Building your PC, Part 1

Once you get all the parts together, you'll want to start building. There's a few things to note before the building commences. First, make sure you are somewhere that static electricity can't form. I built mine on a wooden desk on a hardwood floor. Second, make sure there is some metal piece without electronics on it. This will be what you touch to get rid of any potential static. Computer parts don't like static and won't work after being exposed to it. The metal piece could be the computer case itself if you'd like. Once you have those things, make sure you have a screwdriver on hand and then you'll be ready to begin!

The first thing you'll want to do is carefully unpack the motherboard. This is the part that is like your central nervous system, it makes sure everything runs right. Set this piece on the work surface so the metal parts are facing up to the ceiling. The next thing you'll want to carefully remove from the packaging is the CPU, or Central Processing Unit. This small part is like your brain, it tells everything else what needs to be done. The CPU fits on the motherboard usually near the middle. There should be a square of black plastic or something similar with a metal arm attached. Lift this metal arm out of it's holder and gently lift up. The black piece may come out, that's fine, it would be in the way of the CPU anyway. After that's done, the CPU should fit nicely into the spot that is left as long as it's aligned properly. There is a small arrow in a corner of the CPU that matches a similar arrow on the motherboard. The metal arm then returns to where it was. This may require some pressure, don't worry, it's normal. You won't break the CPU that easily.

The next part you need to unpack is the RAM, or Random Access Memory. This keeps things you need over and over very quickly. For example, if you're playing a game, the textures of things will be stored here when they aren't directly in use. There are 2-4 slots where these fit, typically close to the CPU slot. You should be able to tell by looking at the bottom of the sticks at the part that looks like an old cartridge game. They should go in slots 2 and 4 or slots 1 and 3. NEVER mix RAM in slots 2 and 3 or any other combo besides 2 and 4 or 1 and 3, it won't work properly.

In the next post, I will cover what happens after affixing these things to the motherboard. We're only a small portion of the way through a whole build.