ITX Build Guide

ITXHeader

Table of Contents
I. Getting Started
II-1. The Build • Section 1 – The Case Fans, and Power Supply
II-2. The Build • Section 2 – The Solid State Drive, DVD-ROM, and Motherboard
II-3. The Build • Section 3 – RAM, and SATA Cables
II-4. The Build • Section 4 – Power Connections, and Cable Management
III. The First POST
IV. Final Thoughts

IV. Final Thoughts

I won’t be going into how to install an OS in this, as this was just to explain how to go about building an ITX system. If it’s a Windows system, then I would recommend once that is complete to run Prime95 for another 24 hours to make sure everything else is stable and is running correctly as that program stress tests everything. SpeedFan is a good program to have running alongside of Prime95 to make sure the system temperatures are well within a safe threshold even at an improbable peak of use. This PC maxed out at about 60 Degrees Celsius, which is excellent. The system was idling at about 40 Degrees Celsius, which is pretty good.

If a GPU was installed, then running 3DMark after all of that is a good idea just to make sure the GPU is in good working order. That can run for 4 hours ideally, but I think the longest I’ve ever ran 3DMark is 2 hours. The reason for that program is to check for fractals, making sure the GPU works correctly, and that it is powered correctly. Running that will test all of that within those four hours. If MemTest 86+, Prime95, and 3DMark all pass, then the system is consider rock solid stable.

So there it is, how a PC is built using an ITX build as an example. It’s really not all that bad, and everything does fit all pretty nicely. Building any other PC type, like ATX, or Micro-ATX are pretty much the same process, but just have to keep in mind to make sure the chassis will accommodate those boards. All PC Cases boxes and/or manuals are usually labeled what form factor they can handle, and a number of them are able to accommodate multiple types of boards, too.

Hopefully it was informative, and helps with explaining how Custom Computers are built. I know I left some items out, and some things I might have accidentally, and there are a lot of resource sites out there to assist with any major technical issues or hurdles that could possibly come up, especially for some of the major technical details for each item. As stated way back in the beginning, Tom’s Hardware is an excellent place to go for all of those resources, and I go there from time to time for various scenarios that tend to happen. I may come back and write up how to install an OS, and some of the nifty tools to help keep that custom PC running as good as new down the road.

So now, go forth and build! Comments, questions, corrections, are always welcome!

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