19 Steps to Assembling a PC (Checklist for Beginners)

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19 Step Checklist + Full Instructions for Beginners (Explained in Layman’s Terms)

Last Updated: April 22, 2020

You’ve spent what feels like 400 light-years researching how to build a PC for the first time, changed your mind on which parts to use 267 times, and wrestled back and forth with whether or not you should just call it a day and buy a prebuilt gaming PC to save time having to go through the many PC assembly steps. But you eventually mustered up the courage and bit the bullet on ordering the perfect list of PC parts for your needs, and they’ve finally arrived at your door. 

Excellent choice my friend. While getting a premade PC isn’t the end of the world if you do your research and pick a decent value desktop from a good company, there’s no escaping the fact that building your own PC has many advantages over buying a prebuilt system. Overall, it’s well worth the little extra time and effort to learn how to assemble a PC yourself, and you’ll be glad you did once it’s all over and your new custom PC is up and running.

After all the build-up and endless research on how to build a PC, the moment of truth is here and it’s FINALLY time to do the actual PC assembly steps. Feeling anxious? Fear not, Padawan, as we’re proud to present this comprehensive yet simple to understand PC installation guide that’s been freshly updated for 2020. This computer building tutorial will take you by the hand from the absolute start to finish of your very first build, with a ton of helpful photos and diagrams along the way to make every single step as easy to follow along with as possible.

Throughout all the PC assembly steps below, we’ll also simultaneously cover many common beginner questions and concerns that may pop up throughout the process. So if you’re a little confused at any stage, just trust in this process that’s been used by many thousands and thousands of other beginner builders, and just keep going one step at a time at your own pace because chances are your concerns will be addressed at some point in this guide if you simply continue on.

Stuck in PC Planning Land of Eternal Doom? See Our Sample Gaming PC Builds for Ideas

This walkthrough has also been continually fine-tuned over the past few years with a single aim: make it the the most helpful, in-depth (yet easy to understand) computer assembly tutorial around. If I’m being honest, I find the majority of PC installation guides out there aren’t all that newbie-friendly and almost always brush over many little details and important things to know when you’re brand new to PC hardware. 

To be fair, most guides aren’t specifically targeted for complete hardware novices though, who crave detailed instructions on every single little part of the process, and not just how to do a certain step but why you should (or shouldn’t) do it so you can fully grasp and understand the process.

At least that’s what I wanted when I learned how to build a PC for the very first time, so if that’s what you seek in a tutorial then I’m confident you’ll find the instructions below helpful on your journey. I remember exactly what it was like to be a total newbie to building PCs, and to often only become further confused and intimidated by the written guides and videos out there. 

To this day I try to never forget what it’s like being a stone-faced newbie, and I aim to keep this PC building guide as elementary basic as possible despite my hardware knowledge and experience increasing a lot over the past few years. Want to be spoken to as if you’ve never even seen the inside of a PC before? Let’s go.

The 3 Build Examples Used for This Guide

We’ve written this computer assembly tutorial in a way that applies to building any type of PC, but we’ve also included photos from 3 slightly different build examples to further ensure that nobody gets stuck along the way no matter what set of parts you’re installing. We will show photos from a budget Intel gaming build, a budget AMD gaming build, and a high-end AMD build.

The budget AMD gaming PC build has been added to this tutorial in 2020 to explain and showcase how to install certain PC components that weren’t present in our budget Intel gaming PC build example (AMD CPU and stock cooler, m.2 SSD, extra aftermarket case fan, DVD drive, and PCIe wireless card). We’ve also added some photos of a high-end AMD build example to mainly explain a couple extra things like using the popular B450 Tomahawk Max and installing a high-end stock AMD cooler like the Wraith Prism.

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1. Gather What You Need to Build a PC

To complete the assembly of a new PC from start to finish, here’s a list of every single tool, piece of equipment, and component that you need:

• Screwdriver/s: It’s true; to build a PC from scratch, all you need for most builds is a Phillips-head screwdriver. Specifically, you need one with a size #2 head, but if you’re installing an M.2 SSD you’ll also need a size #1 (M.2 screws are smaller). As for the length of the screwdriver, it doesn’t really matter as you can use either a short, medium, or longer screwdriver. Using a magnetic screwdriver – one that is a magnet to screws – is also handy (and safe to use for PC building). See our PC building tools guide for more.

