Custom PC - UK (2020-01)

Finally,fitthefanstotheradiatoronthe
samesideoftheradiatorasthetubing
connectors,withthebacksofthefansfacing
theradiator.Makesuretheedgesofthe
fanswithpowerconnectorsareallfacing
theedgeoftheradiatorthatwillfacethe
motherboardtray,soyoucaneasilythreadthe
cablesthroughtheholesaboveyourcase’s
motherboardtray.Handletheradiatorcarefully,
makingsureyoudon’tdropit orscrapeit
againstyourmotherboard.

INSTALLPOWERSUPPLY
Takea lookatyourcase’spowersupplymount,
andcheckyourcase’smanualtoseewhich
wayupyourpowersupplyshouldgo.They

usuallyslotintoa bottommountwiththePSU’s

fanfacingdownwards,butsomecasesare

optimisedfordifferentairflowsetups.

Nowremovebothofyourcase’ssidepanels,

andthreadallofyourPSU’scablesthroughthe

PSUmountandoutthesideofthecasebehind

themotherboardtray.If youplantoinstallan

all-in-oneliquidcoolerradiatorintheroof,

nowis alsoa goodtimetoremoveanypanels

orcoversonthetopofyourcase.Onceallthe

cablesareintheareabehindthemotherboard

tray,slotthePSUintoplace,andscrewit into

itsmountattheback– it shouldneedjust

fourscrews,butsomecasesalsorequirean

additionalmountingplatetobescrewedtothe

backofthePSUfirst.

CABLEROUTING

Nowtakea lookatthepositionsofthe24-pin

ATXand8-pinCPU12Vsocketsonyour

motherboard,andcomparethemwiththe

holesinyourcasearoundthemotherboard

tray.Threadthecablesthroughtheholes

nearestwherethesocketsonthemotherboard

willbepositionedwhenit’sinstalled.

Thereshouldbea holejustoutsidethe

top-leftedgeofthemotherboardtrayfor

theCPU12Vplug,anda holetothetopright

ofthemotherboardtrayforthe24-pinATX

plug.Don’ttiedownanycablesyet– youstill

wanta littleflexinthemuntilthewholebuild

is finished.

Whileyou’rehere,locateyourcase’scables

foritsfrontpanellightsandbuttons,aswell

asanyfront-mountedUSBandaudioports

• they’reoftenbunchedtogetheratthefront
  ofthecase.Again,threadthesecablesfrom
  thebackofthecasetothefrontthroughthe
  holesnearestthecorrespondingheaderson
  yourmotherboard.
  Thefrontpanelconnectorsareusuallyatthe
  bottomright,thefrontpanelaudioheaderis
  usuallyatthebottomleft,andtheUSBheaders
  areusuallyontherightofthemotherboard,as
  wellasonthebottom.Thereshouldbeholes
  belowthemotherboardtrayforroutingthese
  cables.Similarly,if yourcasedoesn’thavea
  fanhub,routethepowercablesforyourcase’s
  fansthroughtheappropriateholestomeet
  yourmotherboard’sfanpowerheaders.

INSTALLMOTHERBOARD

If yourmotherboardhasa separatebackplate

fortheI/Oportsontheback,pushit intothe

largeholeonthebackofyourcasenow,

pushingineachcornerfirmly.

FEATURE / CUSTOMISATION

There should be a hole by the top left

of the motherboard tray for routing

your CPU 12V power cable

Route your power and front panel cables

through the appropriate holes to reach

the sockets on your motherboard

Next, double-check the screwhole layout on

your motherboard, and compare it with the

standoff layout of your case. Standoffs have a

threaded hole in one end and a screw thread on

the other end, and they create a gap between

your case and your motherboard, ensuring that

your metal case doesn’t end up shorting out

the solder traces on your motherboard.

Some cases don’t have standoffs fitted

as standard, in which case they’ll be in the

accessories bag and you’ll need to fit them to

your motherboard tray, corresponding with

the screwhole layout on your motherboard.

Either way, make sure the standoffs and

motherboard screwholes line up correctly –

you don’t want a standoff grating against a

part of your motherboard. You can remove

and install standoffs with a female hex tool, or

with your pliers.

Now lay your case on its side, with the

motherboard tray facing upwards, and locate

the case’s front panel connectors you threaded

Screw the PSU into place at the back

Thread the cables through the back of the case, and
push the PSU into place

If you have a modular or semi-modular PSU, you can
cut clutter by only connecting the cables you need