UNIT III

Working on the PC System Unit

Learning Outcomes
After this unit, you should be able to:
1. Planned and organized a system unit assembly / disassembly session.
2. Assembled / disassembled a PC system unit safely and competently.

In this part of the chapter, you’ll learn how to take a computer apart and put it
back together. This skill is needed in this and other chapters as you learn to add or replace
computer parts inside the case and perhaps even build a system from scratch. As you
read the following steps, you might want to perform the Hands-on Projects, which allow
you to follow along by taking a computer apart. As you do so, be sure to follow all the
safety precautions discussed in Chapter 1.
In the steps that follow, each major computer component is identified and described.
You learn much more about each component later in the book. Take your time—don’t
rush—as you take apart a computer for the first time. It can be a great learning experience
or an expensive disaster! As you work, pay attention to the details, and work with care.

Lesson 1. System Unit Assembly and Disassembly Procedure

Planning and Organizing Work

When you first begin to learn how to work inside a computer case, make
it a point to practice good organization skills. If you keep your notes, tools,
screws, and computer parts well organized, your work goes smoother and is more
fun. Here are some tips to keep in mind:

➢ Make notes as you work so that you can backtrack later if necessary. (When
you’re first learning to take a computer apart, it’s really easy to forget where
everything fits when it’s time to put it back together. Also, in troubleshooting,
you want to avoid repeating or overlooking things to try.
➢ Remove loose jewelry that might get caught in cables and components as you
work.
➢ To stay organized and not lose small parts, keep screws and spacers orderly
and in one place, such as a cup or tray.

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➢ Don’t stack boards on top of each other: You could accidentally dislodge a
chip this way. When you remove a circuit board or drive from a computer,
carefully lay it on an antistatic mat or in an antistatic bag in a place where it
won’t get bumped.
➢ When handling motherboards, cards, or drives, don’t touch the chips on the
device. Hold expansion cards by the edges. Don’t touch any soldered
components on a card, and don’t touch the edge connectors unless it’s
absolutely necessary. All this helps prevent damage from static electricity.
Also, your fingerprints on the edge connectors can later cause corrosion.
➢ To protect a microchip, don’t touch it with a magnetized screwdriver.
➢ Never ever touch the inside of a computer that is turned on. The one exception
to this rule is when you’re using a multimeter to measure voltage output.
➢ Consider the monitor and the power supply to be “black boxes.” Never
remove the cover or put your hands inside this equipment unless you know
about the hazards of charged capacitors and have been trained to deal with
them. The power supply and monitor contain enough power to kill you, even
when they are unplugged.
➢ As you work, remember to watch out for sharp edges on computer cases that
can cut you.
➢ In a classroom environment, after you have reassembled everything, have
your instructor check your work before you put the cover back on and power
up.

Detailed Assembly and Disassembly Procedure

Step 1. Open the Computer Case and Examine the System

Here are the steps to open a computer case:
1. Back up important data. If you are starting with a working
computer, make sure important data is first backed up. Copy the data
to an external storage device such as a flash drive or external hard
drive. If something goes wrong while you’re working inside the
computer, at least your data will be safe.
2. Power down the system and unplug it. Unplug the power, monitor,
mouse, and keyboard cables, and any other peripherals or cables
attached and move them out of your way.

Caution When you power down a computer and even turn off the power
switch on the rear of the computer case, know that residual power is still on.
Some motherboards even have a small light inside the case to remind you of
this fact and to warn you that power is still getting to the system. Therefore,
be sure to always unplug the power cord before opening a case.

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3. Press and hold down the power button for a moment. After you
unplug the computer, press the power button for about three seconds
to completely drain the power supply (see Figure 1). Sometimes
when you do so, you’ll hear the fans quickly start and go off as
residual power is drained. Only then is it safe to work inside the case.

Figure 1. Press the power button after the computer is unplugged.