• Suitable Surface: A large, flat, hard, non-conductive surface to assemble your PC on such as a desk or table (wood or glass is fine). If the floor of the room is carpet, that’s okay so long as you practice safely precautions at all times and you do NOT wear socks or wool sweaters/jumpers.

• A Way to Ground Yourself: To protect your components being damaged from static electricity when building a PC, you need to physically ground your body before handling the internal parts. You can do so by wearing an ESD/anti-static wrist strap/bracelet, or by periodically touching the bare (non painted) metal frame of your PC case or another metal object every now and then for a couple seconds (and specifically before going to touch a part). For example, you could touch a metal desk leg, door knob file cabinet, toaster, masonry wall (stone, brick or concrete), water pipe, gas pipe, metal AC, heating vent/radiator – anything metal will do.

• Enough Time: To learn how to build your first PC from start to finish, you want to give yourself plenty of time as you’ll be (or should be) taking it nice and slow. Setting aside a good 3-4 hour block of time (minimum) is wise if you want to install all your PC parts in one go, but you don’t have to do it in one sitting so long as you keep pets and any Baby Yoda’s in the house well away from your half-assembled system, and keep parts in their anti-static bags until you install them just in case.

• Motherboard Manual: The only manual you will likely need to build a PC which comes in handy for certain things that are specific to your particular board including where to connect your case’s front panel connections and which RAM sockets to install your memory. Your case manual is a close second in importance (and aftermarket CPU cooler manual if you bought one) and may be handy to browse over, but don’t expect much instruction or guidance (usually only contains some basic diagrams). Same goes for any other manuals your parts might come with (not all parts have manuals) – they’re not needed to learn PC assembly and you’ll find better instructions in a full PC build guide like this one.

Disclaimer: Yes, learning how to assemble a PC is not hard if you take your time, but if you get careless ’cause you’re in a rush to boot up and play some Fortnite or Tarkov, it is possible to damage a component (or even yourself, though I’ve never heard of that happening so relax). In the rare chance you cause any sort of damage using this tutorial (to your hardware parts, to your human parts, or to your cat) we cannot be held responsible.

We’ve prudently put a lot into making this PC building guide as precise and thorough in its explanations as possible, but your build is of course 100% your responsibility. From my world view this goes without saying, but a lawyer buddy told me I should include this for (lame) legal purposes. In other words, if you burn your house down, get electrocuted and now resemble Palpatine after facing Windu in ROTS, or die, don’t sue me ’cause this tutorial doesn’t exist and this site is a figment of your imagination.

2. Open Case and Prepare for Installation

So, you’ve got everything you need to build your very first PC. Now, let’s begin the process. Funny enough, the first step to assemble a PC is to disassemble it. Well, your case that is. Some cases may only have one removable side panel, but most will have two so that you can work from both sides (the rear side is handy to access for managing your cables later on). 

Go ahead and remove both side panels, or the main side panel at least (usually the left side of the case). Many modern cases use thumbscrews to hold the side panels in place, meaning you can just use your hands to undo them, but sometimes you’ll still need to use a screwdriver to initially loosen them up enough to the point where you can then use your hands. Other cases will just have standard screws that you’ll need to fully unscrew with your screwdriver. 

The Cooler Master N200 case for our Intel build example did need the screwdriver to open up:

For our AMD build example using the DeepCool Matrexx 30 case, it can be opened up without the screwdriver by simply undoing the thumbscrews by hand:

Once you’ve removed the screws on each of the 4 corners of the case, the panel should simply slide off. If it’s a glass panel like the one pictured above for our DeepCool Matrexx 30, be careful with it and make sure to place your case on its side before undoing the screws so that it doesn’t accidentally fall off (and once removed gently place the glass panel somewhere safe where it won’t get scratched or marked).

So now that’s your case opened up; yup, told you we’re keeping it real basic here so nobody gets left behind. Not even your Grandma, who may very well be in on the tangible Half Life Alyx hype of late and be assembling a high end gaming PC build to get in on the action (respect, but I think she’ll have a heart attack when that first headcrab pounces right at your face in freakin’ VR).

