How to build a PC

How to build a PC: a step-by-step guide to getting the job done.

1. Strip Down Case

2. Fan Installation

3. Mobo Installation

4. CPU Installation

5. RAM Installation

6. CPU Installation

7. Storage Installation

8. Power Supply Installation

9. Connecting components

10. Powering your PC

11. GPU Installation

12. Turn on your PC

13. Tidy Cables

14. Install Windows

15. Desktop maintenance

Quick steps

Assess what you need your PC for (gaming, content creation, streaming, etc) and ensure
that the required components are compatible with each other. Check you have all required
tools and a clean work surface

Start the build, following each step from mounting your motherboard to connecting case
accessories and fans.

Switch on the PC to make sure it works and launches into BIOS • Install the operating
system of your choice Tools

Requirements

A head screwdriver (though a set of screwdrivers is preferable)

1. PREPARE YOUR PC CASE

Strip down The first thing you’ll want to do is strip the case down as far as you can go.
Remove every panel that you can, and store them in a safe place (inside the case box is
the best bet). We recommend using a bowl (or a magnetic parts tray if you want to be
fancy) to hold your screws throughout your PC building process.

2. INSTALL YOUR FANS

If you’ve purchased some replacement or extra cooling fans, now is the time to install them
where you need them. Try to keep your cooling setup balanced, so there’s as much air
being drawn in, as is being blown out. In case you’re not sure which way the wind will go,
the plastic fan guards usually denote where the air will come through. Typically you want
two fans in the front drawing air in and at least one in the rear blowing air out. You could
also screw one or two more optional fans into the roof of the PC case for additional
exhaust if your PC case has mounting points for

3. INSTALL THE MOTHERBOARD Before we get to install one of the best motherboards,
you’ll want to check on a few things about your PC case. Check for pre-installed
motherboard standoffs, and ensure the number and arrangement of them conforms to the
holes found on your motherboard. Secondly, see if your PC case has a large CPU cut-out
or window cut into the back of the motherboard frame. If it doesn’t you may want to install
any CPU cooler backplates and M.2 solid-state drives at this juncture. Now that’s done, first
find your motherboard’s rear I/O shield, and push it into the rectangular slot in the back of
your PC case. Make sure it’s right side up by matching the pattern of cutouts to the
arrangement of ports on the back of your motherboard. Next, lay your motherboard down
inside the chassis – carefully lining up its rear ports with the corresponding holes in the I/O
shield you just installed – on top of the standoffs installed in your chassis. Then it’s a simple
case of securing the motherboard down with the screws that came with your chassis. Make
sure you use the right ones here, as you don’t want to thread the standoffs, in case you
need to remove them at a later date.

4. CPU INSTALLATION

Next up, socket your CPU into the motherboard. Here’s where things are a little different
depending on which of the best processors and/or brands you decided to go with. For Intel
mainstream CPUs, slide the spring-loaded retention arm out and up, then lift the bracket
up leaving the plastic cover in place. Then, gently place your CPU inside the socket,
matching the golden triangle located on the bottom left corner of the processor, with the
triangle on the socket bracket. For the next step, you should slide the securing bracket
back into its original position so it locks in place underneath the screw, and secure the
retention arm back down. During this process the protective plastic cover should pop off,
so don't freak out if it comes flying at you. Be sure to stow the cover away in a safe place as
it'll protect the motherboard's sensitive pins if you decide to remove the processor from
the motherboard. For Intel mainstream CPUs, slide the spring-loaded retention arm out
and up, then lift the bracket up leaving the plastic cover in place. Then, gently place your
CPU inside the socket, matching the golden triangle located on the bottom left corner of
the processor, with the triangle on the socket bracket. For the next step, you should slide
the securing bracket back into its original position so it locks in place underneath the screw,
and secure the retention arm back down. During this process the protective plastic cover
should pop off, so don't freak out if it comes flying at you. Be sure to stow the cover away
in a safe place as it'll protect the motherboard's sensitive pins if you decide to remove the
processor from the motherboard. fortunately, installation is much less daunting. There’s no
bracket here, simply lift the retention arm in its raised position. You should then take your
processor and match the golden triangle on the corner of the Ryzen processor with the
triangle on the socket. Once the pins on the bottom of the processor line up with the holes
on the socket, drop them into place. Give it a little nudge to make sure it’s secure, then
lower the retention arm back down and lock it into place. Processor installation is done.

