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Your
motherboard should now be installed on the motherboard
plate. The reason for installing it on the plate before
adding the components like the CPU is to minimize the amount
of handling the motherboard receives. Once it's mounted on
the plate, there will be a very little need to touch the
motherboard itself.
However, as we noted in the previous article, some cases do
not have a removable plate. In this case, you must install
all the components on the motherboard before installing it
in the case.
Switches and Jumpers
Before installing the CPU and memory chips, you need to
configure your motherboard for bus speeds and voltage
settings. This is usually accomplished by changing a series
of switches or placing jumpers on various pins. You will
need to refer to your motherboard manual to find the correct
settings.
There are two voltage settings that need to match your CPU
-- core voltage and I/O voltage. You may find the core
voltage printed on the CPU itself, and the I/O voltage also
needs to be set according to the CPU specs. Some
motherboards detect voltage automatically, in which case you
do not need to worry about the settings.
The second setting for the CPU is the system bus speed. This
is set using a series of jumpers to match the speed of the
CPU. The jumpers are small pieces of plastic with metal
contacts inside. They fit over pins on the motherboard so
that two pins are connected. Consult your manual for the
correct jumper placement.
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Building
your own Computer:
»Build
Your Own Computer
Computer Components:
»Components Overview
»Motherboards Part I
»Motherboards Part II
»CPU's
»Memory
»Hard Drives Part I
»Hard Drives Part II
»Accessories Part I
»Accessories Part II
»Video Cards
»Sound Cards
»CD-DVD Drives
Step by
Step Guide:
»Choosing the Right
Parts
»Motherboard
Installation
»Connecting the CPU
»Attaching MB
Connectors
»Installing the Drives
»Installing Expansion cards
»Operating system Setup
Other Computer Building Resources:
»Helpful Links |
Depending on your motherboard,
there may be other jumper settings for the type of power
supply, RAM speed, and enabling or disabling onboard
controllers. Check the manual for all the settings that are
required.
CPU and Cooler
Most CPUs are designed with an array of pins which fit into
corresponding holes on the CPU socket of the motherboard.
The latest CPUs from Intel are the contrary -- the pins are
on the motherboard and the holes are on the CPU. No matter
which type of CPU you have, before installing the CPU
inspect the pins to make sure that they are straight. A CPU
with bent pins should be returned to the retailer.
The CPU is held in place with a lever which exerts a small
amount of force on the pins. The lever is located on the
side of the CPU socket. Orient the CPU by lining up the
clearly marked pin number one. Let the CPU fall into place
and secure it by replacing the lever.
With the CPU in place, you can install the cooling unit.
This is the finned metal block with the fan attached to it.
The block is the heat sink – its large surface area
dissipates heat quickly and the fan blows cool air through
the heat sink for maximum cooling.
The heat sink must come in direct contact with the CPU.
Because the CPU or the heat sink (or both) may have uneven
surfaces a pad or paste can be used to provide maximum
contact between the two. The thermal pad or thermal paste is
placed on the raised part in the middle of the CPU. If using
thermal paste, a small dab the size of the grain of rice is
sufficient.
The cooler should come with a variety of attachments for
different CPUs. Refer to the cooler documentation for
choosing the correct ones. The attachments usually fit to
the CPU socket with either 2 or 4 attachment points. You
will probably have to use a little bit of force to clip the
cooler securely in place.
The cooler can now be connected to the power source near the
CPU. Look for a 3 pin power lead marked 'CPU Fan.'
Continue Reading "Building Your Own Computer - Step
4"
on the next page...
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