Assembling your own gaming PC can be highly satisfying, though it might seem daunting initially. Here’s a concise guide to help with your first build or a new project:
- Select Your Parts: Choose components such as cases, CPUs, GPUs, motherboards, SSDs, power supplies, and RAM. For assistance, refer to our tested component list or Best PC Builds page.
- Assembly Steps: The process may vary based on your build’s specifics. For example, install RAM before a large cooler that overhangs the slots, or connect power cables before installing an AIO cooler. In tight cases or with large GPUs, adjust your installation order as needed.
- Flexibility is Key: Be prepared to revisit steps or adjust components to fit your setup. This is common and part of the building experience, even for seasoned builders.
Connect Components to the Motherboard
Connecting components to the motherboard can be done either before or after mounting it in the case. However, it’s often easier to install key components like the CPU, M.2 storage, and RAM while the motherboard is outside the case. This approach avoids the awkwardness of reaching over the case. If you want to buy good gaming pc click on the Elite Gaming Store.
The CPU
Whether you’re going with an Intel- or AMD-based build, the first step is to remove the plastic cover protecting the socket, then release the tension lever on the CPU and (with the most recent AMD and Intel platforms) lift up the metal retaining bracket, so you can drop the processor into the CPU socket.
Note that all recent Intel motherboards, as well as AMD’s latest AM5 platform, have the CPU-connecting pins built into the socket, while AMD’s AM4 and earlier platforms have the pins on the bottom of the CPU. For the purposes of this story, this is important mostly because it’s a lot easier to damage an older AMD CPU by bending its pins. So if you’re installing an AM4 (Ryzen 5000 or older) CPU, be extra careful about how you handle and install it.
Regardless of which platform you’re building around, there will be an arrow/triangle on one corner of the top of the CPU. This needs to line up with the triangle on the socket or socket cover.
The Cooler
Many processors come with coolers in the box. If you’re not doing any heavy overclocking, those may be good enough, though lots of builders also like to buy more powerful (and often quieter) aftermarket coolers, which may also be more visually appealing.
Regardless of whether there is pre-applied paste on your cooler or not, don’t forget to peel the protective film off the cold plate / paste area before installing the cooler. If you skip this step, you’ll have to tear half of your system apart later when you realize your CPU temperatures are abnormally high.
While pre-applied thermal paste is increasingly common, you’ll still often need to apply your own thermal paste atop the CPU. The tube that comes with your cooler will work well enough, but if you want even lower temperatures, consider checking out our list of the best thermal paste we’ve tested.
Memory
Installing RAM is a snap—literally, whether your board uses newer DDR5 or older, cheaper DDR4. First, if you’re installing two RAM sticks in a board that has four slots, check the motherboard manual to make sure you’re installing your DIMMs in the right slots. If you put them in the wrong slots, you may not get the best performance possible, or one of the sticks may not be recognized by the motherboard or operating system.
Once you know which RAM slots you’re going to populate, make sure that the latches for each memory slot are open. Some boards have latches on both sides of a RAM slot, while many now have a latch on just one side, with the other end fixed in place.
Push your latches open, then look at each DIMM and position it over the slot such that the small divot on the bottom of the RAM stick is aligned with the matching bump on the board. If the divot doesn’t line up, flip your RAM stick around. Insert the stick into the slot and push down on the DIMM on each edge until it snaps into place, causing the latches to close on their own.
M.2 SSD
If you’re using an M.2 SSD, now is as good a time as any to install it, because later on other parts may get in the way. You could also do this step earlier in the process, as an M.2 drive is small and lives flat against the board, so it won’t get in the way of anything else.
If your board has more than one M.2 slot, as most do these days, you’ll first want to figure out which slot to install it in. Depending on the type of drive (SATA or PCIe / NVME) and the compatibility of the slots, some M.2 drives won’t work or won’t fit in some M.2 slots. You’ll also want to make sure if you have a fast PCIe 4.0 or 5.0 SSD, that it goes into the fastest slot on your board. Consult your manual, which will tell you what types of drives your board’s M.2 slots support. But as a general rule, if your boot drive is PCIe, you should install it in the M.2 slot closest to the CPU.
Putting the Motherboard in the Case
Now that we’ve built the core platform (minus the graphics card, which we’ll do later), we’re going to install the CPU, RAM and SSD-equipped motherboard into the case. If you haven’t yet, remove the side panels on your chassis. Most cases have thumb screws holding their panels in place, which makes it easy to remove them.
Standoffs
First, gather the standoffs that came with your case (likely in their own bag) and find the proper place to install them. The holes in the board mounting area inside your case should be marked based on the size of the motherboard you chose.
