PC Case Fitting Kit

The Fitting Kit, that should be supplied with the case, will have a number of items in it (most of which should be explained by the PC case instructions.)
It is important to familiarise yourself with the difference between commonly used PC screws, as equipment can be damaged if the incorrect type of screw is used. If it does not screw in easily, it may be the wrong kind.

Coarse-Threaded Screw

Count the 'ridges' down the stem of the screw, coarse-threaded screws will have around four or five turns.

Fine-Threaded Screw

Tricky to count, but will have around ten or eleven turns and is slightly smaller.

Standoffs / Spacers

These will prevent the back of the motherboard coming into contact with the metal mounting plate inside the PC Case.

Configuration Jumpers

Small plastic caps that can be placed across two pins to set hardware options.

Fan Screws

Larger in diameter and having a more coarse thread than the standard screws, these are used to attach fans to the PC Case.

In all our instructions, we will try to help you use the correct kind of screw as per our experience. However, due to the enormous variety of PC devices we cannot guarantee that we will be correct in guessing the fixing type.

It is important not to force a screw fixing or over tighten it.
If, when fixing a device, the screw does not rotate smoothly into place or gives any resistance to the movement, try another screw or another type of screw.

Technical Tip
Screws fasten clockwise and unfasten anti-clockwise. To prevent 'cross threading' (when the screw thread damages the fixing hole and continually spins) try rotating the screw anti-clockwise a couple of turns, applying light pressure, until you feel or hear a slight 'click' this will indicate that the threads are aligned and that you can safely proceed to fasten the screw.

Completing the Case preparations

If you have not already done so, fit the PSU to the PC case using coarse threaded screws from the fixings kit.
With the PSU fitted, attach the power cable to the PSU.
Do not connect the other end to the mains supply yet.

2. The PC Case

The PC Case will need some initial preparation before you can start.

Unpack the PC case and place it right way up on the work surface (if it does not have a PSU already fitted, unpack your separate PSU and place it carefully on the work surface). Find the mains cable for the PSU, but do not plug it in just yet.

Opening the Case

Check your case instructions to determine how to remove the outer casing (or in some styles, side cover panel). This should give you clear access to the inside such that you can fit all your new equipment. Once this is done, carefully lay the case on its side, so that the opening faces up.

Fitting the PSU (if necessary)

You will notice at the rear of the case there will be a large hole (at the top in most cases). You will need to install the PSU, such that the fan outlet and power socket on the PSU will face outward and the power connectors all hang loosely inside the case.
The example on the right demonstrates a correctly fitted PSU. Notice the four fixing screws (circled in red) that hold the PSU in place. It is also important to make sure that any 'ventilation openings' on the PSU case itself, face toward the inside of the PC case. The PSU has a secondary function: to draw hot air out of the PC case and push it out of the back.

Building a PC

To Build Your Own PC follow our simple step-by-step guide, from a pile of computer parts to the completely assembled PC. If you find you are having problems, don't worry, you can troubleshoot common PC problems or even register to post a message in our PC building forum to ask for help with your PC hardware.

1. Preparation

Get yourself geared up ready to build a PC with minimum hassle.


Before starting to build your new PC, there are a number of things you need to do, such that work can proceed smoothly without too much interruption. Follow these steps before moving on to the next section.

Work Area

Find a large, clean, well-lit work surface which has two or more mains power outlets nearby (RCD protected, if possible.) You will need space for your monitor, keyboard and mouse and to lay your case on its side, such that you can fit the components etc.

Tools

Collect together the necessary tools nearby, such that they are close to hand. It is advisable at this stage to set up your anti-static precautions.

Equipment

Make a collection of all your new components (still in their packaging) and place them nearby, ready for use.

Set Up

Unwrap and carefully place your monitor (on its stand) on the work surface, such that you can clearly view the screen. Be careful when lifting monitors as they can be extremely heavy. Ask someone for help if necessary.
Retrieve the power and signal (if supplied loosely) cables from the packaging and fit them to the monitor as instructed by its manual. Do the same with the keyboard, mouse and speakers (if you have them) such that they are ready to be used later on.
Do not connect any devices to the mains power outlet yet.

