Every fully functioning computer is made of the same basic components and here I’ll walk through the basic hardware you'll need for your first build. There are several components a computer. However, it’s important to first understand what each component does.
The processor (CPU) is like the brain of a computer, the thing that carries out the tasks you give it. Better CPUs can perform more tasks at once, and perform them faster. Not everyone takes full advantage of their processor's full speed, so the high-end processers are only really needed if you're performing intensive things like gaming or video editing. It's also one of the most expensive parts of a computer, so if you aren't doing these …show more content…
Take a good look around your case and get acquainted; note where the hard drive bays are, where your CD drive will go, whether the power supply mounts on the top or the bottom, and so on. There should also be a bag of screws inside your case; grab that now and set it aside because we'll need it in a few minutes.
Open up your motherboard box and take out the I/O shield, which is the metal plate that protects the ports on the back of your motherboard. You should see a rectangular space in the back of your case where this should go. Snap it into place. This takes quite a bit of force, so make sure all four sides are snapped in securely.
Next, pull out your motherboard and line up the ports on the back with the I/O shield. You should see that the holes on your motherboard line up with screw holes on the bottom of your case. There are probably more holes on your case than there are on your motherboard, so note which ones these are, and grab your motherboard standoffs from your bag of screws (they have a male screw end on one side, and a female screw hole on the other side). Screw the standoffs into those holes, and set your motherboard on top of them. Screw your motherboard screws into the standoffs so the motherboard is snugly mounted.
Open up your processor's box and gently take it out. Your processor is one of the more breakable parts, so this is one step in which you'll want to be careful. Find the corner of your processor that has a gold arrow on it,