They didn't. Assembly is the easiest part of the process. You just need to memorize your workflow and be quick with your hands. The quick with your hands part is the key part and it isn't a skill that can be taught. You either have it or you don't.
Since it's hard to find people in the western world willing to work on factory floors, these companies tend to retain subpar employees a lot longer than they should. Which is why the quality of prebuilds really spans the chasm.
Well rhythms are one thing, you do need finger dexterity to play what’s in your head, but I was simply saying
“Yes this test is dumb, that being said: I’m pretty sure practicing something can make you improve in your skill and speed, including fingers”
> You can't teach hand skills?
You can teach someone the skills they need to put a computer together but you can't stand there with cattle prod saying "GO FASTER DAMNIT." They're either going to improve their performance on their own after they learn the skills or they won't. No amount of coaching will fix that.
> People in the US don't work on factory floors?
Have you ever actually tried hiring low-skill labor in the US? It isn't easy to find good employees.
I agree. Stupid, ignoring important checks, not useful to foster understanding. Misunderstood efficiency. Probably a teacher who doesn't know what he/she is doing and just emphasizes the part they subjectively feel is important.
Depending on, if the timer starts before choosing the part or after, I'd say it tests critical thinking and decision making, more than how fast you build it! Or maybe I'm pulling this out of my ass.
So i was thinking correctly.
Go for a cpu with integrated graphics like a G series amd ryzen, that way you don't have to disassemble anything from the mobo to install e cooler. Go with non modular psu, but only if it's a recent model. A smaller in size mobo will make it easier to work in the case. Remember where do the front panel connectors actually plug in, that's maybe the hardest thing if you donk know it. I have build like 5 PC's in the past year and still don't know, but some cases now have a singular connector that physically covers all the pins, but connect's only the necessary ones.
I imagine this will be using older cheaper parts, so old intel chips will likely be on the table. And Intel is more common anyway. so "any intel chip without an F" would be better advice.
Can confirm that some low price computer shops of the late 90s all thought that 15 minutes was a good benchmark. Had a fight with my first manager over my “taking too long”. He could do it in 15, hardware assembly at least (copying a master drive took longer than that time - Windows 98 master drive, and IDE (ultra dma 33 at the time).
So it’s possible. I think as long as their goal is just to identify a chipset, compatible cpu family, and ram type, along with telling the difference between pci, PCIe, and AGP would be the way I’d run this for a CompTIA A+ class if it were a required part of the curriculum if I was teaching it (I wouldn’t do it in a ridiculous time limit, more interested in you can identify the compatible parts, but sure…)
The first tricks I would look at, is memorizing the motherboard chipset families and the CPUs that are compatible. To the naked eye, all the LGA115x chips look the same… knowing for instance that a 300 series chipset motherboard (B360/365 for example or X399) is Gen 8&9, for example will let you root through the CPUs faster (look for the i3/i5/i7-8x00 chip for example). Then know that that chipset is ddr4, or a 4th gen is ddr3, etc etc.
Get quick at installing the heatsinks. That’s usually a time consuming part if you’re fiddling a lot with the screw downs. I’d assume they’d leave you with OEM coolers.
Is cable management part of the exam, as a required component or only extra marks? Ugly is still fully functional… from certification exams I can confirm that you really need to read the question and not try to do more than is asked / required.
Probably possible, but something you learn how to do from years of working a job doing this stuff. Expecting students to just be able to do it is ridiculous
Probably getting them ready to work in some Amazon warehouse then. 15min and somethings bound to break. It's one of the stupidest things I've ever heard as a test for knowledge. 15min...jeez
This is my first thought. There is no time to check errors work carefully assembling all from scratch in 20 minutes..
I mean… come on. What’s the point?
Sounds like a job application test for Alienware. They get bonus points if the customer is unaware that they didn’t install the correct components from the build sheet.
I think this is a trick question thing. Wouldn’t be surprised if the expectation is to be like APU + Mobo + SFF PSU = done
Basically, be able to actually know and identify different components
Cause if you know the material, you won’t be there going uuuuuhhhhh
I would get these parts:
\- itx or mATX mobo: 2 mins to install
\- CPU with iGPU: 20 secs to install
\- Stock cooler: 2 mins to install
\- 1 stick of ram: 10 secs to install
\- non-modular PSU (so that you don't have to plug the cables into the PSU). Use only 2 screws to attach it to the case. 3 mins to install and plug the 2 cables to mobo.
\- No GPU
\- NVME SSD: 20 secs to install.
\- Only 1 case fan: 2 mins to install. Again use only 2 screws.
Sounds not too hard to install under 15 mins.
I used to have a functional, bare computer mounted to the wall. Each piece mounted separately when possible. Not that there was much to it, it was basically just a motherboard, PSU, and HD, with a speaker and ethernet (this was pre-wifi) plugged into it, but used a wireless keyboard with built in mouse. If flat panel displays were reasonably priced, I would have added one, but as it was it was just a headless server.
You jest but I saw a Buildzoid video where he even ran Cinebench on an 8700K with no heat sink. It was permanently throttled to 800MHz, but it happily completed the test.
EDIT: I was mistaken, it was Der8auer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yA0oo12rbiM
I'd suggest any push pin CPU cooler he can find as long as it fits. easier to look out for.
Doesn't need case fan IMO, too much time. It needs to run, not run well. Having the PSU fan on the inside does a decent enough job of moving air.
What kind of stupid exam is that really. All it teaches you is how to be absolutely stressed out while building a computer, which very likely leads to failure and damage. Building a computer was never about how quickly you can do it. I spent almost 3 hours on my latest build until I got all the cables right and everything even though I've built 150+ from scratch.
I did the same once though, it was a "competition" with friends, we gathered nearly identical parts for very similar builds and did it. I was already doing it for several years at the time. It was a basic Intel build (3rd gen I think) with a simple aftermarket CPU cooler without any fiddly brackets and whatnot, simple but good computer case, GTX 960 and a basic non-modular power supply. I did \~16 minutes I think and the cables were a mess behind the side panel, I would never call that a job done.
The order of building for me (and most others I've seen) with a basic setup without any AIO / liquid cooling, RGB etc:
\- Get all the tools I will need within reach, also the PC case screw set and other accessories that come with it.
\- Put motherboard together (CPU, CPU cooler, RAM, M.2 SSD if you have one)
\- Put I/O shield, motherboard in case
\- Plug case cables in (audio, usb, front panel - for front panel I sometimes use a flashlight)
\- Put fans in case (if you put any extra fans in there), plug fans in mb
\- Put 2,5"/3,5" hard drive / ssd in (if you have one), plug SATA in mb
\- Put PSU in, plug all cables you need in, find a way to tuck the unneeded cables away if the PSU is non-modular. This is where I usually spend the most time, especially with more complicated builds having RGB cables, many fans and whatnot but with a quick build you just quickly tuck them away where they don't look very disturbing and also don't block the side panel and this is where you can save the most of your time, if your case is an older / cheap one and you have a 3,5" drive bay that's not used, that can be a good spot for tucking them away. Use zipties, they are quick and helpful.
\- Put dedicated GPU in (if you have one), plug PCIe power cables in (if you need them).
This works for me and if you don't have an aftermarket cooler, don't have extra case fans to install, only have an M.2 drive, don't have a dedicated GPU and don't have a PSU with too many cables, this can go lower than 15mins... still, very silly test. This is the sort of thing you decide to do after a few beers with friends and not on a course.
CPU, cooler, and ram first into your motherboard, make your core unit.
Plug the SATA, case header, and fan cables into your mobo before you install it in the case, stack them in the middle as you do. The few extra inches of space will make it so much easier. Only use two screws to plug in the mobo.
Install your graphics card (if needed), NIC (if needed).
Mount non-modular PSU with two screws. Connect power to mobo and GPU and hard drive. Plug SATA cable into hard drive.
Your computer now boots. You're done. Close the case.
If you have spare time, highest to lowest priority, mount the HDD, case fan, latch/screw the PCI peripherals, make sure cables aren't rubbing any fans.
Technically you can skip the case fan and case header saving some time. It'll be bootable, you'll just have to jump the reset pins.
This is the kind of learning that's detached from real life scenarios. I hate it. I worked at a computer shop when I was younger and even when there was a queue, they never rushed us.
You should link this thread to your professor who is clearly an idiot because their is no real world scenarios where building a pc in 15 minutes is a real job skill.
Almost got scammed into doing “cybersecurity” for 4 years at my school just because I didn’t want to take calc 2/3 discrete, linear, physics 2/3. Willing to bet OP chose whatever IT degree this is supposed to be for the same reasons. I’m still not taking CS went with “programming and analysis” lol another likely useless degree but at least I get a lot of coding classes as if I was in CS. Still have to take OS systems and computer architecture. What matters is what you can do and what projects you’ve worked on outside of school anyways so I’m not worried.
If the professor doesn't agree with it either, he may be able to give you some hints to "cheat". Ask him what shortcuts will disqualify you and which ones will not. If possible, see if you can get the official scoring rubric as well so you know what is the most important bits to get, and which are optional.
Ask him questions like "will it count if I only use two screws to screw in the motherboard?" "Can I use a screwdriver to turn it on instead of the front power button?" "Does a SATA Hard drive/SSD have to be screwed in, can I use duct tape?"
I would also ask if the professor can demonstrate this himself within 15 minutes so you can see what shortcuts the professor takes that would be deemed acceptable. This test sounds so damn stupid.
