Tools
- Phillips screwdriver #2, steps 3, 6, 7, 8 and 9
Parts (15)
| Part | Count | Size | Goes in | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Case bottom panel | 1 | 45 × 21 × 1 cm | step 2 | Has the filtered vent under the power supply. |
| Case top panel | 1 | 45 × 21 × 1 cm | step 2 | |
| Case front panel | 1 | 45 × 21 × 1 cm | step 2 | |
| Case back panel | 1 | 45 × 21 × 1 cm | step 2 | Rear I/O cutout at the top, slot covers below it, PSU opening at the bottom. |
| Motherboard tray | 1 | 45 × 43 × 1 cm | step 3 | The right-hand wall of the case; lies flat while the case is on its side. |
| Glass side panel | 1 | 45 × 43 × 1 cm | step 12 | Tempered glass, the left wall: the build shows through it. It breaks at the corners. |
| ATX motherboard | 1 | 30.5 × 24.4 cm, 2 mm thick | step 3 | Components face the left side panel; the I/O edge faces the back. |
| CPU | 1 | 4 × 4 cm, 3 mm thick | step 4 | |
| RAM stick (slot A2) | 1 | 13.3 × 3 cm, 7 mm thick | step 5 | |
| RAM stick (slot B2) | 1 | 13.3 × 3 cm, 7 mm thick | step 5 | |
| NVMe SSD (M.2 2280) | 1 | 8 × 2.2 cm, 2 mm thick | step 6 | |
| Tower CPU cooler | 1 | 15 × 12 × 7 cm | step 7 | Fan on the front face, blowing toward the rear exhaust. |
| Graphics card | 1 | 28 × 11 × 4 cm | step 9 | |
| Power supply (ATX) | 1 | 15 × 14 × 8.6 cm | step 8 | Fan on the underside, over the bottom vent. |
| Front panel leads | 1 | 9 mm wide | step 11 | Power switch, reset and LED leads that come from the case front. |
Hardware (29 pieces)
| Part no. | Hardware | Count | Size | Used in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 300601 | Motherboard standoff M3 | ×9 | Ø 5 × 6 mm | step 2 |
| 300305 | M3 × 5 motherboard screw | ×9 | Ø 3 × 6 mm | step 3 |
| 300632 | PSU screw 6-32 × 6 | ×4 | Ø 3.5 × 6 mm | step 8 |
| 300633 | Slot bracket screw 6-32 | ×2 | Ø 3.5 × 6 mm | step 9 |
| 300202 | M.2 screw M2 × 3 | ×1 | Ø 2.5 × 4 mm | step 6 |
| 300404 | Cooler spring screw | ×4 | Ø 4 × 12 mm | step 7 |
Sizes are the blueprint's, as drawn in the 3D: diameter × length for fasteners, in millimetres.
The 12 steps
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Step 1: Check your parts
Unpack everything on a hard floor, not carpet, and leave each part in its antistatic bag until its step. Lay the case on its right side with the left side panel off.
Watch out: Static kills chips without a spark you can see. Touch bare case metal before you pick up any part, and hold boards by their edges.
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Step 2: Screw in the motherboard standoffs
With the case on its right side, screw a brass standoff into each of the 9 tray holes that line up with your motherboard. Finger-tight is enough.
Watch out: Only where the board has a hole. A spare standoff under the board touches its back and shorts it.
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Step 3: Set the motherboard on the standoffs and screw it down
Snap the I/O shield into the back of the case if your board came with a loose one. Lower the board in at an angle, ports first into the rear cutout, until all 9 holes sit on the standoffs, then drive the 9 screws snug, corners first.
Watch out: Snug, not tight: a screw forced past snug can crack the board around the hole.
Tip: With the case on its side the board lies flat, so the CPU, RAM, SSD and cooler go on right here in the next steps. Nothing has to be lifted in later.
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Step 4: Drop the CPU into the socket
Lift the socket lever, lower the CPU in with its gold triangle on the socket's triangle mark, and press the lever back down.
Watch out: Match the triangles and let the CPU drop in under its own weight. No force: one bent socket pin ruins the board.
Tip: Hold the CPU by its edges. The underside never touches anything but the socket.
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Step 5: Click the RAM into slots A2 and B2
Open the latches on the second and fourth slots counted from the CPU, line each stick's notch up with the key and press straight down until the latches click.
Watch out: With two sticks, use slots 2 and 4. Side-by-side slots often run them in single channel at half the speed.
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Step 6: Fit the NVMe SSD under the heatsink
Unscrew the M.2 heatsink, slide the SSD into its slot at a slight angle, press it flat and fix the end with the small screw. Put the heatsink back on top.
Watch out: Peel the plastic film off the heatsink's thermal pad first. Left on, it traps heat and the SSD slows down.
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Step 7: Mount the CPU cooler
Fit the cooler's backplate from behind, through the cutout in the tray. Put a dot of thermal paste in the middle of the CPU, lower the cooler straight onto it and tighten the 4 spring screws a few turns at a time in an X.
Watch out: Peel the protective film off the cooler base before it touches the paste.
Tip: A pea-sized dot is all the paste you need; the cooler's pressure spreads it. More just oozes over the socket.
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Step 8: Slide in the power supply
Slide the power supply into the shroud at the bottom with its fan facing down onto the vent, then fix it with 4 screws through the back of the case.
Watch out: Fan down, over the filtered vent. Fan up inside the shroud, it breathes its own hot air and runs loud.
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Step 9: Install the graphics card
Take out the two slot covers level with the top long slot, press the card in until the slot latch clicks and screw its bracket down with 2 screws.
Watch out: Use the top long slot, nearest the CPU. The lower long slots are often wired for a quarter of the speed.
Tip: A long, heavy card sags in its slot over the years. Fit the support bracket from its box now, while the case is still on its side.
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Step 10: Plug in the power cables
From the power supply, run the wide 24-pin cable to the board's front edge and the 8-pin CPU cable to the top corner by the I/O ports, then the PCIe cable to the graphics card. Plug the cooler's fan lead onto the CPU_FAN header.
Watch out: Push each plug in until its clip clicks. A half-seated 24-pin boots, then crashes under load, and a loose CPU_FAN lead stops the boot with a fan error.
Tip: Route the cables behind the tray and through the grommets. Tidy cables are not for looks: the fans breathe better and the side panel closes without a fight.
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Step 11: Connect the front panel header
Plug the case's power switch, reset and LED leads onto the F_PANEL header at the bottom front corner of the board, one pin pair each.
Tip: Pin order differs between boards, so check the legend in your motherboard manual. LED leads have a + side; the switches do not.
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Step 12: Close up and power on
Stand the case up, slide the glass side panel into place and fix it. Plug in the mains cable, switch the PSU to I and press the power button.
Watch out: Touch bare case metal before you reach inside, to drain static. If you test-boot with the side off, keep fingers and screwdrivers clear of the fans and the board.
Tip: Carry the glass by its long edges and set it down on a towel, never on a corner: tempered glass is strong on its face and shatters from a knock on the corner.
After the build
Finish it in the app and it parks itself in My Garage with this care guide:
- Dust the filters and fans: every 90 days, about 15 minutes. Check the GPU for sag while the panel is off. A support bracket costs less than a repair.
How the reminders work is in the garage post.