Continuation of second

Chapter
Objectives
Computer assembly instructions step-by-
step.
1. Open the case
2. Install the power supply
3. Attach the components to the
motherboard and install the motherboard
4. Install internal drives and drives in
external bays
5. Install adapter cards
6. Install and connect all internal cables
Objectives (Continued)
7. Re-attach the side panels and
connect external cables to the
computer
8. Boot the computer for the first
time
9. Configure BIOS
Upgrading computer
Hardware
Describe reasons for upgrading computer
components
1. Select and install replacement or
upgraded Motherboard, CPU, Heat Sink
and Fan, and RAM
2. Configure BIOS
3. Select and Install replacement or
upgraded Hard Drives
4. Select and Install replacement or
upgraded Input and output devices
5. Select and install the power supply unit
Open the Case
 Computer assembly is a large part of a
technician's job.
 Prepare the workspace before opening
the computer case.
 There are different methods for opening
cases. Consult the user manual or
manufacturer's website.
Computer cases are produced in a
variety of form factors.
Form factors refer to the size and shape
of the case.
Open the Case
Some of the methods to remove
the case include the following
steps:
◦ The computer case cover may be
removed as one piece.
◦ The top and side panels of the case
may be removed.
◦ The top of the case may need to be
removed before the side panels can
be removed.
Open the Case
(Continued)
Attach Components to the
Motherboard
Attach the components to the motherboard
and install the motherboard
 As part of an upgrade or repair, you may need to
install components on the motherboard, and then
install the motherboard into the computer case.
 CPU on Motherboard

• The CPU and motherboard are sensitive to

electrostatic discharge.
• The CPU is secured to the socket on the
motherboard with a locking assembly.
• CAUTION: When handling a CPU, do not touch
the CPU contacts.
Attach Components to the
Motherboard (Continued)
Q1. Install a CPU and a heat
sink/fan assembly
The CPU and the heat sink/fan
assembly may be installed on the
motherboard before the motherboard
is placed in the computer case.
When handling a CPU or motherboard,
make sure that you place them on a
grounded antistatic mat. You should
also wear an antistatic wrist strap.
Attach Components to the
Motherboard (Continued)
The CPU is secured to the socket on the
motherboard with a locking assembly.
The CPU sockets today are ZIF sockets.
ZIF Stands for "Zero Insertion Force."
A ZIF socket is a type of socket found on
a computer motherboard that allows the
easy insertion and removal of
a processor
You should be familiar with the locking
assembly before attempting to install a
CPU into the socket on the motherboard.
Attach Components to the
Motherboard (Continued)