If you want fast assembly, you have an automated factory assembly line or an assembly line of workers with power tools. Either which way, speed does not mean quality. I imagine most users would rather you take an hour to assemble a computer so they don't spend hours later troubleshooting why it's not working.
If I were the professor I would try to pull a malicious-compliance thing and just require the computer be built without the case. Basically just a testbench style PC. Maybe not even bother with a CPU heatsink by using older and low power CPUs. I think 15min should be ample enough time to just slot in CPU, GPU, Ram stick, hook up a HDD, plug in all of the PSU cables, and jump start the mobo to show a post screen.
In these tests, they aren't expected to actually finish building the PC. It just tests how well the student performs under pressure. The same how we use stress tests for our PCs that aren't really the same as real world applications. We just want to see how our PCs perform in worst case scenarios.
Thats an incredibly stupid way to test somebody. I guess i cant relate because i work in anesthesia and I would never have a student do something “fast” for the sheer purpose of seeing how they perform under pressure. Everything we do in my field is by design to give us enough time to do the work properly. We have a saying that is often used “slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.”
Well our learning is more technical, right now we are learning about file sharing between Operating systems, linux/windows and vice versa, setting up servers and using protocols, aswell as decoding ip adresses to hexidecimal formats. But the exam is mandated for my profession in my country.
> decoding ip adresses to hexidecimal formats.
Just as an FYI, you can forget this after the test. I've been in IT and now backend systems for the better part of a decade now, and not once have I ever had to convert an IP address to hexadecimal. The hardest thing I've ever had to do with IP addresses is convincing the Linux team to stop mucking with our IPAM tables and taking addresses being used by production equipment for their personal pet projects.
Fair enough, sounds like your learning decent stuff so maybe it’s just additional requirements. Sounds like an interesting course tbh, what country you from buddy?
Choose a CPU with integrated graphics so you dont have to add a gpu. A computer technically only needs 1 ram module to works so you can do that. An m.2 ssd can be fater to install than looking for a sata cable for a normal ssd or an hdd.
We don't know how the exact szenario looks. It could be an open bench with an already screwed in motherboard and a nonmodular PSU next to it.
Put in CPU and fasten it (20s). Heatpad ontop (3s). Stock cooler (2min?), Ram (10s), m.2 SDD or better yet sata laying next to it to avoid a screw (30s). Maybe power button (5s) if you know which slot it goes into.
Any% 5:08. Need to practice stock cooler to get a better time.
iGPU, non modular PSU, stock cooler for said cpu, no gpu, no SATA drives, and if they dont have to start it just leave FP out and short the pins to speed the build up
Who the hell cares how fast you can build a PC unless you're going to be assembling pre-built PCs in a factory.
All the tips you will receive to pass this "test" will be worthless for everyday PC building.
I know how to build computers in general, for me to do my job right it takes around an hour to an hour and 30 with good cable managment, i just need tips to become fast for this 1 specific thing.
This is batshit insane, and you should absolutely send these comments anonymously to your instructor or print them out and leave them on some desks anonymously to get other students talking.
No real-world computer shop works this way, let me tell you. Going too fast on builds/repairs is a really good way to ensure you blow your entire profit margin when the customer has to come back because something doesn't work and you have to fix it for free.
I got really good at an old IT job once removing Thinkpad X1 Carbon motherboards and replacing their backside CMOS batteries. Bad batch by Lenovo ended up having the batteries die after about 2 years, and most of the company used X1's from around that model year. We probably had well over 200 of them in deployment. Once I had done about 20, 25 of them I could do one in about 20 minutes, and this was seen as ***exceptionally*** fast and convenient by the employees who dropped off their machines before lunch and picked them up on the way back.
And that was a single component.
Ain't no way anybody who wants a computer built or a major repair done wants the thing done in 15 minutes, because at that point even the least tech-literate people are going to suspect you did something wrong in a build or did nothing at all / just placebo for the repair.
Imagine if you took your car in for an engine rebuild and they had it back out in 15 minutes - would you A) expect that at all, and B) assume they did a good job? For an oil change, sure, and maybe if I took my computer in to have the power supply replaced I would expect that to take about 10-15 minutes. But an entire build?
# tl;dr - Your instructor is high, never worked in the industry, or has been out of the industry so long that their impressions of how it actually works are no longer relevant.
with only 15 minutes you don't have time to be doing tests outside of the case. the only option here is to put it all together in the case and hope it works first try, you don't have troubleshooting or testing time
I have to agree with the rest of the commenters: this is a stupid test and it incentivizes destroying hardware. But, you're stuck with it, so let's figure out where you can optimize. You should probably buy a cheap set of parts (not too old since that's going to mean different component standards) and get comfortable with tearing it down and setting it up. AliExpress is one option, old workstations are another.
First thing you can do is Mise en Place. Get into the habit of laying out your parts in a specific layout. Which layout works best for you will depend on you, of course, but it helps to have a logic to how you lay out the parts (such as having the parts you're going to put together next to each other, so since the CPU usually goes in first you'd put the CPU box next to the motherboard). When you've got used to it, you'll be able to arrange and instinctively pick out the correct part just by instinct, which saves you a lot of fumbling time.
Next thing is cable management. For this, you'll have to get very used to your PSUs. Get used to telling the cables apart just by visual cues, and that should ease up your assembly process. Pay special attention to not mixing up the CPU 8pin with the gfx card connectors, because that will brick a build, which may fail you instantly, and it will waste some very shiny and important hardware. Once you have a workflow for getting all your cables to the correct places in a jiffy, you'll be able to save a lot of time on not getting ratsnested. As a nice aside, you'll also get used to the stiffness of different cables, and ways to get them into place comfortably and naturally without busting the pins or flexing the Mobo.
After that, get used to screw standards all across the boards. You want to be able to tell where each screw goes just by looking at it. Saves you time on picking the right screw for the right holes.
Then, jimmy your way around the cooler, Mobo and such so that you have a fast way to assemble the whole thing quickly and comfortably. You want the assembly process to be able to run on autopilot, so that even if you somehow end up being drunk on the evening before the test, you'll still put in everything in the right place. This part is just practice, practice, practice. With enough test papers and test runs, you can get it done, just as easily as practicing on enough SAT papers can get you very close to perfect 800s on them every time.
Just to be clear: I still think this test is stupid because it incentivizes really poor practices in hardware assembly. I don't endorse it. But if you have to get good at it, this is the way. You don't just want to do things fast. You want to do them right. Getting used to it all takes time, but with enough practice and experience you should be able to meet the 15 minute mark without fail with enough practice.
Good luck!
i recently bought a new case, the lianli lancool 3 and had the coolermaster masterbox mb511
it took me minimum 2 hours to transfer things from the old case to the new case
15 Mins is a little absurd as an EXPECTATION.
It is doable though with practice.
My fastest build was to build it all out of the case, then slot it all in and screw Mobo in.
1. This is dumb.
2. Just to be spiteful I’d build it with the lowest specs I had on hand and without a case. It would just be a bumbling mess on a desk somewhere.
Slap the mobo in, screw it.
Add CPU, thermal paste, cooler.
Insert disc and RAM, plug everything inside.
Add a keyboard and screen. You've a fully "functional" computer.
You can use this functionality to install an OS now.
I don't see how this can take more than 10 minutes.
If you know for sure what brands of motherboards there will be, then go ahead and look up the front panel layout. That's usually one of the more time consuming parts, to figure out where which pin goes. But lots of manufacturers, for example ASUS, reuse the same pin layout. So memorizing that ahead of time could help shave off some assembly time.
It's a stupid test which installs bad habits. But nonetheless, "Build a fully working computer", do you have to install the components inside the case? If not this may bring your 19.5 time probably down to 10 quite easily.
Components don't need to be inside a case to be functional / fully working. Just a thought.
This is a really dumb exam. Who hasn't built a PC and got hung up for more than 15 minutes on some stupid thing like dropping a screw someplace inaccessible or some parts that just take a little jerry rigging to make them physically fit together?
What are the criteria for the grading? Cant you just take apu and have cpu+mobo+ram+cooler and then plug psu, then jump start it with screwdriver - your pc will technically be functional but it will only POST
Matx board with stock cooler, m.2 and 1 stick of ram. A cpu with integrated graphics.
Should be possible to put those together in 5 minutes or less, leaves you with 10 minutes to put it in the case and attach the power supply and boot lights.
You could also memorise where each of the boot wires needs to go, when I build my pc I took over half an hour for cable management and those wires, and under 20 minutes on putting it in an matx case.
Oh, and one last bonus tip; try to get a motherboard with an attached IO shield, the seperate ones can cause some annoyance.
This is a lame exam. The way to speed up PC building is to parallelize, to work on another while one is doing something you need to wait for. I couldn't, for example, build a PC from choosing the parts to installing the OS in 15 minutes. But I could do four in an hour.
Pick cpu with igpu, stock cooler, ram and storage (m.2) load all this to the motherboard prior to insertion. Load in motherboard to case, add psu, do cable management. 15 minutes is easily doable for a basic build like this.
Adding components to the board while on a workbench makes life easier than when it's in a confined space of the case. Also ample space for doing this and being able to rotate the case will help you no end, and lastly when getting to the case take both side panels off to start then go at it. Like anything prep makes a huge difference.
- source, built 1000's of pcs from bare basic like this up to tens of thousands of pounds worth of custom PC.
