A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC Fifth Edition Chapter 23 Purchasing a PC or Building Your Own

2 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition You Will Learn… Some guidelines to use when purchasing a PC How to prepare for assembling a PC yourself How to assemble a PC from separately purchased parts

3 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Selecting a Personal Computer to Meet Your Needs Consider an upgrade if:  Cost does not exceed half the value of current system  Resulting system does not contain legacy components that might compromise performance Don’t upgrade a computer system older than five years

4 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Upgrading a PC Verify availability of drivers Match motherboard bus types to expansion cards  Consider number of available expansion slots Heed voltage requirements of processor Consider new memory modules and processor for new motherboard

5 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Upgrading a PC ( continued ) Verify that OS supports dual processing (if desired) Match memory modules to motherboard Verify available space on hard drive Flash BIOS before installing new peripheral

6 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Alternatives When Buying a New PC Buy a brand-name PC Buy a clone Buy parts and assemble a PC yourself (personally designed clone)

7 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Considerations When Buying a New PC (Hierarchical) Intended purpose Functionality needed Hardware and software needed to meet functionality requirements Budget Assemble clone yourself?

8 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Purchasing a Brand-Name PC versus a Clone Brand-name  Costs more than a clone  Generally provides better after-sales service and additional support  May be more proprietary Potential for difficulty in upgrading and repairing

9 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Selecting Software Choose operating system first Choose application software  Functionality  Compatibility  Training  Documentation  Upgrade policies  Popularity

10 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Selecting Hardware Most important criteria:  Compatibility  Functionality Consider motherboard first Other considerations (eg, processing power, modem, power supply, case, documentation, internal versus external devices) Peripheral devices

11 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Considerations When Selecting a Total Package Hardware and software included Warranty and return or exchange policy On-site or local service ACPI- and Energy Star-compliance Preinstalled software Documentation

12 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Considerations When Selecting a Total Package ( continued ) Manufacturer’s Web site Motherboard allows for expansion of RAM Unused expansion slots Ability to disable features Price  High- to middle-priced PCs offer more network capability, expandability, support, prior testing

13 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Why Build Your Own PC? Can be fun Knowledge gain Availability of hardware and software documentation and original software disks Complete control over every part

14 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Why Not Build Your Own PC? Takes time and requires patience No overall warranty on assembled product Possibility of selecting components that are incompatible Need access to an experienced technician or technical service center Probably won’t save money

15 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Getting Ready for Assembly: Selecting Parts Review functionality, compatibility, and budget needs Select motherboard first, then CPU and RAM Select case and accompanying power supply

16 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Getting Ready for Assembly: Selecting Parts ( continued ) Select hard drive and other drives Select video card and other peripherals (mouse, keyboard, monitor)

17 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Getting Ready for Assembly: Final Preparations Prepare a well-lit, uncluttered work area Read all documentation and plan entire assembly Get questions answered before you begin

18 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Building a Personal Computer: Assembly Process 1.Verify that you have all the parts 2.Prepare the computer case 3.Install drives

19 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Building a Personal Computer: Assembly Process ( continued ) 3.Determine and set up jumpers and DIP switches for the motherboard 4.Install CPU and CPU fan 5.Install RAM on the motherboard

20 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Building a Personal Computer: Assembly Process ( continued ) 7.Install motherboard; attach cables and power cords 8.Install video card and other expansion cards 9.Install modem card

21 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Building a Personal Computer: Assembly Process ( continued ) 10. Plug in computer; connect mouse, keyboard, and monitor 11. Boot the computer, check CMOS settings, and verify operation 12. Install peripheral devices and software

22 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Step 1: Verify That You Have All Parts

23 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Step 2: Prepare Computer Case Install case fans and I/O shield Remove plates covering drive bays and install spacers

24 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Installing I/O Shield

25 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Installing Spacers

26 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Step 3: Install Drives Configure jumpers on each IDE drive Install the CD-RW drive Install the hard drive Install the floppy drive

27 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Configuring Jumpers on Each IDE Drive With parallel ATA, up to two IDE controllers can be on motherboard (primary and secondary)  Each controller can support up to two drives (master and slave), for total of up to four IDE drives With serial ATA and parallel ATA, up to six IDE devices can be supported

28 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Installing the CD-RW Drive

29 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Installing the CD-RW Drive ( continued )

30 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Installing the CD-RW Drive ( continued )

31 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Installing the Hard Drive

32 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Installing the Floppy Drive

33 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Step 4: Set Jumpers or Switches on Motherboard

34 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Step 4: Set Jumpers or Switches on Motherboard ( continued )

35 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Step 4: Set Jumpers or Switches on Motherboard ( continued )

36 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Step 5: Install CPU and CPU Fan

37 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Step 5: Install CPU and CPU Fan ( continued )

38 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Step 6: Install RAM on the Motherboard

39 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Step 7: Install Motherboard and Attach Cabling

40 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Step 7: Install Motherboard and Attach Cabling ( continued )

41 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Step 7: Install Motherboard and Attach Cabling ( continued )

42 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Step 7: Install Motherboard and Attach Cabling ( continued )

43 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Step 7: Install Motherboard and Attach Cabling ( continued )

44 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Step 7: Install Motherboard and Attach Cabling ( continued )

45 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Step 7: Install Motherboard and Attach Cabling ( continued )

46 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Step 7: Install Motherboard and Attach Cabling ( continued )

47 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Step 7: Install Motherboard and Attach Cabling ( continued )

48 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Step 7: Install Motherboard and Attach Cabling ( continued )

49 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Step 8: Install the Video Card

50 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Step 8: Install the Video Card ( continued )

51 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Step 8: Install the Video Card

52 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Step 9: Install the Modem Card Not considered an essential device  Can install after testing the system and installing the OS If you choose to install it now:  Install in a PCI slot  Remove faceplate, insert the card, and secure it with a screw

53 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Step 10: Plug In the Computer and Attach External Devices

54 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Step 11: Boot the Computer, Check Settings, and Verify Operation

55 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Step 11: Boot the Computer, Check Settings, and Verify Operation

56 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Step 12: Install Peripheral Devices and Applications Modem card Printer Applications

57 A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Fifth Edition Summary Reasons for purchasing a new PC  Better after-sales service and support Reasons for building a PC from parts  Knowledge gain  Complete control over every part Procedures for building a PC from parts