HOW TO BUILD A GAMING PC (STEP BY STEP GUIDE) PART 3

II. Build
Now that you’ve gotten through the Pre-Build Prep section, it’s time to start assembling your build. In this section, we’ve gone through the step-by-step process of assembling your computer to help you put your system together quickly and efficiently.

1. Open Up Your Case
The first thing you’re going to want to do is open up your case.

Take off both of the side panels. Typically, these are held in place by thumbscrews at the back of the case.

Open Your PC Case
If you’re installing additional fans or an AIO on the front/top of the case, take off the front/top panel (if applicable) as well.

Take Off Case Front Panel
If you have a case that has a PSU shroud, it’s a good idea to remove that now as well.

And, remove any packaging that comes in the case (manual, screws, HDD/SSD installation brackets, etc.). I also like to untie/release the case cables as well and reroute them behind the motherboard tray.

2. Install Additional Case Fans
All modern cases come with at least a single fan installed at the back of the case. And, most options come with at least one fan installed on the front of the case as well.

If you want to add additional case fans, it’s a good idea to install them now.

Install Case Fans
Installing case fans is simple, as pretty much all cases have specific slots where extra fans can go. And, all you have to do is use the provided screws to mount the fan to the case.

*NOTE: You can install extra case fans later, but as you start adding components into your case, you’ll run out of room to work with and it can be more difficult to install case fans later in the building process. This is especially true for those of you that want to install fans on the top panel of the case—once the CPU cooler is installed, it can make installing case fans on the top of the case difficult.

It should also be noted, though, that if you do install additional fans on top of the case before you mount your motherboard and you have a more compact case, it can be tough to access the mount-holes on the top of the motherboard, making it difficult to screw the motherboard into the upper standoffs.

Airflow Direction on Case Fans
As a general rule of thumb, it’s a good idea to pull air in from the front of the case and exhaust it out of the back (and, if available, the top) of the case.

So, if you’re installing additional fans on your case, you’ll want to make sure that they’re pointed in the right direction.

Airflow Direction Case Fans
This diagram from Newegg shows a common airflow configuration on a PC case. Check out Newegg’s guide on how to setup computer fans for a good run down on the best ways to install your case fans.
Check with the existing fan configuration of your case, first, though, before you assume that your front fans are pulling in air and your rear fans are exhausting air.

If you have a case that has a single fan on the back of the case, you can probably assume that it is exhausting air out of the back. And, in that case, it’s safe to install your additional fan(s) at the front of the case in an intake configuration.

Also, most fans have an arrow on them that tell you which direction the fan pushes the air through it. The arrow will help you properly configure your fan so that the air is flowing in the right direction.

3. Install Your Power Supply
Power supplies are fairly easy to install. You’re most likely going to install them in the bottom-rear corner of the case. However, some cases opt for a top-mounted PSU.

It will be fairly easy to tell where your PSU needs to be mounted because on the back panel of the case there will be a large cutout where the PSU will be mounted to.

Install Power Supply
To mount your power supply:

Slide it into the case next to the power supply cutout
If your case has a vent below where the PSU will sit, install your PSU so the fan is facing down
If your case does not have a vent below where the PSU will sit, install your PSU so the fan is facing up
Line up the screw holes on the cutout with the screw holes on the power supply
Using the screws that come with your power supply, use a Phillips-Head screwdriver to secure the PSU to the case
*NOTE: Once your PSU is installed, it’s a good idea to do a dry run on routing your cables. Simply take each of your PSU’s main cables (24-pin motherboard power cable, CPU power cable, PCIe cable, and case wires) and route them behind the motherboard tray and run them through the cutout closest to where they will end up being plugged in at. This will give you a good idea on how to go about doing your cable management.

However, when you go to install your motherboard, just make sure that you aren’t trapping the cables beneath the motherboard. And, since you’ve already ran your cables behind the motherboard tray, when you lie your case on its back, it will be resting on those cables, which can make it unstable. I use the various packing components to wedge under the corners of the case to help keep it level and stable.

If you’re a first-time builder, after you do a dry run on routing the cables, you can also temporarily place your motherboard into the case to get an idea of where everything needs to go and you can adjust your cable management strategy accordingly.

PSU Fan Up or Down?
The fan on your power supply is an intake fan. Its job is to pull in air from outside the power supply to help keep the internal components of the power supply cool.

However, if your power supply fan is pointed up into the case, it will be pulling air from inside your case. That air will be warmer than the air outside of the case.

So, if your case has a vent below where the power supply will sit, you can turn the power supply so that the fan is pointing down, and the power supply will pull in the cooler air from outside the case instead.

