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THE MASTERBOX Q500L has an unusually pronounced
bezel around the window panel, which, combined with
the bulky PSU bracket, leaves only a narrow space to
slide in the motherboard (don’t forget to fit the rear I/O
shield to the case first). We found the best option was
to insert it diagonally, rotating it as you go. Fitting it
under the rear case fan is also a struggle, as there’s little
room to maneuver. Once it’s inside, fit it on to the central
mounting peg, and screw it down to the nine stand-
offs, first double-checking that the rear I/O is lined up
correctly. Once done, connect the motherboard and CPU
power cables by feeding them behind the mobo, then
back out of the closest hole in the mounting plate.A TIGHT FIT
TAKE THE BRACKET you set aside, and screw the CX450
PSU into place, making sure the long side of the bracket
is on the same side as the PSU fan. When the PSU is
installed, the fan should face outward through the
case’s dust filters. For the actual installation, put
the case on its side and line up the bracket in its original
position. Before screwing it in, feed through the power
extension cable, and plug it in. When it’s time to screw
the bracket in place, ensure it’s lined up properly; there
is a subtle line on the case exterior that shows where
the PSU needs to line up. Take care not to damage the
front I/O’s cable connectors—remember that the I/O can
be removed and put back once the PSU is in place.MOUNTED AND LOADED
SET THE CASE ASIDE, and get the motherboard ready to
go. Unless you have an antistatic work surface, use the
box the X470 came in as a workbench. Your processor
should already be in place, so grab the Wraith Stealth
cooler that came with it—be careful when removing it
from the box, as there’s a layer of thermal paste on the
bottom. Make sure the correct AMD bracket is fitted to
the underside of the mobo, then screw down the cooler
on top of the CPU, making sure all four screws are tight.
Next, pop open the clasps on the second and fourth
DIMM slots heading away from the CPU socket (labeled
DDR4_1 and DDR4_2), and insert the Corsair Vengeance
LPX memory, pushing down on both ends until it
clicks into place. If you installed the RAM earlier, give
yourself a pat on the back. On to the next step!COPY PASTE
THE MASTERBOX Q500L is something of a strange beast
in the world of computer cases, with its removable
front I/O, vertical PSU mounting bracket, and feed-
through power cable. The I/O can be switched to
different sides of the case, but we’re going to be leaving
it in the default position for this build; therefore, when
you strip down this case to get ready to build, just leave
the I/O in place, and tuck the cables out of the way.
The PSU bracket, however, can come out—remove the
magnetic dust filters from the case, detach both side
panels, then unscrew the bracket from the perforated
metal frame of the case. Set the bracket aside for now—
we’ll be needing it later on. There’s not much else that
has to be done at
this stage; leave
the case fan cable
tied up (it gets in
the way of the
mobo installation
otherwise), and
remove the drive
mounts behind the
motherboard plates,
setting them both
aside for later, too.
We are ready to
start building!OPEN ’ER UP
maximumpc.com DEC 2019 MAXIMUMPC 33