In Part I of this feature, we discussed our hunt for parts to build a high-performance Micro-ATX (mATX) system. Now that we have parts in hand, let’s walk through the process of assembly. We’ll focus on the Athlon XP in the next few pages, but we’ll also touch on the differences in assembly of the Athlon XP, Pentium 4, and Athlon 64 versions. Most of these issues revolve around socket insertion and heat sink attachment. Note also that the video card we use in the assembly photos isn’t the final one.

Assembly Process

Before we dive in with screwdriver in hand, a little forethought will go a long way to minimize heartache. Building a compact system is qualitatively different from building a full tower monster PC. It requires a certain amount of planning and finesse. The basic steps are fairly straightforward:

  1. Set up everything in a brightly lit environment, with appropriate anti-static measures. Even if the environment is well-lit, you may need to have a flashlight or headlamp handy for working inside low-contrast PC innards.
  2. Install the CPU, memory and heat sink onto the motherboard. The inside of a mATX case is highly restrictive. Sometimes it’s impossible to actually install a heat sink or memory after the motherboard is in. Don’t forget to attach the HSF power wire. If you realize after the system is assembled that the heat sink power connector isn’t connected, you may have to completely disassemble your PC to connect it.
  3. You’ll likely save some heartburn by attaching the storage cables (hard drive, optical drive, and floppy) before installing the motherboard.
  4. Install the motherboard into the chassis. This will often require substantial patience, careful alignment, and a bit of body English.
  5. Connect power, reset, and other internal cables (USB, etc.). You’ll probably want a flashlight or headlamp handy, as well as the documentation for the connector pinouts.
  6. Install the storage devices into appropriate bays. If the bays are the removable variety, attach the drive and power cables to the storage devices before installing the bays.
  7. Check to see if it all powers up properly before buttoning up the case. You may even want to install the OS with the case open.
  8. After it’s all running properly, close up the case and run some benchmarks or other burn-in tests while monitoring system temperature.

Note: The pictures we took don’t always reflect the order of events, above. Most of that was for the purpose of taking pictures, but some of the above was the result of hard lessons learned. So this is a case where “do as I say, not as I do” really applies!