Most modern cases have vents that allow you to mount your PSU fan-side-down, but if your case does not have such a vent, you’ll have to point your PSU fan up (because pointing it down when there is no vent will block airflow into the PSU).

4. Install Your CPU (Outside Case)
For your CPU, memory, CPU cooler, and M.2 devices (if you have them), it’s a good idea to install them on your motherboard before you mount your motherboard to your case.

You can install those components after you mount your motherboard, but it makes the process difficult, and, depending on what case you have, it may be difficult to mount your CPU cooler after mounting your motherboard. If you do mount your motherboard first, it’s a good idea to at least get your CPU cooler’s brackets in place first.

But, really, you’d be much better off installing those components before you mount the motherboard to your case. You can do so by placing the motherboard on top of the box that the motherboard came in and then installing the components listed above.

And, of those components the first one you should install is your CPU.

Install CPU
Here’s how to do so:

Unlock the lever on the motherboard socket by pressing down on it, moving it away from the socket, and pulling it back
Remove the plastic CPU socket cover (for Intel CPUs)
Take the CPU out of its plastic package, holding it by the edges
Line up the triangle corner on the CPU with the triangle corner on the CPU socket on the motherboard
Gently lower the CPU down into the CPU socket on the motherboard until it rests fully in place (do not try to press it into the socket or force it into the socket!)
Lower the lever back down and lock it into place
*NOTE: After you rest the CPU into the socket and before you lock the lever back in place, make sure you check to see that the CPU is sitting flush inside of the socket. For AMD CPUs, if one of the pins is bent, it will not fully seat in the socket and you’ll have to find the bent pin and try to push it back in place.

5. Install Your RAM (Outside Case)
After your CPU is in place, you can install your memory.

You’ll want to consult your motherboard manual first to see what slot(s) you’re supposed to install your memory in.

Install Memory
Once you’ve consulted your manual and you know which slot(s) your RAM is supposed to go in, do the following:

Unlock the clip on the side of the DIMM slot
Line up the notch on your memory stick with the divider in the DIMM slot
Lower the RAM into the DIMM slot and make sure it is lined up correctly
Apply pressure to the memory stick until it ‘clicks’ into place (the clip should lock back into place as well)
*NOTE: It can take a good amount of pressure to get the RAM to fully seat into the DIMM slot. There should be a fairly loud ‘clicking’ noise (not a cracking or crunching noise) and the clip that you unlocked should click back into place.

6. Install Your CPU Cooler (Outside Case)
How you install your CPU cooler will depend on what type of CPU cooler you have.

If you have a stock Intel CPU cooler, you will need to follow a specific set of instructions to install it correctly. If you have a stock AMD cooler, you’ll need to follow a different set of instructions. If you have an after market air cooler, the installation process will probably be different. And, if you’re opting for an AIO cooler or a custom liquid cooling setup, you’ll have to follow different instructions to install it.

Install CPU Cooler
However, other than Intel’s stock cooler, installing an air CPU cooler or AIO cooler will usually require attaching a back plate behind the motherboard, and then mounting the CPU cooler/AIO block onto the back plate from the front of the motherboard.

How to Install AMD’s Ryzen Coolers
Unscrew the plastic brackets to the right and left of the CPU socket
To avoid interference with memory in the A1 slot, face the AMD logo on the fan rim towards the I/O ports
Lower the CPU cooler down so that it lines up with the screw holes from the backplate (where the plastic brackets were screwed into)
Start screwing in the four spring-loaded screws, turning each screw a few turns at a time in a criss-cross pattern back and forth
Screw the screws in all the way until they stop turning
Plug the fan cable into the CHA_FAN1 header
How to Install Intel’s Stock Cooler
Make sure the pins on the cooler are twisted so that the arrow on top is not pointed directly at the fan casing
Line up the cooler’s four pins over the CPU cooler mounting holes around your motherboard’s CPU socket
Make sure that the fan is positioned in a way that the fan wire can be connected to the CPU_FAN header
Lower the cooler so that all of the pins are sticking through the holes in the motherboard
Apply downward force to the pins on the opposite corners of the cooler until they click into place. Then switch and press down the other two pins.
*NOTE: CPU coolers typically come with thremal paste pre-applied to the heatsink. This is completely fine to use, but if you prefer a different brand of thermal paste, you can clean off the pre-applied thermal paste and apply your own to the back of your processor.

After Market Coolers and AIOs
Most after market coolers and AIOs will come with multiple brackets for different CPU sockets. So, make sure that if you have an AMD CPU that you use the appropriate AMD bracket that comes with your cooler. (In fact, you won’t be able to use any other bracket, because they will not fit.)

For AIO coolers, you’ll also need to install the radiator and fans onto the case. But, you should wait until after you mount your motherboard to do so.