What other equipment will you need?

Before unpacking all your nice new parts from their boxes there are few basic tools and skills that you need to have to ensure your build is safe and enjoyable. Luckily they are all pretty simple and most of us will have the essentials already.

Table or Desk

Try to use a stable uncluttered work surface with plenty of room to work to assemble your PC. You will find that you will need to access the computer case from a variety of angles and have your components and tools close to hand. Cover your table with a cloth or paper to avoid scratches from any sharp edges on the case.

Good lighting will be necessary to ensure you can see inside your PC.

Screw driver

A standard medium cross head screw driver will be fine. Some screws are located in awkward positions so it is useful if your screw driver is one of the magnetic types so that you can easily retrieve wayward screws dropped into the case.

A multi-head screwdriver can also be useful for dealing with other types of fixings. For example when fitting the motherboard you'll need risers. These have hexagonal heads which can be tricky to screw in with your fingers alone.

Different types of screw are used and it's important to use the correct one and never to over tighten them. We will indicate the right amount of force to use with each of the components.

Pliers

A pair of pliers are useful but not essential. You may want to use them when taking out the blanking plate (Stage 1) or remove other parts that are tricky to reach.

Dish

To avoid losing screws and small pieces it's a good idea to have somewhere to store them while you work.

Torch

A small torch is really useful for helping you see when working inside the case.

Antistatic Strap

Static electricity may not feel very powerful but it can be very damaging to small electronic components. If you build up a charge of static (by walking across a carpet or wearing particular nylon clothes) and then touch your CPU you could have destroyed the most expensive part of your kit.

You can avoid this by wearing an antistatic strap. Alternatively you can earth yourself by working close to a radiator, touching an unpainted part before working with the motherboard or CPU. You can also touch the metal casing of your computer, ensuring that it is plugged in and switched off.

Computer components come in antistatic bags to protect them from static. Don't remove them until you have discharged your static and it is safe to work on them.

Broadband connection and Router

To access the internet and to download emails you will need an internet connection.

Any fast, permanent internet service is called 'broadband' which is many times faster than a dial-up account. It doesn't tie up the phone line so you can make and receive calls normally while you use the internet. Broadband can come via your phone line, a cable TV service, 3G mobile phone network or by satellite.

The most common method is via your phone line using a system called ADSL. ADSL uses the same cable that connects your phone to the local exchange. You pay a flat monthly fee for an 'always on' connection, so there's no need to dial in to get online. Just turn on the computer and you're connected.

There are different services available from providers, usually as part of a telephone, cable or satellite package. To get ADSL you will need to have your phone line upgraded (called 'line activation') and to open a broadband account.

You will also need a new high speed modem. Either your internet service provider will provide this for you, or you can buy one. There are basically three types of ADSL modem. Simple ADSL USB modems, ADSL routers or ADSL Wi-Fi routers.