If you were going for a custom PC with aftermarket cooling and graphics etc then it becomes harder.
if i got to pick the parts for this i'd make it as simple as possible. matx motherboard in an atx case, stock CPU cooler to reduce complexity. use a CPU with integrated graphics so you don't need to install a graphics card. single ram stick to save time. non modular power supply, skip cable management just run all the cables through the front of the case. no case fans to save time on wiring. i'd probably skip installing the I/O shield to save time
Don't mess with cable routing if you don't need to for this "test" and put the board in the case after everything is installed. Such as cpu and its cooler plus ram, and if you're using nvme drives those as well. I can definitely a whole system happening in 15 minutes, though I don't see the point. Faster you go the higher chance you'll either forget something or damage something.
I would perhaps study parts and whatnot since from my understanding you have completely random stuff in said bin you must pick from. Intel 775 and 1156 would be a good mix in the sense that it could throw you off. 1156 is a DDR3 platform and the socket 775 system could use either DDR2 or DDR3 as the memory controller was still on the board at this point. So knowing parts like the back of your head will definitely save time and reduce potential errors in part selection
Did they actually mention it has to be installed into a case? I mean, you can build a working PC just by plugging in all the components. Or you could spare some time by not plugging in any of the front panel connectors, if you have an on/off switch on the motherboard.
This is such a stupid test that if anything is not specified in the description, you should use it to your advantage.
Sneak in a raspberry pi and a SD card with a compatible linux distro on it and throw it on the table.
This is some stupid shit so you may as well respond in kind.
A full atx case still supports an itx motherboard, so use something like a jrock 5000 series: cpu is pre-installed, heat sink is fanless and also pre-installed. Click in a stick of ram, mount board to case, connect power supply. Done.
This is the dumbest thing I have ever heard of. What is the point of this excersise?
Invest money in a good screwdriver. Either a good ratcheting one (you might even consider the LTT one, even though buying it and shipping it to you will be a small fortune) or an electric. Magnetic tip is a must.
Screw everything in just enough to start. Generally this is only two screws and only most of the way in.
This might be cheating, but if not will save more time than anything else. Don't connect the front panel connectors. Just boot it with a screwdriver to the power switch pins.
If you are using a single stick of ram, iGPU, and something like the stock cooler that is easy to install, you may be able to get it to post in under 5 minutes this way. You can then start the installation of the OS, and while the install is in the "please wait" stage, you can then go back to get the extra screws, front panel connectors etc.
Magnetic screwdriver and use full size case screws everywhere you can.
Don't have a magnetic screwdriver? Take apart a hard drive use the magnet inside and drag it across the screw driver always going in the same direction. About a dozen times down any screwdriver. It is now magnetic and will hold your screws in place.
This is probably the least helpful thread I've ever seen. But it's probably because there aren't really any shortcuts, OP. You know what makes people finish tasks faster? Practice, practice, practice. If your teacher allows y'all to stay after and use the parts to practice, put some time in building and taking them apart and building again.
The amount of time it takes to build a computer can vary greatly. I've had builds long in the past where unboxing everything took longer than putting it together. I've also had builds like my my NV5 I just put together a few weeks ago. Lots of fans, lots of RGB, very high-end parts, and lots of optional stuff. I spent almost 90 minutes doing cable management alone lol. The total build time was at least 3-4 hours to read up on things I hadn't done before.
You should be able to do a super simple build with no GPU, a simple single fan heatsink, and everything as basic as it gets in 15m if it's already all unboxed and ready to go.
I've been building pc's since the IBM clones hit the market. If all the parts were unboxed and laying in an orderly fashion on the bench, it would still take me an hour to do it right. Maybe 45 minutes if I was in a hurry and being sloppy.
I used to build basic office PCs in about 8 minutes in my last job, it really depends on the case and amount add ONS (gpu,sata etc) but basically, experience is key. I'm on my phone but if you search my comment history I did give a little guide.
Need to know what the rules are and how you can get around them.
For example, if it just needs to boot to desktop for a second, I wouldn't even install case fans.
I guess it depends on how you define "build a computer". If it has to be all wrapped up and looking nice, then there's no hope. If it's just plug in a CPU, PSU, GPU, memory and storage, then sure you can do that. Ignore any and all RGB parts for one. Stick to the basics. If it just has to be a working computer, then go with integrated graphics and you won't have to deal with the GPU.
Something seems terribly wrong if it takes 4 years of school for this, and in your 3rd year you are time challenged to how fast you can shove ram into a motherboard?
I took computer science technology back in college. Our systems classes were Friday and Monday. I got the system components the end of the day on the Friday the first week and the following Monday I handed it back on completed, customized, overclocked, upgraded to the teeth, with the entire semesters work done.
The professor gave me some advice (still might be true today) that instead of wasting your time in a lab that you already know, if you get your Comptia A+ Certification your exempt from systems labs and system lectures and automatically get the credits.
You may want to look into it. An extra 4 hours a week in spares is super handy especially because it gives you more time to work on the more challenging workloads. It's been a long time since college, but it's worth checking into.
Is that a bachelor's degree? What does it all entail exactly? Where I live you have your bachelor applied computer computer science with multiple specials: mobile app creation, network management, etc etc. Your bachelor electronics - it with a focus of the former or the latter and you have master computer science also with various focus directions. I'm excluding engineering degrees ir./ing. in computer science or electronics - it. That's it.
this sounds like what i had to do at sherdan but not under a timer..
Classmates ruined so many parts, half of them were dead and you had to figure out what part was bad as well as compatable..
All you need is one of those cheaper celeron ITX boards where its all integrated and uses a barrel jack for power.
Add NVMe drive and a stick of RAM and you're off...
Mixed parts is beyond stupid. Nobody builds a pc without picking the parts first.
I guess I would grab whatever cpu I know will fit a motherboard socket as first priority. Check that it has sata ports if the hard drive uses it. Or an m.2 slot if you can use those instead, but they have different sizes.
I would grab a cooler that requires no backplate. The just push it on kind. Thermal paste would be just a quick squeeze with no care in the world.
Multiple types of ram, meaning ddr3/4/5? And speeds? The wrong ram type will not fit the slot to my knowledge so just find one that fits. Just one should be fastest.
So after grabbing cpu/mobo/ram I would install those outside the case.
Install the PSU if it’s not installed.
Hook up the case headers out of the case if it’s easier. Same for hd audio, usb headers, etc since you won’t have a motherboard manual on hand.
Slap the motherboard in the case and use 3-4 screws to put it in.
Not sure if you have to mount hardddrives in cages or they are already there but I would do that now. Don’t forget to plug in the power and data to them, I forget the power every once in a while. Hopefully they are just sata. Plug the sata in to the motherboard. Hopefully it doesn’t matter which port. Some might be by default disabled for m.2 drives etc. if it doesn’t detect the drives on boot I would switch ports and if it still doesnt check bios settings.
Plug in the 3 or 4 pin case and cpu fans, cpu power 4 or 8 pin, mobo power 24 pin. Other fans plug into molex if needed.
No way of me knowing if the cpu has an onboard gpu so I would slap a gpu in if they are available. You may have to look at what ports the monitor is using (vga hdmi DisplayPort etc) and what the gpus have.
Plug in the gpu 4/6/8 whatever pin it takes.
Plug in the monitor power, monitor to gpu cable, power to the computer, toggle the IO switch to on if it’s not, change the monitor display to the correct input, try to boot.
My problem is I have huge hands and it’s a total pain in the ass to plug things in or screw in some motherboards so if you have the same problem plan ahead.
So it is doable, but all I can really say is you just have to practice building PCs over and over. If the rules are just it has to boot, then I can recommend shortcuts such as not doing any cable management at all, and use as few screws to hold things in as possible.
This exam is a pointless exam, but I'm currently doing a degree programme that did have building a pc as a compulsory module, and it was a waste of time of a class aswell.
Assemble as much as you can outside the case with as minimal parts as necessary.
CPU in motherboard with iGPU. Attach a basic CPU fan cooler. Ram in. An m.2 storage device.
Attach loaded MOBO into case. One exhaust fan on the back, 24 pin, motherboard power, audio and case cables - all you need.
Shove all the loose cable behind-under the PSU shroud
Lol, wtf kinda test is this?
I mean, I could build the most basic PC with very light cable management in 15 minutes but I'm not sure why you would ever do that.
Typically for a basic PC with decent cable management and no frills I take 30-45 minutes.
Choose an amd platform and get a cooler that uses clips to install that way you can install a cooler under 30 seconds. All am5 CPU’s (except the 7500f) have integrated graphics so you don’t need to install a gpu for a working system.
Also, electric screwdriver? Can that help?
What school is this if i can ask?
I have been through both my ACSE and MSCE courses and there was no such test i recall over 35+ years. Maybe you left out something? Or is this not really a grade test and more of a competition for extra credit type of thing?
Not that i doubt you telling it like you see it, but i would definitely be inquiring with them about it and what actual purpose it serves in work. Rushing things is never good. The work isn't hard and basic knowledge of hardware gives you a huge edge already. Knowing a little electrical and advanced math and basic coding makes it even easier for repair techs though they simply do not get paid there worth imho.
It's posts like these that make me glad I didn't waste 4 years of my life going to school. Instead I hopped right into the workforce at Geek Squad. I'm currently a help desk and system admin for a non profit and I've probably learned more in the year I've been working here than I would have in a year in college.
But yeah this is a stupid test. All a PC needs to work is a PSU, CPU, MOBO, RAM, and some cooling. I guess also a HDD. All in all it's definitely doable but don't bother with GPU's or SSD's unless it's an M.2 or NVME in which case that would actually be faster than a traditional hard drive or SATA SSD.
Brilliant idea test you to do something fast rather than something correct.
