PC Building Tips

Building a PC is a bit like assembling Lego, that bit goes here, this bit goes there, and wallah, we have a PC. To some, it might be that simple, but to others it’s quite a daunting task filled with caution, anxiety and even stress. Over the years you could say I’ve built quite a number of gaming systems both on and off the YouTube channel. Through that time I’ve made a lot of mistakes and learned from them, I’ve also tried different ways of doing things to make the process easier, more fun and less stressful.

So with that said, here’s our PC building tips to hopefully address some fears and make your next building adventure that little bit more fun.

Coffee

Always start with a good coffee. Whilst coffee is best known for its caffeine boosting properties, it will undoubtedly put you in a good mood which is going to be absolutely key for your PC building journey. If you don’t like coffee, well… I believe there’s a coffee for everybody, you just haven’t found the right one for you, yet… You could try a Mocha, that’ll ease you in.

Space

Give yourself space to build a PC. There’s nothing quite like cramping yourself on a small coffee table, being buried by copious amounts of cardboard boxes, getting tangled up in PSU cables and losing that one cooler retaining screw into the abyss; better known as the carpet. Find a decent sized table, lay out a desk mat as this will prevent scratches, and only open the boxes you need, when you need them. Clutter will make the entire process ten fold more stressful, so take your time and be organised, give yourself space.

Tools

Having the right tools for the job is infinitely important now and when you come to upgrade later. Most people see a cross head screwdriver and assume they are all the same. They are not. Having the wrong size screwdriver can lead to rounding off screw heads and slipping which can even damage your hardware. A typical PC build should only require two screwdrivers: I’d recommend a solid PH2 for the fan screws and a precision kit with a PH1 for the motherboard assembly. Both are inexpensive but should last you a lifetime. Don’t go rushing out to spend $100, budget for around $30 which will save you money towards your PC build, links to my personal choices are in the description.

Tightening Things Up

Remember, we are working with electronics and technology here, not woodwork and house DIY. We want our PC to stay together, sure! But we don’t want to damage our components whilst doing so. Always tighten your screws until they feel tight enough, but never put force behind it. This is especially important with the motherboard. Just nip it up, don’t go so tight you damage the solder on the edges. The same applies with installing fans, once you see the rubbers pressing nicely against the case frame, that’s enough. Over tightening fan screws specifically can lead to warped frames and excess vibration.

The Assembly Order.

It’s no good installing a top mount radiator before you’ve attached the PSU cables to the CPU headers. You’ll soon find yourself taking the radiator off again to get access. The order in which we assemble a PC can make a huge difference to how smooth the process is. Of course, this will differ for many, but my short version of my personal method is always: build up the motherboard first by fitting your storage, processor, RAM and cooler. Then we can insert the assembled motherboard into the case, insert PSU and attach required cables to the motherboard. After this, it’s time to insert additional fans and the radiator, followed by the GPU, and then, the dreaded cable management. Of course, that sounds really simple and there’s a bit more labour than that, so I would advise watching almost any PC build video on the channel to get a better, more comprehensive overview.

Installing The CPU

Installing a CPU is one of the more feared stages of the build process. Those tiny pins are indeed fragile and incorrectly placing the processor will destroy a motherboard. First of all, note the directional arrow on the CPU itself.

PC Building Tips Mr Matt Lee Installing a CPU

This corresponds to the socket on the motherboard and can often be identified on the cover…

handling the CPU, carefully pinching it edge to edge without fingering the main contacts, then carefully lowering it into place. Placing down the retaining mechanism will come with some resistance, this is normal, just push on through making sure the latches all make contact and the top cover will simply pop off. Now you can exhale and go make a celebratory coffee, you did great!

Contact Frames

Contact frames are a bit of a grey area. Some say they help with straightening out motherboard bending, some think this is a myth. A contact frame should allow for a more even spread of contact from your cooler to the lid of your processor, thus lowering temperatures. I’ve personally found them most useful with small form factor builds where the cooler in question is already being pushed to its limits. In this instance, saving a few degrees can be a big difference. For most people, this isn’t a big issue and isn’t a necessity. Removing the stock retaining bracket from your motherboard could void your warranty, but in the event you decide you need one, then always place the CPU before removing the retaining bracket. This will minimise the risk of dropping a screw and damaging your socket. Thank me later!

Thermal Paste.

Thermal Paste has one simple job… to even out the imperfections in the surface of your CPU and cooler to maximise contact and aid with heat transfer. Too little and your CPU will run hot, too much will have a similar effect. So, how much do you need? Well, the internet will always tell you you’re wrong, but the idea is to get a good, even spread. With Intel cpu’s being less square and more rectangular, I find a narrow long strip to be most effective:

With AMD, one small blob slightly lower to the centre is adequate:

PC Building Tips Mr Matt Lee Applying Thermal Paste AMD

Those feeling ambitious could opt for the spread it like butter approach too, set your artistic side free. Too much Thermal Paste will have an opposite effect and potentially harm cooling!

Finally, investing in a decent tube of thermal paste will be rewarding long term. Not all brands make it equal and the paste which comes with cheap coolers can go right in the bin. Some pastes are more viscous than others, some will perform better too. I’ve used Noctua NT-H2 for longer than I remember, so that gets my recommendation.

