If you’re putting together a PC, there are a handful of things you should have on hand before you get started. Some of these are just convenient, while others are absolutely essential.

7

Microfiber Towels

Dust and other fine debris get everywhere, but you definitely don’t want any significant amount of it settling on your CPU or in your thermal paste.

Before I apply thermal paste, I always wipe down the CPU and the CPU cooler with a small microfiber to make sure there isn’t any lint, dust, or other accumulated stuff that might impact thermal conductivity.

Plus, if you ever need to repaste your CPU for any reason or if you make a mistake while you’re seating the CPU, it is handy to have something to remove the old paste with.

If you don’t have microfiber towels on hand, and you need something, I’d recommend coffee filters over paper towels. Regardless of what you use, remember to apply isopropyl alcohol to get a completely clean surface.

Amazon Basics Microfiber Cleaning Cloths

Multi-use cleaning cloths

6

Plastic or Silicone-Coated Tweezers

There are tons of tiny pieces (mostly screws) in a PC, and I’ve dropped them into hard-to-reach places more than once.

I prefer tweezers over a magnetic stick, since not every small component you drop will be magnetic.

Realistically, you could use metal tweezers, but I prefer to avoid them, since metal tweezers are more likely to damage something.

Plus, if I need to rummage around blindly with a pair of tweezers, I’d prefer something non-conductive.

Precision Anti-static Tweezers

A set of black plastic tweezers. They’re small and nonconductive, which makes them well-suited for use in computers. 

5

Velcro Straps

Once you’re almost done assembling your PC, you’ll need to figure out where to route all the wires and power cables.

If you don’t want the inside of your PC to turn into a rat’s nest of wires, I’d recommend picking up some Velcro straps. At a minimum, I always make sure that my wires are secured so that nothing can accidentally wind up in a fan.

A single roll is more than enough for one PC, so you’ll have leftovers to finally organize that box of old cables you’ve had sitting around “just in case,” too.

VELCRO Brand ONE-WRAP Cable Ties | 60Pk | 8 x 1/2″ Straps, Multicolor | Strong Reusable Wire Management | Cord Bundling for Home Office and Data Centers

These velcro ties are easy to apply and reuse, and you can get dozens of them for a few dollars.

4

Headlamp

Between the tiny components, cramped spaces, and dark colors commonly used on PC components, I pretty much require a headlamp when I’m assembling a PC.

It doesn’t need to be anything special—even a small cheap one makes a world of difference when you’re fumbling to connect your power button header.

Foxelli LED Rechargeable Headlamp

The Foxelli is an affordable USB rechargeable headlamp that means you won’t have to search for disposable batteries if you run out of light in the middle of a blackout.

3

A Magnetic Tray: No More Lost Screws

Between the hard drives and SSDs, PSUs, GPUs, NVMe SSDs, and your case fans, there are a ton of screws you’ll add or remove while assembling a PC.

After dumping my little bowl of screws on the table accidentally one final time, I opted for a magnetic tray, and I don’t regret it one bit. It ensures that the screws don’t go flying if I accidentally bump it. I tried dropping mine and found about 2/3rds of the screws actually stayed attached.

Losing the screws for your GPU or hard drive isn’t usually a big deal, since they can be found at almost any hardware store, but those M.2 SSD screws (M2 x 2.5mm usually) aren’t nearly as common.

You can find these at most any hardware store.

Titan 11061 Mini Magnetic Parts Tray

A small magnetic parts tray to keep your screws and standoffs in one place.

2

Isopropyl Alcohol

If you ever have to clean anything in your PC, you don’t want to use water if you can avoid it. A big bottle of isopropyl alcohol is a must-have item for me.

I Put These Tech Items in the Dishwasher and You Should Too

Why clean them yourself when your dishwasher can do it for you?

If you need to clean contacts, wipe off some adhesive, or remove old thermal paste, isopropyl alcohol should be the first thing you reach for, since it is non-conductive and won’t leave residue.

I typically buy 91% isopropyl alcohol, since it is readily available in most brick and mortar stores. In a pinch, anything above 70% will work. Just make sure you let it fully dry before powering anything up.

1

A Precision Screwdriver Set

While assembling a PC, you’ll typically need at least three different sized screwdrivers, and in some instances I’ve needed as many as 5.

A precision screwdriver set ensures you’ll have all of the bits you might need while building your PC. It also means you’ll be able to work on most small electronics without wondering if you’re going to have the right bit. I’d recommend getting one with the common security bits included, since they don’t cost much more.

iFixit Mako Driver Kit

The iFixit Mako kit is probably the last kit screwdriver kit any electronics or computer geek needs to buy. Even the case is magnetized, so you can sort and store screws instead of having them disappear into another dimension.