When the postie comes, I’ll be building a PC for the first time in years. What are the do’s, don’ts and tips nowadays?
Obviously classics like RTFM, plan ahead and retrieve any dropped screws are evergreen.
Things I believe are true: tighten your CPU cooler screws evenly (like putting on a car tyre), all screws should be no more than finger tight, build in a dust-free environment.
What about grounding yourself? I remember reading that the danger of this was way overstated and e.g. anti-static wrist straps were a waste of money. Is building in a case that’s plugged in (but powered off) enough?
I’ve seen recommendations to build outside of the case first to test components - is this good advice?
Anything else?
Zip ties (or other things to tie cables together) are your friend. It helps with cable management a lot. Also, it’s typical for cases to have spaces for wiring to go “behind” the motherboard so the wiring isn’t allover the place inside the case.
Take your time and read the wiring instructions. In most cases you can’t screw up, but some of the indicator lights/usb plugs can be interchangeable.
Don’t forget the thermal paste!!!
And make sure to watch a video or at least look at a picture of what is an appropriate amount of thermal paste to apply. I know people who assume the entire container is meant to be applied and they had to take it apart and wipe some off.
I’ve got a whole roll of that velcro strap stuff, but I think my case is already generous with cable tidying features.
I was RingTFM while impatiently waiting for the last few things to arrive.