When it was out, Pentium 4 was strong chip. Its single core processor finally broke highly touted 3GHz "barrier" late in its product cycle. As 2009, though, it is an out-of-date processor that can be bested in performance benchmarks by processors that are cost lower than Pentium 4 at its release. Intel Pentium 4 chips are in short supply, so be definite to test online auction sites and classified ads if you have a hard time finding one.

Instructions

Step 1

Take out side of case. Install motherboard by aligning mounting holes with brass standoffs in case. You include more standoffs if there are not sufficient. Do not tighten screws, as this crack motherboard's PCB.

Step 2

Install PSU. Test to be sure that its cables will reach all parts in case. Attach PSU to motherboard with 20 or 24 pin ATX cable.

Step 3

Mount CPU on the motherboard. Put chip into socket, and softly but tightly clip retaining device around CPU. Connect heatsink/fan to motherboard, ensuring it fits warmly on top of CPU.

Step 4

Install RAM by clipping it into DIMM slots in motherboard. Based on motherboard, it may or may not have identical DIMM slots. Test to see if RAM is "dual channel;" this will decide whether or not you want to utilize color-coded slots. If you are using dual channel RAM, it should be connected to equivalent slots.

Step 5

Install HDD into case's hard drive cage. Attach it to power supply using proper cables and then to motherboard. If HDD is an IDE drive ensure that jumper on back of drive is set to "master."

Step 6

If you are using a devoted graphics card, install it into AGP or PCIexpress slot on motherboard. If graphics card needs an exterior power connection, utilize appropriate cable from power supply.

Step 7

Install OS using a flash drive or an optical drive. Test motherboard's BIOS to ensure it is configured to start from media of option.