Computer assembly, pitfalls
Assembling a computer, especially a new one, is a lottery game. A number of factors that are not dependent on the builder can lead to the fact that the computer will not work stably or even refuse to start. Factory defects, violation of storage (transportation) conditions, a crude version of devices and drivers for them, as well as the totality of all of the above in different proportions.
Add inattention or negligence when assembling a computer as a possible aggravating factor. What do we have as a result? Assembling a computer is a very complex and responsible event that requires attention, caution, and the presence of certain knowledge and experience. So it’s worth it, so to speak, to be savvy before rushing into battle.
People who, when assembling a computer with a new configuration (model), say: See instructions and manuals, I know everything!, Are called lamers. And the situations that such people fall into are very stupid situations.
Rule one: it’s better to assume that you know absolutely nothing about computers than to assume that you know almost everything about them.
Even with rich experience, it will not be superfluous to read the instructions if you did not have to deal with the device before. Here is a personal example of building a computer:
I collect the system unit, install all the components (all 100% working). I turn it on. BIOS starts to squeal continuously. I’m climbing the Internet, it turns out that for these models of motherboards, this behavior is a complaint to the power supply unit (PSU). There is no second PSU at hand. Sailed.
Just in case, I’m surfing the Internet again and carefully re-looking through everything I find. On a single forum it is mentioned that this can happen with a non-standard memory installation. Four slots, two memory slats. I automatically inserted the memory into the first and third slots (dual channel mode). I look at the board – slot marking: 2-1-4-3 (usually 1-2-3-4). I insert the memory into slots 1-3 and everything starts. I made a puzzle myself and 30 minutes heroically solved it. Due to carelessness.
The quality of modern components
It is worth mentioning that the motherboard should see the memory in any of the slots, and the fact that she saw them only in this version is nonsense, of course. But in fact, today thousands of boards are produced daily and the control of both the development process and the production process sometimes leaves much to be desired. Therefore, you can encounter any miracles.
I have rare hard drives, which are already under 20 years old, with a capacity of 850Mb. I can install Windows 98 or mini-Linux on any of them right now and the disk will work. To make noise, groan, but work. And today’s seemingly high-quality discs of famous brands may begin to crumble even before the warranty expires. I had a couple of disks that have not worked out for a year.
Another example from the recent past. Assembled a group of office computers. I looked at the manufacturers and decided to try to buy boards from Foxconn. I thought that since Apple itself entrusts the production of components for its smartphones, it is unlikely to be a problem. Of the six boards, as a result, all six had problems. I handed over two under warranty, the problems of the rest were solved by updating to the newly released version of drivers a month later and changing the PC configuration.
So you can and should expect everything and be prepared for everything. And in order not to look for a needle in a haystack, as in the case above with RAM, you should adhere to instructions and elementary rules, which may seem silly, but there are places to be:
If the slot is marked with number 1, then the first device is preferable to connect to it. This also applies to memory and devices on the PCI bus and connecting HDDs.
The chain of production of components today is far from ideal, any piece of hardware can easily not do even half of what is supposed to! So it’s better to pretend to be a teapot and carefully review everything from documents to the appearance of the devices, and only then pull your hands to all this. Even with a quick reading (inspection), you cling to unfamiliar moments.
The right choice of components
Rule two: hurry up – make people laugh.
Do not rush. Never. At all. Neither when choosing components, nor when purchasing them, nor when assembling a computer. Everything needs a sequence! We selected the components on demand the most, bought-installed and started: it is buggy, burned out, does not support, is not compatible, and so on. Then it turns out that all the forums are littered with complaints about this miracle device that was purchased. And all that was needed was to type in the search engine the phrase of the problem with the most-most.
Here is a good example: at the request of a problem with the washing machine (such-and-such model), the first few pages in any search engine will consist exclusively of proposals for its purchase, and then there will be pages (positive) with its description. And in principle, you can rejoice – there are simply no negative reviews. Hurrah!