Now it's time to install the system memory. Your motherboard will have RAM slots with a white tab on either end, push these tabs down. You'll notice that there's a little groove in the RAM chip and RAM slot, so you'll need to make sure to line the RAM chip in the right direction with the RAM slot. Now apply moderate pressure to the RAM chip as you press it into one of the empty RAM slots on the motherboard. Once the chip is firmly in place, the tabs will spring up and lock the chip in place. Your video card, sound card, and Ethernet (or regular modem) card will install in a similar fashion in their corresponding slots. Before installing these devices, you will need to remove the little metal pieces covering the holes in the back of your computer case so that the connection ports (e.g. the monitor and Ethernet cable hookups) will protrude outside the case. This is a very simple process, but varies depending on the computer case you're using. Once removed, you can install your video card, etc. into the slots on your motherboard.

Your computer building process is almost finished! The next step is to connect the cables from your hard drive, floppy drive, and CD-rom drive to the motherboard. Your computer case will also have a few little wires coming from the front of it. These operate your power button, reset button, USB ports (if your case has USB ports located in the front), and LED lights. You'll need to consult your motherboard's documentation to see where to connect these. The final step will be to connect your motherboard, hard drive, floppy drive, heatsink fan, and CD-rom drive to your power supply. Your power supply will have numerous wires coming from it that you will use to easily attach each device. You may also need to connect your video card to your power supply, depending on your type of video card. That's it, your computer should now be built. The only thing that's left for you to do is to close the computer case up, connect your peripheral devices (e.g. mouse, keyboard, monitor, etc.), plug a power cord into the back of your new computer, and turn the computer on. You will also, of course, need to now install your computer's operating system. You should read the directions provided by the manufacturer of your operating system to complete this task.

As I said before, the hardest part in building a computer is opening your mind to the idea. While it may seem a little daunting at first, especially if you've never paid attention to computer technology, it actually is quite easy. There are only a handful of parts that you actually have to put together, and even then, it's pretty simple to see what goes where. Years ago, while contemplating the purchase of a cheap Hewlett Packard computer, I was convinced by a few people on a message board that I should build one myself. Deciding to take their advice was definitely one of the best decisions I've ever made. Should you have any questions before building your computer, feel free to send me an e-mail at Steve@WickedInfo.com.