??? (took that one from my old PC, which was a pre-built system)

Arrow a total of around 572 Euros, not including the presumably no-brand CD/DVD-drive I took from my old PC. You could now of course see if there are pre-built systems in that range, but with comparable components. But I'll leave that to you. The figure should give you a first impression of what you may need, should you take the same or a similar route as me.

Good luck!

P.S. should you really find any factual errors in this guide, feel free to keep them post a reply down below.  Carlos is tha man
The_gh0stm4n
The_gh0stm4n
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