Tools Needed to Build a PC Computer

Tools Needed to Build a PC Computer
Hi, I'm Allen, and welcome to Expert Village. Today, I'm going to show you how to build your very own personal computer. When building your own personal computer, there are not very many tools that you're going to need. A lot of the cases that you buy online have things that you call thumbscrews, so you don't even need a real screwdriver to get into it, which is great. Overall, everything works on a Phillip's head. That just makes it wonderful, from screwing in the drive, screwing in the mother board; everything works on a motherboard. The other thing that I really do recommend having is something like an anti-static mat. These are a little bit harder to come by, ad a little bit more expensive, but they are something god to have. The other good thing is on this one here we actually have the anti-static cord which you can hook to the back of the pc case. This one goes to the mat so it will ground the mat so we don't have to worry about shorting anything out. It's a really nice option to have. Places like Radio Shack, and Best Buy have the anti-static wrist wrap, which I've heard is also good. You can also get the wrist wrap online. You can fasten the Velcro wrap to your wrist. It goes to the pc case and grounds it, just to make sure there are no static problems, because you're working with electronic components that could possibly short out if you're statically charged. That's a great thing to have. Another thing that I do like to have handy is a flashlight, maybe a little mag light, just in case you're working in an odd situation or something is dark. A needle nose pliers would be good to take off some of the slot covers on the backs of cases. Some of the things have to be bent off where the drives go in; they have to be bent off. You don't want to do that with your hand because the metal inside some of these is a little bit flimsy. They may be flimsy, but they're like knives, and they will cut you good. Trust me, I have cut myself numerous times just because I'm too lazy to reach over and get the needle nose pliers. I did mention having the Phillips head screwdriver. I like to use a Phillips head driver like this; the top removes and you have a couple of different options for the type of screw head that you want to use. The other good thing is that the top of this screwdriver just so happens to fit most of the screws that are on the pc. Let's see if you can see this here; this is very, very tiny. This will actually go onto the top of this nut, and it makes it a lot easier to screw in. There are a bunch of different screws that are within the case, but this one is actually for the back of the case, it's not a thumb screw so that would work. This screw would come in handy when you put in the pci cards. It makes it a little bit easier. Instead of having to slip out with the Phillips head, it just grabs on nice and tight. You don't have to have it, the Phillips head is fine, but it's definitely a cool option. If you get one of those cool little kits for Christmas, why not use it, right? Some of the other screws are a couple different sizes. Some of the screws that go into the drive are a little small, so you might want to have a couple of options of different size Phillips heads. That's pretty much it for the different tools that you'll need. The only other thing that I do have around when I'm working on stuff is my trusty little magnifying glass, which is from Harbor Freight. It's really cool; it does hold your components. It's almost like a little robot here. Not that I need it for any components, but sometimes you might want to look at serial numbers or make sure there's no problems with the board. Some of these connections for where the case plugs in are really hard to see, so it's really good to have. You can really see where everything goes. You don't want to screw that stuff up. This was like four dollars from Harbor Freight. You can probably pick it up anywhere. Definitely a good amount of tools. A magnifying glass, a Phillips head, flashlight, and also a needle nose pliers, and I think you're good to go. If you can't figure it out, eventually you may need a hammer.