FAST PC How To Build A PC - A Comprehensive Guide Matt Totten -
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Motherboard Details After installing the RAM, you are ready to hook up the power supply and some of the smaller cables to the motherboard. Connecting the power supply to the motherboard is a cinch, as the largest plug running from the supply fits one way into the large slot on the motherboard, depicted at the right.   PWR LED - Power LED - Light shows when system is on (usually green) HDD LED - HDD LED - Light shows when system is accessing HDD (usually red) SLP LED - Sleep LED - Light shows when system is suspended (in 'sleep' mode)

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All motherboards group the pins in question in the bottom right corner of the board. You should find these described in the manual that came with your motherboard. The abbreviations printed on the board itself are not particularly useful for beginners, who may find the following short explanation of the abbreviations useful.

SPK - Speaker - Basic speaker mounted in the case

PWR SW - Power switch - System power on/off

RST SW - Reset switch - Reset system

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The polarity (or which way you plug the cable onto the pins) doesn't necessairly matter. The Reset and Power switches will work no matter how they are connected, but the LEDs will not light up if they are connected in reverse polarity.

If you can hear disk activity but the LED does not light, simply reverse the plug.

           

 

The cables are labeled individually, as shown in the picture, and there is corresponding labeling on the motherboard as well (and in your motherboard manual as well to assist you).

There can very well be other cables to connect, like front USB ports, FireWire ports and the like, but after connecting the cables above, you'll have no problem whatsoever hooking those up as well.

 

 

Next, we're going to install whatever cards (sound cards, video cards, etc.) in your soon-to-be-completed PC (!).

 

Next: Assemble a Computer: Installing the Video Card & PCI Cards

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Assembly Supplies   The Case   Mounting the Motherboard   Installing the Processor   Mounting the CPU Cooler   Installing the RAM   Configuring the Motherboard   Installing the Video Card & PCI Cards   CD & DVD Drives   Hard Drive   Installing the Case Fan   Post-Assembly Guide   How Fast Is It?   System Benchmark Results   Video Card Drivers Settings   BIOS Settings   Free Software   BIOS Flash Updates And Driver Updates   Help and Support