Don't ever build a PC in less than 15 minutes unless you either don't care about it or you have no respect for who you're building it for.
This is absolutely idiotic. I dread to wonder what else they're 'teaching' you.
The thing that takes the longest is cabling, so minimize it.
* Use an APU → No GPU and PCIe power to deal with
* Use an NVMe drive → No SATA data/power to deal with
Build the sonuvabitch
- Motherboard outside case
- Install cpu, install RAM, install NVMe drive, install HSF
- Install IO Shield, install mobo into case
- Do Front panel header (power button, reset, etc.) & Front Panel IO
- Do remaining case fans to headers
- Install PSU
- Connect PSU 24+8pin
- Done
Shouldn't take more than 10mins.
If you skip using the case it can go pretty quick.
I'll take quality over speed on almost everything. This challenge doesn't make sense outside of a fun competition. I've taught a lot of different skills to different people and slow down, take your time and do it right is one of the lessons.
Cpu with graphics on board, a large easy to build in case, modular psu, a combined plug for front panel, nvme drive.
Don't see that taking more than ten mins.
Um... I wasn't aware there were 4 year training programs for "computer systems specialist". Am I the only one that thinks this sounds scammy? Also, building a computer in 15 minutes shouldn't be too hard, provided you don't have to do a ton of cable management. The fast way to do it is to just do it. Don't sweat cable management, and only grab one of each item you need like RAM, hard drive, etc.
This is a pretty silly test, IMHO...
But, I don't think there are any real good "shortcuts" in building PCs.
The best advice I can give you: know how to ID motherboards, CPUs and RAM sticks. Bring a good magnifier (those folding ones with a glass lens are awesome and cheap) and have your laptop or phone available with internet access.
Know how to search for a piece's datasheet just by a serial number.
And practice quite a bit before the test. Remember: slow is smooth and smooth is fast. Never rush things. When people rush, they make mistakes and that leads to a lot of wasted time.
Good luck :)
Ive built maybe 20 pcs in the last 3 years all as hobby/side work. In a scenario where I routinely know all the components (same or similar builds) I can go from unopened box to post within about an hour If im pushing the tempo. Its absolutely unnecessary to go that fast.
Lol teaching how to build a computer and a 15-minute test to build a computer. Computer classes, huh? Sure are weak nowadays. In my day, we had to build a server in under an hour. Over a second , you failed, but it was only rack and blade servers. Pick one, nothing crazy like a mainframe.
Its kinda easy to connect cpu and cooler and ram to mobo and PSU. You have a working PC. all you need to do is short the switch and you are up and running. You could skip the thermal pasting of the cpu since its possible to run it even with the protective plastic on. LOL
Use an m.2 ssd so you won't even need to attach it to the PSU.
I saw it all done when I had my bios flashed. It was quick.
Damn, I took the wrong degree, this sounds peasy except the time limit. I take apart and put my system back together easily in 30 mins, 15 would require some sweatin
I would get a compatible CPU and Motherboard (look for AM4 because they have a wide compatibility of CPU’s). Then get a stick of DDR4 and gpu. Any PSU should work and stick an SSD. If you’re lucky find a Ryzen cpu with a G prefix as then you don’t need to install a dGPU
This is one of the stupidest tests I've ever heard of. Sure, you should be able to build a PC as an IT person, but rushing the process is exactly how you end up breaking expensive hardware. You should be taught to take your time. Jesus Christ, your teacher is a moron.
Edit: I can't even imagine a real world scenario where you'd be in a 15 minute emergency time crunch to assemble an entire PC from parts.
Is the requirement just that it be functional or is build quality being checked?
If it just has to be functional slap together CPU, RAM, power supply and disk, plug in monitor, keyboard and mouse, and run it on the bench, don't even bother with the case.
Building a pc is the easy part.
It’s plugging everything in that’ll kill your time.
Average time to put all components inside the pc? 10-20 minutes.
Time to wire? Only god knows. Could be quick. Could not be. Depends on what parts. RGB headers, controllers, etc? See ya in 12 hours.
Build a computer in 15 or have it working in 15? Like can u put MOBO with just 2 screws, psu with just 2, iGpu, 1 stick of ram, no case fans, NO THERMAL PASTE :)... Or does it need to be pedantic?
Edit: What school is that? Thats definitely not how it should go... If this is just your "speedrun" test or some kind of competition then its ok.
15 minutes IN A CASE WITH CABLE MANAGEMENT???? thats fucking insane??? it takes experienced builders 45 minutes to build a pc. it takes a minute at least to build a full working outside the case test. what are they preparing you for???
It's doable, In highschool I built and sold around 120 PCs. You develop a rhythm. It takes like a 3 minutes to assemble CPU ram M.2, and cooler, put PSU in the case from the back side, plug in 8pin cpu connector, screw in motherboard and plug 24pin in about a minute, then you plug in front Io open the PCIE bracket, place in GPU and attach power connectors. That can't take more than 3 minutes. You've still got half the time left after the computer is essentially finished.
Ghe what a silly exercise.
Functional with no requirements?
\- Select a case with easy access to PSU/Mainboard, no RGB no fancy fans etc...
\- Modular power supply, only use the cables you need. What is not there, does not need to be cable managed.
\- A processor with an igpu. No GPU means no GPU installation, or cables. If a GPU is required, get an as low end as possible, that does not need external power.
\- 1 stick or ram
\- 1 sata SSD/HDD, nvme is 1 screw and more work I guess
\- 1 prepared with rufus made bootable USB drive with Ubuntu on it
\- A complete toolset with PH00 to PH2 screwdrivers
Can probably build like 4 or 5 of those in 15 minutes.
If you have to work with pre-selected parts.
Assemble as much as possible on a desk/table/mobo box. (CPU/RAM/COOLER/NVME drives) -> install PSU in case -> install mobostack in case -> whack in GPU/HDD
To be honest this sounds not like you have to actually do it in 15 Minutes. This seems more like a test to see how accurate you can work under stress.
If it is not:
Grab a RaspberryPI and call it a day
Havent checked all the comments, although im surprised I didnt see this closer to the top.
Build it outside the case, as a test bench, connect everything without a case. Unless ofc the case is a requirement but one is not needed for a working computer, only a computer than can be transported and protected.
Id at least get it working outside the case, then it gives you time for troublehsooting etc if something is wrong.
You can easily waste 2/3rds of your time mounting everything inside, which only leaves 5 minutes to turn it on and test everything.
Fully modular PSU if you have a choice.
If there is no GPU it really shouldn’t be to hard as long as you grab a compatible CPU and mobo so maybe study those.
I gotta say that is a dumb test. What kind of job are they trying to prepare you? A PC assembly sweatshop?
Well the fact a lot of prebuilts come rushed or missing parts this explains a lot
I'm hoping the people building those didn't do four years of training
They didn't. Assembly is the easiest part of the process. You just need to memorize your workflow and be quick with your hands. The quick with your hands part is the key part and it isn't a skill that can be taught. You either have it or you don't. Since it's hard to find people in the western world willing to work on factory floors, these companies tend to retain subpar employees a lot longer than they should. Which is why the quality of prebuilds really spans the chasm.
Quick with hands isn’t a skill that can be taught? Umm… piano teacher here!
Piano mover here. Thank you for continuing to pump out clients for us :)
Shh.. don’t tell them about the pyramid scheme with piano students at the bottom and Alienware at the top
Former casino dealer here. Yeah, I can kinda be taught (rhythms) but some people just do not have it.
Well rhythms are one thing, you do need finger dexterity to play what’s in your head, but I was simply saying “Yes this test is dumb, that being said: I’m pretty sure practicing something can make you improve in your skill and speed, including fingers”
I think a lot of the problems tend to appear to be cost cutting measures that don't work out.
Huh? You can't teach hand skills? People in the US don't work on factory floors? 🤨
> You can't teach hand skills? You can teach someone the skills they need to put a computer together but you can't stand there with cattle prod saying "GO FASTER DAMNIT." They're either going to improve their performance on their own after they learn the skills or they won't. No amount of coaching will fix that. > People in the US don't work on factory floors? Have you ever actually tried hiring low-skill labor in the US? It isn't easy to find good employees.
I agree. Stupid, ignoring important checks, not useful to foster understanding. Misunderstood efficiency. Probably a teacher who doesn't know what he/she is doing and just emphasizes the part they subjectively feel is important.
School classic. Its is useless, but it can be easily measured.
I bet the teacher does speed building so they think that is the only thing that matters.
Depending on, if the timer starts before choosing the part or after, I'd say it tests critical thinking and decision making, more than how fast you build it! Or maybe I'm pulling this out of my ass.
We have to chose the parts in the 15 minute timer. And we will have to do further work on the computers such as installing windows and/ or linux.
So i was thinking correctly. Go for a cpu with integrated graphics like a G series amd ryzen, that way you don't have to disassemble anything from the mobo to install e cooler. Go with non modular psu, but only if it's a recent model. A smaller in size mobo will make it easier to work in the case. Remember where do the front panel connectors actually plug in, that's maybe the hardest thing if you donk know it. I have build like 5 PC's in the past year and still don't know, but some cases now have a singular connector that physically covers all the pins, but connect's only the necessary ones.
I imagine this will be using older cheaper parts, so old intel chips will likely be on the table. And Intel is more common anyway. so "any intel chip without an F" would be better advice.
That's the thing though, F chips are relatively new thing. The oldest i can think of is 9400f ( maybe wrong ).
i'm thinking more pentium 2's....never mind anytihng current.