4. Have a plastic bag or cup handy to hold screws. When you

reassemble the PC, you will need to insert the same screws in the
same holes. This is especially important with the hard drive because
screws that are too long can puncture the hard drive housing.
5. Open the case cover. Sometimes I think figuring out how to open a
computer case is the most difficult part of disassembling. If you need
help figuring it out, check the user manual or web site of the case
manufacturer. To remove the computer case cover, do the following:
• Many newer cases require you to start by laying the case on its
side and removing the faceplate on the front of the case first.
Other cases require you to remove a side panel first, and really
older cases require you to first remove the entire sides and top as
a single unit. Study your case for the correct approach.
• Most cases have panels on each side of the case that can be
removed. It is usually necessary to only remove the one panel to
expose the top of the motherboard. To know which panel to
remove, look at where the ports are on the rear of the case. For
example, in Figure 2, the ports on this motherboard are on the
left side of the case, indicating the bottom of the motherboard is
on the left. Therefore, you will want to remove the right panel to

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 expose the top of this motherboard. Lay the case down to its left
so that the ports and the motherboard are sitting on the bottom.
Later, depending on how drives are installed, it might become
necessary to remove the bottom panel in order to remove the
screws that hold the drives in place.

Figure 2. Decide which side panel to remove.

• Locate the screws that hold the side panel in place. Be careful
not to unscrew any screws besides these. The other screws
probably are holding the power supply, fan, and other
components in place (see Figure 3). Place the screws in the cup
or bag used for that purpose. Some cases use clips on a side panel
in addition to or instead of screws (see Figure 4).

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 Figure 3. Locate the screws that holds the side panel in place.

Figure 4. On this system, clips hold the side panel in place.

• After the screws are removed, slide the panel toward the rear,
and then lift it off the case (see Figure 5).

Figure 5. Slide the panel to the rear of the case.

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• Some cases require you to pop the front panel off the case before
removing the side panels. Look for a lever on the bottom of the
panel and hinges at the top. Squeeze the lever to release the front
panel and lift it off the case (see Figure 6).

Figure 6. Newer cases require you to remove the

front panel before removing the side panel of a
computer case

• Then remove a single screw (see Figure 7) and slide the side
panel to the front and then off the case (see Figure 8).

Figure 7. One of the screws holds the side panel in place.

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 Figure 8. Slide the side panel to the front of the case and then lift it
off the case.

6. Clip your ground bracelet to the side of the computer case. To

dissipate any charge between you and the computer, put on your
ground bracelet if you have not already done so. Then clip the
alligator clip on the ground bracelet to the side of the computer case
(see Figure 9).

After you open a computer case, the main components you see
inside are the power supply, motherboard, and drives installed in drive
bays. You also see a lot of cables and wires connecting various
components. These cables are power cables from the power supply to
various components, or cables carrying data and instructions between
components. The best way to know the purpose of a cable is to follow the
cable from its source to destination.

Figure 9. Attach the alligator clip of your ground bracelet to the side
of the computer case.

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Step 2. Remove Expansion Cards

If you plan to remove several components, draw a diagram of all cable

connections to the motherboard, expansion cards, and drives. You might need the cable
connection diagram to help you reassemble. Note where each cable begins and ends, and
pay particular attention to the small wires and connectors that connect the lights,
switches, and ports on the front of the case to the motherboard. It’s important to be
careful about diagramming these because it is so easy to connect them in the wrong
position later when you reassemble. If you want, use a felt-tip marker to make a mark
across components, to indicate a cable connection, board placement, motherboard
orientation, speaker connection, brackets, and so on, so that you can simply line up the
marks when you reassemble. This method, however, probably won’t work for the front
case wires because they are so small. For these, consider writing down the color of the
wires and their position on the pins (see Figure 10).

Figure 10. Diagram the pin locations of the color-coded wires that connect to
the front of the case.

Note: A connector on a motherboard that consists of pins that stick up from the board is
called a header. For example, the group of pins shown in Figure 2-10 is called the front
panel header.

Computer systems vary in so many ways, it’s impossible to list the exact order
to disassemble one. Most likely, however, you need to remove the expansion cards first.
Do the following to remove the expansion cards:

1. Remove any wire or cable connected to the card.

2. Remove the screw holding the card to the case (see Figure 11).

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 Figure 11. Remove the screw holding an expansion card to the case.

