Build your own computer guide

All parts mentioned are readily available for sale on eBay by many sellers.  I also feature all of these items in my store Digital Divide Computing.

I named my store digital divide computing because I believe that to thrive in todays economy requires each person to have a basic level of computer literacy.  I feel that this literacy should not stop at just being able to use a computer effectively but also being able to maintain, repair, and upgrade your computer to meet your specific needs.

I have used several companies barebone computer products and was very impressed with the Asus Vintage.  This system was built for as a gift and I decided I'd document the process and write up this guide.

On to the assembly

Become familiar with the case

Set everything aside and just focus on the case for the moment.  I cannot strees this enough.  READ THE MANUALS.  I have put together countless computers and I still read the manuals before assembly.  As a new system builder you may want to do some research on the internet for any terms you don't understand and familiarize yourself with the parts of the motherboard and case. 

This having been my first assembly with the Asus Vintage Barebone I was immediatly impressed by the basic system.  It did not have a lot of bells and whistles like quick release, gull winged doors, or screwless intstallation but it did have a good solid feel, easy removal of the two sides and front, and very well run cables just waiting for you to install components and plug them in.

CPU Installation

Again, I must stress the importance of refering to the instructions included with your equipment.  I am always most careful wtih the CPU because it is usually the most expensive and easily damaged component.  Ideally you would be using an anti-static wrist band but if you are just building one computer you can usually just take extra care to ground yourself against the case and do things that would cause you to build up a charge.  (Building up a charge is like when you rub a balloon against your hair to create a static charge or drag your feet across the carpet and then touch your friend to give them a shock.  That shock would be enough to fry your processor!)  The pins on the processor are also many in numbered and easily bent.  That having been said, installation is a breeze, simply lift the lever next to the socket on the motherboard, align it so that the "cutaway corder" is aligned properly, drop it in, and then close the lever snapping it into place.

Next install the heatsink and fan as outlined in the instructions.  Another caution is to use enough force to snap the assembly into place but not so much force as to cause a crack in the motherboard.  Once you have it snapped into place lock the levers down to tighten it.  Plug the fan into the appropriate socket on the motherboard and you are finished installing the CPU.

Memory Installation

Note in the previous picture the black socket running vertically just to the right of the CPU assembly.  This is where you install the memory.  When installing memory a good rule of thumb is to use the slot closest to the CPU for you first and highest capacity memory and the second for any additional memory.  For this installation I installed one stick of 512.  Look at the memory stick and you will notice slots cut into the memory. Now look at the socket and you will see where those slots fit.  This will enable you to orientate the memory the correct way.  It will not install the wrong way.  Now simply press the memory into the slot until it snaps into place and the two levers on the end snap up to lock it into place.  Again, this may take some pressure but take care not too much pressure to crack the motherboard.  If you are having difficulty check to make sure you have it aligned correctly.