I finally did it! I built my first PC.
A friend gave me the motherboard, CPU and graphics card after he upgraded his own system. I originally wanted to use an old HP tower to house it, but the case was oddly set up and I was a bit worried about the metal of the case shorting the motherboard. Once I gave myself permission to get a brand new case, I was able to build a PC quite quickly.
Let’s build it!
Getting the Cooler Master fan aligned was quite a pain in the butt. I swear I flipped the fan brackets more often than when trying to plug in a USB A! Eventually I was able to get the screws and brackets aligned and screwed in. After that I tested the most important parts before adding them to the case.
With relief and joy I did a celebratory dance at seeing the UEFI screen. Then I unplugged everything and got to work. The NZXT case was much larger than I needed for the mini-ATX motherboard, but it was in stock and cheap. I appreciate the added bonus that I can still use it when I upgrade to a larger board later or an AIO cooling system later. I had a bit of a hard time screwing in one corner screw. One screwdriver was too fat, one screwdriver was too short. I’ll have to look for a goldilocks screwdriver later. 😁
Once I started plugging in the various connectors I had to deal with all the tiny and congested spaces on the mini-ATX. I wished for smaller hands, a magnifying glass and a flashlight to be able to see everything clearly. I have done quite a bit of work with my laptops in the past, so this feeling of not having enough space to maneuver was unexpected to say the least!
Finite!
An impressed friend is looking for a new Graphics Design PC. We’ve already started discussing parts and prices. I am so glad studying for the A+ has given me this knowledge. I can’t wait to really test this new build and start migrating the data from my old laptop.