ZIF sockets
Attach Components to the
Motherboard (Continued)
Thermal compound
• Helps keep the CPU cool.
• To install a used CPU, clean it and
the base of the heat sink with
isopropyl alcohol to remove the old
thermal compound.
Attach Components to the
Motherboard (Continued)
Thermal Compound
It is a substance that increases
the transfer of heat from the CPU
to the heat sink, where it can be
dissipated.
Follow manufacturer’s
recommendations about applying
the thermal compound.
Attach Components to the
Motherboard (Continued)
Heat Sink/Fan Assembly
• The Heat Sink/Fan Assembly is a
two-part cooling device.
• The heat sink draws heat away from
the CPU
Attach Components to the
Motherboard (Continued)
The fan moves the heat away
from the heat sink.
The heat sink/fan assembly
usually has a 3-pin power
connector.
Attach Components to the
Motherboard (Continued)
Steps to install the CPU and heat sink/fan
assembly:
1. Align the CPU so that the Connection
indicator is lined up with Pin on the CPU socket.
2. Place the CPU gently into the socket.
3. Close the CPU load plate and secure it by
closing the load lever and moving it under the
load lever retention tab.
4. Apply a small amount of thermal compound
to the CPU and spread it evenly. Follow the
application instructions provided by the
manufacturer.
Attach Components to the
Motherboard (Continued)
5. Line up the heat sink/fan assembly
retainers to the holes on the
motherboard.
6. Place the heat sink/fan assembly
onto the CPU socket, being careful
not to pinch the CPU fan wires
7. Tighten the heat sink/fan assembly
retainers to secure the assembly in
place
8. Connect the heat sink/fan assembly
power cable to the header on the
Attach Components to the
Motherboard (Continued)
Q2. Identify the RAM slots and
Install RAM
• RAM provides temporary data
storage for the CPU and should be
installed in the motherboard before
the motherboard is placed in the
computer case.
Attach Components to the
Motherboard (Continued)
Install the RAM
RAM is volatile memory and the contents
are lost when the computer is shut down.
Typically,adding more RAM will enhance
the performance of your computer
Before you install a stick of RAM, consult
the motherboard documentation or
website of the manufacturer to ensure
that the RAM is compatible with the
motherboard
Attach Components to the
Motherboard (Continued)
The following are RAM installation
steps:
1. Align the notches on the RAM
module to the keys in the slot and
press down until the side tabs click
into place.
2. Make sure that the side tabs have
locked the RAM module and visually
check for exposed contacts.
Repeat these steps for additional RAM
modules.
The Motherboard
 After installing the previous
components, the motherboard is
now ready to be installed in the
computer case.
 Plastic and metal standoffs are
used to mount the motherboard
and to prevent it from touching
the metal portions of the case
Attach Components to the
Motherboard (Continued)
Q3. Identify the PSU cables and Install the power
supply unit.
 PSU (Power Supply Unit) has to be installed and
connected to the motherboard.
The PSU has four type cables for power supply
1. Two Molex power connectors that connect to
DVD and HDD
2. ATX (advanced Technology Extended) cable
connector ( 20 pin) that supply power to the
whole motherboard
3. AUX (Auxiliary) cable that supply power to the
CPU
4. Berg cable connector that supply power to the
Floppy disk Drive
The Motherboard (Continued)
The Motherboard (Continued)
The following are motherboard
installation steps:
1. Install standoffs in the computer case.
2. Align the I/O connectors on the back of
the motherboard with the openings in
the back of the case.
3. Align the screw holes of the
motherboard with the standoffs.
4. Insert all of the motherboard screws.
5. Tighten all of the motherboard screws.
Install Internal Drives
Drives that are installed in
internal bays are called Internal
drives.
A hard disk drive (HDD) is an
example of an internal drive.
Install Internal Drives
(Continued)
 HDD installation steps:
1. Position the HDD so that it
aligns with the 3.5-inch drive bay.
2. Insert the HDD into the drive
bay so that the screw holes in the
drive line up with the screw holes
in the case.
3. Secure the HDD to the case
using the proper screws.
Install Drives in External
Bays
 Drives in external bays allow
access to the media without
opening the case.
 Some devices that are installed in
this type of drive are:
• An optical drive is a storage device
that reads and writes information to
CDs, DVDs
• A floppy disk drive (FDD) is a storage
device that reads and writes
information to a floppy disk.
Install Drives in External
Bays(Continued)

External Bays
Install Drives in External
Bays(Continued)
Install drives in external bays
Drives, such as optical drives (CD,
DVD) and floppy drives, are
installed in drive bays that are
accessed from the front of the
case.
Optical drives and floppy drives
store data on removable media
Install Drives in External
Bays(Continued)
Install the optical drive
An optical drive is a storage device
that reads and writes information to
CDs, DVDs.
A Molex power connector provides the optical
drive with power from the power supply

Molex

A PATA (PCI) cable is used to connect

the optical drive to the motherboard
Install Drives in External
Bays(Continued)
The following are optical drive
installation steps:
1. Position the optical drive so that it
aligns with the 5.25 inch drive bay.
2. Insert the optical drive into the
drive bay so that the optical drive
screw holes align with the screw
holes in the case.
3. Secure the optical drive to the case
using the proper screws.
Install Drives in External
Bays(Continued)
Install the floppy drive
A floppy disk drive (FDD) is a storage
device that reads and writes information
to a floppy disk.
A Berg power connector provides the FDD with power from
the power supply.

Berg
A floppy data cable is used to connect the
FDD to the motherboard.
A floppy disk drive fits into the 3.5 inch
drive bay on the front of the computer
case
Install Drives in External
Bays(Continued)
The following are Floppy Disk Drive
installation steps:
1. Position the FDD so that it aligns
with the 3.5 inch drive bay.
2. Insert the FDD into the drive bay so
that the FDD screw holes align with
the screw holes in the case.
3. Secure the FDD to the case using
the proper screws.
Adapter Cards
Q4. Identify the adapter cards and
install them into the expansion
slots.
Adapter cards increase the
functionality of a computer by
adding controllers for specific
devices or by replacing
malfunctioning ports
Adapter cards are used to
expand and customize the
 Adapter Cards
(Continued)
Type of adapter cards