Inside your case you’ll find the already attached front panel cables (pictured below) which we’ll connect to the motherboard later on, pre-installed fans and their cables which also connect to the mobo later, and you should also find a bag of screws which you’ll want to open up and keep handy. Just don’t lose any screws and keep them all together somewhere.

Also, if your case has a hard drive rack/caddy on the bottom and you’re not going to install many hard drives, consider removing it to free up room in your case. Especially if you either have a smaller case with limited room and/or if using a non-modular (or semi-modular) power supply that will require a fair bit of room for your cables (PSU cables can be real chunky).

The Cooler Master N200 Mini Tower case has a drive caddy, but it’s a smaller case and we’ve only got one storage drive for this build (plus we have a non-modular power supply to install for this build which takes up more room) so I removed the caddy by simply unscrewing it:

3. Mount Additional Case Fans (Optional)

It’s worth mentioning that if you’re not using a graphics card, and are simply using the integrated graphics of a CPU like the AMD Athlon 3000G (or the 3200G or 3400G for that matter), you could get away with just the 1 fan. Low powered systems like these really don’t need much airflow.

So, if you have an aftermarket fan (just a fancy word for an extra non-stock fan) to install, consider doing that now otherwise it could be more difficult to reach in and fit the fan/s later when your motherboard is inside the case.

Full Steps: How to Install Extra Case Fans

4. Prepare Motherboard for Out-of-Case Installation

Now we’ve prepared the case, there are two different approaches you can take from here when learning how to build a PC from scratch for the first time. You can either:

• Build PC Outside Case: This involves installing some of your components (CPU, cooler, RAM, M.2 SSD) onto the motherboard first before installing the motherboard into the case.

• Build PC Inside Case: With this method you fit the motherboard into the case first and then install your components onto it.

So what’s best? Should you install your PC parts outside or inside the case? Either can work, but the first option (external) is generally best and what I’d recommend for most people. It has more pros than cons compared to fitting the motherboard first.

So, let’s go ahead and prepare your motherboard. Carefully remove your motherboard from the anti-static bag it came with, and holding the board by its edges, place it on top of your motherboard box (or on your desk if you don’t have the box).

5. Insert Processor Onto Motherboard

It’s time to install the new brains of your battlestation onto your motherboard, which deserves its own separate page to explain all the steps as well as answers to common questions about CPU installs.

If I included this entire tutorial on a single page it would be too long and might take a while to load in your browser (but if you do want this entire PC assembly tutorial in a single all-in-one PDF to download or print out easily see our eBook version).

So when you’re ready, head over to the CPU section of this guide.

Full Steps: How to Install a CPU Step by Step

6. Mount Heatsink and Fan On Motherboard

Now it’s time to attach the CPU cooler (technically called a HSF: Heatsink and Fan) which will sit on top of your CPU to keep it cool. We’ll be showcasing how to install a stock-standard Intel and AMD cooler (including 2 different AMD cooler variations for budget and high-end AMD stock coolers), which in other words is the cooler that comes included with Intel or AMD processors.

But we also have a guide on installing an aftermarket cooler too using one the most popular third-party models as an example (Hyper 212 series) for anyone not using the stock-standard cooler provided by Intel or AMD. Buying and using an aftermarket cooler like this isn’t necessary as the stock coolers are just fine if you’re not overclocking the CPU, but they do provide better cooling and noise reduction compared to stock-standard AMD/Intel ones.

Full Steps:

How to Install a Stock CPU Cooler

How to Install the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Series

How to Install the Noctua NH-D15 Series

7. Insert Memory Into Motherboard

Fitting your memory modules is one of the easiest, quickest parts to install when assembling a computer, but there are some things to know including which specific memory slots on the motherboard to install them in (technically called DIMM slots, short for Dual In-Line Memory Module).

If you planned a smart PC parts list, you’ll have gotten 2 memory modules for your PC build instead of just the 1 in order to take advantage of the performance benefits of running dual channel memory. Though if you’re on a real tight budget, a single module isn’t the end of the world.