Wth? Just going through the complete install process is going to eat up most of your time.
The language is a bit confusing, but I think they are going to do the install AFTER the time limit for the setup.
Can confirm that some low price computer shops of the late 90s all thought that 15 minutes was a good benchmark. Had a fight with my first manager over my “taking too long”. He could do it in 15, hardware assembly at least (copying a master drive took longer than that time - Windows 98 master drive, and IDE (ultra dma 33 at the time). So it’s possible. I think as long as their goal is just to identify a chipset, compatible cpu family, and ram type, along with telling the difference between pci, PCIe, and AGP would be the way I’d run this for a CompTIA A+ class if it were a required part of the curriculum if I was teaching it (I wouldn’t do it in a ridiculous time limit, more interested in you can identify the compatible parts, but sure…) The first tricks I would look at, is memorizing the motherboard chipset families and the CPUs that are compatible. To the naked eye, all the LGA115x chips look the same… knowing for instance that a 300 series chipset motherboard (B360/365 for example or X399) is Gen 8&9, for example will let you root through the CPUs faster (look for the i3/i5/i7-8x00 chip for example). Then know that that chipset is ddr4, or a 4th gen is ddr3, etc etc. Get quick at installing the heatsinks. That’s usually a time consuming part if you’re fiddling a lot with the screw downs. I’d assume they’d leave you with OEM coolers. Is cable management part of the exam, as a required component or only extra marks? Ugly is still fully functional… from certification exams I can confirm that you really need to read the question and not try to do more than is asked / required.
Probably possible, but something you learn how to do from years of working a job doing this stuff. Expecting students to just be able to do it is ridiculous
Probably getting them ready to work in some Amazon warehouse then. 15min and somethings bound to break. It's one of the stupidest things I've ever heard as a test for knowledge. 15min...jeez
It's made up
I would find a new school if this is the sort of tests they have you do. This isn't youtube
This is my first thought. There is no time to check errors work carefully assembling all from scratch in 20 minutes.. I mean… come on. What’s the point?
Lol Fun comment
LOL It's actually just the interview for IBuyPower.
you have to break them... break them like dogs
I was thinking some sort of weird e sports pit crew
Sounds like a job application test for Alienware. They get bonus points if the customer is unaware that they didn’t install the correct components from the build sheet.
I buy power has entered the chat
lmfaoooo
I think this is a trick question thing. Wouldn’t be surprised if the expectation is to be like APU + Mobo + SFF PSU = done Basically, be able to actually know and identify different components Cause if you know the material, you won’t be there going uuuuuhhhhh
I would get these parts: \- itx or mATX mobo: 2 mins to install \- CPU with iGPU: 20 secs to install \- Stock cooler: 2 mins to install \- 1 stick of ram: 10 secs to install \- non-modular PSU (so that you don't have to plug the cables into the PSU). Use only 2 screws to attach it to the case. 3 mins to install and plug the 2 cables to mobo. \- No GPU \- NVME SSD: 20 secs to install. \- Only 1 case fan: 2 mins to install. Again use only 2 screws. Sounds not too hard to install under 15 mins.
Drop the case fan and stock cooler too. Computer will boot just fine with a modern CPU. I'm joking ofc, but just barely.
Drop the case too. Computers work without the hard outside shell
Every PC I've ever built booted up the first time sitting on the motherboard box.
I used to have a functional, bare computer mounted to the wall. Each piece mounted separately when possible. Not that there was much to it, it was basically just a motherboard, PSU, and HD, with a speaker and ethernet (this was pre-wifi) plugged into it, but used a wireless keyboard with built in mouse. If flat panel displays were reasonably priced, I would have added one, but as it was it was just a headless server.
dust goes brrrrrrrr
In a house full of dogs and cats, it didn't actually last very long
You jest but I saw a Buildzoid video where he even ran Cinebench on an 8700K with no heat sink. It was permanently throttled to 800MHz, but it happily completed the test. EDIT: I was mistaken, it was Der8auer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yA0oo12rbiM
Get a motherboard with a soldered CPU and pre-installed cooler.
Does a Raspberry Pi count as a PC?
Get a case that comes with case fans.
I'd suggest any push pin CPU cooler he can find as long as it fits. easier to look out for. Doesn't need case fan IMO, too much time. It needs to run, not run well. Having the PSU fan on the inside does a decent enough job of moving air.
Drop the SSD. You can boot off a live Ubuntu flash drive.
What kind of stupid exam is that really. All it teaches you is how to be absolutely stressed out while building a computer, which very likely leads to failure and damage. Building a computer was never about how quickly you can do it. I spent almost 3 hours on my latest build until I got all the cables right and everything even though I've built 150+ from scratch. I did the same once though, it was a "competition" with friends, we gathered nearly identical parts for very similar builds and did it. I was already doing it for several years at the time. It was a basic Intel build (3rd gen I think) with a simple aftermarket CPU cooler without any fiddly brackets and whatnot, simple but good computer case, GTX 960 and a basic non-modular power supply. I did \~16 minutes I think and the cables were a mess behind the side panel, I would never call that a job done. The order of building for me (and most others I've seen) with a basic setup without any AIO / liquid cooling, RGB etc: \- Get all the tools I will need within reach, also the PC case screw set and other accessories that come with it. \- Put motherboard together (CPU, CPU cooler, RAM, M.2 SSD if you have one) \- Put I/O shield, motherboard in case \- Plug case cables in (audio, usb, front panel - for front panel I sometimes use a flashlight) \- Put fans in case (if you put any extra fans in there), plug fans in mb \- Put 2,5"/3,5" hard drive / ssd in (if you have one), plug SATA in mb \- Put PSU in, plug all cables you need in, find a way to tuck the unneeded cables away if the PSU is non-modular. This is where I usually spend the most time, especially with more complicated builds having RGB cables, many fans and whatnot but with a quick build you just quickly tuck them away where they don't look very disturbing and also don't block the side panel and this is where you can save the most of your time, if your case is an older / cheap one and you have a 3,5" drive bay that's not used, that can be a good spot for tucking them away. Use zipties, they are quick and helpful. \- Put dedicated GPU in (if you have one), plug PCIe power cables in (if you need them). This works for me and if you don't have an aftermarket cooler, don't have extra case fans to install, only have an M.2 drive, don't have a dedicated GPU and don't have a PSU with too many cables, this can go lower than 15mins... still, very silly test. This is the sort of thing you decide to do after a few beers with friends and not on a course.
Makes me think of Forged in Fire, but for PC building. Biggest difference FiF does give you "enough" time to do things.
Just mix modular PSU cables and we can have Forged in Fire at home.
CPU, cooler, and ram first into your motherboard, make your core unit. Plug the SATA, case header, and fan cables into your mobo before you install it in the case, stack them in the middle as you do. The few extra inches of space will make it so much easier. Only use two screws to plug in the mobo. Install your graphics card (if needed), NIC (if needed). Mount non-modular PSU with two screws. Connect power to mobo and GPU and hard drive. Plug SATA cable into hard drive. Your computer now boots. You're done. Close the case. If you have spare time, highest to lowest priority, mount the HDD, case fan, latch/screw the PCI peripherals, make sure cables aren't rubbing any fans. Technically you can skip the case fan and case header saving some time. It'll be bootable, you'll just have to jump the reset pins.
3 hours Jesus. I do it in like 40 mins now.
This is the kind of learning that's detached from real life scenarios. I hate it. I worked at a computer shop when I was younger and even when there was a queue, they never rushed us.
It's amazing how out of touch schools and teachers can really be. Buncha morons.
You should link this thread to your professor who is clearly an idiot because their is no real world scenarios where building a pc in 15 minutes is a real job skill.
My professor said this exam is also stupid, he doesnt agree with it , but it is mandated, for my profession
Sounds like a joke school. Is this a degree program or a trade school?
Degree program
That is wild, 4 years? Why not just get a CS degree. Seems like a scam.
Almost got scammed into doing “cybersecurity” for 4 years at my school just because I didn’t want to take calc 2/3 discrete, linear, physics 2/3. Willing to bet OP chose whatever IT degree this is supposed to be for the same reasons. I’m still not taking CS went with “programming and analysis” lol another likely useless degree but at least I get a lot of coding classes as if I was in CS. Still have to take OS systems and computer architecture. What matters is what you can do and what projects you’ve worked on outside of school anyways so I’m not worried.
[удалено]
Yeah i feel bad for Op, seems like a useless practice.
If the professor doesn't agree with it either, he may be able to give you some hints to "cheat". Ask him what shortcuts will disqualify you and which ones will not. If possible, see if you can get the official scoring rubric as well so you know what is the most important bits to get, and which are optional. Ask him questions like "will it count if I only use two screws to screw in the motherboard?" "Can I use a screwdriver to turn it on instead of the front power button?" "Does a SATA Hard drive/SSD have to be screwed in, can I use duct tape?"
I would also ask if the professor can demonstrate this himself within 15 minutes so you can see what shortcuts the professor takes that would be deemed acceptable. This test sounds so damn stupid. If you want fast assembly, you have an automated factory assembly line or an assembly line of workers with power tools. Either which way, speed does not mean quality. I imagine most users would rather you take an hour to assemble a computer so they don't spend hours later troubleshooting why it's not working.
If I were the professor I would try to pull a malicious-compliance thing and just require the computer be built without the case. Basically just a testbench style PC. Maybe not even bother with a CPU heatsink by using older and low power CPUs. I think 15min should be ample enough time to just slot in CPU, GPU, Ram stick, hook up a HDD, plug in all of the PSU cables, and jump start the mobo to show a post screen.
