Step 0: Pick the right parts
For guidance on what to choose and what each component does, check out our gaming PC parts guide.
Step 1: Fixing Your Motherboard into Place
The first thing you’re gonna do when building your PC is put the motherboard into place, as this is the component everything else is going to plug into. Open up your case and place the I/O shield in the rectangular space on the back of your case. Push this I/O shield into place until you hear and feel each side snap into position. This I/O shield will protect the ports on the back of your motherboard from getting damaged.
Once this is in place, grab your motherboard and line up the ports on the back with the I/O shield. If you’ve done this correctly, the holes on your motherboard will line up perfectly with the screw holes on the bottom of your case, and you can screw in your motherboard standoffs into these. Place your motherboard on top of these standoffs and then screw your motherboard into them until the motherboard is secure.
Alternatively, you can install your RAM, processor and PSU onto your motherboard before placing it in the case. If you want to go this route just follow our steps for installing them and do these before fixing your motherboard into place. But be careful, just placing your motherboard onto a surface and having it sliding around on it could lead to damage.