5. INSTALL YOUR MEMORY

Next on the agenda is installing the best RAM to take care of your computer memory. Push
down the latches at either end of the DDR4 slots on your motherboard. Then line up the
notch on the bottom of the memory with the notch in the slot. After that, you can install
the memory by carefully pushing down both sides of the memory into the slot. You should
hear a clicking sound as the memory secures into place and the latches click back up.
Make sure you use the farthest and second closest slot from the CPU if you’re only using
two memory sticks. Complete that and you’ll be good to go.

6. INSTALL YOUR CPU

Here's the last complicate piece in the PC building process, figuring out which of the best
CPU coolers to go with. Most third-party coolers require installing a backplate, which you
may or may not have already done from step three of our PC building guide. Each cooler
will have its own set of instructions you should follow, but the gist of most installations
requires affixing a backplate and threading four pins through the back of your
motherboard. Here's the last complicate piece in the PC building process, figuring out
which of the best CPU coolers to go with. Most third-party coolers require installing a
backplate, which you may or may not have already done from step three of our PC building
guide. Each cooler will have its own set of instructions your should follow, but the gist of
most installations requires affixing a backplate and threading four pins through the back of
your motherboard. From there you’ll want to thermal paste if your CPU cooler didn’t come
with any pre-applied already. Users will want to squeeze out a small blob, around the size
of half a pea, onto the middle of the CPU. This will spread out once your cooler is mounted,
and provide a sufficient amount of thermal interface material to successfully transfer heat
from the processor die to the cooler of your choosing. For air coolers, you’ll want to install
most models with the fans unattached. Carefully orient the heatsink onto the pins or
threads of the mounting plate and secure it in place with any provided thumb screws or
regular screws. After that, it’s simply a case of reattaching the fan to the tower and plugging
the 4-pin PWM fan header into the CPU Fan slot on the motherboard. Liquid coolers follow
the same process but require more upfront work. You'll probably have to attach fans onto
the radiator and install it into your PC case in advance. Depending on which liquid cooler
you’re using, you may also need to plug in a second four-pin cable into a dedicated AIO
cooler or optional cooler header on your motherboard This is also a good opportunity to
plug in the rest of your system fans into any available slots on the board. Alternatively, if
your PC case has an integrated fan controller at the back of the chassis to route all your
fans into, then directly onto the motherboard. It’ll also need to connect to the motherboard
via a USB header.

7. INSTALL YOUR STORAGE

Once the memory is in, it’s time to focus on some non-volatile memory storage, the best
hard drives, and the best SSDs (solid-state drives). Our NZXT H400i happens to have a small
SSD bracket on the front. Installing 2.5-inch drives into these caddies is a cinch, as you can
simply slide it into place with the option of fully securing it with four screws. Once the
memory is in, it’s time to focus on some non-volatile memory storage, the best hard
drives, and the best SSDs (solid-state drives). Our NZXT H400i happens to have a small SSD
bracket on the front. Installing 2.5-inch drives into these caddies is a cinch, as you can
simply slide it into place with the option of fully securing it with four screws. Most modern
PC cases come with SSD bays of some sort. But if you’re case doesn’t, the 3.5-inch drive
caddies typically reserved for hard drives should have compatible mounting points. No
matter what type of storage drive you’re installing, ensure the connection ports are facing
toward a cable cut-out inside your chassis as it will make routing cables easier.

8. POSITION AND INSTALL THE POWER SUPPLY

Now you’ve got your motherboard, CPU and memory installed you’re going to want to
choose the best PC power supply to run your new PC and then install it. If you’ve got a
modular PSU, figure out what cables you need ahead of time, and plug them into your
power supply first. If your PC case comes with a PSU bracket, remove it ahead of time and
attach it to the back of the unit. Next up thread the cables through the PSU slot in the back
of the case first, and then slide the PSU into place, securing the bracket back onto the
chassis. Otherwise, in older cases, you’ll have to slip in the power supply through the
inside of the chassis and push it firmly against the inside wall as you attach it with four
screws. Depending on the design of your case, you’ll want to orient the fan towards
ventilation areas built into it. For most cases we suggest facing the fan downwards or to the
side away from the interior of your PC. This way, your PSU can draw in fresh air and
exhaust heat through the back.