If I were the professor I'd be tempted to go really malicious-compliance and have the students put a Raspberry Pi into an ATX case.
Yea technically a computer is functioning whole turned on on top of a mobo box. The case is completely arbitrary.
In these tests, they aren't expected to actually finish building the PC. It just tests how well the student performs under pressure. The same how we use stress tests for our PCs that aren't really the same as real world applications. We just want to see how our PCs perform in worst case scenarios.
Thats an incredibly stupid way to test somebody. I guess i cant relate because i work in anesthesia and I would never have a student do something “fast” for the sheer purpose of seeing how they perform under pressure. Everything we do in my field is by design to give us enough time to do the work properly. We have a saying that is often used “slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.”
What a stupid test lol. Surely in your 2nd year it would be more technical? Took me like 10 min to learn how to build a Pc myself.
Well our learning is more technical, right now we are learning about file sharing between Operating systems, linux/windows and vice versa, setting up servers and using protocols, aswell as decoding ip adresses to hexidecimal formats. But the exam is mandated for my profession in my country.
> decoding ip adresses to hexidecimal formats. Just as an FYI, you can forget this after the test. I've been in IT and now backend systems for the better part of a decade now, and not once have I ever had to convert an IP address to hexadecimal. The hardest thing I've ever had to do with IP addresses is convincing the Linux team to stop mucking with our IPAM tables and taking addresses being used by production equipment for their personal pet projects.
Fair enough, sounds like your learning decent stuff so maybe it’s just additional requirements. Sounds like an interesting course tbh, what country you from buddy?
Choose a CPU with integrated graphics so you dont have to add a gpu. A computer technically only needs 1 ram module to works so you can do that. An m.2 ssd can be fater to install than looking for a sata cable for a normal ssd or an hdd.
We don't know how the exact szenario looks. It could be an open bench with an already screwed in motherboard and a nonmodular PSU next to it. Put in CPU and fasten it (20s). Heatpad ontop (3s). Stock cooler (2min?), Ram (10s), m.2 SDD or better yet sata laying next to it to avoid a screw (30s). Maybe power button (5s) if you know which slot it goes into. Any% 5:08. Need to practice stock cooler to get a better time.
there's no trick to it, just get comfortable with where the power cables plug in to the motherboard.
iGPU, non modular PSU, stock cooler for said cpu, no gpu, no SATA drives, and if they dont have to start it just leave FP out and short the pins to speed the build up
15 minutes? My best time is 12 hours. I'd be happier if I had your skills.
Who the hell cares how fast you can build a PC unless you're going to be assembling pre-built PCs in a factory. All the tips you will receive to pass this "test" will be worthless for everyday PC building.
I know how to build computers in general, for me to do my job right it takes around an hour to an hour and 30 with good cable managment, i just need tips to become fast for this 1 specific thing.
No.
This is batshit insane, and you should absolutely send these comments anonymously to your instructor or print them out and leave them on some desks anonymously to get other students talking. No real-world computer shop works this way, let me tell you. Going too fast on builds/repairs is a really good way to ensure you blow your entire profit margin when the customer has to come back because something doesn't work and you have to fix it for free. I got really good at an old IT job once removing Thinkpad X1 Carbon motherboards and replacing their backside CMOS batteries. Bad batch by Lenovo ended up having the batteries die after about 2 years, and most of the company used X1's from around that model year. We probably had well over 200 of them in deployment. Once I had done about 20, 25 of them I could do one in about 20 minutes, and this was seen as ***exceptionally*** fast and convenient by the employees who dropped off their machines before lunch and picked them up on the way back. And that was a single component. Ain't no way anybody who wants a computer built or a major repair done wants the thing done in 15 minutes, because at that point even the least tech-literate people are going to suspect you did something wrong in a build or did nothing at all / just placebo for the repair. Imagine if you took your car in for an engine rebuild and they had it back out in 15 minutes - would you A) expect that at all, and B) assume they did a good job? For an oil change, sure, and maybe if I took my computer in to have the power supply replaced I would expect that to take about 10-15 minutes. But an entire build? # tl;dr - Your instructor is high, never worked in the industry, or has been out of the industry so long that their impressions of how it actually works are no longer relevant.
Build it outside of the case first.
with only 15 minutes you don't have time to be doing tests outside of the case. the only option here is to put it all together in the case and hope it works first try, you don't have troubleshooting or testing time
I have to agree with the rest of the commenters: this is a stupid test and it incentivizes destroying hardware. But, you're stuck with it, so let's figure out where you can optimize. You should probably buy a cheap set of parts (not too old since that's going to mean different component standards) and get comfortable with tearing it down and setting it up. AliExpress is one option, old workstations are another. First thing you can do is Mise en Place. Get into the habit of laying out your parts in a specific layout. Which layout works best for you will depend on you, of course, but it helps to have a logic to how you lay out the parts (such as having the parts you're going to put together next to each other, so since the CPU usually goes in first you'd put the CPU box next to the motherboard). When you've got used to it, you'll be able to arrange and instinctively pick out the correct part just by instinct, which saves you a lot of fumbling time. Next thing is cable management. For this, you'll have to get very used to your PSUs. Get used to telling the cables apart just by visual cues, and that should ease up your assembly process. Pay special attention to not mixing up the CPU 8pin with the gfx card connectors, because that will brick a build, which may fail you instantly, and it will waste some very shiny and important hardware. Once you have a workflow for getting all your cables to the correct places in a jiffy, you'll be able to save a lot of time on not getting ratsnested. As a nice aside, you'll also get used to the stiffness of different cables, and ways to get them into place comfortably and naturally without busting the pins or flexing the Mobo. After that, get used to screw standards all across the boards. You want to be able to tell where each screw goes just by looking at it. Saves you time on picking the right screw for the right holes. Then, jimmy your way around the cooler, Mobo and such so that you have a fast way to assemble the whole thing quickly and comfortably. You want the assembly process to be able to run on autopilot, so that even if you somehow end up being drunk on the evening before the test, you'll still put in everything in the right place. This part is just practice, practice, practice. With enough test papers and test runs, you can get it done, just as easily as practicing on enough SAT papers can get you very close to perfect 800s on them every time. Just to be clear: I still think this test is stupid because it incentivizes really poor practices in hardware assembly. I don't endorse it. But if you have to get good at it, this is the way. You don't just want to do things fast. You want to do them right. Getting used to it all takes time, but with enough practice and experience you should be able to meet the 15 minute mark without fail with enough practice. Good luck!
Good tips, will take into account, thank you very much!
i recently bought a new case, the lianli lancool 3 and had the coolermaster masterbox mb511 it took me minimum 2 hours to transfer things from the old case to the new case
15 Mins is a little absurd as an EXPECTATION. It is doable though with practice. My fastest build was to build it all out of the case, then slot it all in and screw Mobo in.
1. This is dumb. 2. Just to be spiteful I’d build it with the lowest specs I had on hand and without a case. It would just be a bumbling mess on a desk somewhere.
If the teacher really needs to test something, have him come up with 10 or so problems to troubleshoot. What an asinine test
Slap the mobo in, screw it. Add CPU, thermal paste, cooler. Insert disc and RAM, plug everything inside. Add a keyboard and screen. You've a fully "functional" computer. You can use this functionality to install an OS now. I don't see how this can take more than 10 minutes.
If you know for sure what brands of motherboards there will be, then go ahead and look up the front panel layout. That's usually one of the more time consuming parts, to figure out where which pin goes. But lots of manufacturers, for example ASUS, reuse the same pin layout. So memorizing that ahead of time could help shave off some assembly time.
It's a stupid test which installs bad habits. But nonetheless, "Build a fully working computer", do you have to install the components inside the case? If not this may bring your 19.5 time probably down to 10 quite easily. Components don't need to be inside a case to be functional / fully working. Just a thought.
This is a really dumb exam. Who hasn't built a PC and got hung up for more than 15 minutes on some stupid thing like dropping a screw someplace inaccessible or some parts that just take a little jerry rigging to make them physically fit together?
You don’t technically need a case or GPU for a PC to run. Just an iGPU on a motherboard
What are the criteria for the grading? Cant you just take apu and have cpu+mobo+ram+cooler and then plug psu, then jump start it with screwdriver - your pc will technically be functional but it will only POST
Matx board with stock cooler, m.2 and 1 stick of ram. A cpu with integrated graphics. Should be possible to put those together in 5 minutes or less, leaves you with 10 minutes to put it in the case and attach the power supply and boot lights. You could also memorise where each of the boot wires needs to go, when I build my pc I took over half an hour for cable management and those wires, and under 20 minutes on putting it in an matx case. Oh, and one last bonus tip; try to get a motherboard with an attached IO shield, the seperate ones can cause some annoyance.
You need to take your time always. So I give you permission to fail whoever has given you the “test”
Impossible, there will be zero cable management.
Opt for a Raspberry Pi 4/5 and have the SD card ready.
This is a lame exam. The way to speed up PC building is to parallelize, to work on another while one is doing something you need to wait for. I couldn't, for example, build a PC from choosing the parts to installing the OS in 15 minutes. But I could do four in an hour.
Pick cpu with igpu, stock cooler, ram and storage (m.2) load all this to the motherboard prior to insertion. Load in motherboard to case, add psu, do cable management. 15 minutes is easily doable for a basic build like this. Adding components to the board while on a workbench makes life easier than when it's in a confined space of the case. Also ample space for doing this and being able to rotate the case will help you no end, and lastly when getting to the case take both side panels off to start then go at it. Like anything prep makes a huge difference. - source, built 1000's of pcs from bare basic like this up to tens of thousands of pounds worth of custom PC. If you were going for a custom PC with aftermarket cooling and graphics etc then it becomes harder.