PC-Wizard

PC-Wizard

What is PC-Wizard

Since 1996 PC WIZARD is among the most advanced system information programs on the market. PC WIZARD is a powerful utility designed especially for detection of hardware, but also some more analysis. It's able to identify a large scale of system components and supports the latest technologies and standards. This tool is periodically updated (usually once per month) in order to provide most accurate results.
PC WIZARD is also an utility designed to analyze and benchmark your computer system. It can analyze and benchmark many kinds of hardware, such as CPU performance, Cache performance, RAM performance, Hard Disk performance, CD/DVD-ROM performance, Removable/FLASH Media performance, Video performance, MP3 compression performance.
PC WIZARD can be distributed freely (ftp, archives, CD-ROMs...).
Hardware Information

• Mainboard / Bios (Connectors, ID String, MP Support ...)
• Chipset (FSB Frequency, Norhtbridge, Hub, Direct Media Interface, XMB, NSI, ...)
• Main Memory (FPM, EDO, SDRAM, DDR SDRAM, DDR-2 SDRAM, DDR-3 SDRAM, RDRAM, FB_DIMM, Timings ...)
• Memory Profiles : EPP (SLi Ready), Intel XMP.
• Cache Memory (L1, L2, L3, Size, Frequency ...)
• Processors (Type, Speed, Multiplier coeff., Features, Model Number, Vanderpool Technology ...)
• Coprocessor
• APM & ACPI
• Busses : ISA, PCI, AGP (2x, 4x,8x), SMBus/ i2c, CardBus, Firewire, Hyper-Transport ... )
• DMI / SMBIOS
• Mainboard Sensors, Processor, Hard Disk & Battery (Voltage, Temperature, Fans)
• Video (Monitor, Card, Bios, Capabilities, Memory, Integrated Memory, Frequencies ...)
• OpenGL & 3Dfx
• DirectX (DirectDraw, Direct3D, DirectSound (3D), DirectMusic, DirectPlay, DirectInput, DirectX Media)
• Keyboard, Mouse & Joystick
• Drives (Hard Disk, Removable, CD-ROM, CDRW, DVD ...)
• SCSI (Card, Controller, Adapter, Devices ...)
• ATA/ATAPI & S-ATA (Devices, Type, Capabilities, S.M.A.R.T. Features, RAID)
• Ports (Serial, Parallel, USB, IEEE-1394)
• IDE & SCSI Devices
• Twain & WIA Devices
• PCMCIA (PC Card) Devices
• Bluetooth Devices
• Biometric Sensor Devices
• Sound Card (wave, midi, aux, mix, AC'97 codec, High Definition Audio)
• Printers (Local & Network)
• Modem (Features, Speed ...)
• Network (Server, Connexion, Firewall ...)
• Security (Scan Ports ...)
• PocketPC & SmartPhone Devices
• Virtual Machines

System Information

• MCI Devices (mpeg, avi, seq, vcr, video-disc, wave) & ACM
• SAPI
• Passwords (Outlook, Internet Explorer, MSN Messenger, Dialup ...)
• DOS Memory (base, HMA, UMB, XMS, EMS, DPMI, VCPI)
• Windows Memory
• Windows (Version, Product Key, Environment, Desktop, XP Themes ...)
• Windows UpTime (Boot, Shutdown, BlueScreen, System Restore Points ...)
• TrueType & OpenType Fonts
• WinSock (Internet), Telephony et Remote Access
• OLE (Objects, Servers ...)
• Microsoft© Applications
• Activity (Process, Tasks, Threads)
• Modules (DLL, DRV, 32 & 16-bits) & NT Services
• Internet Navigator (Microsoft Internet Explorer, Netscape, Mozilla, FireFox)
• .NET Global Assembly Cache (GAC)
• ODBC
• CMOS/RTC
• Resources (IRQ, DMA, E/S, Memory)
• System files (.ini, .log, .bat, .nt, .dos ...)

System Benchmarks

• Processor (Dhrystone (MIPS), Whetstone (MFLOPS), Mandelbrot fractal ...)
• L1, L2, L3 Cache, RAM (Bandwidth, Latency ...)
• Main Memory (Bandwidth, Latency ...)
• Hard Drives
• CD/DVD Rom
• DirectX
• Video
• Removable/Flash Support
• MP3 Compression
• VISTA Experience Index

MEMORY and CACHE: These benchmarks measure the maximum achiveable memory bandwidth. The code behind these benchmarks method is written in Assembly (x86, SSE, SSE2, SSE3). Memory benchmarks utilize only one processor core and one thread.