3. Grasp the card with both hands and remove it by lifting straight up. If you have
trouble removing it from the expansion slot, you can very slightly rock the card
from end to end (not side to side). Rocking the card from side to side might spread
the slot opening and weaken the connection.
4. As you remove the card, don’t put your fingers on the edge connectors or touch
a chip, and don’t stack the cards on top of one another. Lay each card aside on a
flat surface, preferably in an antistatic bag.

Note: Some video cards use a latch that helps to hold the card securely in the slot. To
remove these cards, use one finger to hold the latch back from the slot, as shown in Figure
12, as you pull the
card up and out of the slot.

Figure 12. Hold the retention mechanism back as you remove a video
card from its expansion slot.

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Step 3. Remove the Motherboard, Power Supply and Drives
Depending on the system, you might need to remove the motherboard next or
remove the drives next. My choice is to fi rst remove the motherboard. It and the
processor are the most expensive and easily damaged parts in the system. I like to get
them out of harm’s way before working with the drives. However, in some cases, you
must remove the drives or the power supply before you can get to the motherboard. Study
your situation and decide which to do first. To remove the motherboard, do the
following:
1. Unplug the power supply lines to the motherboard. There might also be an audio
wire from the optical drive to the motherboard. Disconnect it from the
motherboard.
2. Unplug PATA, SATA, and floppy drive cables to the motherboard.
3. The next step is to disconnect wires leading from the front of the computer case
to the motherboard, which are called the front panel connectors. If you don’t have
the motherboard manual handy, be very careful to diagram how these wires
connect because they are never labeled well on a motherboard. Make a careful
diagram and then disconnect the wires. Figure 13 shows five leads and the pins
on the motherboard front panel header that receive these leads. The pins are
color-coded and cryptically labeled on the board.

Figure 13. Five leads from the front panel connect to two rows of pins
on the motherboard front panel header.

4. Disconnect any other cables or wires connected to the motherboard. A case fan
might be getting power by a small wire connected to the motherboard. In
addition, USB ports on the front of the computer case might be connected by a
cable to the motherboard.

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5. You’re now ready to remove the screws that hold the motherboard to the case. A
motherboard is installed so that the bottom of the board does not touch the case.
If the fine traces or lines on the bottom of the board were to touch the case, a
short would result when the system is running. To keep the board from touching
the case, screw holes are elevated, or you’ll see spacers, also called standoffs,
which are round plastic or metal pegs that separate the board from the case.
Carefully pop off these spacers and/or remove the screws (up to nine) that hold
the board to the case (see Figure 14) and then remove the board. Set it aside in a
safe place. Figure 15 shows a motherboard sitting to the side of these spacers.
One spacer is in place and the other is lying beside its case holes. Also notice in
the photo the two holes in the motherboard where screws are used to connect the
board to the spacers.

Figure 14. Remove up to nine screws that holds the motherboard to the case.

Figure 15. This motherboard connects to a case using screws and spacers that
keep the board from touching the case.

Notes When you’re replacing a motherboard in a case that is not the same size as the
original board, you can use needle-nose pliers to unplug a standoff so you can move it to
a new hole.

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6. The motherboard should now be free and you can carefully remove it from the
case, as shown in Figure 16.

Figure 16. Remove the motherboard from the case.

Caution Some processors have heavy cooling assemblies installed on top of them. For these
systems, it is best to remove the cooler before you take the motherboard out of the case
because the motherboard is not designed to support this heavy cooler when the motherboard
is not securely seated in the case. How to remove the cooler is covered in Chapter 4.

7. To remove the power supply from the case, look for screws that attach the power
supply to the computer case, as shown in Figure 17. Be careful not to remove any
screws that hold the power supply housing together. You do not want to take the
housing apart. After you have removed the screws, the power supply still might
not be free. Sometimes, it is attached to the case on the underside by recessed
slots. Turn the case over and look on the bottom for these slots. If they are
present, determine in which direction you need to slide the power supply to free
it from the case.
8. Remove each drive next, handling the drives with care. Here are some tips:
• Some drives have one or two screws on each side of the drive attaching the
drive to the drive bay. After you remove the screws, the drive slides to the
front or to the rear and then out of the case.

