Installing Hard Drive, Optical Drive, Video Card, and Windows 10

Installing Hard Drive
There are two types of hard disk, IDE and Serial ATA hard disk. Read the
motherboard manual to check which hard disk is compatible with. Most of
the new motherboards use the Serial ATA. Serial ATA is compatible with two
types of drive HDD and SSD. SSD improve the performance of the computer
by far margin even though they are expensive and they come with small
storage space.
Open the computer case by sliding it side out. Make sure to unscrew any
detached screw. Ensure the drive bay and the motherboard can be accessed
[1].
Place the hard drive on one of the drivers bay, mount the hard drive on the
computer case using screws. Do not over tighten the screw but make sure
they are tightened to protect the hard drive from falling.
Figure 1 hard drive inside the drive bay
Connect hard disk using the Serial ATA cable that came with the
motherboard. Connect the cables to the Serial ATA’s connector port on the
motherboard. Finally, connect remaining end of Serial ATA cable to the hard
drive Serial ATA connector.
Depending on type of disk to be used, it is recommended to use SATA 3 port
to connect the drive because they are fast. If the disk being used is SSD it is
always better to use SATA 3 port because they are too fast.
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Figure 2 SATA cable connection
The next step is to make sure the hard drive is supplied with power. Use
Serial ATA 15-pin from power supply to feed the hard disk with power.
Connect the end of the cable to Serial ATA connector port on the disk.
It is recommended to leave enough space between the hard drive when
using more than one drive to give the discs a breathing space.
Figure 3 SATA 15-pin cable connection
Installing an optical drive
1. Remove the computer cover case on front and choose one drive bay to
insert the drive [2]. Put the drive on position by sliding it to drive bay.
The click will be heard when the drive is in position.
2. Secure the optical drive using the screws. The drive has two screws
hole on each side. Tighten the screw to protect the drive from falling.
3. Use the Serial ATA 15-pin power cable to connect the optical drive with
the power supply, to feed the drive with power. Use the Serial ATA 7-
pin cable to connect the drive to the motherboard. Connect one end of
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the cable to Serial ATA port on the optical drive and the other end to
motherboard Serial ATA port.
Figure 4 optical drive port connectors
Note: it is recommended to connect serial ATA 15-pin before connecting
Serial ATA 7-pin cable to reduce the risk of damaging the drive.
Installing a Video Card
The video card is alternatively known as the graphics card or display
adapter. It is critical hardware that helps the computer to send graphical
information to display devices such as monitors. Expansion slots are used to
install the video adapter to the computer.
Check if the motherboard supports your video card and if the power supply
can handle it. Check the minimum requirement for RAM required by the
graphic.
Before installing the hardware to your computer, make sure the power is
turned off and if possible disconnect the power cable from the back of your
computer [2].
Find the primary PCI slot on your motherboard. The primary slot is the one
closest to the CPU and it is likely to have a retention level with a label X16
[3]. Plug the video card into it and make sure the card is installed properly
[2].
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Note: The graphic card should be installed on the primary slots. Installing the
graphic into other slots may cause the system not to recognize the graphic
card [2].
Connect one 6-pin PCI power connector to the top of the video card. The
connector on the graphics card connects only in one way due to their unique
shape.
Return the cover of your machine and reconnect all the power cables
connected on your device.
Figure 5 video card back face
The side of the graphic card is built to fit the outside of the back of computer
case because both the case, motherboard, and expansion slot are
compatible, this makes its HDMI, VGA, and DVI ports to be readily available
for use [3].
Connecting Monitors, Keyboard, and Mouse
Connect one end (female part) of the power cable to the monitor and the
other end (male part) to power source. Make sure the monitor is working
before connecting to your PC. Use the DVI cable or the VGA cable to connect
the monitor.
Not all monitors have the DVI-D connector; mainly the old monitors do not
have the port.
Connect the DVI-D one end to the monitor and the other end connect at the
back of the graphic card DVI-D port. Connecting the cable to graphic card
port will produce a high quality video screen. Alternatively, HDMI cable can
be used connect the display, HDMI produce high resolution videos and it can
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