PC assembly

[wasbo]

Hey guys, I'm buying parts for a new PC soon. This is my first time building a computer and I would rather if a professional assembled it. Do you guys know of any places in Mississauga where I can get the PC assembled?

[audit13]

Does the store from which you purchased the parts offer this service?

Personally, I would find another person/friend that could supervise the build process while you do the work. You will gain a tremendous amount of knowledge from doing it yourself. It's not as hard as it used to be.

Stores you could try include Ncix and Canada Computers.

[wasbo]

I would prefer if I did it myself with a friends supervision as well but I don't know of any that assemble PC's ;p

[singhrh]

It is much easier than you think. The first time it will take you longer as you might be unsure as to where to to mount equipment.

There are very few things that could go wrong.

- Big thing is stay away from static electricity (ground yourself, do no assemble on carpet.....).
- When putting cooler on the CPU, do it only once as you may have to reapply the thermal paste if you take it on/off too many times. Applying paste can get messy if not done write.
- Make sure your cables reach where your device is mounted.

Other than that it is very simple to assemble a PC.

Note: I assumed that the parts that bought are compatible with each other. You can check forums for that if you are unsure.

My vote would be to attempt it even if you don't have help. The knowledge you gain will help greatly if you need to repair/upgrade in the future.

[JamesA1]

The pros of building it yourself:

- There's usually nothing very difficult as long as you can read and follow instructions carefully, and you'll gain a lot of knowledge.
- You can be sure everything is done properly in the first place instead of having to fix problems of careless assembly or setup as you stumble over them later.
- You'll know better how to install upgrades and make changes in the future.
- You can sure that you got all the spare parts and pieces and accessories that originally came with the equipment. You might need those later.

The pros of getting the store to do it:

- It saves you a couple of hours of labour, hunting for dropped screws, skinning your knuckles on sharp edges and corners etc.
- No chance of you making a little mistake and screwing something up at your expense (it happens even to the most experienced of us!).
- If a part turns out to be defective out of the box, there's no argument as to whose responsibility it is to replace it (try telling the store that the motherboard they sold you was defective, you didn't blow it up accidentally!).
- A store that assembles these things every day might be a little more up-to-date with the latest hardware quirks than you are, avoiding some time-wasting pitfalls.

I've normally assembled my systems myself in the past, and never had any real problems. But with my most recent system I paid the store $40 to assemble it just to save my own time.

[infamouskid]

any computer store can do this for you.
i think you should just do it yourself.

[george__]

It's not that hard. Read the manual, watch videos on youtube and if you have questions ask :D

[game_fanatic]

If you're looking for work done at a computer shop, I've heard great things about the NCIX store in Mississauga. $50 for assembly.

[JasonCao]

the only real problem you will run into is installing the cpu and the cpu cooler, all other parts are just plugging in and/or screwing screws. as suggested, watch alot of youtube on how to install cpu and cooler that you have. pretty easy.

[_Allan_]

the only real problem you will run into is installing the cpu and the cpu cooler, all other parts are just plugging in and/or screwing screws. as suggested, watch alot of youtube on how to install cpu and cooler that you have. pretty easy.

Which is why I install the CPU, HSF, I/O panel wires OUTSIDE the tower.

[george__]

Which is why I install the CPU, HSF, I/O panel wires, USB/Firewire/Audio connectors OUTSIDE the tower.
Interesting... I always install CPU and HSF outside but install everything else inside... I guess it depends on how big your case is :D

[xalex0]

^ I often add RAM to that list, especially with the motherboards that are not wide enough to reach the third row of standoffs for support.

[_Allan_]

Interesting... I always install CPU and HSF outside but install everything else inside... I guess it depends on how big your case is :D
Sorry I don't do the USB/FW/Audio outside. BUT the I/O panel ones are freakin' ANNOYING! I have stubby fingers, so it's faster for me to do it outside (usually with the MB on a piece of cardboard, sitting on the edge of the case.)
The CPU/HSF I do with the MB in the box, on a table, so that I can get full motion. I find with the AMD ones, you need a bit of force, and with only 6-8 standoffs it can bend the board.

[george__]

Sorry I don't do the USB/FW/Audio outside. BUT the I/O panel ones are freakin' ANNOYING! I have stubby fingers, so it's faster for me to do it outside (usually with the MB on a piece of cardboard, sitting on the edge of the case.)
The CPU/HSF I do with the MB in the box, on a table, so that I can get full motion. I find with the AMD ones, you need a bit of force, and with only 6-8 standoffs it can bend the board.

I use magnifying glass ><

[xxgg]

Like others have said, do it yourself if possible.

Yes,,, installing CPU/Heatsink may feel little bit scary.
Other than that only advantage I see for having a computer shop (proper shop) build it for you is that... they'll do a stability tests to make sure all the hardware will run stable for many many hours. If there is any issues,, they'll just swap parts themselves to make sure. Otherwise you'll need to do the stability test which will take many hours. (it's the thing I hate the most).

My first ever PC build was Intel Celeron 300A system, which was a upgrade from 486DX2 machine. Not only was it my first time ever building with near zero knowlodge but I even overclocked it from 300MHz stock to 450MHz. :)

Anyways... there are a lot of youtube videos on how to build a PC for the first time.... watch multiples of them and decide if you want to go for it.


Enjoy. It literally is plug and play these days.

[george__]

If you don't BUILD by YOURSELF, you're going to be too scared about overclocking...