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 Figure 17. Removing the power supply monitoring screws.

• Sometimes, there is a catch underneath the drive that you must lift up as you
slide the drive forward.
• Some drive bays have a clipping mechanism to hold the drive in the bay. First
release the clip and then pull the drive forward and out of the bay (see Figure
18). Handle the drives with care. Some drives have an exposed circuit board
on the bottom of the drive. Don’t touch this board.

Figure 18. To remove this CD drive, first pull the clip forward to release the
drive from the bay.

• Some cases have a removable bay for small drives (see Figure 19). These
bays can hold narrow drives such as hard drives, floppy drives, and tape
drives. The bay is removed first and then the drives are removed from the

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 bay. To remove the bay, first remove the screws or release the clip holding
the bay in place and then slide the bay out of the case. The drives are usually
installed in the bay with two screws on each side of each drive. Remove the
screws and then the drives (see Figure 20).

Figure 19. Push down on the clip and then slide the removable bay
forward and out of the case.

Figure 20. Drives in this removable bay are held in place with
screws on each side of the bay.

Steps to Put a Computer Back Together

To reassemble a computer, reverse the process of disassembling. Here is where your

diagrams will be really useful and having the screws and cables organized will also help.
In the directions that follow, we’re also considering the possibility that you are installing
a replacement part as you reassemble the system. Do the following:
1. Install components in the case in this order: power supply, drives, motherboard,
and cards. When installing drives, know that for some systems, it’s easier to
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 connect data cables to the drives and then slide the drives into the bay. If the drive
is anchored to the bay with screws or latches, be careful to align the front of the
drive flush with the front of the case before installing screws or pushing in the
latches (see Figure 21).

Figure 21. Align the front of the drive flush with the case front and then anchor
with a screw.

2. Place the motherboard inside the case. Make sure the ports stick out of the I/O
shield at the rear of the case and the screw holes line up with screw holes on the
bottom of the case. Figure 22 shows how you must align the screw holes on the
motherboard with those in the case. There should be at least six screw sets, and
there might be as many as nine. Use as many screws as there are holes in the
motherboard. Figure 23 shows one screw being put in place.

Figure 22. Align screw holes in the case with those on the
motherboard.

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 Figure 23. Use one screw in each screw hole on the motherboard.

3. Connect the power cords from the power supply to the motherboard. A system
will always need the main P1 power connector and most likely will need the 4-
pin auxiliary connector for the processor. Other power connectors might be
needed depending on the devices you later install in the system. Here are the
details:
• Connect the P1 power connector from the power supply to the motherboard
(see Figure 24)

Figure 24. The 24-pin connector supplies power to the motherboard.

• Connect the 4-pin auxiliary power cord coming from the power supply to the
motherboard, as shown in Figure 25. This cord supplies the supplemental
power required for the processor.

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 Figure 25. The auxiliary 4-pin power cord provides power to the processor.

• A board might have a 6-pin or 8-pin PCIe power connector (see Figure 26).
If the board has either connector, connect the 6-pin or 8-pin cord from the
power supply to the connector. If a power supply doesn’t have this connector,
you can use an adapter to convert two Molex connectors to a PCIe connector.

Figure 26. 8-pin PCIe Version 2.0 power connector.

• Some boards designed to support multiple PCIe video cards will have
additional power connectors on the board to power these wattage-hungry
cards. For example, Figure 27(a) shows a Molex-style connector on one
board that provides auxiliary power to PCIe graphics cards. This same board
offers a SATA-style connector, shown in Figure 27(b). The motherboard
documentation says to use just one of these auxiliary power connectors to
provide additional wattage for PCIe video cards.

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 Figure 27. Auxiliary power connectors to support PCIe.