RAM Slots

So you need to install the RAM. You might have two of them in your hand, but there’s four slots? Which slots should they go in? Well, the first rule of thumb is to utilise slots 2 and 4:

They are parallel and will give you the best performance. Fun fact, you can populate four RAM slots if you need maximum memory, but two will always perform faster. Creators tend to choose four, whereas gamers often favour two. Installing is really easy, unhook the retaining latches, lined up the notch on the lane with the RAM module, then apply even pressure to them until they simply click into place. Try and maintain a straight downwards force to prevent them wobbling side to side, take your time with this and it’s perfectly normal to feel resistance as doing so.

Cooler, Before or After?

Assembling a motherboard with the cooler attached outside of the PC case might seem very

strange to many, as it’s more commonly shown to be installed after the motherboard has been transplanted into the case. Either way is fine, but I’ve found attaching the cooler first to be the best approach. You see, when a motherboard is already inside the case, the cooler mounting brackets can be loose, fidgety and not so easy to position. This often results in guesswork, handling the cooler blind and smearing your thermal paste. Attaching the cooler beforehand will give you peace of mind with the thermal paste whilst simultaneously making things far easier to handle.

Making Sense of Case Connectors.

When you buy a new PC case, there will be a number of cables pre-attached. They usually

comprise: USB-A, USB-C, HD Audio and your front panel connections. Whilst the USB

connectors may be self explanatory because their shape helps identify position, the others may not feel so user friendly. The HD Audio is usually located to the far bottom left of your

motherboard. Note the blank pin on the connector?

PC Building Tips Mr Matt Lee Assembling a Motherboard HD Audio

This corresponds to the header on the motherboard for the correct orientation. Front panel connections are for the power and reset buttons. The connectors will either come as a block which looks like the HD Audio and install in a similar fashion, or, as individual connector blocks. If you look closely at the bottom right of the motherboard you will see the pin labels, these should correspond to the connector blocks in your hand:

PC Building Tips Mr Matt Lee Assembling the Motherboard F Panel

When in doubt, the user manual which comes with your motherboard will give you a clearer diagram of which pin is which.

Power is Important Don’t Mix Up Cables

Think of the power supply a bit like the heart of your system. It’s important that you don’t

overspend on this, but similarly it’s also important that you don’t skimp out on it too. So, what’s the answer? Well, for most people a 750W or 850W PSU will suffice for most builds, but those pushing hard with an i9 and 5090 will find more breathing space with upwards of 1000W.

Something often overlooked with modular power supplies is their cables. lets say you are changing from your PSU to a new one PSU. You might think an easy shortcut would be to leave the cables attached in your case, disconnect from the PSU and simply swap out the main unit whilst utilising the old cables still. Please do not do this.

PC Building Tips Mr Matt Lee Installing a Power Supply

Different brands do not follow the same wiring schematic, and whilst some have their own proprietary ports to prevent it happening, mixing different brand cables and power supplies can be dangerous for your system, risk of fire and more: On that note, always keep any additional cables you don’t use in their original box. You never know, an upgrade later down the lines might require them!

Cable Management

How do you tame a den of snakes? You could be that person who simply covers them up and pretends they no longer exist, or you could take a deep breath, exhale slowly and get stuck into the art of managing those pesky black mambas. Cable management is a whole video in itself, but the short version is that: it can be fun, rewarding and you will thank yourself for it later. My approach to cable management is to make everything accessible and velcro is your best friend. I see you looking over there at your pile of zip ties. Stop, stop it now. Zip ties are the devil and can pinch your wires, damage the outer sheathing, or worse still, you could accidentally cut off a cable trying to remove one! I always cable manage at the very end of the build process, taking the time to separate out fan and RGB cables, power and any other type of connection which is hanging around out back. Using velcro, you can bunch those particulars together to one side whilst you route a different bunch into place.

The beauty of velcro means you can keep making adjustments without using cutters near your wires, or wasting plastic. That’s always a winner. I know you’re really keen by this point to get the back panel closed up so you can start gaming, but those extra minutes spent now will be icing on the cake for the efforts you’ve invested so far with building your ideal system.

Always Read the Manuals

Did you know, inside your PC case box, motherboard box, cooler, and just about everything

you’ve purchased for your PC in fact, comes with a manual? Manuals are so valuable but often overlooked.

PC Building Tips Mr Matt Lee Read the Manual

I remember once opening the manual which came with my old car after 3 years of ownership and discovered it had features I had no idea of! Three years of driving that car to discover things I could’ve used through that time! The same applies to PC hardware both during the building stages and the ongoing operation of your system. Manuals can help you make sense of the drivers you might need, the places things connect to, how to change something or more importantly, provide you with the exact knowledge for the hardware you are using.

Roundup

Building a PC can be a once a decade experience for some, or a few times a year for others.

Upgrading, exploring the world of PC DIY and getting hands on is a hobby, and with that comes experimentation, getting things wrong and discovering different ways of doing things.

There are thousands of different hardwares out there waiting.

What are you waiting for?

Blog post written by Matt Lee

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