There are a lot of screws and other fittings that go into holding a PC together, and you don’t want to be skimping on screws when it comes to the build just because you didn’t plan ahead.
Some cases come with screws supplied, but these screws are generally low-quality “one-size fits all.” It is preferable to use screws supplied with a particular device over generic screws.
Here are just a few of the screws and fittings that you will need to have:
- Motherboard to chassis fittings. Because these can vary from case to case, generally they are supplied with the case. Sometimes “stand-off” type screws are used to keep the board from touching the metal case, and other times the stand-offs are built into the case. See Figure 5.
- Case screws. These screws are six-gauge wire with 32 threads per inch American National Coarse Thread (UNC) machine screws that are cut to accept a both a Phillips No. 2 screwdriver and a 1/4 inch hex driver and are 5/16 inch long. See Figure 6.
- Hard drive screws. Hard drives are connected to the case using pan head screws that accept a Phillips No. 2 screwdriver. Specifically, these are six-gauge wire with 32 threads per inch American National Coarse Thread (UNC) machine screws, just like case screws, only the heads and length (3/16 inch) are different. See Figure 7.
Never mount a hard drive using case screw. It’s too long and can damage the drive!
You can use a maximum of four screws per drive (two either side). At minimum, you can use is two (one either side), but this isn’t recommended. Remember, if you are using drive rails you will need more screws (supplied with the rails).
- CD/DVD drive screws. These are similar to the screws that hold hard drives or drive rails in place. However, “similar” doesn’t mean “same.” These drive screws are 5 mm long M3x0.5 (3 millimeter wire with a 0.5 mm thread pitch) machine screws with integral washer and are cut to accept a No. 1 Phillips head screwdriver. Some also have a both a 7/32 inch hex head (odd indeed for a metric screw!). Modern optical drives spin the discs at high speed and can generate a lot of vibration. It is vital then that drives are firmly attached by using all four screws. See Figure 8.
- Drive rails. Never skip on the screws used to attach the rail to the drive or the drive to the case. Use four screws to fit the drive to the rail and use four to fit the rail to the PC case. These come supplied with their own screws for fitting (they use hard drive screws).
- Floppy drive screws. Each drive is secured to the case with four screws that initially look like the same as the ones used to fit optical drives. The thread is the same as optical drives, but the head is different (these have a domed head that only accepts a No. 1 Phillips head screwdriver). Also, they are shorter, at 4 mm in length.
Don’t forget the screwdrivers you need, either! Continued…