If you were also wise about choosing your motherboard, and got one that has 4 memory slots so you can have 2 slots free for a future upgrade, the question is which 2 slots do you use now? It does matter, so head over to our full RAM guide for all the details and install steps.

Full Steps: How to Install RAM Step by Step

8. Insert M.2 SSD Onto Motherboard (Optional)

If you have an M.2 SSD to install, you’ll also want to do that now (or even before the CPU if you want) while your motherboard is chilling outside the case because as mentioned you have all the space in the world to easily work within your motherboard. Plus, M.2 screws are smaller than regular computer screws and it can be frustrating if you lose it in the deep dark depths of your case.

M.2 SSDs are the thin-style SSDs that plug directly into your motherboard (and are powered by it; no PSU connection required), as opposed to regular 2.5 inch SSDs which are installed separately to the motherboard (in drive bays; explained later). For all the steps see our M.2 guide.

Full Steps: How to Install an M.2 SSD Onto Motherboard

9. Quickly Test Core Components (Optional)

This is another technically optional step when learning how to build a PC from scratch, but it is considered good practice and can be worth it in the event you get unlucky and end up having a component that’s faulty or DOA (Dead on Arrival). It’s something I recommend to most first-time builders, however feel free to skip this step if you’re feeling confident and just want to finish your build sooner rather than later.

Doing a quick check that the parts you’ve installed thus far are all working is easy, and just requires you to temporarily plug in the PSU and jump-start the motherboard with your screwdriver, and it can save you time down the road because it’s harder to do troubleshooting (or uninstall something) when everything is already fitted in the case. 

Oh, and you might want to temporarily install your GPU for the test too, and then remove it to be able to mount your motherboard in the case (otherwise the GPU would get in the way). All is explained in our external test guide so head on over if you do want to give your parts a quick check for signs of life, which also explains how to quickly check your CPU temperature in the BIOS while you’re at it (to confirm your CPU, cooler, and paste are all installed properly).

Full Steps: How to Test PC Parts Outside Case Before Building

10. Mount Motherboard Into Case

Once you’ve finished installing the CPU, cooler, and RAM (plus M.2 SSD if you have one), and you’ve done a quick external test to be on the safe side, it’s finally time to lower your mothership into the deep dark depths of your case.

This first requires you to fit the motherboard backplate and install the case standoffs (screws that create a gap between the case and motherboard). Then it’s a matter of carefully lowering the board in to first match up with the backplate, and then onto the standoffs. Lastly, you screw in the board to secure it. 

After this key step of PC assembly, your construction will really starting to take form. For full steps and photos, plus an FAQ about standoffs and backplates (they can be annoying), don’t miss our comprehensive beginner’s guide.

Full Steps: How to Install a Motherboard Into a PC (& Fit Standoffs)

11. Mount GPU and Other PCIe Cards

Technically speaking, this is yet another optional step when learning how to build a PC as some of you are going to be building an APU gaming PC without a graphics card (in other words, using the CPU’s integrated graphics; shoutout to fellow low-spec gamers as I know what it’s like to have to roll that way my whole life until only just recently).

But for most people assembling a gaming PC, chances are you’ll have a graphics card to install. It’s easy to do but check out our full step by step guide as there are a few things involved including using the right PCIe slot on larger motherboards that have more than one full-length PCIe slot (spoiler; it’s almost always the top slot), removing the correct rear metal bracket on your case, securing the card with screws, and connecting it to the PSU (when your PSU is installed though).

You might also have other PCIe (PCI Express) cards to install such as a wireless desktop adapter card for WiFi or a sound card for audio production purposes, so now’s as good a time as any to get that done.

Full Steps:

How to Install a Graphics Card

How to Install a Wireless Network Card

How to Install a Sound Card

12. Mount SSD/HDD In Case (Optional)

Earlier we went over installing M.2 SSDs that live snugly on your motherboard, but for all other regular-sized SSDs and HDDs (2.5 and 3.5 inches respectively) you’ll need to fit them within your case somewhere. Exactly where they go will depend on your specific case, but they’ll typically be slotted into a drive bay.

