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These are the common screws that come with your case, use the fine
thread shouldered screw on the left for floppy drives, CD-ROMs and to mount your
motherboard. Use the short course thread screw in the middle
for most hard drives. Use the course thread shouldered screw on the
right for the case sides and to install cards. If the short hard
drive screws are not included with the case, obtain them from your
computer dealer before attempting to assemble the system. Hard drive
screws must not extend into the drive more than 1/4".
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Please remember that the internal
parts of your computer are static sensitive. Protect yourself from
static discharge with an antistatic strap or other device, and always
ground yourself to the case before touching the motherboard or other
internal parts. |
Step One: Assemble the motherboard and drives in the
case
Start by removing the sides of the case
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Remove the motherboard tray by removing the retaining
screws, and sliding the tray to the left before tilting it out
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Set the case body aside, and place the motherboard tray on your work
bench. Install the motherboard standoffs, and set the motherboard
on them, making certain to align the holes in the
motherboard with the standoffs. Make sure you are placing the
motherboard's external ports (printer, USB, keyboard, etc) on the
same end as the perforations for the cards along the back of the tray.
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Install the motherboard using the fine thread shouldered screws
and fiber washers. The washers are placed on top of the
motherboard. Do not over tighten.
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To install the CPU, raise the ZIF (Zero Insertion Force) socket handle and place
the CPU in the socket. Note the keyed corners on the CPU and the
matching corners of the socket. Carefully straighten any bent pins
on the CPU that resist insertion in the socket. Do
not use excessive pressure to insert the CPU. Now close the handle to lock the CPU in
place. |
Remove the protective cover from the heat tape if
present, or apply a small amount of heatsink compound, then install the CPU fan clamping the metal clip carefully
over the plastic tabs on the ZIF socket. A properly installed CPU
fan
sits level, and does not override the ZIF socket lip. If you do
not have heatsink tape, or heatsink compound, obtain some from your
computer dealer before proceeding. |
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Insert the memory chip into the DIMM slot. Note the keyed
slots in the memory chip and in the DIMM slot. Press the chip into the slot
until the levers at the sides lock into place.
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Set the jumpers per the motherboard manual, remember to
always reset the CMOS jumper (near the battery) or remove the battery
for a full 20 seconds before trying to boot the system.
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Set the motherboard tray aside and place the case body on your
workbench. Install the correct ATX plate for your
motherboard, and clear the knockouts as
required, don't forget the USB ports! |
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Knockout the drive bay covers for your 3.5" floppy
drive, and CD-ROM. Slide them and the hard drive into the case
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Place two screws in each drive on the right (non-motherboard) side. On
the left (or motherboard side) you may want to install only one screw in
the hard drive and floppy drive. This will make replacing those
drives later (for repairs and upgrades) easier to do without removing
the motherboard again.
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Reinstall the motherboard tray into the case. Align the tabs in
the body of the case with the openings in the bottom lip of the
motherboard tray and tilt the tray in. Slide the tray to the right
until the external port extend through the ATX plate. Now is the
time to check the ports to make sure you cleared all the knock-outs
required. Nobody wants to remove the motherboard when the system
is done, just because they forgot to knock out a sound port, or USB
covers!
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Step Two: Route your cables and connect the power
Connect the power from the power supply to the
motherboard, hard drive, CD-ROM and floppy. Note that each
connector is keyed to fit correctly in the devices. The hard drive
and CD-ROM connectors are the same. These instructions are for an
ATX system. (If you are building an AT system, the twin power
connectors for the motherboard must be installed with the black wires
next to each other, serious damage can result if they are reversed.)
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Connect the power to the fan, some connect to the power supply some (as
shown) connect to the power on the motherboard. Route the power
cables and tie them up so the fan and heatsink have unrestricted airflow
around them.
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Insert the IDE cables and floppy cables into the motherboard, note the
direction of pin one as mentioned in the motherboard manual, the red
line on the cable indicates pin one on the cable. Find pin one on
the drive (check the drive itself, as a rule pin one is closest to the
power connector). The floppy cable usually has two or more
connectors. To make a drive "drive A", use the 28 pin
connector near the end of the cable that has a few wires reversed, to
make it "drive B" use the connector wit no wires
reversed. If there are large slotted connectors on the cable they
can be used to install the old style 5.25" - 1.2MB floppy drive. |
Make sure all cables are tied down and that air flow
around the CPU, and video card are unrestricted. |
Many motherboards come with separate serial
connectors. To install, remove a card door, connect the cable to
the motherboard (remember to check for pin one/red line on cable!), and
screw the port into the open door. Be sure to use a door that you
don't need for any of your cards. |
The completed assembly should look something like
this. Now you can test boot the system before adding your cards. |