I/O Shield
Note also that if you have a mid-range to high-end board made in the last few years, the IO plate may come pre-attached to the motherboard, saving this step. Look at the area where the USB and audio ports are on your motherboard. If the ports look bare, with no cover labeling them and hiding port housings, then you’ll have to install the plate yourself. If you just see the open ends of the ports surrounded by labels that tell you which port is which, your plate is pre-installed.
Installing the Motherboard
Now it’s finally time to put the motherboard in your case. Make sure the holes on the motherboard line up with the standoffs you installed and that the ports line up with the cutouts on the IO shield. Once the board is in, put the screws through the holes on the motherboard and into standoffs, then screw them down to anchor the motherboard in place.
Power Supply
The power supply, or PSU, is usually mounted to the back of the case. Sometimes you’ll find it at the top, but it’s usually mounted at the bottom, where it can pull in cool air from under the chassis.
If you’re using a modular power supply, you may want to plug all the cables you’ll need into the back of the front of the power supply before inserting and installing it. Otherwise, you’ll have to plug them in later from inside the case where it’s hard to see the cable labels on the PSU. If your power supply doesn’t have removable cables, this obviously isn’t an issue.
Once you put the power supply in the case, it’s generally as simple as screwing it into place with four screws at the back of the case. Or with some cases, you’ll need to re-install a bracket (see above, right) that you’ll first need to remove in order to slide the power supply in, then screw the four mounting screws into that. Once the PSU is installed, route the 24-pin power connector and supplemental/CPU power connector through your case and plug them into the motherboard. The 24-pin connector is usually somewhere near the center-right of the motherboard, while the PSU power connector plugs in at the top left corner.
Don’t forget this last step, because the supplemental CPU power connector is one of the harder cables to install, jammed as it is near the top of the case. And it only gets harder to plug in once you start adding other cables and components, making it progressively difficult to do later on. And if you forget to plug it in altogether, your system won’t boot.
SATA Storage
We added M.2 storage earlier, so now it’s time for SATA drives, which could be a 2.5-inch SSD or hard drive, or a traditional 3.5-inch hard drive. Connect the SATA data cable to the motherboard and your drive or drives, then connect the SATA power connector from the PSU to your drive(s). Mount the hard drive or SSD in the appropriate bracket and screw or snap it into place. Note that bracket/drive mounting methods and placement vary by chassis model.
Inserting the Graphics Card
First off, if you’re going to be installing a very large card, like an RTX 4090 / 4080 or an RX 7900 (or a somewhat smaller card that you’re installing in a more cramped case), you’ll want to do this a bit later, after you’ve plugged in all the rest of your cables and done whatever cable routing / cleanup you plan on doing; a bulky card will block easy access to headers and connectors on the motherboard.
Installing a graphics card is also an optional step. If you’re using an Intel or AMD CPU with integrated graphics and don’t plan on doing serious, you may not need or want a discrete graphics card. But many AMD CPUs, as well as high-end Intel models, don’t have onboard graphics and will require a graphics card in order to connect and output to your monitor.
Connect the GPU into the PCIe X16 slot on the motherboard (it’s the long one, and you’ll want to use the topmost one if there’s more than one on your motherboard). If necessary, plug the PCIe power connectors from the power supply into the card. (You may not need to do this on lower-end cards).
Add a Wi-Fi Card (if necessary)
Most motherboards come with an Ethernet port on them and many also have Wi-Fi built-in. However, if you need wireless access and your computer doesn’t come with a Wi-Fi card, you’ll need to install one in one of the PCIe slots, a short M.2 slot, or attach a USB Wi-Fi dongle. If you’re gaming, an Ethernet connection is probably your best bet for reliable connectivity.
The Last of the Cable Connections
OK, just a few more cables to go until we try turning the PC on. Make sure the connectors for any fans are plugged into the motherboard fan headers. Then, attach the front-panel audio cable, USB 2.0, USB 3.0 and 3.1/3.2 case connectors to those headers.
Turn the Computer On
Once all that’s done, it’s a good idea to double check to make sure there are no extra fan headers or power cables still waiting to be routed to the right connector. Then plug the PC in, plug in and connect your monitor (to one of the ports on the graphics card, if you’ve installed on) and your keyboard and mouse.
Hit the power button on your monitor, then turn the power supply switch on (on the back of the power supply) and then press your PC’s power button. If everything is working, the PC should turn on and run its POST (power-on self test). Since your operating system isn’t installed yet, you may get an error message about a missing boot drive, or you may get sent straight to the UEFI/BIOS.