I've built (more accurately, just assembled) numerous desk top gaming computers in the past, but not in at least a decade. The current computer I've got is 7+ years old and I purchased it pre-rebuilt from an on-line retailer. So I'm a tad rusty assembling a PC, and there are some new tech I'm not accustomed to (like SSDs). For my new computer (parts are arriving today/tomorrow) I decided to assemble it myself to save some money.
Here are the parts for my new PC I'm assembling:
Case = Cooler Master
HAF 912 - High Air Flow Mid Tower Computer Case
Power =
ENERMAX NAXN ADV. 82+ ETL650AWT 650W ATX12V 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply
Mobo =
ASUS Z97-A ATX DDR3 2600 LGA 1150 Motherboards Z97-A
CPU = Intel Core
i7-4790 3.6GHz LGA 1150 Boxed Processor
RAM =
Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model BLS2KIT4G3D1609DS1S00
HD = Western Digital
WD Blue WD10EZEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive - OEM
SSD = Samsung Electronics
840 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5-Inch SATA III Single Unit Version Internal Solid State Drive MZ-7TE250BW
Video Card = EVGA w/ ACX Cooling 02G-P4-2773-KR
GeForce GTX 770 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 SLI Support Video Card
Optical Drive = ASUS
DVD Writer 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 24X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model DRW-24F1ST - OEM
OS = Microsoft Windows 7 64-bit Home Premium
What are some tips, tricks, or general advice you might have for me to think about when doing this build?
Here are some tips I've gleaned from the web or lessons learned from going through this build process:
1) Hook up all the components to each other, but don't assemble them in the case. Once hooked-up, run a boot-up test to see that everything works
2) Before installing the OS, disconnect the HD to make sure all the install files only install to the SDD
3) When connecting the front control panel wires (power light, etc.) to the motherboard, if your aren't labeled with a +/- the positive will have a small triangle imprinted on the plastic housing. Just because each set of wires has one white one don't assume that is always the ground.
4) Have a wiring plan before you start bolting everything down
5) Have a install plan - think about which parts you want to install first, second, etc. For example, it might be foolish to install giant video card, that will probably be in the way, before attaching all power cords, cables, etc.
6) Don't zip tie together your cords together until you are totally done and absolutely sure of where everything is going to go
Thanks!