How to build a Computer

This post shows how to build a PC. These are images from my personal PC built in January 2020. The hardware may be out of date but up until the point of posting, the concepts remain the same for any new system. As I have been building PCs for over 20 years, mostly as a hobby, please feel free to leave a comment if I have left out details that leave questions unanswered I may have taken for granted. If there is any demand to see this as a video, please leave a comment as well.

The components used in the build are shown below. The motherboard was actually defective. It would post and work in a stable manner with only 1 stick of memory. Having 2 sticks of memory installed would lead to instability. This would imply that the memory was potentially not compatible but this behavior persisted with memory sticks on the official compatibility list. When building a PC, it is important to purchase hardware from a supplier with a good return policy. Defective or even dead on arrival items are possible. While I did change to replace the motherboard with a Gigabyte model since I have had good experience with Gigabyte in the past, it is likely that a replacement ASUS board would have worked without issue. I do recommend an Anti-static band if possible and doing this on carpet but modern hardware tends to be a lot more resilient than we realize.

These are the parts initially used but the motherboard was eventually changed

• BeQuiet Pure Base 600 Case

• Corsair RM 850x Power Supply

• AMD TUF Gaming X570-Plus-WiiFi (eventually replaced by a Gigabyte X570 board)

• 16GB DDR4 RAM (2 x 8GB)

• 1TB M.2. NVMe SSD Drive

• 500GB M.2. NVMe SSD Drive

• Zotac Geforce RTX 2060 Super 8GB Video Card

Notes on parts selection: A CPU / Processor will be compatible with a particular socket (in this case AM4) and a particular motherboard chipset (in this case AMD X570). This is the same in the intel world, When researching the compatibility of a new CPU with an older motherboard chipset, ensure the correct BIOS version has been installed on the motherboard. A particular motherboard with a specific chipset will be compatible with a specific memory type and in some cases specific speeds (in this case, DDR4 3200Mhz). Most reputable motherboard manufacturers will have compatibility lists on their website listed memory modules that they have tested as compatible. A memory module not listed on the compatibility list does not mean the memory modules are not compatible, it just means that it may not have been tested by the manufacturer. Most video cards at this time of writing will be compatible with an x16 PCI Express slot. The size of the power supply required is driven by the power of the components selected. Every CPU and video card will have specific power requirements. There are numerous guides online to assist with determining how large a PSU is needed.

The BeQuiet case was chosen to have the system run as quiet as possible

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700x was among the most recent architecture at the time but new CPUs are generally released at least once per year

The processor was packaged very well

Various slots on the motherboard

The CPU socket has a metal bar that can be lifted to allow the CPU to be installed. The M.2. NVMe SSD drives actually need to be screwed in

Before installing the CPU, thermal paste should be carefully applied to the CPU

This is a modular PSU that allows you to use only the cables required. Other PSUs will have all the cables fixed to the main unit

This is the lower part of the case where the PSU will be installed

Larger slower spinning fans are normally used to reduce fan noise

It is important that no power be applied to the power supply when installing components. Power should only be connected to the power supply when the computer is finished and about to be powered on.

The back panel with the USB, network, audio jacks, etc. will line up with the back of the case

This panel came with the Asus motherboard to be attached to the back of the case. Each motherboard will have its own panel. I had to remove this panel and install the version that came with the Gigabyte motherboard when I replaced the motherboard

It is important to look at the mounting screw stand offs and ensure that the screws will line up with the screw holes on the motherboard. Ensure there are no standoffs that will be unused and touch the back of the motherboard. This may or may not cause unknown issues with the build. The space below the fan above is for the back plate

The back plate has been installed

These are the screw holes on the motherboard that should line up screw standoffs in the case.

Screw the motherboard in carefully while it is laying flat

Try to keep any cabling as neat as possible using zip ties if possible

There are many connectors on the motherboard that need to be connected to plugs that came with the case. When testing, only the basic connectors are needed such as Power Switch and Power LED. Connectors such as the USB connectors if your motherboard has them will only be applicable if your case has external ports and the cabling to connect to these connectors.

Zotac RTX 2060 Super Video Card

Video Card and Motherboard Power Cable attached. The video card does not yet have the power cable attached. Many high performance video cards are power hungry devices that require their own power connectors.

Video card power connector attached. Some motherboards have multiple power connectors on other parts of the motherboard

That orange light is a status LED on the ASUS motherboard. It indicated that there was a DRAM fault. These LEDs are very useful or troubleshooting. Ironically, the Gigabyte motherboard did not have any of the diagnostic LEDs or any LEDs but also never had any issues.

This status light showing GREEN after a successful post

The back panel after everything is installed

When dealing with a failed post situation, everything may power on but nothing shows up on the screen. This occurs because there are various checks that take place when the computer is booting and it has stopped at a particular point for some reason or another. These reasons are usually consistent. If you end up with a situation where booting happens in an inconsistent manner, some part is likely defective, incompatible or not installed correctly. Some motherboard chipsets such as this will specify which slots memory should be installed in when using more than one stick to ensure that dual channel performance or stability will be delivered as expected.

The ASUS motherboard had many beautiful LED lights

This is the replacement Gigabyte AORUS X570 Elite motherboard that I eventually used. It was strangely stable from the first moment it was turned on and has been 100% stable since. The RAM has since been upgraded to 32GB but adding 2x more 8GB sticks of the exact kind I had installed initially

This Gigabyte Motherboard installed. There are minor changes to the ASUS board but all major components are exactly the same. I found the system to be loud for my taste when under load as some fans would spin faster as needed. At this point, the computer is finished and the side panels can be installed.

I eventually replaced the stock AMD CPU Cooler with the cooler above while also installing a few larger quiet fans around the case.