There is a false belief that touching a PC component with your bare hands can cause it to break. No, PC components are not like H2 bulbs in cars, but there are still a number of precautions that you should take especially when you are going to mount or remove any part on the PC , and obviously it goes without saying that never you should touch anything other than the box when the equipment is on, but we will see it in detail below.
PC hardware is neither invulnerable nor made of butter, and certainly the first thing you should know if you are inexperienced is that you must handle it quite carefully, some parts more than others, but in general you should never force a component neither to assemble it nor to disassemble it. Next we are going to give you a series of tips on how to assemble and disassemble each of the pieces of equipment to avoid wearing anything.
Why should you be careful when handling PC hardware?
As we mentioned before, the hardware is not made of butter, but all electronic components are delicate and must be treated with care. Be especially careful with bumps, rubs and falls, and of course it is advisable first of all to “discharge” yourself from static electricity , as this can damage components.
For this, it is enough that you wear rubber soled shoes and that before touching any component you touch a metal part, such as the side of the box. Likewise, as we have mentioned before, no component should be forced in, and when disassembling it you should never use excessive force, the components all have anchoring and unlocking systems that should make their assembly or extraction simple.
Precautions when mounting and removing each part of the PC
Assembling the PC is not complicated at all, especially if you have practice, but really with the right guidance even a novice user can get a decent assembly done in no time. Of course, no one is exempt from encountering problems and incompatibilities, especially if the hardware is not handled properly, so we are going to see one by one how to deal with each of them.
Assemble or disassemble the motherboard in the PC case
This is one of the most complicated steps but not because it is difficult, but because the base plates are an element of considerable dimensions. When mounting the board, you must insert it diagonally with the connector area downwards and make them coincide with the I / O shield , then lower it from the opposite side and make the holes coincide with the anchor points of the the screws.
The trick to handling the motherboard is to hold it in an area that does not cause the weight to bend the PCB, which is so long and wide that it bends relatively easily. For this there are several options, the ideal being to hold with one hand by the RAM sockets (without tightening, always carefully) and the other by the area of the chipset heatsink, since they are two hard and reinforced areas that will prevent precisely that the PCB bends.
The processor is the most delicate component
Assembling a processor is not in itself too complicated, but the problem is that the component itself is delicate when it comes to mounting it. In Intel processors, simply be careful not to touch the area of the connection pins, and you must be very careful when placing the processor on the socket, because the socket of Intel motherboards is by far the most delicate element. when mounting a PC: if you drop the processor on top of the socket, in all probability you will have damaged the pins and will have to change the motherboard.
With AMD processors the socket is not its weak point, but the pins of the processor itself. You must be extremely careful and always hold the processor by the edges, never the pins because they are very thin and bend very easily.
We have talked about how to mount the processor in the PC, but if you want to remove it, the thing does not change: always try to hold the processor with two fingers by the sides, never touch it by the connection area.
Assembling the heatsink, simple but laborious
Depending on the retention system you have and the type of heatsink it is, this is possibly the most laborious process that you are going to encounter when assembling a PC. The process of removing the heatsink is the same as mounting it but in reverse, so the difficulty is practically the same.
If you are about to mount an air heatsink you should not worry about where you hold the device as long as you do not apply so much pressure as to bend the aluminum fins, and the greatest care you must take is simply that as it is a rather bulky element do not collide with other components especially when putting the heatsink itself on the processor (always place it carefully, without hitting). When tightening, tighten the screws diagonally (that is, first one corner and then the opposite) but do not fully tighten them until you have all of them already attached. When they are all fixed, you can fully tighten them.
If it is a liquid cooling system that you are going to mount or remove on the PC, the greatest care must be taken with the radiator and the tubes: make sure that the tubes do not bend excessively and that the radiator does not hit anything. When anchoring it, place it carefully by matching the anchor points with those of the box and screw the screws diagonally, that is, first one corner and then the opposite and so on. When installing the CPU block the recommendation is the same as with the air heatsink: tighten diagonally and not completely until all the screws are in place.
Mount the RAM, the simplest of a PC mount
RAM is the simplest component to mount or remove on a PC. Just take a good look at where the hole is in the connector area to match the protrusion on the RAM socket, place the module on top to match, and carefully squeeze first one side and then the other. Without applying too much pressure, the characteristic “clack” should sound that the socket flange has already fixed the module.
Ideally, with RAM, you should hold it as shown in the image above, from both sides. You just have to be careful with the connector area and of course it does not collide with anything. As we have said, the most important thing is that you do not apply too much pressure, because if you have the wrong orientation and the protrusion does not match, you could break the connector area. If you don’t “do the brute” you shouldn’t have a problem.
To disassemble the RAM memory modules the process is equally simple: the motherboard socket will have a tab on one or both sides, and you simply have to lower that tab or tabs and the memory module will pop up. It has no complication.
Storage devices
Installing a 2.5 ″ format mechanical hard drive or SSD in a PC has no difficulty, since the boxes have their dedicated anchor points for it and it is simply a matter of screwing them. Regarding handling, just be careful not to force the disk into the installation elements of the box, that it does not rub and of course it does not hit anything.
The already popular M.2 SSDs are not too difficult to mount or remove on a PC either. They have their dedicated sockets on the motherboard, and the way to manipulate them is to hold them from behind to tuck the connector area into its corresponding M.2 socket on the motherboard, and then with a finger lower the SSD to match the hole to screw and screw it in. It has no mystery and does not need additional precautions beyond not hitting it and the connector going in the right direction and without forcing it.
Power supply
Mounting or removing the power supply on the PC is really a very simple process, just place it on its anchor point in the case and screw it in. You really don’t need to take any special care when handling it beyond not hitting anything and, especially if it’s not modular, the cables not snagging on anything.
Be careful, however, to make the fountain fan face where the corresponding ventilation grille is on the case.
Be very careful with the graphics card
The graphics card is another relatively delicate component due to its size, since especially those of the algae or gaming-oriented range are usually quite bulky and even heavy.
When handling it, hold it with both hands at the top area and align the connector perfectly with the PCI-Express socket on the motherboard. Then lightly squeeze until it clicks with a “clack” sound, the socket lock. While still holding the graph so that it does not move (since the “dance” in the socket is what can cause problems), proceed to screw it.
To disassemble it, first unscrew it from the case and then simply press on the tab of the motherboard’s PCIe socket, the graphic will be released from the socket and you can remove it by pulling it up.
Beware of routing cables and connections
Routing and connecting cables is another tricky part of assembling a PC. When handling the cables, always be very careful that they do not get caught anywhere and that they are never forced; Help yourself with the pipes that all the boxes bring and the flanges to channel them where you need them, again taking care that they are not forced.
With the connectors you must be equally careful, paying attention before connecting that you have them with the correct orientation and that they enter easily, without forcing. A frequent failure in hardware devices is precisely in their connectors, if they do not fit completely and are forced they can break.
Mounting or removing PC components is easy if you are careful
As you have already seen, installing or uninstalling PC hardware is quite simple as long as you take some precautions such as discharging yourself from static electricity and handling devices with care and never forcing them into position or when connecting them. Keep in mind that all the parts of a PC, whatever brand they are, are designed to work together and their installation is almost standard, so everything should fit into place without effort.
If any component does not fit perfectly, check the connections at both ends well because it may be colliding with something without you noticing. We repeat, never force anything to fit and you will avoid problems.