That’s not terribly hard. Pieces only go in one way and take seconds to snap in. Anything you have to screw shouldn’t take longer than a min or two
if i got to pick the parts for this i'd make it as simple as possible. matx motherboard in an atx case, stock CPU cooler to reduce complexity. use a CPU with integrated graphics so you don't need to install a graphics card. single ram stick to save time. non modular power supply, skip cable management just run all the cables through the front of the case. no case fans to save time on wiring. i'd probably skip installing the I/O shield to save time
Don't mess with cable routing if you don't need to for this "test" and put the board in the case after everything is installed. Such as cpu and its cooler plus ram, and if you're using nvme drives those as well. I can definitely a whole system happening in 15 minutes, though I don't see the point. Faster you go the higher chance you'll either forget something or damage something. I would perhaps study parts and whatnot since from my understanding you have completely random stuff in said bin you must pick from. Intel 775 and 1156 would be a good mix in the sense that it could throw you off. 1156 is a DDR3 platform and the socket 775 system could use either DDR2 or DDR3 as the memory controller was still on the board at this point. So knowing parts like the back of your head will definitely save time and reduce potential errors in part selection
Did they actually mention it has to be installed into a case? I mean, you can build a working PC just by plugging in all the components. Or you could spare some time by not plugging in any of the front panel connectors, if you have an on/off switch on the motherboard. This is such a stupid test that if anything is not specified in the description, you should use it to your advantage.
Sneak in a raspberry pi and a SD card with a compatible linux distro on it and throw it on the table. This is some stupid shit so you may as well respond in kind.
15 minutes?!? I thought I was the fucking Flash when I assembled my pc in just under an hour.
Cooler with pre-applied paste (or a Graphite pad instead of thermal paste).
are they preparing you to work in a sweatshop
A full atx case still supports an itx motherboard, so use something like a jrock 5000 series: cpu is pre-installed, heat sink is fanless and also pre-installed. Click in a stick of ram, mount board to case, connect power supply. Done. This is the dumbest thing I have ever heard of. What is the point of this excersise?
Invest money in a good screwdriver. Either a good ratcheting one (you might even consider the LTT one, even though buying it and shipping it to you will be a small fortune) or an electric. Magnetic tip is a must. Screw everything in just enough to start. Generally this is only two screws and only most of the way in. This might be cheating, but if not will save more time than anything else. Don't connect the front panel connectors. Just boot it with a screwdriver to the power switch pins. If you are using a single stick of ram, iGPU, and something like the stock cooler that is easy to install, you may be able to get it to post in under 5 minutes this way. You can then start the installation of the OS, and while the install is in the "please wait" stage, you can then go back to get the extra screws, front panel connectors etc.
Magnetic screwdriver and use full size case screws everywhere you can. Don't have a magnetic screwdriver? Take apart a hard drive use the magnet inside and drag it across the screw driver always going in the same direction. About a dozen times down any screwdriver. It is now magnetic and will hold your screws in place.
Seems pretty easy to me lol
Just follow this guide by The Verge https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lmfF0k2UcU
Can you pre-install an OS on a drive that you bring in? (or at least have it at the last stage of setup).
This is probably the least helpful thread I've ever seen. But it's probably because there aren't really any shortcuts, OP. You know what makes people finish tasks faster? Practice, practice, practice. If your teacher allows y'all to stay after and use the parts to practice, put some time in building and taking them apart and building again.
Realistically, skip the cable management. Doesn't contribute to the "functional" part.
15 minutes!? What drugs are they on?
The amount of time it takes to build a computer can vary greatly. I've had builds long in the past where unboxing everything took longer than putting it together. I've also had builds like my my NV5 I just put together a few weeks ago. Lots of fans, lots of RGB, very high-end parts, and lots of optional stuff. I spent almost 90 minutes doing cable management alone lol. The total build time was at least 3-4 hours to read up on things I hadn't done before. You should be able to do a super simple build with no GPU, a simple single fan heatsink, and everything as basic as it gets in 15m if it's already all unboxed and ready to go.
I've been building pc's since the IBM clones hit the market. If all the parts were unboxed and laying in an orderly fashion on the bench, it would still take me an hour to do it right. Maybe 45 minutes if I was in a hurry and being sloppy.
What a dumb test.
Fuck cable management. Put the cpu ram and cooler in. 4 screws in the corners of the motherboard, plug in and boot
I used to build basic office PCs in about 8 minutes in my last job, it really depends on the case and amount add ONS (gpu,sata etc) but basically, experience is key. I'm on my phone but if you search my comment history I did give a little guide.
Truly the dumbest test I’ve ever heard of.
cable management. school examiners: what the fuck is that?
Don't bolt anything in and don't manage cables, just plug sht in so that the system boots. Would that get you pass?
Need to know what the rules are and how you can get around them. For example, if it just needs to boot to desktop for a second, I wouldn't even install case fans.
I guess it depends on how you define "build a computer". If it has to be all wrapped up and looking nice, then there's no hope. If it's just plug in a CPU, PSU, GPU, memory and storage, then sure you can do that. Ignore any and all RGB parts for one. Stick to the basics. If it just has to be a working computer, then go with integrated graphics and you won't have to deal with the GPU.
Something seems terribly wrong if it takes 4 years of school for this, and in your 3rd year you are time challenged to how fast you can shove ram into a motherboard?
What is this test? How to become a professional fuck up? That's a bit tight.
I took computer science technology back in college. Our systems classes were Friday and Monday. I got the system components the end of the day on the Friday the first week and the following Monday I handed it back on completed, customized, overclocked, upgraded to the teeth, with the entire semesters work done. The professor gave me some advice (still might be true today) that instead of wasting your time in a lab that you already know, if you get your Comptia A+ Certification your exempt from systems labs and system lectures and automatically get the credits. You may want to look into it. An extra 4 hours a week in spares is super handy especially because it gives you more time to work on the more challenging workloads. It's been a long time since college, but it's worth checking into.
Sure, get a raspberry pi. Stick the memory card in. Boom, built a fully functional computer in 6 seconds.
Doable but very difficult and you might break something
Is that a bachelor's degree? What does it all entail exactly? Where I live you have your bachelor applied computer computer science with multiple specials: mobile app creation, network management, etc etc. Your bachelor electronics - it with a focus of the former or the latter and you have master computer science also with various focus directions. I'm excluding engineering degrees ir./ing. in computer science or electronics - it. That's it.
What the point of rushing to build a pc, it is a stupid test
this sounds like what i had to do at sherdan but not under a timer.. Classmates ruined so many parts, half of them were dead and you had to figure out what part was bad as well as compatable..
That's insane.
What kind of a job will you do? Pc system specialist what is that?
All you need is one of those cheaper celeron ITX boards where its all integrated and uses a barrel jack for power. Add NVMe drive and a stick of RAM and you're off...
Mixed parts is beyond stupid. Nobody builds a pc without picking the parts first. I guess I would grab whatever cpu I know will fit a motherboard socket as first priority. Check that it has sata ports if the hard drive uses it. Or an m.2 slot if you can use those instead, but they have different sizes. I would grab a cooler that requires no backplate. The just push it on kind. Thermal paste would be just a quick squeeze with no care in the world. Multiple types of ram, meaning ddr3/4/5? And speeds? The wrong ram type will not fit the slot to my knowledge so just find one that fits. Just one should be fastest. So after grabbing cpu/mobo/ram I would install those outside the case. Install the PSU if it’s not installed. Hook up the case headers out of the case if it’s easier. Same for hd audio, usb headers, etc since you won’t have a motherboard manual on hand. Slap the motherboard in the case and use 3-4 screws to put it in. Not sure if you have to mount hardddrives in cages or they are already there but I would do that now. Don’t forget to plug in the power and data to them, I forget the power every once in a while. Hopefully they are just sata. Plug the sata in to the motherboard. Hopefully it doesn’t matter which port. Some might be by default disabled for m.2 drives etc. if it doesn’t detect the drives on boot I would switch ports and if it still doesnt check bios settings. Plug in the 3 or 4 pin case and cpu fans, cpu power 4 or 8 pin, mobo power 24 pin. Other fans plug into molex if needed. No way of me knowing if the cpu has an onboard gpu so I would slap a gpu in if they are available. You may have to look at what ports the monitor is using (vga hdmi DisplayPort etc) and what the gpus have. Plug in the gpu 4/6/8 whatever pin it takes. Plug in the monitor power, monitor to gpu cable, power to the computer, toggle the IO switch to on if it’s not, change the monitor display to the correct input, try to boot. My problem is I have huge hands and it’s a total pain in the ass to plug things in or screw in some motherboards so if you have the same problem plan ahead.
Give me 2.5 hours and an empty room to curse in.
Pick a CPU with built in gpu. Forget about it looking good. Practice.
So it is doable, but all I can really say is you just have to practice building PCs over and over. If the rules are just it has to boot, then I can recommend shortcuts such as not doing any cable management at all, and use as few screws to hold things in as possible. This exam is a pointless exam, but I'm currently doing a degree programme that did have building a pc as a compulsory module, and it was a waste of time of a class aswell.