1. NIC – Connects a computer to a network

using a network cable .It uses PCI and
PCIe expansion slots on the motherboard.
2. Wireless NIC – Connects a computer to a
network using radio frequencies
3. Sound adapter – Provides audio
capability
4. Video adapter – Provides graphic
capability
5. Modem adapter – Connects a computer
to the Internet using a phone line
 Adapter Cards
(Continued)
6. SCSI adapter (Small Computer System
Interface) – Connects SCSI devices, such
as hard drives or tape drives, to a
computer
7. RAID adapter (Redundant Array of
Independent Disks) – Connects multiple
hard drives to a computer to provide
redundancy and to improve performance
8. USB port (Universal Serial Bus) –
Connects a computer to peripheral
devices
9. Parallel port – Connects a computer to
peripheral devices
10.Serial port – Connects a computer to
peripheral devices
 Adapter Cards
(Continued)
 Adapter Cards
(Continued)
Adapter cards are installed to add
functionality to a computer.
Some examples of these adapters are:
• A Network Interface Card (NIC)
which enables a computer to connect
to a network.
• It uses PCI and PCIe expansion slots
on the motherboard.
• PCI stands for Peripheral Component
Interconnect
 Adapter Cards
(Continued)
• A wireless NIC enables a computer to connect
to a wireless network.
• Wireless NICs use PCI and PCIe expansion
slots on the motherboard. Some wireless NICs
are installed externally with a USB connector.
• A video adapter card is the interface
between a computer and a display monitor.
• An upgraded video adapter card can provide
better graphic capabilities for games and
graphic programs.
• Video adapter cards use PCI, AGP, and PCIe
expansion slots on the motherboard.
• AGP stand for Accelerated Graphics Port
 Adapter Cards
(Continued)
Q4. Identify the adapter cards and
Install adapter cards
 Adapter cards must be compatible
with the expansion slot.
 This section will focus on the
installation of three types of adapter
cards.
1. NIC
2. Sound adapter card
3. Video adapter card/ Graphic card
 Adapter Cards
(Continued)
The following are NIC installation
steps:
1. Align the NIC to the appropriate
slot on the motherboard.
2. Press down gently on the NIC
until the card is seated.
3. Secure the NIC PC mounting
bracket to the case with the
appropriate screw.
 Adapter Cards
(Continued)
The following are Sound card
installation steps:
1. Align the sound card to the
appropriate expansion slot on
the motherboard.
2. Press down gently on the
sound card until the card is fully
seated.
3. Secure the sound card PC
mounting bracket to the case
 Adapter Cards
(Continued)
Install a video adapter card
The following are video adapter card
installation steps:
1. Align the video adapter card to the
appropriate expansion slot on the
motherboard.
2. Press down gently on the video
adapter card until the card is fully
seated.
3. Secure the video adapter card PC
mounting bracket to the case with
Internal Cables
Connect Internal Cables
Power cables are used to
distribute electricity from the
power supply to the motherboard
and other components.
 Internal Cables
(Continued)
Install the Cables
Q5. Identify and Connect the Internal
power cables
Just like other components, motherboards
require power to operate.
The Advanced Technology Extended (ATX)
main power connector will have either 20 or
24 pins
The power supply may also have a 4-pin or
6-pin Auxiliary (AUX) power connector that
connects to the motherboard for supplying
power to CPU .
 Internal Cables
(Continued)
The following are motherboard
power cable installation steps:
1. Align the 20-pin ATX power
connector to the socket on the
motherboard.
2. Gently press down on the connector
until the clip clicks into place.
3. Align the 4-pin AUX power
connector to the socket on the
motherboard.
4. Gently press down on the connector
 Internal Cables
(Continued)
SATA power connectors use a 15-pin
connector.
SATA (Serial Advanced Technology
Attachment) power connectors are used to
connect to hard disk drives, optical drives,
or any devices that have a SATA power
socket
Molex Power Connectors are used by hard
disk drives and optical drives that do not
have SATA power sockets
4-pin Berg Power Connector supplies
power to a floppy drive.
 Internal Cables
(Continued)
The following are power connector
installation steps:
1. Plug the SATA power connector into the HDD.
2. Plug the Molex power connector into the optical
drive.
3. Plug the 4-pin Berg power connector into the
Floppy Disk Drive.
4. Connect the 3-pin fan power connector into the
appropriate fan header on the motherboard,
according to the motherboard manual.
5. Plug the additional cables from the case into
the appropriate connectors according to the
motherboard manual.
 Internal data Cables
(Continued)
Connect Internal data Cables
 Data cables transmit data
between the motherboard and
storage devices, such as hard
drives.
 Type of data cables are:
• PATA cable
• SATA cable
• Floppy drive data cable
 Internal data Cables
(Continued)
The PATA cable is sometimes called a
ribbon cable because it is wide and
flat.
The PATA cable can have either 40 or 80
conductors.
A PATA cable usually has three 40-pin
connectors.
One connector at the end of the cable
connects to the motherboard.
PATA stands for Parallel Advanced
Technology Attachment
 Internal data Cables
(Continued)