• To power the case fan, connect the power cord from the fan to pins on the
motherboard labeled Fan Header. Alternately, some case fans use a 4-pin
Molex connector that connects to a power cable coming directly from the
power supply.
• If a CPU and cooler are already installed on the motherboard, connect the
power cord from the CPU fan to the pins on the motherboard labeled CPU
Fan Header.

4. Connect the wire leads from the front panel of the case to the front panel header
on the motherboard. These are the wires for the switches, lights, and ports on the
front of the computer. Because your case and your motherboard might not have
been made by the same manufacturer, you need to pay close attention to the
source of the wires to determine where they connect on the motherboard. For
example, Figure 28 shows a computer case that has seven connectors from the
front panel that connect to the motherboard. Figure 29 shows the front panel
header on the motherboard for these lights and switches. If you look closely at
the board in Figure 29, you can see labels identifying the pins.

Figure 28. Seven connectors from the front panel connect to the motherboard.

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 Figure 29. Front panel header uses color-coded pins and labels.

The five connectors on the right side of Figure 2-28 from right to left are labeled
as follows:
• Power SW. Controls power to the motherboard; must be connected for the PC to
power up
• HDD LED. Controls the drive activity light on the front panel that lights up when
any SATA or IDE device is in use (HDD stands for hard disk drive; LED stands
for light-emitting diode; and an LED is a light on the front panel.)
• Power LED+. Positive LED controls the power light and indicates that power is
on
• Power LED_. Negative LED controls the power light; the two positive and
negative leads indicate that power is on
• Reset SW. Switch used to reboot the computer

Notes Positive wires connecting the front panel to the motherboard are usually a solid
color, and negative wires are usually white or striped.

To help orient the connector on the motherboard pins, look for a small triangle
embedded on the connector that marks one of the outside wires as pin 1 (see
Figure 30). Look for pin 1 to be labeled on the motherboard as a small 1
embedded to either the right or the left of the group of pins. If the labels on the
board are not clear, turn to the motherboard user guide for help. The diagram in
Figure 31 shows what you can expect from one motherboard user guide. Notice
pin 1 is identified as a square pin in the diagram, rather than round like the other
pins.

Notes If the user guide is not handy, you can download it from the motherboard
manufacturer’s web site. Search on the brand and model number of the board, which
is imprinted somewhere on the board.

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Sometimes the motherboard documentation is not clear, but guessing is okay when
connecting a wire to a front panel header connection. If it doesn’t work, no harm is done.
Figure 32 shows all front panel wires in place and the little speaker also connected to the
front panel header pins.

Figure 31. Documentation for front panel header connections.

Figure 32. Front panel header with all connectors in place.

5. Connect wires to ports on the front panel of the case. Depending on your
motherboard and case, there might be cables to connect audio ports or USB ports
on the front of the case to headers on the motherboard. Audio and USB
connectors are the two left connectors shown in Figure 2-28. You can see these

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 ports for audio and USB on the front of the case in Figure 33. Look in the
motherboard documentation for the location of these connectors. The audio and
USB connectors are labeled for one board in Figures 34(a) and (b).

Figure 33. Ports on the front of the computer case.

Figure 34. Connectors for front panel ports.

6. Install the video card and any other expansion cards.

7. Take a few minutes to double-check each connection to make sure it is correct
and snug. Verify all required power cords are connected correctly and the video
card is seated solidly in its slot. Also verify that no wires or cables are obstructing
fans. You can use cable ties to tie wires up and out of the way.
8. Plug in the keyboard, monitor, and mouse.
9. In a classroom environment, have the instructor check your work before you
close the case and power up.
10. Turn on the power and check that the PC is working properly. If the PC does not
work, most likely the problem is a loose connection. Just turn off the power and
go back and check each cable connection and each expansion card. You probably
have not solidly seated a card in the slot. After you have double-checked, try
again.

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 Now step back and congratulate yourself on a job well done! By taking a computer
apart and putting it back together, you’ve learned much about how computer parts
interconnect and work. So now you’re ready to move on to study each subsystem or
major component in the computer case and how to support it. Let’s begin with the pieces
and parts used to keep a system from overheating.

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