PROCESSOR : These benchmarks measure performance in terms of Integer Millions of Instructions Per Second (Integer MIPS) and Millions of Floating Point Operations Per Second (MFLOPS). The code behind these benchmarks method is written in Assembly (x86, x87, MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, 3DNOW!). Processor benchmarks are HyperThreading, multi-processor (SMP) and multi-core (CMP) aware.
Tools

• Can save, print, e-mail a report
• Can save a TXT, RTF, HTML, PDF or CSV report
• Can export any graphics as BMP file
• Can export text and graphic with the clipboard
• Web update Wizard
• Communicate with Motherboard Monitor
• Dump (Hardware registers, System BIOS, video BIOS ...)

Multi Languages

• Dutch
• English
• French
• German
• Greek
• Italian
• Russian
• Serbian
• Slovak
• Spanish

Use this 100% free software to learn more about your computer and its components, detect/diagnose any problems in your computer, and increase your computer's performance.

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Screen images

Install & configuration

Install
ZIP package: PC Wizard can be run directly from removable support (CD/DVD, USB Key, ...) Options are not saved.
Don't forget to check \"Use Folder Names\" into your UNZIP application to create PC Wizard folders.

Self-installing EXE package: To install PC Wizard directly on your hard drive.
Commandline Parameters
Launch PC Wizard in silent mode : no interface appears, the report is automatically created.
Example : PC Wizard.exe /R T1 C3 c:\reports\report.txt /I
Result: Save plain text report for Hardware Tab and Processor category only into the c:\reports folder, with detailed information.
To learn more, see the readme.txt file into the PC Wizard folder.
Special Keys
The F3 key allows to search if a path has been installed. Just enter the Microsoft KB reference.
The F5 key allows to refresh information.
The F10 key copies the current page in the clipboard.
The F11 key allows to save a screenshot as a .bmp file.
The F12 allows to save current benchmark results to the database.
The Right Click allows to display a context menu (on graphic benchmark it allows to save graph as a bitmap).
Special Extras
PC Wizard supports the Logitech G-Series keyboard LCD screen. To activate this function go to menu Options (Monitoring Tab )and check it. When you minimize PC Wizard window, CPU information will be displayed into the keyboard LCD screen.

Security
PC Wizard shows passwords only for your personal goal. No sensitive data is transmitted. No sensitive data is included with any kind of report.
Remove
Go to Control Panel - Add/remove Programs and choose PC Wizard. Click on Add/Remove button and follow the instructions.
Debug Mode
If PC Wizard freezes or crashes your computer, please try to:

• Launch application with Debug Mode (hold down the ESC key until the SplashScreen appears). A new file will be created (C:\pcwdbg.log).
  Please report it by sending an e-mail with this file (see Contact the authors).
• PC Wizard Settings shows and you can disable the detection of some components, which may cause problems.

Some computers may have problems especially during:

• IDE/ATAPI device direct-access scan.
• SMBus scan.
• GPU i2C device direct-access.
• SuperIO/LPC sensor detection.

3. The Boards

Securing the Motherboard and fitting the adapter cards.

Fitting the Motherboard

With the PC Case ready, collect together the 'fixings' kit and follow these steps.
Unpack the Motherboard. You will notice that it is packaged in a special bag (usually black or silver in colour.) This is a special anti-static bag. Try to keep the motherboard inside this bag until it is needed.
A good quality motherboard will be supplied with a User Manual, driver disk/CD and all the cables you will need to configure your PC, including a Floppy Drive cable, one or more IDE cables and where supported, one or more Serial-ATA cables. In addition, you should also receive an IO Shield which can be fitted into the PC Case to match the connectors on the motherboard.
You will notice, in various places on the motherboard, there are small holes with bare metal 'rings' around them. These can be used to fix the motherboard to the inside of the PC Case.

Warning
Under NO circumstances should the motherboard be mounted such that the back of the board is in contact with the metal case. This will cause a short-circuit and could damage the motherboard.

Find the corresponding points inside the case and fit the standoffs as appropriate to allow you to screw the motherboard into place. The standoffs should raise the motherboard around half an inch off the metal mounting plate, preventing a short-circuit.
Look closely at the Motherboard shown here. You will notice a collection of coloured 'blocks' along the top right edge. These are the connectors for the Keyboard, Mouse, USB etc. The Motherboard should always be fitted such that these are accessible to the rear of the case.