Building a better computer
Over the past few years, I’ve developed a simple rule for myself, which applies perfectly to building anything from a mousetrap to a computer. I call this rule CA — or, for those who can’t stand abbreviations, commonsense assembly. The idea is a simple one: You can prevent most mistakes while assembling a PC by using a little common sense.
Keep the following CA rules in mind when handling and connecting computer components:
 Give yourself plenty of empty space and adequate lighting. If you’re building a computer on the dining table, make sure that your work area is covered with newspaper to avoid scratches. I also recommend keeping an adjustable desk lamp handy to shine light where you need it.
 Don’t start without all the necessary components. If you don’t have everything that you need to follow a project from beginning to end, don’t start yet (only to find you have to stop halfway through). It’s too easy to miss a step or forget something if you leave your computer’s bedside and come back the next day.
 Treat your components carefully. This commonsense rule doesn’t mean that you need to wear gloves when handling cables or that you need to refrigerate your adapter cards. Just don’t drop a part on the floor or toss it to a friend. Keep components in their antistatic packaging until you’re ready to install them.
 Follow the Three Absolutes of Component Care and Feeding.
1. Never bend a circuit board or an adapter card.
2. Always make sure the cables that connect your parts aren’t pinched.
3. Never try to make something fit. Take the component out, check the instructions again, and try it a different way if possible.
 Installing adapter cards on your motherboard can sometimes take a little longer or require a little more force than plugging a game cartridge into a video game. But determining whether a card is aligned correctly with the slot is usually easy because the slot is keyed to the shape of the corresponding card.
 Read any documentation that comes with each computer component. Although I provide step-by-step assembly instructions throughout this book, one of your components might require special switch settings or some other unique treatment.
  Keep all your parts manuals together for easy reference. Store all your component manuals for a particular PC that you’ve built in a separate binder. After your computer is running, you can refer to your manuals quickly if you need to change any settings. In the future, if you want to sell the old device and upgrade, it’s considered good manners to provide the original manual with the component. (Complete with manual makes a better impression on eBay.)
 Save your boxes and receipts. Although it’s rare, you might find yourself stuck with a brand-new defective item, and you’ll need the original packaging to return it.
 Use a box to keep your small parts. Loose screws, jumpers, and wires have a habit of wandering off if left on their own. If you end up with extra screws or doodads after successfully assembling a PC, put these parts in a box and start your own spare-parts warehouse. Trust me: They’ll come in handy in the future. If you’re a true techno-nerd, get thee hence to a hardware store and buy one of those wall racks with all the little compartments — they’re perfect for organizing everything from screws to wires and jumpers.
  Keep a magnetic screwdriver handy. It never fails. Sooner or later, you end up dropping a screw inside your computer case. If no loose components are in the case, feel free to pick up the case, turn it upside down, and let gravity do its thing. However, if you’ve installed a component that’s not screwed down yet, I recommend using a magnetic screwdriver for picking up wayward screws.
 Check all connections after you install a component. I can’t explain this phenomenon (other than to invoke Murphy’s Law), but you’ll often connect a new component firmly only to discover later that you somehow disconnected some other connector accidentally.
 Never forget the common foe: static electricity. I’ll show you how you can easily ground yourself before you touch any circuitry or adapter cards — grounding sounds painful, but it’s not! Unless you ground yourself, you run the risk of damaging a component from the static electricity that might be lurking on your body. Chapter 3 covers grounding in more detail. It’s a good habit to adopt from the very beginning.
 Leave the computer cover off during assembly. There’s no reason to replace the case’s cover immediately after installing a part. After all, what if you connected a cable upside down? Instead, test your newly installed device first, if possible. As long as you don’t touch any of the circuit boards inside the case, you’ll be fine.
 By the way, nothing inside your machine will explode or spew nasty radiation, so you don’t have to step behind a lead screen when you fire it up. Simply make sure that you don’t touch any circuit boards inside while the machine is running. Personally, I replace the case’s cover on a work-in-progress only at the end of the day (to fend off dust, felines, and small fingers).