9. CONNECT EVERYTHING TO YOUR MOTHERBOARD

To get your front I/O power buttons working properly, you need to plug in the correct
cables. Fortunately, on our NZXT H400i, this is a single block that plugs directly onto the
front I/O headers on the motherboard, make sure you orient it the correct way, then push
it into place on the pins. For everyone else, take the individual pins, and, using the
motherboard installation handbook, identify which pins and cables need connecting. Try to
do this part gently do, so as not to bend the pins. It’s important to note that any LED lights
(HDD and Power), need to be oriented correctly, with the + and - cables installed into the +
and - pins on the board. It’s also a good time to plug in your USB 3.0 header, USB 2.0
header, and audio passthrough. Audio is located on the bottom left of most motherboards.
It will be labeled, and the pinouts will be different from the USB 2.0 headers. Install your
USB 3.0 cables (denoted with a blue-colored end) into any available slots on the board,
making sure to line up the pins with the holes in the USB 3.0 cables.

10. CONNECT YOUR POWER SUPPLY

Now you can plug in the rest of your power cables. Identify your 8-pin EPS cable, slide it up
the back of the chassis, through the cable grommet, and plug it into the 8-pin power slot at
the top of the motherboard. Then, find the bulkier 24-pin cable, slide that through any
cable routing recesses on the chassis, and plug it into the corresponding 24-pin ATX power
port on the motherboard. Next up, take your SATA power and connect it to any storage
drives. If you happen to have something mounted onto the front of the case, run this SATA
power cable through the PSU shroud, appropriate grommets or holes, and into your front-
mounted 2.5-inch drive. This is a good opportunity to plug in the SATA Data cables between
any storage drives and the motherboard as well. Lastly, you’ll want to thread your PCIe
power cable through the cutout in the PSU cover or any side grommets/holes, so that it’s
ready for when you install your GPU.

11. INSTALLING YOUR GRAPHICS CARD

Finally, we have the last piece of the puzzle to slot into place. First, take a look at your
motherboard and locate the PCIe slot closest to your processor. From there locate the two
PCIe slots next to where you’ll want to install your GPU and remove them. In most PC cases,
that’ll involve undoing two screws on the PCIe slot covers and removing them. Take your
graphics card out of the anti-static bag and line it up with the slots we just opened up. The
rear I/O on the GPU should be facing out the back of the chassis. Once the gold contacts on
your GPU make are touching the PCIe slot, gently push it into place until you hear a click.
Then use the same screws we removed from the PCIe slot cover to secure the GPU into
place. Then it’s simply a case of plugging your PCIe power that you routed in with our last
step – and we have a fully built PC (mostly).

12. TURN ON YOUR PC

Now the system’s built, don’t reattach all your panels just yet. First, you’ll want to make sure
it actually turns on and runs properly. Take your temporarily built tower over to your pre-
setup computer space and plug it into power, a screen, keyboard, and mouse too. Power it
on, and mash the delete key to get into the BIOS screen. Check your CPU temp, make sure
that’s operating somewhere around 30-40 degrees C, and ensure that your boot drive is
registering correctly. If everything is showing up, now is also a good time to enable the XMP
for Intel or DOCP for AMD to make sure your memory is operating at the correct frequency.
Then hit F10, save and exit. Then power off.

13. CLEAN UP YOUR CABLES (OPTIONAL)

Now that we’re sure the machine is working, disconnect it again and bring it back to your
workspace. It’s worth doing this because you’ll want to reattach all those PC case panels
and tidy up any loose cables. That means using cable ties to bunch together cables as
much as you can. Most PC cases come with cable cut-outs to use as tie-down points. Where
there aren’t any, we usually use thicker cables to help push smaller ones flush against the
inside of our computer chassis.

14. INSTALL WINDOWS (OR THE OPERATING SYSTEM OF YOUR CHOICE)

Bring the system back to your computer space, where it’ll sit forever – or at least until your
next upgrade – as we’ll want to install the operating system next. Most modern rigs lack an
optical drive to install your OS, so you’ll need to create a USB install on another PC. To do
this, download the Windows 11 Media Creation Kit(opens in a new tab) and then install
Windows 11 onto a USB stick with at least 8GB of space. Then, once it’s finished, simply
plug it into your new system. Go back into your BIOS to tell your system to boot from the
USB stick first. From there you can go through the prompts to install the operating system
onto your new rig. Don’t worry about not having a software key during installation, you can
activate Windows 10 once you reach the desktop.

15. DESKTOP MAINTENANCE

Once you’re finally logged on, head on over to the manufacturer’s website, find your
motherboard, and service head, and download the correct chipset drivers for your
system. Ninite(opens in a new tab) is a nifty tool to get all the programs you want fast
without having to worry about installing each one individually. On the Ninite site, you can
select which programs you want, download the installer and let it run its magic. After that,
go download and install the correct graphics driver for your card and you’ll be all set to sit
back and enjoy.