R&D
72 MAXIMUMPC MAR 2020 maximumpc.com
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WITH THE CASE PREPARED, we can turn to the core of
the new system. We start by installing the CPU in the
Asus Prime X399-A. Threadripper motherboards have a
slightly convoluted system for inserting the CPU, but the
order you release and tighten the three Torx screws is
clearly marked, and easy to follow. Once done, we install
the M.2 drive by removing the chunky heatspreader
toward the bottom of the motherboard, then screw the
drive in place using the mounting peg and screw that can
be found in the motherboard box. After this, we install
the RAM sticks, and the core of the system is ready.ALL-IN-ONE CPU COOLERS are great, especially when
you’r e look ing at s omething as p o wer f ul as T hr eadr ipper,
but they’re still a bit of a pain to set up for the first time.
The ML240P Mirage is actually one of the easiest ones
we’ve put together, at least. Simply attach the brackets
either side of the CPU block (the right way around—align
it with the motherboard to check the holes line up), screw
them in place, and then attach the fans to the radiator.
Be mindful of the fan cables as you do this, because they
need to be able to stretch to the motherboard headers
once everything is in place.IT’S NOW TIME to slide the motherboard into place. Don’t
forget to clip the I/O shield in position beforehand. The
motherboard is loaded up with the CPU, SSD, and RAM at
this stage, and is weighty, so be careful as you ease it in.
Screw it down on to the offsets using the nine screws you
removed earlier. The next step is to attach the AIO cooler.
It’s at this point we discovered there wasn’t room to
install the radiator in the roof of the case, so we removed
the front fans in order to install it there instead. Fix the
radiator in place using standard screws.SLIDE THE GEFORCE RTX 2080 INTO PLACE, and secure
it with the thumbscrews before attaching the power
cables—we couldn’t thread these up from the bottom,
because we couldn’t get the clips through, so instead we
routed these from the side instead. Speaking of which,
you can now connect the rest of the cables—both power
connectors and the case’s front panel leads. This is
a roomy case, and we didn’t have too many problems
here. The only issue we had was with the RGB lighting
of the AIO cooler, but we wanted subtle lighting anyway,
so didn’t pursue this. We finish off by screwing in the old
HDD and connecting its cables, and we’re done.IN WITH THE NEW BUILT TO COOL
BIG INSTALLATION FINISHING FLOURISHES