40 Pin PATA cable

 Internal data Cables
(Continued)
The SATA data cable has a 7-pin
connector. One end of the cable is
connected to the motherboard. SATA
stands for Serial Advanced Technology
Attachment
The other end is connected to any
drive that has a SATA data connector
 Internal data Cables
(Continued)
The following are data cable installation steps:
1. Plug the motherboard end of the PATA cable into
the motherboard socket.
2. Plug the connector at the far end of the PATA
cable into the optical drive.
3. Plug one end of the SATA cable into the
motherboard socket.
4. Plug the other end of the SATA cable into the
HDD.
5. Plug the motherboard end of the FDD cable into
the motherboard socket.
6. Plug the connector at the far end of the FDD
cable into the floppy drive.
Complete Physical Installation
Now that all the internal components
and the power supply have been
installed and connected to the
motherboard, the following tasks should
be completed:
• Re-Attach the side panels: Most computer
cases have two panels, one on each side.
Some computer cases have one three-sided
cover that slides down over the case frame.
• Connect the External Cables: These
cables are normally connected to the back of
the computer.
Complete Physical
Installation(Continued)
Here are some common external
cable connections:
1. Monitor
2. Keyboard
3. Mouse
4. USB
5. Ethernet
6. Power.
Complete Physical
Installation(Continued)
The following are external cable installation
steps:
1. Attach the monitor cable to the video port.
2. Secure the cable by tightening the screws on
the connector.
3. Plug the keyboard cable into the PS/2 keyboard
port.
4. Plug the mouse cable into the PS/2 mouse port.
5. Plug the USB cable into a USB port
6. Plug the network cable into the network port.
7. Connect the wireless antenna to the antenna
connector.
8. Plug the power cable into the power supply.
Boot Computer for the First
Time
 When the computer is booted, the basic input/output
system (BIOS) will perform a power-on self test
(POST) to check on all of the internal components.
 The BIOS contains a setup program used to
configure settings for hardware devices. The
configuration data is saved to a special memory chip
called a complementary metal-oxide
semiconductor (CMOS) or can be saved in
nonvolatile memory which does not need power
to retain settings.
 POST checks to see that all of the hardware in the
computer are operating correctly. If a device is
malfunctioning, an error or a beep code alerts the
technician that there is a problem.
BIOS Configuration
Q5. Go to BIOS configuration and check the
system information
 Technicians use the BIOS information to
learn about installed components:
• CPU – Manufacturer and speed
• RAM - Manufacturer and speed
• Hard Drive - Manufacturer, size, and type
• Optical Drive - manufacturer and type
 Technicians use BIOS to:
• Set Time and Date
• Disable Devices
• Set Boot Order
• Adjust Clock Speed
• Enable Virtualization
BIOS Configuration
(Continued)
Bios Built-in Hardware
Monitoring
Temperatures
Fan Speeds
Voltages
Clock and Bus Speeds
Intrusion Detection
Built-in Diagnostics
Start test, Hard drive test, Memory
test
Motherboard Component
Upgrades
Ifthe motherboard is upgraded or
replaced, the CPU may need to be
replaced
CPU architectures are installed in these
types of socket connection designs for
CPU:
1. Zero-Insertion Force (ZIF)
2. Land Grid Array (LGA)
3. Pin Grid Array (PGA)
4. Single-Edge Connector (SEC) – no longer
commonly used
5. Low-Insertion Force (LIF) - no longer commonly
used
Upgrading the CPU
The new CPU must:
1. Fit into the existing CPU socket.
2. Be compatible with the motherboard
chipset.
3. Operate with the existing motherboard
and power supply.
4. Must operate with the existing RAM. The
RAM may need to be upgraded or
expanded to take advantage of the faster
CPU.
5. Might require a different heat sink and fan
assembly.
Upgrading RAM
Prior to upgrading or replacing the RAM,
answer the following questions.
 What type of RAM does the motherboard
currently use?
 Can the RAM be installed one module at a time
or must it be grouped into matching banks?
 Are there available RAM slots?
 Does the new RAM chip match the speed,
latency, type, and voltage of the existing RAM?
Note: Increasing the amount of system RAM
almost always improves overall system
performance.
RAID
A Redundant Array of
Independent Disks (RAID)
installation can provide data
protection or increased
performance when connecting
multiple hard drive
Input and Output Devices
Replacement and/ or upgrade examples:
• Change to an Ergonomic keyboard or mouse
• Add privacy and antiglare filters to a monitor
• Add additional monitors
Use the existing expansion slots or
sockets.
May use a USB connection.
Add USB connections by installing a USB
adapter card or add a USB hub.
Install drivers if necessary.
The end of chapter 2