Once you’ve found a home for your drive/s, you also need to connect them to your motherboard using a SATA data transfer cable (that should have been provided in your motherboard box). You also need to plug them directly into your PSU (using your PSU’s SATA power connector; not to be confused with the SATA data cable).

We’ll explain the cable connections later on in this guide after we’ve installed the PSU into the case (including tips on cable management), but for the physical installation of your HDD or SSD see our dedicated guide if you need full detail and photos.

Full Steps: How to Install a SSD or HDD in Case

13. Mount Optical Drive in Case (Optional)

Once an essential part of assembling a computer, optical drives (DVD, CD, and/or Blu-ray drives) are becoming increasingly less important and less used as the digital age continues and physical media dies its inevitable slow death. But it’s definitely not completely dead, and there’s a lot of people who still include them in their PC builds for playing older games, watching physical movies, or burning discs.

So if you need to install one, it’s a simple process of removing your case front panel, sliding it through a 5.25″ drive bay, securing the drive to the case with screws, and lastly connecting a SATA data and SATA power cable to the motherboard and PSU respectively (oh, and popping in any driver/app CDs you received with the drive after you’ve installed your operating system).

Full Steps: How to Install a Optical Drive in Your PC Case

14. Connect Case Front-Panel Cables

Your case has a range of features on the front such as USB ports, power on button, reset button, headphone jack, mic jack, etc. These need to be plugged in to the correct connections on the motherboard (technically called motherboard headers), but exactly where they plug in on the motherboard will vary from board to board so you’ll want to consult your motherboard manual and then dive into the steps.

You probably want to do this before installing the power supply in the case (the next upcoming step) – especially in smaller cases. Having the power supply already installed in your case can sometimes make reaching and connecting the front panel connections to your motherboard a bit harder, because these ports are on the bottom of your motherboard and the top of your power supply might get in the way.

Full Steps: How to Connect Front Panel to a Motherboard

15. Mount Power Supply In Case

Physically fitting the PSU into your computer case is another quick and easy part of learning how to build a PC, but as with most PC assembly steps there’s always a few little things to know and potential questions you might have as a first-timer. For example, you might wonder which way the power supply fan should face; a great question. We break it all down in the guide.

Full Steps: How to Install a Power Supply (& Which Way to Mount)

16. Connect Power Supply to Components

After you’ve physically mounted the PSU, all that’s left is connecting the cables to various parts of your system and doing a little basic management of your cables to keep things nice and neat:

Full Steps: How to Connect Power Supply Cables (& Cable Management 101)

17. Last Checks and Booting Your PC

We’re done covering all the physical installation steps of how to assemble a PC, but before you start up your machine for the first time there’s a few extra steps and checks:

Full Steps: Booting Your New PC for the First Time (Checklist Before Starting PC)

Have trouble with booting up? No need to freak out, as it’s usually something simple, and we’ve got your back:

Troubleshooting: How to Troubleshoot a New PC Build (What to Do if PC Doesn’t Turn On)

18. Setup BIOS, Install OS, Update Drivers

Once your new computer is finally fully operational, there’s still a few more things to do including entering the BIOS and checking/changing a couple things, and installing software like your operating system and other programs. Get the complete lowdown here:

Full Steps: What to Do After Building a PC (BIOS and Software Setup)

19. Game in All-New Graphical Glory

If you have any feedback or questions on how to assemble a PC, leave a comment on the best gaming PC builds page or reach out to us on our FB Fanpage. Any constructive criticism or ideas on how you think this PC assembly walkthrough could be improved for first-time builders to better understand all the steps is also always more than welcome and hugely appreciated as it helps us with the ongoing aim to be the home of the very best, most in-depth written PC building guides for beginners on the web.

Enjoy your new system, and if you’ve made it this far – well done! You have my respect. Happy gaming.

PS: If you found this guide helpful on your journey to building your first PC, all I ask in return is to consider helping us spread the word about BGC by sharing the site with any gaming buddies you think might also be interested in leaving those overpriced prebuilt PCs behind to get their foot into DIY like you have. With your newfound skill I’m sure you could help them plan (and even build) a killer custom setup that they’d be super stoked about.