Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! (wicked evil grin) Some people say that the CPU is the heart of the computer - and that may be so, but if it is, then the motherboard is the spinal cord. A good, solid motherboard can mean the difference between an average system and a power rig. And installing it properly can make or break a system.
So what constitutes a proper install of a motherboard? Well, here's a rundown on the basics:
- Don't skimp on screws. Big system builders may only use 3 or 4 of the board connectors, but that's not an excuse for you not to take the time and use all of them.
- Don't be in a hurry or rough with your board - I know from personal experience, taking your time has its own rewards.
- When attaching your cables, processor, etc, don't be afraid to use a little bit of pressure to get them in. But you still need to be careful not to warp the board (this happens if you don't attach it properly or if you simply apply too much pressure), because that can break the tiny connections within the PCB.
Now that I've gone through all of that hoopla, let's go over the whole installation together. First, begin by removing the motherboard tray from your case. If your case doesn't have a motherboard tray, simply lay your case on its side. Then carefully insert the motherboard and attach it to the case properly. The board should be parallel from the side of the case and about a millimeter of space should between it and the side of the case or tray. Also make sure that your ISA/PCI/AGP slots are properly aligned with the slots on the case. You may have to move or add some of the tray risers (the little plastic or metal things that pop out of the tray) so that there are ones everywhere that there is a screw hole on the motherboard and nowhere else (this is very important). You should put a screw in each of the screw holes in the motherboard.
Installing your Processor and RAM
While the tray is still outside the chassis, you will want to install the processor and RAM. Depending on the type of processor, installation may be slightly different. Slot based processors are simply inserted into the slot on the motherboard (firmly) and then locked in place using the plastic guides. Socket based chips (your stereotypical processors from the golden age that are making a comeback) are slightly more complicated. All the chips now use the ZIF standard (Zero Insertion Force), so you don't bend any of the pins. To install first release the socket lock using the gray lever next to the socket, then align the pins with the holes on the socket and insert. You shouldn't have to push at all, just guide. Once the chip is in place (if it doesn't go in, you don't have the chip aligned properly... you can only install it one way), re-lock the socket by replacing the lever to its original position.
If you are using a slotkey, you have an even more complicated procedure. However, to put it simply, first attach the processor to the slotkey, and then insert the slotkey into the slot on the motherboard. Depending on the model, you may or may not be able to lock the slotkey in place.
Now you are going to need to install the fan/heatsink. On the socket based processors take the heatsink and find the white pad on the bottom. Line that up with the processor. Then attach the metal "strap" to the bottom of the socket (the thin part of the strap) and push down on the other portion of the strap until it clicks under the other side of the socket. Then plug the fan into the built-in fan power port on the motherboard (it should have three pins). To install the heatsink/fan on a slot based processor, you should be able to simply slide it into the processor guide with the processor. Then plug the fan into the fan power port. Note: if you are installing a non-standard CPU cooler, you may need to do other specific operations to properly install the cooler.
Now, installing the RAM is relatively simple. This is because there has been one slot standard for RAM, and that is pretty much the only one being used anymore. To install a SIMM/DIMM (SDRAM), all you need to do is push out the two locks on the side of the slot, align the off-center slot with the notch in the RAM, and slide it in. Once you have fit the RAM into its slot, push down on one side until the lock snaps up, and then do the other. Make sure the RAM is firmly in place, and then move on.
Installing your Add-in Cards
Depending on how your motherboard tray was designed, you may or may not have to reinstall your motherboard tray to install add-in cards.
To install an add-in card, make sure that the slot you are installing it into has had its cover removed. Then firmly insert the card into the slot and push down until the "goldfinger" on the card is fully inserted into the slot. Then attach the front plate to the case using a screw so that the card doesn't move around. Remember that PCI slots 1&3 and 2&4 share IRQs, and that slot 5 shares an IRQ with the USB controller, so if your system's BIOS doesn't support manually determining IRQs for PCI slots (most Athlon boards and some cheaper PII boards), you won't want to have your cards sharing IRQs.
For more in-depth information on installing add-in cards, you can check out my how to guide on the subject. It goes into this topic in much greater detail than I have here.
Cable Cleanup
No matter what kind of case you have, you will have to install your motherboard tray eventually. However, before you do that, you may want to do some cable binding. This consists of more tightly binding your power cables so that they don't go all over the place and are easier to work with. You can do that with the lock-ties I recommended earlier. Just snip off the loose ends once the cables are bound. You won't be able to do this with the twisty ties, but for the next part you will be able to use either.
Count out the number of power connectors you are going to need for your drives and fan, and separate them out from the rest. Then bind the rest of the cables together and attach them to an out of the way part of the case (above the power supply if you can). Remember you DO need the ATX power cable available. ;) After you've finished up binding the cables, plug the ATX power cable into the motherboard. It's simple enough, you can only put it in one way, and it should click into place.
Cable Cleanup Cont.
Okay, okay, okay, I am holding out on you - there is one other way to optimize your cables at this point. It's called IDE cable stacking. I saw this at another web site, but I can't remember which one - so if it's your idea, drop me a line and let me know, and I'll try to give you credit. =) Anyhow, you take a flat razor blade (or even your fingernails if they're long enough) and slice between every 5th ribbon on a standard IDE cable (I believe it's every 10th on an ATA/66 cable, but I've never tried it - for that you may need a sharper blade, such as an Exacto knife). Make sure you only cut the plastic. Then you take the strips, fold them on top of each other, and bind them with a lock-tie. That should improve airflow through the case dramatically. You can do this with the floppy cable too. But remember, particularly with the ATA/66 cables, there is a reason why the cables are in a ribbon configuration - so if you find your system is bring plagued by data errors, one of the causes could be the stacked cables.
Now that your case is re-assembled and contains your motherboard, processor, RAM, and your add-in cards, it's time to plug in the case. You should have about half a dozen little cables down in the lower right hand portion of your case. These control the lights and buttons on your case, and each one should be labeled with a little sticker (it'll say stuff like reset, power, etc.). Pull out your motherboard manual and find out where to attach each one. Plug them in facing the same direction (face in, or out) and if some or most aren't working, reverse the way they're facing and they should work. Your motherboard manual should cover the specifics. Once you've plugged them all in, bind the excess cable up and out of the way.