Chapter Objectives In this chapter, you will learn: Some guidelines to use when upgrading or purchasing a new PC How to prepare for assembling a PC How to assemble a PC from parts purchased separately Chapter 11: Purchasing or Building a Personal Computer

Upgrading or Purchasing a Personal Computer Before considering an upgrade or a new computer purchase, first take steps to maximize the performance of your current computer: Run Disk Cleanup Enable disk caching Use the Error-checking tool Remove any unnecessary programs from startup Change the size of your paging file Run Windows Update Run a full antivirus scan Chapter 11: Purchasing or Building a Personal Computer

Upgrading or Purchasing a Personal Computer Chapter 11: Purchasing or Building a Personal Computer

Upgrading a PC Some important points to keep in mind when upgrading include: Verify that you can get drivers for each device you plan to use in the system Follow the guidelines in Chapter 4 when upgrading memory modules When upgrading the CPU, review the motherboard documentation to check what the motherboard supports If you plan to upgrade the motherboard, check to see if all of your current components are compatible with the new motherboard Chapter 11: Purchasing or Building a Personal Computer

Upgrading a PC When making major upgrades, be sure that your hard drive has enough available space to support the extra needs of these devices When upgrading or adding a new hard drive, match the IDE or SCSI standard When installing a new peripheral, flash the BIOS, if necessary, before installing the new device If you are adding many new devices to the system, you should add more fans for cooling Check that the power supply will provide enough wattage to support these new devices Chapter 11: Purchasing or Building a Personal Computer

Upgrading a PC Chapter 11: Purchasing or Building a Personal Computer

Purchasing a New Personal Computer: Overall Considerations How will the computer be used now and in the future? Based on the planned use for the computer, what functionality do you want the computer to have? What software and hardware do you need to meet this functionality? What is your budget? Chapter 11: Purchasing or Building a Personal Computer

Purchasing a New Personal Computer: Selecting Software What types of software do you need, based on your functionality requirements? Is compatibility with other software or data required? How well-known or widely used is the software Does the software get good reviews and ratings from computer magazines and Web sites? Chapter 11: Purchasing or Building a Personal Computer

Purchasing a New Personal Computer: Selecting Software Is training available, if you do not already have the skills needed to use the software? How good is the software’s documentation? What are the company’s upgrade policies? Chapter 11: Purchasing or Building a Personal Computer

Purchasing a New Personal Computer: Selecting Hardware General considerations in selecting hardware include the following: Differences between desktops, towers, and notebooks Check that the computer will allow you to upgrade as needed Make sure the case has a reset button and key lock, if necessary Be sure that the motherboard supports USB 2.0 Chapter 11: Purchasing or Building a Personal Computer

Purchasing a New Personal Computer: Selecting a Complete System Questions to consider when selecting a computer system include: How does the service agreement work? What is the warranty for the computer? What is the return or exchange policy? What documentation or manuals come with the system? Chapter 11: Purchasing or Building a Personal Computer

Preparing to Build Your Own PC Chapter 11: Purchasing or Building a Personal Computer

Getting Ready for Assembly: Selecting Parts Plan for everything you need before you begin Two things are important as you select and purchase each part: functionality and compatibility with other parts Before purchasing any components, carefully examine the documentation Buy components from a reputable dealer Select the motherboard first, and then select the other parts based on compatibility with the motherboard Chapter 11: Purchasing or Building a Personal Computer

Building a Personal Computer, Step-by-Step Chapter 11: Purchasing or Building a Personal Computer

Step 1: Verify All Parts Are Available Chapter 11: Purchasing or Building a Personal Computer

Step 2: Prepare the Computer Case Chapter 11: Purchasing or Building a Personal Computer

Step 3: Install Drives If you install the drives before the motherboard, do not connect the power cords until the motherboard is in place Configure the jumpers for each IDE drive in the system Chapter 11: Purchasing or Building a Personal Computer

Step 3: Install Drives Install the CD-RW drive Chapter 11: Purchasing or Building a Personal Computer

Step 3: Install Drives Install the hard drive and floppy drive Chapter 11: Purchasing or Building a Personal Computer

Step 4: Set Jumpers or Switches on the Motherboard Chapter 11: Purchasing or Building a Personal Computer

Step 5: Install the CPU and CPU Fan Chapter 11: Purchasing or Building a Personal Computer

Step 6: Install RAM on the Motherboard Chapter 11: Purchasing or Building a Personal Computer

Step 7: Install the Motherboard and Attach Cabling Place the motherboard into the case so the holes on the motherboard align with the holes on the spacers Chapter 11: Purchasing or Building a Personal Computer

Step 7: Install the Motherboard and Attach Cabling Connect the power cord from the exhaust fan to the auxiliary fan power connection on the motherboard Connect the 4-pin auxiliary power cord coming from the power supply to the motherboard Chapter 11: Purchasing or Building a Personal Computer

Step 7: Install the Motherboard and Attach Cabling Connect the 20-pin ATX P1 power cord from the power supply to the motherboard Chapter 11: Purchasing or Building a Personal Computer

Step 7: Install the Motherboard and Attach Cabling Serial ATA hard drives use a special power cord Chapter 11: Purchasing or Building a Personal Computer

Step 7: Install the Motherboard and Attach Cabling After the power cords are connected, locate and connect the front leads to the switches, speaker, and lights on the front of the case Chapter 11: Purchasing or Building a Personal Computer

Step 7: Install the Motherboard and Attach Cabling Connect the cable coming from the USB ports on the case to the first USB connector on the motherboard Chapter 11: Purchasing or Building a Personal Computer

Step 7: Install the Motherboard and Attach Cabling Connect the CD audio cord Chapter 11: Purchasing or Building a Personal Computer

Step 7: Install the Motherboard and Attach Cabling Install the data cables to connect each drive Install the floppy drive cable with the twist between the motherboard and the drive Connect the 40-pin IDE cable to the optical drive and the primary IDE connector on the motherboard Connect the serial ATA connectors Chapter 11: Purchasing or Building a Personal Computer

Step 8: Install the Video Card Chapter 11: Purchasing or Building a Personal Computer

Step 9: Install the Modem Card Remove the faceplate from the PCI slot, insert the modem card, and then use a screw to secure it Chapter 11: Purchasing or Building a Personal Computer

Step 10: Plug in the Computer and Attach External Devices Chapter 11: Purchasing or Building a Personal Computer

Step 11: Boot the Computer, Check Settings, and Verify Operation Make the necessary changes in CMOS Test the system before replacing the cover Chapter 11: Purchasing or Building a Personal Computer

Step 12: Install the Operating System, Peripheral Devices, and Application Software After the computer is assembled successfully, you can boot the system from the Windows setup CD and follow the steps to partition the hard drive and install the operating system After installing the operating system, you can install any peripheral devices you need, such as a printer, and any application software Chapter 11: Purchasing or Building a Personal Computer

Chapter Summary In this chapter, you learned: Some guidelines to use when upgrading or purchasing a new PC How to prepare for assembling a PC How to assemble a PC from parts purchased separately Chapter 11: Purchasing or Building a Personal Computer

Chapter 11 Complete