This is where those 60 minutes go, as the blueprint estimates them for a first-time builder:
| Step | Minutes |
|---|---|
| 1. Check your parts | 5 |
| 2. Screw in the motherboard standoffs | 5 |
| 3. Set the motherboard on the standoffs and screw it down | 6 |
| 4. Drop the CPU into the socket | 4 |
| 5. Click the RAM into slots A2 and B2 | 3 |
| 6. Fit the NVMe SSD under the heatsink | 4 |
| 7. Mount the CPU cooler | 6 |
| 8. Slide in the power supply | 4 |
| 9. Install the graphics card | 4 |
| 10. Plug in the power cables | 8 |
| 11. Connect the front panel header | 6 |
| 12. Close up and power on | 5 |
The longest step is the power cables, 8 minutes: the 24-pin to the board's front edge, the 8-pin CPU cable to the top corner, the PCIe cable to the graphics card and the cooler's fan lead onto CPU_FAN, each pushed in until its clip clicks. Add the front panel header, 6 minutes of pin pairs checked against the motherboard manual's legend, and the wiring is nearly a quarter of the build.
The hour does not include installing the operating system or drivers. The blueprint stops at the first power-on.
Three things keep it close to an hour. The case lies on its side, so the CPU, RAM, SSD and cooler go onto a board that is already flat in the case, and nothing has to be lifted in later. One tool does it all, a Phillips #2 screwdriver. And static is handled up front: touch bare case metal before you pick up any part, and hold boards by their edges.
In the app, the time left follows your own pace once you have done two real steps, so a careful first build gets a careful estimate.