PC Workshop user guide

Before you start

PC Workshop has three tabs at the top right of the screen. They are the three steps.

1. 1. Choose Pick the parts.
2. 2. Build Put the parts together on the bench.
3. 3. Boot Turn the computer on and measure it.

A new project asks how you want to start. Start building gives you a list of parts for your budget and opens the bench. Choose my own parts opens the list of parts first. You can change any part later.

The demo on this site starts on the bench, with the parts of an $800 gaming PC.

When a step is finished, a blue button with the word Next appears. The tab for the next step also turns blue. Click either one to continue.

A first computer takes 30 to 45 minutes. With an account, your work is saved. You can stop and come back later.

Step 1: choose the parts

The Choose tab. Left: the parts list. Middle: the parts you can pick. Right: price, power and estimated score.

You start with a job and a budget. The job is the purpose of the computer: gaming, creating, or a home server. The budget is the amount of money you can spend.

The list on the left shows the parts you need: CPU, motherboard, memory, drive, power supply, cooler and case. You also need a graphics card when the CPU has no graphics of its own.

Pick the CPU first. After that, some motherboards turn grey. A grey part does not fit the parts you already picked. The note on the grey part gives the reason.

The panel on the right shows three numbers.

• The total price, next to your budget.
• The power that the parts use, next to the power that the power supply can give.
• The estimated score.

If the power bar is red, the power supply is too small. Pick a larger power supply.

When every needed part is picked, click Next: build it.

Step 2: build on the bench

The Build tab. The list on the left shows the build steps. A finished step has a green mark.

The parts are on the bench. A gold ring shows the next thing to click. The button Help me turns the gold ring on and off.

The steps, in order:

1. CPU. Pick up the CPU. Turn the CPU until the small triangle matches the corner of the socket. Put the CPU in the socket. Close the metal plate. Push the lever down.
2. Thermal paste. Press and hold on the middle of the CPU. Release when the dot of thermal paste is the size of a pea.
3. Cooler. Put the cooler on the CPU. Tighten the four screws a little at a time. Move from one corner to the opposite corner. Then connect the cable of the cooler fan to the motherboard.
4. Memory. For two pieces of memory, use the slots A2 and B2. Press down on the memory until both clips close.
5. Drive. Fit the drive in its slot.
6. Graphics card. Push the graphics card into the long slot. Fit the screw.
7. Power cables. Connect the large 24-pin cable to the motherboard. Connect the 8-pin cable at the top left of the motherboard. Connect the power cables of the graphics card.
8. Monitor. Connect the monitor to the graphics card. If the computer has no graphics card, use the port on the motherboard.
9. Wall power. Connect the power supply to the wall. Set the switch on the power supply to I.

When every step has a green mark, click Next: turn it on.

Step 3: the first start

On the 3. Boot tab, press POWER.

One short beep means that the computer works. If the computer does not start, look at the four lights under the power button.

Go back to 2. Build, repair the problem, and press POWER again. A computer that does not start is normal. Finding the reason is part of the work.

A new CPU on an older motherboard

Some motherboards were made before the newest CPUs existed. The new CPU fits the socket. The motherboard does not start it. The CPU light stays on.

The parts list warns you with the words older firmware on the motherboard. You have two choices.

• Pick a motherboard without the warning. It costs a little more.
• Keep the older motherboard and update its firmware.

To update the firmware:

1. On the 3. Boot tab, press INSTALL MEDIA. Choose Firmware update (USB stick).
2. Connect the 24-pin cable, the 8-pin cable and the wall power. Set the switch on the power supply to I.
3. On the 2. Build tab, find the small flash button on the rear edge of the motherboard. Click it.
4. Press POWER again.

Step 4: put the computer in the case

A computer on the open bench is not finished. After the first start, click Next: put it in the case. The list of steps on the 2. Build tab continues.

1. Disconnect the wall power first. Then disconnect the other cables and remove the graphics card.
2. Fit the metal shield for the rear ports. Slide the motherboard into the case. Fit the screws.
3. Put the power supply in its place in the case.
4. Connect all cables again.
5. Connect the front panel cable. Without the front panel cable, the power button on the case does nothing.
6. Fit the case fans. Click a case fan to turn it around. Front case fans bring cool air in. Rear case fans send warm air out.
7. Close the side panel.

Step 5: run the benchmark

The Boot tab after a successful start. The benchmark is the first card on the right.

On the 3. Boot tab, press POWER. Choose the job. Then press RUN THE BENCHMARK.

You get two numbers.

• Peak score: the performance that the parts can reach.
• Held score: the performance that the computer keeps when it is hot. The app calls this number Sustained Score. The leaderboard uses this number.

If the held score is lower than the peak score, the computer is too hot. Add case fans, or use a larger cooler.

Fix a machine

You can also repair a computer that another person built. Each computer has one problem. A repair takes about 5 to 10 minutes.

1. Click Fix a machine. The button is at the top, before you start to build. It is also on the first screen of a new project.
2. Choose a computer. The card shows what the owner said.
3. Press POWER and watch. Look at the lights. Listen to the beeps. Read the monitor.
4. Go back to the bench. Find the problem and repair it.
5. Press POWER again. A green card explains the problem when the repair is correct.

The gold ring and the list of steps are off during a repair. The button Help me gives a question that a technician asks. There are three questions for each computer.

What to do after the first computer

From PC Workshop to System Design Lab

System Design Lab is the place where students run servers: web sites, databases and load balancers. A server there normally runs on a rented cloud plan. A student can also run a server on the computer that the student built.

1. Build a computer in PC Workshop. The job Home server / rack and a 4U rack case fit best. Any finished computer works.
2. Put the computer in its case and run the benchmark.
3. Save the project.
4. Open System Design Lab and create a server.
5. In the list Hardware, pick the computer by its name.

What students learn from this:

• Two servers on one computer share its speed. When a student creates a second server on the same computer, both servers get slower.
• The size of this server cannot be changed with a click. To make the server faster, the student returns to PC Workshop and upgrades a part.
• A cloud server is a part of a computer that belongs to another company.

A sequence that works over four sessions:

1. Build a home server inside a budget. Compare the scores on the home server leaderboard.
2. Use the computer as a server. Install a web server from the terminal.
3. Publish a web site. Run a load test and write down the numbers.
4. Upgrade one part in PC Workshop. Run the load test again. Explain the difference.

Read about System Design Lab

More help

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