At this point, you should have the new case in front of you with the cover removed. Before you can use it for a new system, you must prepare it for use. Go through the following checklist to make sure it is prepared. Not all of this may be necessary on your case, and if you’re using a case you already had, much or all it has likely been done already. Nonetheless, this is a useful guideline.
Now that the case is open, now is a good time to go through the screw supply provided with the case. These are usually held in a small plastic bag nestled inside the case. Inside this bag you should find:
- Chassis screws – this is the type used to tighten down cards, etc.
- Smaller screws – just like the chassis screws, just with a smaller diameter. It is used to fasten the motherboard in.
- Standoffs – these are screws that are used to hold the motherboard about 1/8″ from the motherboard mounting plate. Their ends have a threaded opening in them that accept the smaller chassis screws. If you have an AT case, you may find small white standoffs. These serve the same function as the metal standoff, but are simply punched through the board and slid into slots on the case. They are rather clumsy to use compared to the metal standoffs, but they get the job done. Lastly, some cases use small metal clip-looking stand-offs. They are pinched together and slipped into small rectangular holes in the motherboard mounting plate and they snap in. These are, too, a bit awkward.
- Washers. These are typically small, loose washers, not the metal kind you’ve seen in your toolbox. These will be used to cushion your motherboard from the screws you will be using to hold it in. Some motherboards have metal plates around the holes to keep the screws from shorting the circuitry, and in this case, washers are not necessary and may not be included.
Now, verify a few things have been done, if they need to be done.
- Clean Case – If the case is new, this should be no big deal. But, if the case has been used before, it could probably stand a cleaning. Clean out the inside with a rag or compressed air. Make sure the fan in the power supply is free of furry dust. Also take a rag and wipe it off.
- Inspect the Power Supply – Make sure it is tightly attached to the case, make sure it is free of dust, and make sure it is set to the proper voltage of your area- 110V for U.S. and 220V for outside countries.
- Inspect Power Switch – Make sure the power switch is securely tightened and correctly connected to the power supply. In ATX cases, the power switch will have one loose wire coming off of it. This wire will then connect to the Power Switch connector on the motherboard.
- Install Feet – These are little tabs inserted into holes at the bottom of the case. The case sits on these tabs when on your desk. If the case has been used before or it is a more expensive case, this may not need to be done.
- Install Case Fan – Sometimes, you may want to install a separate fan that screws onto a rack next to the vent on the front of the case. This helps increase circulation of air through the system. Many cases already have this installed, so you may not need to worry about it. Some like to put a little filter over the hole so as to prevent dust from being drawn in. An ideal and simple setup for proper airflow is to set the front, lower fan to pull air in, and have the higher, rear fan exhaust.
- Free Up the Drive Bays – Brand new (cheaper) cases sometimes have the drive bays sealed with metal plates. It’s the most annoying thing. If you want to install any drives, and you probably do, you’ll need to remove these. Choose the drive bays you want to use (usually the ones at the top on tower cases) and remove the metal plates. These are attached by metal, so they take some cutting, prying and twisting to break them free. Be careful not to hurt the case or yourself. The plate will likely have sharp edges once removed. Better cases have these bays covered with plastic, replaceable plates which are a lot easier and make infinitely more sense.
- Replace I/O Shield. The Input/Output shield is a piece of metal with various holes punched in it that allow for the motherboard connections, such as mouse and keyboard, USB and LAN to poke out the rear of your case. All cases will come with one but since all motherboards are laid out differently, you’ll need to install the one that came with your board. Remove the old one simply by pushing it from the rear of the case inward. It usually will pop out easily, if not use a flat-head screwdriver to pry the edges so it comes loose. Push the new one in from the inside of the case and allow it to pop into place. Check to be sure it is secure.
Cant be any easier.All is well up to this point and the instructions just perfect and to the point….
Can I use my old case which is used for IBM AT computer?
I need a new computer because I can’t update my computer any more. It is too old.
No. Modern motherboards are a different size and shape from the IBM AT, and the power supply connector is different.
I don’t have a power supply in my case!
I have a cheap case that doesn’t include it and then I have a power supply that I bought seperately.
Luckily there is something explaining how to install the power supply!
It’s not only cheap cases that don’t have a power supply. Plenty of good cases like coolermaster and silverstone raven (like mine) don’t have them because many builders prefer to get higher end PSUs and install them.
Thank You very helpful info. Eddie
thnk u very help ful information
There are so many types of motherboards and CPUs available, how do I know which kind match up with each other and what kind of case is required for the motherboard I selected. For example, I want to build a quad-core computer. How do I know which kind of case to buy, what kind of motherboard, and what kind of CPU and power supply? I didn’t see these issues of compatibility addressed in your instructions. Many thanks.
All cases generally support Full ATX or Micro-ATX form factors for motherboards, so you need not worry about the type of case to buy. Modern cases usually support only Full-ATX and Micro-ATX and modern boards are usually either ATX or Micro-ATX so usually any motherboard fits in any chassis.
As for the quad-core system, simply make sure that the pins on the motherboard socket and the processor socket are the same and that the speed of the Front Side Bus of the motherboard is equal to or more than the Front Side Bus required by the processor. This will be explained to you by your dealer.
Piyush, there are many small cases which only fit Micro-ATX motherboards. Many desirable motherboards are ATX size, which requires a larger case.
Examples of matching the CPU socket and motherboard socket are “775″ or “AM3″.
wow, great tutorials. thxs.
“Make sure it is tightly attached to the case, make sure it is free of dust, and make sure it is set to the proper voltage of your area- 110V for U.S. and 220V for outside countries.”
I’m in an “outside country” I guess (Japan), but our voltage is 100 V.
Will any fan fit into any case?
Will any power supply fit into any case?
I am thinking 1000 watts, but only need 3 HD bays.
Bump
Got the same question in mind Any answers?
Any “normal” power supply will fit in any “normal” case. However, some people like very small cases, especially for applications such as a media PC, where the computer will sit beside your TV.
Fans need to fit more exactly. For example, I decided to install a fan to blow air out of one case, and it had to be 92 mm. The computer I’m using now has 120 mm fans at front and back. It’s big, but it fits nicely behind my flatscreen.
There are many sizes of fans that fits computers.The usual sizes are 80mm,92mm,120mm.I like a case with 120 mm fans as they tend to be quieter and move more air.I have billet aluminum fans in mine and i really like them.They are not very expensive at all.Less than 20 dollars.There are usually 2 or 3 fans in a case using 120mm fans.Thermaltake tsunami cases are made of aluminum and are very well built.
Hi, I have an old HP Pavilion XE744 and I am building a computer for science class and I am using the old case and power supply and am just going to replace the motherboard, cpu, add RAM , and add hard drive but can I put all these things in the case and power supply I have and it still run safely or is there a limit of watts of things that I can put in. Like the cpu is 94 watts and the motherboard is a number of watts…when all these things add up to a certain amount of watts does it matter how high the number is for these things to work safely with the power supply that is already in the computer? Thanks in advance.
lluv3gypt …you will need to make sure that all the components you use will go below the maximum capacity of what your power supply says in order for it to work correctly many old power supplies operate at less than 80% efficiency so a 400w would only operate at 320 this is without taking into consideration how much actual power u get out of it over time it becomes weaker, maybe u can test this tho with scientific equipment being in a class
check manufacturers sites or whatever for maximum power components use.
Can you install a server motherboard in a desktop pc?
Please e-mail me with a reply at mr.a.c.stopher@googlemail.com and put the subject as Computer Build