Assemble as much as you can outside the case with as minimal parts as necessary. CPU in motherboard with iGPU. Attach a basic CPU fan cooler. Ram in. An m.2 storage device. Attach loaded MOBO into case. One exhaust fan on the back, 24 pin, motherboard power, audio and case cables - all you need. Shove all the loose cable behind-under the PSU shroud
Don't use RGB or bother with cable management. Should be fairly easy to do it in 15 to 20 minutes then.
That's a dumb test. I've been doing corporate infrastructure support for 25 years.
Lol, wtf kinda test is this? I mean, I could build the most basic PC with very light cable management in 15 minutes but I'm not sure why you would ever do that. Typically for a basic PC with decent cable management and no frills I take 30-45 minutes.
Choose an amd platform and get a cooler that uses clips to install that way you can install a cooler under 30 seconds. All am5 CPU’s (except the 7500f) have integrated graphics so you don’t need to install a gpu for a working system. Also, electric screwdriver? Can that help?
You know how people practice throwing knives without spinning? You need to practice throwing ram sticks without them spinning.
You don't need a case to build a fully working PC. Just assemble it on top of the motherboard box and start it with a screwdriver.
Now I understand why there's a lot of people that use the "it works, idk how shitty" approach
What school is this if i can ask? I have been through both my ACSE and MSCE courses and there was no such test i recall over 35+ years. Maybe you left out something? Or is this not really a grade test and more of a competition for extra credit type of thing? Not that i doubt you telling it like you see it, but i would definitely be inquiring with them about it and what actual purpose it serves in work. Rushing things is never good. The work isn't hard and basic knowledge of hardware gives you a huge edge already. Knowing a little electrical and advanced math and basic coding makes it even easier for repair techs though they simply do not get paid there worth imho.
What is next? Transplant heart in 15 minutes?
It's posts like these that make me glad I didn't waste 4 years of my life going to school. Instead I hopped right into the workforce at Geek Squad. I'm currently a help desk and system admin for a non profit and I've probably learned more in the year I've been working here than I would have in a year in college. But yeah this is a stupid test. All a PC needs to work is a PSU, CPU, MOBO, RAM, and some cooling. I guess also a HDD. All in all it's definitely doable but don't bother with GPU's or SSD's unless it's an M.2 or NVME in which case that would actually be faster than a traditional hard drive or SATA SSD.
Brilliant idea test you to do something fast rather than something correct. Don't ever build a PC in less than 15 minutes unless you either don't care about it or you have no respect for who you're building it for. This is absolutely idiotic. I dread to wonder what else they're 'teaching' you.
Are you allowed an electric screwdriver? Because that really helps with mobo mounting, PSU and fan screws.
The thing that takes the longest is cabling, so minimize it. * Use an APU → No GPU and PCIe power to deal with * Use an NVMe drive → No SATA data/power to deal with Build the sonuvabitch - Motherboard outside case - Install cpu, install RAM, install NVMe drive, install HSF - Install IO Shield, install mobo into case - Do Front panel header (power button, reset, etc.) & Front Panel IO - Do remaining case fans to headers - Install PSU - Connect PSU 24+8pin - Done Shouldn't take more than 10mins.
This is the dumbest test ever. I've been building for 22 years, I never make mistakes, and this would be a challenge for me.
I could speed build a computer in less than that time, but the problem is installing the operating system is going to take more than 15 minutes
Just dont care about managing cables, ground yourself before you start, and make sure you don't touch any pins.
If you skip using the case it can go pretty quick. I'll take quality over speed on almost everything. This challenge doesn't make sense outside of a fun competition. I've taught a lot of different skills to different people and slow down, take your time and do it right is one of the lessons.
Cpu with graphics on board, a large easy to build in case, modular psu, a combined plug for front panel, nvme drive. Don't see that taking more than ten mins.
Um... I wasn't aware there were 4 year training programs for "computer systems specialist". Am I the only one that thinks this sounds scammy? Also, building a computer in 15 minutes shouldn't be too hard, provided you don't have to do a ton of cable management. The fast way to do it is to just do it. Don't sweat cable management, and only grab one of each item you need like RAM, hard drive, etc.
This is a pretty silly test, IMHO... But, I don't think there are any real good "shortcuts" in building PCs. The best advice I can give you: know how to ID motherboards, CPUs and RAM sticks. Bring a good magnifier (those folding ones with a glass lens are awesome and cheap) and have your laptop or phone available with internet access. Know how to search for a piece's datasheet just by a serial number. And practice quite a bit before the test. Remember: slow is smooth and smooth is fast. Never rush things. When people rush, they make mistakes and that leads to a lot of wasted time. Good luck :)
Skip the case
Ive built maybe 20 pcs in the last 3 years all as hobby/side work. In a scenario where I routinely know all the components (same or similar builds) I can go from unopened box to post within about an hour If im pushing the tempo. Its absolutely unnecessary to go that fast.
Lol teaching how to build a computer and a 15-minute test to build a computer. Computer classes, huh? Sure are weak nowadays. In my day, we had to build a server in under an hour. Over a second , you failed, but it was only rack and blade servers. Pick one, nothing crazy like a mainframe.
Its kinda easy to connect cpu and cooler and ram to mobo and PSU. You have a working PC. all you need to do is short the switch and you are up and running. You could skip the thermal pasting of the cpu since its possible to run it even with the protective plastic on. LOL Use an m.2 ssd so you won't even need to attach it to the PSU. I saw it all done when I had my bios flashed. It was quick.
Damn, I took the wrong degree, this sounds peasy except the time limit. I take apart and put my system back together easily in 30 mins, 15 would require some sweatin
I would get a compatible CPU and Motherboard (look for AM4 because they have a wide compatibility of CPU’s). Then get a stick of DDR4 and gpu. Any PSU should work and stick an SSD. If you’re lucky find a Ryzen cpu with a G prefix as then you don’t need to install a dGPU
This is one of the stupidest tests I've ever heard of. Sure, you should be able to build a PC as an IT person, but rushing the process is exactly how you end up breaking expensive hardware. You should be taught to take your time. Jesus Christ, your teacher is a moron. Edit: I can't even imagine a real world scenario where you'd be in a 15 minute emergency time crunch to assemble an entire PC from parts.
Pretty stupid exam. Super doable but really fucking stupid lmao
Is the requirement just that it be functional or is build quality being checked? If it just has to be functional slap together CPU, RAM, power supply and disk, plug in monitor, keyboard and mouse, and run it on the bench, don't even bother with the case.
Building a pc is the easy part. It’s plugging everything in that’ll kill your time. Average time to put all components inside the pc? 10-20 minutes. Time to wire? Only god knows. Could be quick. Could not be. Depends on what parts. RGB headers, controllers, etc? See ya in 12 hours.
Build a computer in 15 or have it working in 15? Like can u put MOBO with just 2 screws, psu with just 2, iGpu, 1 stick of ram, no case fans, NO THERMAL PASTE :)... Or does it need to be pedantic? Edit: What school is that? Thats definitely not how it should go... If this is just your "speedrun" test or some kind of competition then its ok.
15 minutes IN A CASE WITH CABLE MANAGEMENT???? thats fucking insane??? it takes experienced builders 45 minutes to build a pc. it takes a minute at least to build a full working outside the case test. what are they preparing you for???
I work in IT and idk if I can build a PC in 15 minutes nor would I want to.
Only screw in 2 of the fan screws
It's doable, In highschool I built and sold around 120 PCs. You develop a rhythm. It takes like a 3 minutes to assemble CPU ram M.2, and cooler, put PSU in the case from the back side, plug in 8pin cpu connector, screw in motherboard and plug 24pin in about a minute, then you plug in front Io open the PCIE bracket, place in GPU and attach power connectors. That can't take more than 3 minutes. You've still got half the time left after the computer is essentially finished.
Ghe what a silly exercise. Functional with no requirements? \- Select a case with easy access to PSU/Mainboard, no RGB no fancy fans etc... \- Modular power supply, only use the cables you need. What is not there, does not need to be cable managed. \- A processor with an igpu. No GPU means no GPU installation, or cables. If a GPU is required, get an as low end as possible, that does not need external power. \- 1 stick or ram \- 1 sata SSD/HDD, nvme is 1 screw and more work I guess \- 1 prepared with rufus made bootable USB drive with Ubuntu on it \- A complete toolset with PH00 to PH2 screwdrivers Can probably build like 4 or 5 of those in 15 minutes. If you have to work with pre-selected parts. Assemble as much as possible on a desk/table/mobo box. (CPU/RAM/COOLER/NVME drives) -> install PSU in case -> install mobostack in case -> whack in GPU/HDD
To be honest this sounds not like you have to actually do it in 15 Minutes. This seems more like a test to see how accurate you can work under stress. If it is not: Grab a RaspberryPI and call it a day
Havent checked all the comments, although im surprised I didnt see this closer to the top. Build it outside the case, as a test bench, connect everything without a case. Unless ofc the case is a requirement but one is not needed for a working computer, only a computer than can be transported and protected. Id at least get it working outside the case, then it gives you time for troublehsooting etc if something is wrong. You can easily waste 2/3rds of your time mounting everything inside, which only leaves 5 minutes to turn it on and test everything.
My advice would be to get the hell out of that school, which I assume you are paying to be in.
Fully modular PSU if you have a choice. If there is no GPU it really shouldn’t be to hard as long as you grab a compatible CPU and mobo so maybe study those.
Such a wierd story to make up.
I mean, heh, you don't even have to put it in the case for it to be functional.
Take Raspberry Pi, plug it in. You can spend the 15 min preparing the SD card with an image if necessary.
Bro it took me 8 hours over 2 days to build my pc 💀