Entry 3: ROADBLOCK
So far I have:
- The case (includes a manual)
- power supply
- motherboard
- case fan
- fan tunnel
- CPU
- heat sink
- 4 memory cards
If you take a look back at my first blog post when I gave a brief list of what I needed for the computer, I have 5 out of 7 components checked off. That leaves the hard drive and CPU cooler. I have only spent $27 on the case and that leaves us $123 dollars below our original budget.
I started with installing all 4 memory cards into the motherboard (*Video: Memory Installation). Next I moved to installing the CPU into the motherboard as well (Video: CPU Installation).
After the motherboard had all of the attachments installed, I continued to position the motherboard in my case. There are 6 pegs that are all unscrew able which allow the motherboard to anchor into the side of the case. All was going well until I consulted the manual and realized that I had uses the wrong size screw to attach the motherboard. The screw had fit through the designated holes in the motherboard, however they got suck in the pegs that were attached to the case. This caused one particular side to be weaker than the rest. At this time I just went downstairs and got an adjustable wrench to hold the peg while I unscrewed the screw. It worked fine and nothing was damaged in the process. Next, I wanted to install the power supply before things got too crowded. It was fairly simple, all I had to do was put it in its correct slot and anchor it down with 4 screws. Learning from my previous mistake, I triple checked that I was using the correct sized screw. My next step was to attach the heat sink to the CPU and eventually anchor it to the case and motherboard. This was where the roadblock occurred.
The picture on the left shows the screw holes for the heat sink, however the picture on the right shows that there is nothing on the case to actually anchor the heat sink to the CPU. It's important for the heat sink to be in direct contact with the CPU because it is easier to cool. If there were air pockets between the two then number 1: the motherboard won't be able to accurately judge the temperature of the CPU, and number 2: the cooling will be less efficient.
One of my options are to get a plate that attaches to the back of the motherboard and will anchor the heat sink to the motherboard. The problem with that is that when I stand the computer upright the entire heat sink (which is pretty heavy) will be hanging on the motherboard (which isn't very strong). Another option I have is to get a new CPU cooler that comes with its own back plate. I could also get a new motherboard which would cost a good sum of money, but would also give other advantages because another problem I found was that the motherboard was out of date and my case is fairly modern. This means that the motherboard is lack some of the more modern connections. For example, my case has a USB 3.0 and there is no connection for that on the motherboard. None of this is extremely problematic, it's just that the accessories without connections won't be functional.
While I figure out a way around all of these roadblocks, I am going to continue searching for a hard drive that will suit my computer.
* I had trouble downloading the videos so I just supplied the links.
That is rough. It is great that you still have $123 in your budget. I hope it goes uphill from here. I am looking forward to seeing how your computer will end up all together. (the time lapse is really cool too!)
ReplyDeleteGreat job updating us on your progress!
ReplyDeleteThat's a major oof right there. Problems will happen and you will get confused, but it's nice to see that you are still determined to fix it instead of moving on. Good luck on trying to fix that motherload of a problem!
ReplyDeleteYou seem to be very informed about your topic. It seems you are making good progress and I had no idea you were this advanced in this field. I really hope you get those parts and can finish your computer. And I hope your computer will be put to a good use and you can get more Fortnite Victories!!!
ReplyDeleteWow, this is some intense stuff! If I'm being honest, I didn't understand much of the blog (I'm not very tech savvy). What I did understand was that you put a whole lot of effort and time into making this computer. How do you put in a screen and how does the screen work? I've always wondered. This computer is insane though. If only you could fix my computer's wifi so that I don't have to restart every other hour. Anyway, awesome job! I can tell your project is really coming along.
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing how you have challenged yourself to do such a daunting task. I couldn't make out half the things in your video, but your blog really helped me out. I can't wait to see your finished product. Maybe, you'll even make your next blog on it! Anyways, good luck!
ReplyDeleteScrews suck! They're small, hard to keep track off, and always run away. Good luck with the rest of the computer! Hopefully you can figure out a way to get over the road block. You look like you're making a lot of progress. Can't wait to see the first time when you turn it on and like the fans start to move and a little light on the mother board turns red and everything works. That's the best.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a really cool idea, and it's great that your neighbor was nice enough to give you all those parts. Around 7th grade I wanted to get a laptop for gaming, and I ended up learning a lot about computers and their functions. It's really cool that you are going way more in depth than I did. For someone like me, this area of computer engineering is really interesting, keep it up!
ReplyDelete